Getting started with Marriage Information for Wisconsin
Before you plan to perform a wedding in Wisconsin, 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 Wisconsin.
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 Wisconsin
To get ordained and become a minister to perform ceremonies in Wisconsin, 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin with Open Ministry by using the button below!
Step 2: Contact The Wisconsin County Clerk
Next, contact the office of your local marriage authority (typically your county clerk in Wisconsin). 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 Wisconsin.
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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin.
- Do you require any additional documentation for me to register as a wedding officiant in Wisconsin?
Step 3: Register with the Wisconsin Clerk
After you've contacted the marriage authority in Wisconsin, we recommend that you visit the bookstore to get your official credentials for your records, presentation or registration.
See Wisconsin State Statutes for More specific Requirements
When registering as an officiant in Wisconsin, you may be asked to display proof of your ordination to the Wisconsin county clerk's office before they will accept the marriage license as having been solemnized. We generally advise ministers of Wisconsin to get a Complete Membership Package for Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin marriage license, Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin, be sure that the couple has picked up their Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin, or who have questions about the ceremony read over our Officiant Guide.
Step 5: Submit the Wisconsin Marriage License
Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin and when the ceremony may be legally performed in Wisconsin.
This information is generally written on the license and must be followed to ensure the ceremony is recorded properly by Wisconsin.
Please note that the signed marriage license for Wisconsin must be returned to the issuing office in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin.
If you have any questions about the returning of the license, contact the Wisconsin agency that issued it for more information.
Wisconsin State Minister & Marriage Statutes
765.16 Marriage contract, how made; officiating person.
Marriage may be validly solemnized and contracted in this state only after a marriage license has been issued therefor, and only by the mutual declarations of the 2 parties to be joined in marriage that they take each other as husband and wife, made before an authorized officiating person and in the presence of at least 2 competent adult witnesses other than the officiating person. The following are authorized to be officiating persons:
(1) Any ordained member of the clergy of any religious denomination or society who continues to be an ordained member of the clergy.
(2) Any licentiate of a denominational body or an appointee of any bishop serving as the regular member of the clergy of any church of the denomination to which the member of the clergy belongs, if not restrained from so doing by the discipline of the church or denomination.
(3) The 2 parties themselves, by mutual declarations that they take each other as husband and wife, in accordance with the customs, rules and regulations of any religious society, denomination or sect to which either of the parties may belong.
(4) Any judge of a court of record or a reserve judge appointed under s. 753.075.
(5) Any circuit court commissioner appointed under SCR 75.02 (1) or supplemental court commissioner appointed under s. 757.675 (1).
(6) Any municipal court judge
The Family - Chapter 765: Marriage
History: 1977 c. 323; 1979 c. 32 ss. 48, 92 (4); 1979 c. 176, 259; Stats. 1979 s. 765.16; 1981 c. 20 s. 2200; 1985 a. 29; 1991 a. 315; 1999 a. 85; 2001 a. 61.