Getting started with Marriage Information for Colorado
Before you plan to perform a wedding in Colorado, it is important to understand the state's legal requirements.
To get started, check out the information provided below for getting ordained and registering as a wedding officiant in Colorado.
If you have questions, please go to our helpful FAQ. For more information or support, please visit our contact us page.
Step 1: Become Ordained for Colorado
To get ordained and become a minister to perform ceremonies in Colorado, start by completing our ordination application.
Once you have completed the application for ordination you will be sent an email that confirms your ordination. Our ordinations for Colorado are completely free, granted to you for life and can be completed in less than a day. More than half a million people just like you, have registered and received their license to perform weddings.
If you have not completed the application, you can get ordained for free and start your journey as an authorized minister in Colorado with Open Ministry by using the button below!
Step 2: Contact The Colorado County Clerk
Next, contact the office of your local marriage authority (typically your county clerk in Colorado). Let them know that you are an ordained minister with Open Ministry in California, and ask them what information they require of you, to officiate a marriage in Colorado.
Clerks and governing agencies may require you to present them with a physical copy of your ordination record to register we offer packages which include bundled items at a discount.
When speaking with the Colorado county clerk it can be helpful to use the following phrases:
- I am an ordained minister with a church ministry in California.
- I would like to register as a wedding Officiant in your county to perform and solemnize weddings.
- What agency or department issues marriage licenses in your county and how may I contact them?
- I have my Letter of Good Standing and Ordination Credential as proof of my ministry and ordination for Colorado.
- Do you require any additional documentation for me to register as a wedding officiant in Colorado?
Step 3: Register with the Colorado Clerk
After you've contacted the marriage authority in Colorado, we recommend that you visit the bookstore to get your official credentials for your records, presentation or registration.
See Colorado State Statutes for More specific Requirements
When registering as an officiant in Colorado, you may be asked to display proof of your ordination to the Colorado county clerk's office before they will accept the marriage license as having been solemnized. We generally advise ministers of Colorado to get a Complete Membership Package for Colorado which includes a Letter of Good Standing (the live signed and notarized physical copy of your good standing with our ministry) an Ordination Credential, Minister Wallet Card and much more.
Having physical copies of your credentials provides peace of mind for couples and others that you intend to marry. Additionally, we recommend you give yourself at least 4 weeks between the date of the wedding ceremony and your credential request to ensure that you receive all of your materials to register in time.
Please note, that any state or county can impose different requirements;
this may include other nominal fees and additional paperwork that may need to
be completed before the ceremony can take place.
It is important to note that some county clerks in Colorado may require wedding
officiants to attach a statement which asserts some of the elements in the
marriage license upon submission, including the following:
- The time and location at which the wedding took place
- The names and places of residence of all official witnesses
- The religious organization in which the officiant is ordained
- The printed name and address of the officiant
When filling out the Colorado marriage license, Colorado state or the clerk may
request you use the title "Minister" or "Reverend".
The clerk may also require you enter your denomination, you can use
"Non-Denominational" or your practicing denomination. Failing to
state a denomination may result in rejection and could require a duplicate
marriage license.
Step 4: Perform the Ceremony
Before you perform a wedding in Colorado, be sure that the couple has picked up their Colorado state issued marriage license from the appropriate office. Once you have completed the steps listed, you are ready to perform the wedding!
Officiating a wedding in Colorado can be a great and wonderful experience. Work with the couple to determine the proper ceremony format and any details they wish to have. For ideas and inspiration check out our sample ceremony scripts.
We recommend that new ministers who are going to be performing a wedding in Colorado, or who have questions about the ceremony read over our Officiant Guide.
Step 5: Submit the Colorado Marriage License
Colorado marriage licenses are valid for a set number of days, and there may be a waiting period between when the couple receives the marriage license in Colorado and when the ceremony may be legally performed in Colorado.
This information is generally written on the license and must be followed to ensure the ceremony is recorded properly by Colorado.
Please note that the signed marriage license for Colorado must be returned to the issuing office in Colorado state, before the time limit is reached. You can check the marriage license for the exact dates.
After the ceremony, you will need to return the completed and signed marriage license to the Colorado states issuing office. This is essential for the marriage to be legally recorded. In most cases there is an address listed on the marriage license, use that to mail it back to the governing agency so that it can be recorded by the Colorado.
If you have any questions about the returning of the license, contact the Colorado agency that issued it for more information.
Colorado State Minister & Marriage Statutes
(1) A marriage may be solemnized by a judge of a court, by a court magistrate, by a retired judge of a court, by a public official whose powers include solemnization of marriages, by the parties to the marriage, or in accordance with any mode of solemnization recognized by any religious denomination or Indian nation or tribe. Either the person solemnizing the marriage or, if no individual acting alone solemnized the marriage, a party to the marriage shall complete the marriage certificate form and forward it to the county clerk and recorder within sixty-three days after the solemnization. Any person who fails to forward the marriage certificate to the county clerk and recorder as required by this section shall be required to pay a late fee in an amount of not less than twenty dollars. An additional five-dollar late fee may be assessed for each additional day of failure to comply with the forwarding requirements of this subsection (1) up to a maximum of fifty dollars. For purposes of determining whether a late fee shall be assessed pursuant to this subsection (1), the date of forwarding shall be deemed to be the date of postmark.
(2)(a) The requirements for applying for a marriage license for a proxy marriage are the following:
(I) One party to the proxy marriage is a resident of the state of Colorado;
(II) One party to the proxy marriage appears in person to apply for the marriage license and pays the fees required in section 14-2-106(1);
(III) The signatures of both parties to the proxy marriage are required, and the party present shall sign the marriage license application, as prescribed in section 14-2-105(2), and provide an absentee affidavit form, as prescribed by the state registrar, containing the notarized signature of the absent party, along with proper identification documents as specified in section 14-2-105(1)(a) for the absent party; and
(IV) Both parties to the proxy marriage are eighteen years of age or older.
(b) If a party to a marriage is unable to be present at the solemnization, the absent party may authorize in writing a third person to act as the absent party's proxy for purposes of solemnization of the marriage, if the absent party is:
(I) A member of the armed forces of the United States who is stationed in another country or in another state in support of combat or another military operation; or
(II) An individual who is a government contractor, or an employee of a government contractor, working in support of the armed forces of the United States or in support of United States military operations in another country or in another state and who supplies proper identification of that status.
(c) If the person solemnizing the marriage is satisfied that the absent party is unable to be present and has consented to the marriage, such person may solemnize the marriage by proxy. If such person is not satisfied, the parties may petition the district court for an order permitting the marriage to be solemnized by proxy.
(3) Upon receipt of the marriage certificate, the county clerk and recorder shall register the marriage.
Amended by 2019 Ch. 380,§ 3, eff. 8/2/2019.
Amended by 2015 Ch. 229,§ 1, eff. 5/27/2015.