I have a friend who is going to get married this summer.  She is not
interested in having a church wedding, but doesn't want the justice of
the peace route either.  Ideally, she would like a close friend or
family member to be able to officiate the ceremony.  We have heard
that pretty much anybody can become "certified" to perform marry
people.  Is this true?  If so, we would like information on how to do
this.  If this is relevant, the wedding will take place in Kentucky
between 2 Kentucky residents.  Ideally, the answer would be steps that
we can take here in Lexington to get certified by the state of
Kentucky to perform ceremonies. I have heard that you can get
certified through the internet by various "churches" but we are leary
of going that route.  Nonetheless, it may have to be an option.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

---

Clarification of Question by tnsdan-ga on 17 Feb 2004 12:23 PST

Pink-

Thanks for your comment.  However, we are not looking for a minister
to perform the ceremony.  Is there any information out there for
"regular joes" to be licensed to perform ceremonies?

---

Clarification of Question by tnsdan-ga on 17 Feb 2004 12:58 PST

Pink-

Thanks for your second comment...  You are by far my favorite
researcher on GA, so I feel good having your comments.  In any case, I
have called my county clerk (they didn't know) and they sent me to the
attorney general.  Someone from there is supposed to call me back
soon.  It seems as though I may be out of luck, though :(

I don't necessarily expect an answer here (I know this is outside the
scope of the original question) but here goes:

I have seen on TV shows such as Friends and Alias where any Joe Schmo
can get "ordained" over the internet by "churches" like the Church of
Mammals or something like that.  Is this just a case of Hollywood
giving characters this right to serve the story, or is this a real
thing?

Thanks again for your help!

---

Clarification of Question by tnsdan-ga on 17 Feb 2004 13:43 PST

czh-

Thanks for your comment.  If you can find out if this is valid to
perform ceremonies in Kentucky, then I will gladly accept this as an
answer.

Thanks!

Hello again tnsdan-ga,

I?ve investigated Kentucky marriage laws and found out that your
friend can be legally married in Kentucky by a minister ordained by
the Universal Life Church. According to KRS 402.050 marriage may be
solemnized by ?ministers of the gospel or priests of any denomination
in regular communion with any religious society.? The ULC would
qualify under this provision.

I?m providing you with the link to the County Clerks? Guide to
Kentucky Marriage Law and I?ve included excerpts to the sections most
relevant to your question. It?s a short document and I recommend that
you read it in its entirety.

As I indicated in my earlier comment, your friend who will be the
designated minister can get an Instant Ordination online from the
Universal Life Church and meet the requirement that a Kentucky
marriage ?may be solemnized by ministers of the gospel or priests of
any denomination in regular communion with any religious society.? The
ULC website offers a large FAQ file to help your friend with planning
her informal wedding.

Best wishes for this joyous occasion.

~ czh ~


======================
KENTUCKY MARRIAGE LAWS
======================

http://www.law.state.ky.us/civil/bkmarriage.html
County Clerks' Guide to Kentucky Marriage Law

Form of license 
Subsection (2) of KRS 402.100 provides for a marriage certificate,
which includes a statement by the person performing the marriage
ceremony that the ceremony was performed. That statement must include
the name and title of the person performing the ceremony, the names of
the persons married, the date and place of the marriage, and the names
of two witnesses. That marriage certificate shall also include a
statement by the person performing the marriage ceremony as to his
legal qualification under KRS Chapter 402 to perform the ceremony,
such statement to include the name of the county or city where his
license to perform Kentucky marriages was issued, or, in the case of
religious societies authorized by KRS 402.050(1)(c) to solemnize
marriages, the name of the city or county where the religious society
is incorporated. In view of the 1996 repeal of KRS 402.060, which had
required a minister or priest to obtain a license to perform a
marriage, that section of KRS 402.100(2) requiring the person
performing the marriage to set forth the county or city where his or
her license to perform marriage ceremonies was issued is no loner
applicable. The marriage certificate must also contain a dated
signature of the person performing the ceremony.

Solemnization of marriage 

Who may solemnize 
Marriage shall be solemnized only by clergy, justices and judges of
the Court of Justice, retired justices and judges of the Court of
Justice except those removed for cause or convicted of a felony,
county judge/executives, such justices of the peace and fiscal court
commissioners as the Governor or the county judge/executive
authorizes, and certain religious societies. See KRS 402.050(1)(a),
(b) and (c). A deputy county judge/executive has no authority to
solemnize a marriage. OAG 82-145. There is no provision in the statute
that a minister be at least eighteen years of age and thus the
qualifications of a minister, including age, are left up to the
particular religious denomination. OAG 80-256.

When license to perform marriages required 
The provisions of KRS 402.060(1), which had required a minister or
priest who resided in Kentucky or who served as a minister or priest
in a place of worship in Kentucky to obtain a license and to post bond
to perform marriages in Kentucky, were repealed by the 1996 Regular
Session of the General Assembly (1996 Acts, Chapter 205, SB 68). At
the present time there are no licensing requirements applicable to
ministers or priests who wish to perform marriages in Kentucky.

402.050 Who may solemnize marriage ? Persons present. 
(1) Marriage shall be solemnized only by: 
(a) Ministers of the gospel or priests of any denomination in regular
communion with any religious society;


=====================
UNIVERSAL LIFE CHURCH
=====================

http://www.ulc.org/?destination=ordination&numina=622275051
Instant Ordination

http://www.ulc.org/index.php?destination=generalFaq&numina=1291842471
I've heard that ULC will ordain people as clergy. Is this true?

Yes. ULC will ordain anyone who asks no matter what the person's
gender, race, sexual preference, or spiritual belief might be or
whether an individual has no beliefs whatsoever.  Officially the ULC
will ordain all that ask, without question of beliefs, granted for
life, without a fee!  That is the official practice of the church
since its inception and is its practice to this day.

As ULC clergy, can I perform a wedding as other clergy do?

Generally, yes. ULC clergy can and do perform all of the usual duties
that other clergy do. Check with your local clerk of court or other
county official to see what the laws are in your state. They vary. You
should also check with ULC. Some cities may have local ordinances
requiring "pre-marital counseling" so you need to check on that status
as well.

http://www.ulc.org/index.php?destination=marryFaq&numina=1463428073
WEDDING RELATED FAQs

Is my ordination legal?
This is the most common question received by the Monastery.
Rest-assured, your ordination is legal in all 50 states. As for
performing marriages: yes, you are legal to perform marriages.  In
some states, registration beforehand is required. You can call your
local County Clerk to see whether or not you need to register. There
are some states that choose to take issue with registering ULC
ministers.  This is their ignorance, not the law. It is acceptable,
when filling out your registration and the actual wedding license, to
put the phrase, ?non-denom? under the section ?denomination?. If this
is unacceptable to the Clerk?s office, they will let you know. This
may help avoid any conflict with people who doubt the validity of your
license.


===============
SEARCH STRATEGY
===============

universal life minister
kentucky licensed ministers

---

Clarification of Answer by czh-ga on 17 Feb 2004 15:49 PST

Tnsdan-ga,

My colleague, Pinkfreud, has called to my attention another church
that can ordain you online.

http://www.spiritualhumanism.org/ordained.php

All the best.

~ czh ~

I would really like to thank BOTH researchers who helped out on this
question.  This was exactly what my friends needed to help make their
wedding day special.

This may be useful information:

"Kentucky 

Marriages may be performed by any minister of the gospel or priests of
any denomination with any religious society. --- Ministers must be
licensed before performing marriages. See the local county clerk for a
license. --- Ministers must return the marriage license and marriage
certificate to the county clerk within 3 months after the marriage.
--- It is illegal to solicit marriages. --- For questions see the
county clerk."

http://northernway.org/marriagelaws.html#KY

Here's another online reference which includes information on
Kentucky's marriage laws. It, too, mentions that some sort of
ministerial credentials will be required. The telephone numbers of all
the county clerks are listed here. You might want to contact the
county clerk's office in the appropriate county for details:

http://usmarriagelaws.com/search/united_states/kentucky/index.shtml

Hello tnsdan-ga,

My brother got ordained by the Universal Life Church many years ago
and he has performed wedding ceremonies for several friends. The ULC
offers instant ordinations online but I don't know if ministers
ordained by ULC would be accepted in Kentucky. Please check out the
ULC website and let me know if this is acceptable to you as an answer.
Thanks.

~ czh ~

http://www.ulc.org/?destination=ordination&numina=622275051
Instant Ordination

http://www.ulc.org/index.php?destination=generalFaq&numina=1291842471
I've heard that ULC will ordain people as clergy. Is this true?

Yes. ULC will ordain anyone who asks no matter what the person's
gender, race, sexual preference, or spiritual belief might be or
whether an individual has no beliefs whatsoever.  Officially the ULC
will ordain all that ask, without question of beliefs, granted for
life, without a fee!  That is the official practice of the church
since its inception and is its practice to this day.

As ULC clergy, can I perform a wedding as other clergy do?

Generally, yes. ULC clergy can and do perform all of the usual duties
that other clergy do. Check with your local clerk of court or other
county official to see what the laws are in your state. They vary. You
should also check with ULC. Some cities may have local ordinances
requiring "pre-marital counseling" so you need to check on that status
as well.

In Michigan, a non-minister or non-justice of the peace (such as a
relative of family friend) may receive from the Governor, for a $25
fee, special one-time permission to perform a marriage.
http://marriage.about.com/cs/marriagelicenses/a/officiants.htm
http://marriage.about.com/cs/marriagelicenses/p/massachusetts.htm

California law permits anyone to apply for permission to become a
Deputy Commissioner of Marriages -- the grant of authority is valid
for one day -- and thus officiate at the wedding of family or friends
on that one day.
http://usmarriagelaws.com/search/united_states/officiants_requirements/index.shtml

Unfortunatley, this appears to be valid only for those particular states.