What Is Ceremonial Marriage?

When people talk about getting married they usually mean a CEREMONIAL MARRIAGE. This is the most common type of marriage. It has two basic requirements:

1. A marriage license is issued to the couple getting married.

   1. A license can be issued by any county in Texas. At least one of the people getting married must show up in person and pay a fee. There are ways to still get the license if one or both of the people getting married cannot show up in person.

   2. The couple must meet the legal requirements to get married such as being an adult, not currently being married to someone else, and being able to show that you understand that you are applying for a marriage license.

2. A ceremony was conducted by an official who is allowed to perform marriages.

   1. The most common officials who perform marriages are religious leaders and judges. There is a long list of people who are authorized to perform ceremonies. That list can be found in the Texas Family Code if you want to make sure the person performing a ceremony is able to do so.

   2. When the ceremony is complete, the couple getting married, the person who performed the ceremony, and two witnesses must sign the marriage license and return it to the county clerk that issued it.

If one or both of these requirements are not met, the marriage cannot be considered a CEREMONIAL MARRIAGE but it may still be considered a COMMON LAW MARRIAGE.