Wedding Officiants in NC: Can My Friend Officiate My Wedding?

We all see this in movies: our favorite couple decides to get married, and they ask their best friend to marry them. It sets the scene for a deeply personal and emotional moment, bound to make you laugh and cry simultaneously. Some of us picture that exact moment for our wedding day, but in North Carolina, its definitely harder to do. North Carolina marriage laws are more strict on this than in other states, which is why couples are often surprised to learn that not all ordained wedding officiants in NC are legally recognized.

Photo by Mehmet Demirci Photography

Obtaining a Marriage License In North Carolina

For all of those who don’t know how the marriage license procedure works, here is a breakdown:

1. The couple obtains a marriage license at the Register of Deeds in any North Carolina county before the wedding
   • You must be married within 60 days of receiving license
2. The couple hires an authorized officiant to perform the wedding ceremony
3. The officiant signs the marriage license after the ceremony
   • Two witnesses who are aged 18+, with some form of identification (passport, state ID, driver’s license), must be present for the marriage ceremony and sign the marriage license
   • Officiant must take or mail this license to the Register of Deeds within 10 days of ceremony
4. Once married and the license is registered, couple may request a marriage certificate from the Register of Deeds

Who Can Legally Officiate a Wedding in North Carolina?

In North Carolina, only certain individuals are legally authorized to perform a wedding ceremony and sign a marriage license. These include:

• Ordained ministers or ministers authorized by their church or religious body
• Magistrates (including courthouse weddings)
• Ceremonies performed in the recognized manner of a religious denomination that does not use officiants
• Ceremonies performed in the recognized manner of a federally or state-recognized Native American tribe

As long as one of these criteria is met, the marriage can be legally performed in North Carolina.

Note: This does not include officiants ordained through the Universal Life Church (ULC) or similar online ordination programs.

What Happens If Your Officiant Is Not Authorized?

Not everyone is legally recognized by the state of North Carolina to officiate a wedding. While a friend or family member may choose to get ordained online, those ordinations are not always legally valid in North Carolina.

If your ceremony is officiated by someone who is not authorized under state law, such as a friend ordained online through organizations like the Universal Life Church, your marriage may be considered voidable. This typically doesn’t cause issues day-to-day, but it can become a serious problem if your marriage is ever examined in a legal context.

In situations involving divorce, the death of a spouse, medical decision-making, inheritance, or property rights, a court may determine that the marriage was never legally valid. That means the protections and rights typically granted to married couples may not apply.

To avoid legal complications down the road, it’s essential to ensure your officiant is properly authorized in the state of North Carolina before your wedding day.

Ceremony Wedding Officiants in North Carolina

We highly recommend investing in a professional wedding officiant in North Carolina. One of our trusted recommendations is Personal Ceremonies of North Carolina, led by Rev. Kevin Holland and his experienced team.

They take the time to truly get to know you, guiding you through the structure and flow of your ceremony so it reflects who you are as a couple. We love the systems that they have in place to ensure you get the most out of them. We also love how versatile and diverse they are: they are LGBT-friendly, and can perform Christian, Jewish, and non-religious weddings. From tone to traditions, every detail is thoughtfully discussed to ensure your ceremony feels personal, intentional, and authentically you.

Hiring a professional officiant means you can feel confident knowing your wedding is not only legally compliant, but also meaningful, memorable, and beautifully executed.

What To Do If Hiring An Authorized Wedding Officiant Is Not What You Want?

You have options if you REALLY want your friend to officiate. An authorized, ordained minister could come before your ceremony to witness the ceremony and handle the paperwork. You are officially married in by the professional, and symbolically married by your friend in public.

Personal Ceremonies of North Carolina offers ceremony training. Your friend can feel at ease while performing your ceremony if they have people like Rev. Kevin Holland to help.

We also recommend that if you go this route, to encourage your friend to check out YouTube videos from the Unboring!Wedding Academy.

Another option is going to the courthouse before or after your symbolic ceremony. You would get officially married in the courthouse with no worries for paperwork or legalities while still having the epic wedding of your dreams.

Photo by Hailey Hughes Photography

As wedding planners, we want to keep you as informed as possible when selecting a wedding officiant. Our job is to ensure that everything goes smoothly and to advice you on choosing your wedding vendor team so everything goes without a hitch!

Personal Ceremonies of North Carolina Quick Stats

• Ceremony Type: Any religious denomination, non-denominational, spiritual, civil, and interfaith ceremonies
• Price Point:
  • Micro-weddings/elopements: Start at $250
  • Full ceremonies: $650-$950
• Location: Based in Triangle and Triad, but serves statewide
• Website: https://www.ncofficiants.com/
• Instagram: @personalceremoniesnc
• LGBTQIA Friendly

Disclaimer: While we do our best to keep this information accurate and up to date, marriage license requirements can change. This guide is intended as a general overview, always check with your local Register of Deeds for the most current details. We are not legal or financial professionals.

You can find your Register of Deeds here: https://www.ncard.us/find-your-register-of-deeds/