Last Updated: October 5th, 2023
5 Essential Facts to Know Before Officiating a Wedding in Illinois
The facts below cover all the important aspects of what requirements you need to meet to be able to legally officiate a wedding ceremony in Illinois.
1.
Who Can Officiate Weddings in Illinois?
This is the relevant exerpt from the Illinois Compiled Statutes § 209.
" (a) A marriage may be solemnized...in accordance with the prescriptions of any religious denomination, Indian Nation or Tribe or Native Group, provided that when such prescriptions require an officiant, the officiant be in good standing with his religious denomination, Indian Nation or Tribe or Native Group. Either the person solemnizing the marriage, or, if no individual acting alone solemnized the marriage, both parties to the marriage, shall complete the marriage certificate form and forward it to the county clerk within 10 days after such marriage is solemnized.
(b) The solemnization of the marriage is not invalidated by the fact that the person solemnizing the marriage was not legally qualified to solemnize it, if either party to the marriage believed him to be so qualified or by the fact that the marriage was inadvertently solemnized in a county in Illinois other than the county where the license was issued. "
Basically, this means that as long as you are ordained through any church, you can officiate weddings.
2.
Are Online Ordinations Recognized in Illinois?
Yes. All online ordained ministers, including those ordained through AMM are recognized in Illinois.
Get Ordained Now
3.
Is Government Registration Required to Officiate a Wedding in Illinois?
The Illinois Government does not license, register, or certify ministers or wedding officiants. Officiant registration is not required in Illinois to officiate a wedding.
4.
What Office Do I Register with Before Officiating a Wedding in Illinois?
The Illinois Government does not have any office that licenses, registers, or certifies wedding officiants.
5.
What is the Minimum Legal Age to Officiate a Wedding in Illinois?
All Wedding Officiants in Illinois must be at least 18 years old.
Preparing to Officiate a Wedding in Illinois
As there is no officiant registration required in Illinois, once ordained your next step is to start preparing to officiate the wedding. If you have not officiated a wedding before, or it has been a while, check out our Illinois Officiant Ceremony Preparation page.
PREPARE FOR THE ILLINOIS WEDDING CEREMONY