You Don’t Have To Be A Minister To Marry Couples In Texas

Some of us would rather not bother with a church wedding.

Some Background

Not only have I done extensive research on this topic, but I've also been the officiant at over three dozen marriages. They're legal, they were fun and you can marry people too.

The Law

This is straight from the Texas Attorney General's page:

A licensed or ordained minister, priest or rabbi; justice of the peace; and most judges can marry couples.

Guess what? It takes seconds to get licensed or ordained.

Getting Ordained

How much trouble do you want to go to? Probably the easiest way to go is by hitting up the Universal Life Church. You'd be in good company. Lada Gaga, Paul McCartney and Conan O'Brien (as well as myself) are all ordained by the church. If you want to spend a couple of bucks you can't get ordained at The Church Of The Flying Spaghetti Monster, or The Church Of Dude (a salute to the Big Lebowski).

The Ceremony

There are all kinds of places online with free ceremonies and even more that have a minimum fee attached. I personally took one of the freebies and rewrote a ceremony that I've used over and over with minimal changes.

Making It Legal

It's really all about you "witnessing" two people agree to be married, so what really counts is they have a valid wedding license and you signed off on it signifying that you performed the ceremony.

Making It Great

I'll tell you right now, stepping up and becoming an "officiant" for your friends is incredibly rewarding. It's all about your confidence and putting together some of those little touches to personalize the event. It's OKAY to read the ceremony. I still read the ceremony because I want to get everything perfect for the couple.