Civil Ceremony
Visit our Wedding Ceremonies
page for typical Wedding Ceremonies we perform.
Civil Ceremonies and Marriage License Requirements
Civil ceremonies are officiated by wedding officiants who do not represent any religious denomination. A Marriage License serves as official authorization to marry. To meet the legal requirements, your marriage must be solemnized by a certified wedding officiant—whether denominated (religious) or non-denominated (secular)—before it can be registered with the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder’s Office. A civil ceremony fulfills this legal requirement.
Our wedding officiants are certified by the American Council of Wedding Officiants to conduct weddings and legally unite couples. We frequently perform civil ceremonies for couples who plan to have a larger celebration later, but who require the formality and legality of a civil wedding for various reasons.
Since proxy marriages and online marriages are not recognized in California, both parties must be physically present at the ceremony. If you choose to use a public marriage license (which can only be obtained from the Los Angeles County Clerk’s Office), you must have one witness present at the ceremony.
On the day of your ceremony, you will receive a customer copy of your marriage certificate, which can be used for federal purposes such as green cards, insurance, tax filing, and more. We will submit the original marriage license to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s Office for official recording. Once your marriage certificate is recorded (which typically takes 6-8 weeks), you will receive a certified copy by mail.