Can my brother officiate in FL?

[landwlkr]

Hi Ladies,

 

I have been trying to understand FL laws regarding who can (or can't) officiate a ceremony. In an ideal world, I would like my big brother to officiate legally. He could be ordained at one of the internet churches for the occasion (Universal Life church, etc.). The question is if anyone knows if FL recognizes such an ordainment legally. Here is what the law states:

 

741.07 Persons authorized to solemnize matrimony.

(1) All regularly ordained ministers of the gospel or elders in communion with some church, or other ordained clergy, and all judicial officers, including retired judicial officers, clerks of the circuit courts, and notaries public of this state may solemnize the rights of matrimonial contract, under the regulations prescribed by law.

 

I guess the question is what "regularly ordained" means. Anyone know for sure? We might jump over to City Hall here in NYC just in case to make sure it is 100% legal!

 

Thanks!

Terra

[shan13]

Thinking "regularly ordained" is meaning his licensing in ur state.....

 

Not sure about FL but here in AR..I called the place where I got my license and they said my mother could officiate...but she had to send in her ministerial info and a small fee and they added her on their books here..so she could marry us and I am originally from MO.. (1st marriage)

 

maybe try starting with their marriage license bureau and ask somebody directly..it might just be a matter of him sending his info b4 u guys go..HTH!

[IslamoradaBride]

Yes, I would contact the clerk of court in the county where you will be married and they will be able to tell you specifically what they accept. For what it's worth, I had a notary perform my ceremony and it went great.

[absolutpink24]

Hi there,

 

Yes, your brother can officiate in Florida. I'm an ordained minister myself and have preformed multiple ceremonies. I was ordained through the Universal Life Monastery and have not had any problems.

[baileyfk]

Hi Terra,

We would like to do this as well. Any idea what type of documentation your brother will need to bring? I spoke with someone at the county clerk's office and they were not too helpful. They said that he could preform the ceremony if he knew he was able to preform marriage ceremonies.

Thanks,

Kristen

[landwlkr]

Hi Kristen!

 

It looks like rules change county to county. I still can't say I am 100% clear on the technicalities. What we are planning to do is have my brother ordained and file for our marriage license with Palm Beach County but then also have a "legal" ceremony in our local town hall afterwards. Just to be sure!

 

Try calling the clerk again and if you don't get a clear answer, ask to speak with someone else. Other than that, I am not sure what to do! It's a tricky issue for sure.

 

Best wishes!

Terra

[hoyt75]

My mom is a public notary and is able to do weddings in Fl. She lives there and wanted us to get married there (we live in Tx) so that she could officiate, lol.

[kellynadam2010]

We had a friend do our ceremony - she just got ordained online. We were married in Pinellas County. We just got married last weekend, so we dont' have our stuff back yet, but I know at least for Pinellas County, you can definitely do it. We didn't send/show any additional paperwork, just had her sign the marriage license and sent it in.