Legalities

1. 1. Gather your documents

You will need high-resolution, color scans of the following documents:

1. • Birth Certificates with Apostille Stamps: You will need to get both of your original birth certificates together and send them to the Secretaries of State in the state(s) in which you were born.  You will be getting what’s called an Apostille Stamp, which is an internationally recognized version of a notarization stamp.  We will tell you exactly where to send it, what form to fill out for the Apostille Stamp, and how much it will cost.
   • Passports: If you have your passports already, great!  If you have never had a passport before, you will need to set an appointment with your local post office to get one.  It will take 4-6 weeks for your passport to process and get back to you, so consider this when deciding on your wedding date.

1. Application for Notification of Marriage
2.  We will send you this form for you to print, fill out, sign, and scan in as a high-resolution color scan.  This will answer all of the important legal requirements for your wedding: your names, family names, location, solemnizer, etc..  We will assist you with filling this form. We will also provide the names and addresses of the witnesses we will provide for you (if you need them). The Application for Notification of Marriage must be submitted – by you, via email or fax – no less than three months before your wedding date.  This is a strict rule that has no exceptions.

2. Meeting with the local Registrar of Marriage:
   You will set an appointment with the Registrar of Marriage at least five business days (seven calendar days) before your wedding date.  You will have to be in Ireland for this meeting.  The meeting happens at a government office, and it usually takes about an hour.  If this meeting is missed, you will not be able to proceed with the legal wedding.

3. Your wedding ceremony:
   For a legal wedding in Ireland, your wedding must be performed by a certified wedding solemnizer at a location that is pre-approved by the State as a suitable location for a wedding. A random cliffside location, or at a ruin, or some other public location is not generally allowed by law for a legal wedding ceremony. We can provide you a list of legally recognized venues in the location you choose (but be aware there will be added fees for venue use, insurance, and other expenses). Your officiant will fill out paperwork while on-site, have you and your witnesses sign, and will file the paperwork for you immediately following the wedding.

4. Your Marriage Certificate:
   You can pick up your legal marriage certificate usually 1-2 business days after it is filed by the officiant. Once you come back home, you will need to file this paperwork with your local Register of Deeds, Probate Court, County Clerk, or whoever registers marriages in your region in order to legalize it in the United States. For further directions, please contact that office directly as it varies from region to region.