Y’all know Mr. C and I are doing a bit of a destination wedding in Austin. This has definitely been the right decision for us, and in general it’s all gone pretty smoothly, planning-wise. Where it has caused a little consternation, though, is with regard to the marriage license.
The state of Texas requires a marriage license to be obtained no more than 30 days in advance, and also imposes a 72-hour waiting period once you have the license. When we found this out back in January, we scratched our heads a little bit about how we could manage that time window.
We did some research and discovered the following things:
We ultimately decided that in order to meet the 72-hour waiting period requirement, I will go down to Texas on the Wednesday before the wedding to get the marriage license on my own. I can pick it up on my own by bringing an “Affidavit of Absent Applicant” to the County Clerk’s office, which is basically a notarized form saying Mr. Cauldron is who he says he is, and that he wishes to marry me. Mr. C will join me in Texas later that week, as he’s wisely saving every day of vacation he can for our honeymoon. (Yay honeymoon!)
Though I’m a little sad Mr. C won’t be there with me to pick up this very important piece of paper, I am also just glad we were able to make it work! Whew!
Did any of you have scheduling challenges for picking up your marriage license?
I’m glad you reached a resolution, but be sure that it will actually work with the 72 hour thing. In Pennsylvania, there’s a similar 72 hours window – you apply on one day and then it’s available for pick-up 3 working days later. I would hate for you to get yourself in a bind if you went on a Wednesday and they bumped pick-up to Monday because Saturday would be the 3rd day and doesn’t count because the office isn’t open. Hope that makes sense!
For similar logistics reasons, I picked up our marriage license alone as well. You actually don’t need anything special to do that in Maryland, interestingly enough, as long as you know his SSN. And even better, ours was good for a whole 6 months. Makes everything a lot simpler- those waiting periods can get tricky if you’re coming in from out of town.
We just had a heck of a time getting our license!! Applied for it June 30, then the town ran out of licenses until August 22, and when I went to pick it up, the power went out so the clerk couldn’t copy it (and couldn’t give it to me). Yeesh!
In NJ you can apply up to 6 months in advance, not less than 72 hours before, at the clerks office of either the bride and groom home town – bring you proof of birth, residency, divorce degree, if applicable and a witness that knows both of you, over the age of 18; for non-residents, you apply where the wedding will take place. After you apply, you can pick up your license within 30 days of the date of marriage. We just have to give the clerk a few days notice so that she will have it ready. Once the marriage takes place, it needs to be recorded in the town it took place. We applied in July, wedding in a few weeks.
I’m glad you found a workable solution! We were in a similar situation because Mr. P moved away and we both had to be present to pick up the license. It was a tight timeframe, but we managed to make it work.
I think we are going to have a similar issue in NY…. glad we still have some time to figure it out!
Very smart of you to research all the options early on. Glad it worked out!
in MD you can get it without your partner there, so I just picked it up on my lunch break from jury duty – I was already in the courthouse, so why not.
Michigan is the same way – you have between 33 and 3 days before the wedding to get it, and you have to do it in the county one of you resides, or the one you’ll marry in.
I just sent MrJ to take care of it since he can more easily sneak out of work early (twice in one week to make it there by 5!). You just have to fill out the form and send it with a copy of all your ID’s.
I’m actually in the same boat, we moved to Chicago but are having a Dallas wedding. Thank you for this post I’m going to try the same thing since we won’t see each other for a week before the wedding!
Sucks you had such a hassle and glad it worked out! I’m so happy it’s extremely easy to get your marriage license in California! We just got ours a few days ago. We were in and out in 20 minutes! (that was only due to the location we chose and getting there right as they opened). You can go to ANY county in California to get your license. It doesn’t matter if you’re getting married there or even live in that county or not. The license is valid for 90 days.
That’s good to know! We are getting married in San Antonio, where we live & did a marriage prep class, so maybe I can get it early!! : )
Ours is all organised by the celebrant in Australia, so no problems here! i hope it all goes off without a hitch for you!
Miss Cauldron, New York City/Austin Age and Occupation: 33, Human Resources Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Technology Engagement Date: October 8, 2011 Wedding Date: September 2012 Venue: Pecan Grove at the Salt Lick About Me: I grew up in the Lone Star State, but moved to NYC after college to get a taste of the Big Apple, and never left. I love baking, yoga, Mr. C, and sunshine (not necessarily in that order)! Mr. C and I met on Match.com back in 2007, and our second date was at a Texas barbecue restaurant in Manhattan. It’s only fitting that after almost five years together, we are getting married at an iconic Texas barbecue joint. (Shiner Bock and brisket, anyone?) I’m proud of the life we have built together around our love for each other, Mr. C’s crazy dog Bosley, and fun sailing adventures on our boat, and I’m looking forward to celebrating our marriage at one seriously awesome party in September.
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