One of the most stress-inducing part of a destination wedding at Disneyland is obtaining the marriage license. Couples often worry about having to arrive in Anaheim a couple days early, drive to the courthouse, wait in line for the license, and then drive back to the hotel. It’s kind of an important item – you can’t get married without it! – so I understand why it causes some people concern. I wrote a post outlining how to obtain your marriage license from a courthouse near Disneyland, but a lot of people don’t want to deal with the time and effort it takes. Disney Bride Jenny and her fiance opted to pay an extra fee to have their officiant issue their marriage license, which is SO handy! If the thought of this lifts a weight off your shoulders, read on about Jenny’s experience.
My husband and I got married at The Disneyland Resort on November 15, 2015. Our officiant was Reverend Carolyn, a preferred vendor for Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings and a Notary Public for Los Angeles County. Given our different schedules, it was difficult for my husband and I to find time to visit a courthouse together. Rev. Carolyn met with us on an appointment basis to process our marriage license. We met with her about a month and a half prior to our wedding date; however, the marriage license for California can be issued 90 days prior to your wedding date. Also note, the license is valid for any California County and you could also meet with her on your actual wedding day. But, my husband and I decided to meet ahead of time as we assumed the wedding day would be too hectic. Prior to our meeting, Rev. Carolyn, emailed us the following forms:
1. Marriage License Application
2. Acknowledgement Form
We were instructed to complete the forms, sign them, and scan them to her. We were still required to bring the original copies to our meeting along with the following:
1. A valid photo I.D. for each of us
2. Self-addressed stamped envelope
3. Two checks: One made payable to The County Recorder and another to cover Rev. Carolyn’s services
Rev. Carolyn’s services include going to the courthouse on our behalf, purchasing our marriage license for us, notarizing said license, notarizing the Requests Forms for Certified Copies of the License, and her appointment to issue the license to us.
The appointment only took about 15 minutes to review the forms and sign any additional items. But, our overall meeting with her lasted about an hour as we also used that time to discuss our wedding ceremony.
She brought the license again on the wedding day for our Best Man and Maid of Honor to sign as witnesses, but as far as our responsibilities, everything was squared away during our appointment. Rev. Carolyn took care of filing the completed license after our wedding, and we received our official Wedding Certificate exactly a month from our wedding date in the self-addressed stamped envelope we provided. For couples with different schedules or for those coming from out-of-town, I would highly recommend this service.
Thank you Jenny for sharing your experience! It is my understanding a lot of professional officiant companies are offering this service now, including Rev. Carolyn and Great Officiants, who are both on the Preferred Vendor list for Disneyland events. Please note we are not including the specific fees because fees can change over time; however, you can expect a service like this to cost between $150-$300 on top of the regular license fees.
