5 Tips for Getting Married at Comic Con

Ah, comic con weddings: The love, the laughter, the wedding guard Stormtroopers 

 

 

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in geekdom to celebrate these two people as they join their lives, and comic collections, together in marriage…”

 

Want to get married at your favorite comic book convention? You’re not alone! A growing number of couples have ditched the stress and cost of a traditional wedding to take their vows during a fun, fandom-inspired comic-con ceremony. 

 

And with comic cons and other pop-culture cons popping up in every major city, you might not have to travel very far for the cosplay wedding of your dreams! Say ‘I do’ at San Diego Comic-Con, Emerald City Comicon, WonderCon, Atlanta Comic Con or New York Comic Con, Anime Expo, or any one of the incredible cons near you!

 

Note: If you want to get married abroad at an international comic con, such as Lucca Comics & Games in Italy, or Festival Internacional de Quadrinhos (FIQ) in Brazil, you should read this article: How to Get Married in Another Country in a Dreamy Destination Wedding 

 

Below are a few legal & logistical details to help you plan an amazing comic con wedding or elopement ceremony! 

 

 
Do you dream of getting married at comic con? Will you wear something casual, a cosplay wedding dress, or classic wedding attire? No matter what you wear, or which convention you attend, here are 5 things to remember when planning a wedding at comic con! (Miguel Discart, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons)

 

 

Considerations for a Comic Con Wedding 

5 Tips for getting married at your favorite comic conventions 

 

 

1. You need a local wedding license (aka a marriage license)

 

You’ll need to apply for a marriage license in the state where the convention takes place, regardless of where you live. (In some cases you might need to apply in the same county where the convention is held, but this is less common. Either way, check the local regulations.)

 

Most of the time, you’ll apply for your marriage license through the local county clerk or registrar’s office.  

 

After your ceremony, your completed marriage license must be returned to the local clerk’s office during the stated return period so that it can be filed. 

 

 

Comic con wedding cakes or cupcakes are a simple & inexpensive details that can bring your comic book wedding theme to life! (Photo cropped: Katie Tavares / iStock)

 

 

2. Choose a wedding officiant to marry you

 

You will need a qualified officiant to perform your wedding or elopement ceremony, even if it's a small or informal ceremony. But don’t worry, you get to pick your officiant! (And you might even get to recommend a costume for them to wear…)

 

Our favorite officiant choice is to ask a friend or relative to do the honors – friends and relatives can get ordained online to officiate a wedding, and online ordination is free with American Marriage Ministries. AMM’s online ordinations are legally recognized in every state* (it’s much harder in Virginia, where we’re looking into our options). 

 

• Get ordained online free with AMM

 

Having a friend officiate your wedding is a lot of fun, super meaningful, and you know they’ll get your costumes and appreciate the wedding vibe.

 

Once your friend has become an online ordained minister, they might need to register locally in the state where you’re getting married. This is almost always a straightforward process, but plan ahead because it might take a couple of weeks to complete. (Click the link below to check the minister registration requirements and process in your wedding state.)

 

• Weddings by State: Officiant Registration Requirements

 

If you’d rather hire a professional wedding officiant to marry you, no problem! There are many pro wedding officiants across the country who are dying to dress up as a Jedi or Deadpool or Green Lantern or Harley Quinn or… well you get the idea. Lots of wedding officiants will jump at the chance to marry you in a cosplay wedding if that’s important to you, but keep in mind that they might charge you extra for travel time to the con, costume purchases, or a custom wedding ceremony script.

 

And if you’re feeling really lucky… have a celebrity to marry you! Remember that time Kevin Smith officiated a wedding on a double-decker bus during New York Comic Con, and again at Fan EXPO Chicago? Or when Orlando Jones officiated weddings at San Diego Comic Con? That could be you! You could be the next headline: ‘Couple Get Married at Comic Con by…’ Fill in your fav creator or star and dream big! 

 

(But it’s probably good to ask a friend to get ordained to marry you as back up officiant, you know how busy celebrities can be…)

 

No wedding officiant needed: The only exception to this officiant requirement is in states that allow ‘self-solemnizing,’ which means couples can officiate their own weddings. Head here to see a list of states where you can marry yourself.

 

 

Comic Con weddings can be less expensive than the average wedding cost, and a heck of a lot more fun to plan, especially if they bring your passion for comics, sci-fi, or fantasy into the planning process. You can elope solo, or invite your whole crew! (Photo: Richie S from Brooklyn, via Wikimedia Commons)

 

 

3. Know the wedding witness requirements in your wedding state

 

Some states require one or two adults to witness your marriage ceremony and sign your marriage license. This means that you might need to ask one or two people to attend your ceremony, depending on where you get married. Click the link below to see the witness requirements in your wedding state.

 

• State Marriage License Witness Requirements

 

Anyone can be a witness at your wedding, as long as they’re at least 18 years old and are willing to sign your marriage license. You can invite friends or relatives to witness your ceremony, or recruit a nearby Obi-Wan or Dr. Doom to serve as a wedding witness. 

 

If you’re eloping secretly at the con, don’t worry! We won’t blow your cover. You can hire a professional wedding officiant to perform your elopement, ask them not to post about your ceremony on social media, and have a few friendly con-goers serve as witnesses if needed.

 

 

4. Book a private event space or go rogue

 

Before you finalize your guest list, you’ll have to decide if you want to rent a private event space at comic con or ‘go rogue.’ 

 

By ‘going rogue,’ we mean that some couples choose to elope in the middle of the action, while standing on the main floor of comic con. This can work, as long as you don’t invite more than 3 or 4 guests, have a short wedding script that’s lowkey and under five minutes long, and you won’t be upset if a Dune Sandworm or Mr. Fantastic photobomb your wedding vows. 

 

If you want more than 3 or 4 people at your elopement ceremony, don’t go rogue. It will disrupt the flow of the floor, distract from vendors and presenters, annoy event organizers and security, and you might end up getting fined or asked to leave. (Not fun!) TL;DR: Comic con isn’t the place for a flash mob wedding without permission, no matter how badass you look. 

 

Instead, rent a private space on-site or close by the convention center if you want to invite friends and family to your comic con wedding. This will also give you more time to exchange superhero wedding vows, share a special reading, or to make your wedding exit beneath a glowing arch of lightsabers. Contact the con’s director of programming or special events staff to ask about rates and available times. 

 

When you think ‘wedding at comic con,’ are you dreaming of a private room with cool comic book theme decorations, or a quick set of ‘I do’s on the floor before heading in to hear the day’s panelists? If you want friends and family to attend your wedding, consider booking a private wedding venue, dining hall, or meeting space near the convention so you can take your vows surrounded by loved ones, and then head over for more fun with your fellow fans.  (Photo cropped: CasarsaGuru / iStock)

 

5. Include costume / cosplay details on your wedding invitations! 

 

Our last piece of advice for your comic con wedding is to include ‘dress code’ information on your wedding invites. If you want your friends and family to join you in cosplay, make sure you let them know in advance and leave lots of time for them to choose a character and a costume. If you’re cool with them attending in casual clothing, say that too! For an extra special touch, send comic book wedding invitations that match your theme – you can even have a photo of the two of you turned into a sweet comic panel for a postcard or card.

 

As for the rest of your wedding day, it can be anything you want it to be! 

 

 

Last but not least, if getting married at Comic Con just isn’t in the cards right now, plan a comic book themed wedding instead!

 

If a wedding at comic con isn't in the cards right now -- a comic book themed wedding (or comic con themed wedding) can take place at home, in a local wedding venue, or anywhere else your hearts desire.

 

You can send comic book wedding invitations; make DIY comic book themed wedding centerpieces with your favorite characters (or buy them premade); ask if your favorite bakery can design inspired comic con wedding cakes, and even include references to your favorite franchises and movies in a superhero wedding ceremony script. 

 

Check out the wedding ceremony scripts and articles below for more comic book wedding ideas and inspiration! 

 

• Marvel Themed Wedding Ceremony Script
• Short Inclusive LGBTQ+ Wedding Ceremony Script
• A Simple Wedding Ceremony Officiant Script
• Can you use a marriage license in another state?
• Doctor Doom’s Getting Married? Plus a look back at our favorite comic book weddings.

 

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Star Wars Themed Wedding Ceremony Script