How to Officiate a Wedding in Santa Clarita, California

It’s hard to think of a better place to start the next chapter of your love story than sunny SoCal. But if you’re trying to escape the chaos of L.A., it doesn’t get much better than Santa Clarita, Los Angeles County’s suburban hideaway. In its 60 square miles, there are countless picturesque wedding venues for couples to choose from -- whether you’re dreaming of a dignified event at an elegant country club or a simple, heartfelt ceremony before an epic desert sunset.

Choosing your venue is the fun part, but the logistics of making your union legal can be a pain. We’ll walk you through the steps -- from getting your officiant-of-choice legally ordained to obtaining and completing your marriage license. We’ve got all the need-to-know info right here in our guide, plus some extra tips to get your wedding planning process started.

Without further ado, let’s get into the guide.

Step 1: Get Ordained with American Marriage Ministries

Let’s start with the ordainment process. In California, a marriage may be solemnized by a priest, minister, rabbi, or authorized person of any religious denomination who is 18 years of age or older.

If you’ve been asked to officiate a friend’s wedding but are not a religious official yourself, you can get ordained with AMM to fall within the minister category! The process is free and takes just a few minutes.

In California, there is no registration process with the state for ministers to be able to perform ceremonies. As long as you are ordained with a legitimate ministry like AMM, you can begin performing weddings in the state!

Step 2: Prepare for the Ceremony in Los Angeles County

Now that the easy part is out of the way, we can help you prepare for the wedding ceremony itself. Being asked to officiate a ceremony is an honor, but can feel like a lot of pressure. You will appreciate our wedding training pages, which are a library of information to help you prepare for your first ceremony and ensure that it goes smoothly. 

Here you can find everything from sample wedding ceremony scripts, to  brainstorming prompts, tips for preparation, and more.

Step 3: Officiate the Wedding and Complete the Marriage License

When it comes time to completing the marriage license, it’s the couple’s responsibility to obtain it from the Santa Clarita city clerk’s office, but just be sure to double check that they have it with them on the day of the ceremony. After the “I do’s,” you will help them fill it out correctly and notarize it.

In California, the person solemnizing the marriage must return the original marriage license to the city clerk’s office within 10 days of the date of the ceremony. If the couple obtained it from the Santa Clarita office, the address is 23920 Valencia Boulevard, Santa Clarita, Suite 120.

The marriage won’t be recorded by the state until you drop the completed marriage license off. If you miss the deadline, the couple could face late fees. So, make sure you don’t forget!

To begin, visit the city clerk’s website to complete your online application for a marriage license. You’ll then be contacted to schedule an appointment. .

That means you’ll want to start the application process for your marriage license at least two months or more before your desired wedding date. 

To obtain your marriage license, both members of the couple will have to attend the appointment at Santa Clarita city clerk’s office at 3920 Valencia Boulevard, suite 120.

When you go, just remember to bring:

• Valid, state-issued IDs (driver’s license or passport)
• $115 in cash, check, debit/credit card or money order for the marriage license application fee and notary fee 

Once you’ve been issued your marriage license, you can get married the same day, if you want to! Your officiant will help you complete the documentation on the day of the ceremony. After the wedding, your officiant is required to return the marriage license to the city clerk’s office within 10 days of the ceremony.

If you’re interested in having a wedding at the city clerk’s office, visit their FAQ page, which has all the info you need to arrange a quickie courthouse wedding.

The Basics

Santa Clarita is packed with idyllic wedding venues, including country clubs, scenic parks, wineries and breweries, and one epic mansion.

Some of our top picks are the Sand Canyon Country Club, Reyes Winery and the NewHall Mansion -- or, for a ceremony set in California’s natural splendor, Quigley Canyon, which is nothing short of stunning at sunset. (For more information on how to get married in a California state park, follow this link.)

Before committing to a date with the wedding venue of your choice, first check some of the city’s local events calendars to make sure there are no big festivals going on nearby on the night of your wedding; you don’t want to end up competing with crowds on the big day.

Transportation

It’s easiest to get around Santa Clarita if you have a car, but the city bus service’s web page has all the info you need for trip planning if you want to utilize public transit while you’re in town. Of course, Lyft and Uber are also available and a great option if you don’t want to go to the trouble of renting a car or figuring out the bus system.

Weather

If you’re from the area, you already know that the weather is pretty much as close as you can get to perfect in Santa Clarita. On average, the town gets 280 sunny days per year and the air is much clearer than it is just a few miles south in L.A.  The most popular time to get married in the area is during the fall, so that’s when venues will have the most limited availability and prices will be at their highest. Spring and summer days are just as beautiful and you may be able to score a better deal if you steer clear of September and October.