Can you become an ordained minister online who can conduct weddings in minutes as It happens in the movies?

24 comments

1. Yes.

2. I’ve married people before.

3. Yes I have done so and can now legally officiate weddings in 49 states

4. Absolutely can!

5. Yes! Check out the Universal Life Church, they will ordain nearly anyone online and let you print out a certificate as proof.

   But it’s worth noting that in many states there is no requirement that the person conducting the wedding be a minister. Marriage is a legal contract between two people, and confirmed as soon as it is signed and witnessed. The wedding service is optional.

6. Yes, I’m an ordained Dudeist priest.

7. In some states, you don’t even need to be a member of the clergy or a state official. You can literally just apply for the license, pay the fee, and boom, you’re a licensed wedding officiant. I’ve had a few non-religious friends do that

8. In Washington state, dunno if it’s everywhere.

9. Yes. It’s worth noting that in many states it is necessary to get a marriage license from the county/city, and then the officiant be they a member of clergy or not, is kind of just the official witness. The day of our wedding the Roman Catholic priest who officiated my wedding signed our marriage certificate which we in turn filed with the county clerk.

10. Dudeist priest here

    Yes

11. I believe anyone is qualified to be a pastafarian ordained minister, and you can buy a certificate and card

12. Hell yeah.

13. Yes, I’ve been a minister with Universal Life Church since 2015. You can sign the marriage license as a minister and list your home address, and the municipality will register the marriage with the state. If they choose to audit they could potentially contact ULC, who would confirm that you are indeed a minister of their “faith”.

    Very few elements are actually required in an official wedding ceremony. The affirmation and declaration are the important bits, but it’s all a performance for the sake of tradition.

    My sister in law officiated my wedding, and she was also ordained through ULC. She actually officiates weddings at her Catholic Church if you can believe it – in situations where one spouse is a church member and they are not holding mass for the wedding.

14. Okay… i went to ministry school and preached but never got ordained because im a jackass. Anyways, I just got ordained a second ago. Yeah, its pretty easy. Suck it Southeastern

15. You can yeah, it is worth nothing that even if basically random people can perform marriages, you still have to get a marriage license and stuff through the state government itself.

16. You still have to have witnesses to the ceremony for it to be legal and registered, I think.

    We can have the ceremony anywhere though, and yes, since we have freedom of religion, someone can claim they started a church, and then someone can become a minister in it.

    I am not sure that the major religions or major sects of those religions have this ‘be a minister in minutes’ thing, though.

    A family member is a minister and went to (divinity) school (seminary) for years, first.

17. A captain can marry someone at sea.

18. Yup, had a friend do so to officiate our wedding. Brother did it first for some friends.

19. Yup, got my friend ordained online to get married. Here in NY it needs to be a Judge or Minister (or I think Mayor?)

20. Yep, I did just that.

21. Yes, all you’re doing is signing a document confirming you are a witness that these two people want to get married to each other. The document still has to be processed through the normal legal channels to be legitimate.

22. Yes! My brother did it. He officiated my own wedding, as well as many friends.
    He was also given a Jedi knighthood.

23. Ordained online 20 years ago. Filed the paperwork at the time. Never wanted to conduct a wedding, so never offered to anyone. But I’m legally able!

24. Yes, and the reason is simple: we have the First Amendment. This states as follows:

    >Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof

    This means that a. not only can the government not create an official religion but it also cannot b. determine what a “real” religion is. Nor can they restrict your right to worship (which would include declaring yourself as a priest). You could literally create a Cult of the Peanut Butter and be a priest.