Evansville, Indiana Wedding Guide
Become a Wedding Officiant in Evansville as an AMM Ordained Minister. Learn more about getting ordained in Indiana, officiant training, wedding ceremony planning, and more.
Become a Wedding Officiant in Evansville as an AMM Ordained Minister. Learn more about getting ordained in Indiana, officiant training, wedding ceremony planning, and more.
Hey there, Hoosiers! Whether you’re getting hitched in Indiana’s biggest little city or you have been asked to perform a wedding ceremony for the first time, you’ve come to the right place. We are here to walk you through the process of getting married in Vanderburgh County (and how to legally officiate ceremonies!) Plus, we have some extra tips for planning a wedding in Pocket City that you won’t want to miss.
Let’s start with the ordainment process. In Indiana, weddings may be performed by any “member of the clergy of a religious organization, even if the cleric does not perform religious functions for an individual congregation.”
If you’re not the member of any kind of clergy, you can get ordained with us to become a licensed AMM minister! The process is free and takes just a few minutes.
The Indiana Government does not license, register, or certify ministers or wedding officiants, so officiant registration is not required in Indiana to officiate a wedding. That means, as soon as you’re finished signing up with us, you are legally able to perform weddings in the state!
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.
When it comes time to complete the marriage license, it’s the couple’s responsibility to obtain it from the Vanderburgh County clerk’s office, but just be sure to double-check that they have a valid marriage license before you perform the ceremony. You are responsible for helping the couple complete it accurately on the day of the wedding.
Then, either you or the couple can return the notarized marriage license to the county clerk’s office within 60 days from the date in which the couple initially obtained it from the county clerk’s office.
If you want to score kudos points for the most awesome wedding officiant, offer to take care of it for the couple so they can relax into the honeymoon phase without having to take another trip to a bureaucratic office. Just make sure you don’t forget to do so, or the marriage license will expire and the couple will have to go back and get a new one.
For The
Couple
You can start your application online to save yourself some time in the county clerk’s office, which you will need to visit with your partner in order to complete your marriage license application.
When you go, just remember to bring:
If you bring all your required documents, you will be issued your marriage license and you can get married on the very same day! You have up to 60 days from the time the marriage license is issued to you to hold your ceremony and return the notarized license to the county clerk’s office.
Issuance Office: 825 Sycamore St, Evansville
Fee: $25-$65 *
Waiting Period: None
Expiration: 60 days
Return: By officiant or couple
For The Couple
& Officiant
When choosing your wedding date, just be sure to steer clear of the major annual events in Evansville, like the West Side Fall Festival the first week of October, which about 200,000 people attend every year. You don’t want to compete for parking or sit in traffic on your wedding day! Just check on the city’s events page to make sure there are no highly-attended events scheduled in close proximity to your venue of choice and you’ll be golden.
And speaking of venues, we have some recommendations located right in Vanderburgh County to help you get the ball rolling if you haven’t settled on a location for your wedding yet.
If you’re not a big fan of churches, but you want to say your vows in a grand indoor setting, the Older Vanderburgh County Courthouse is the perfect place. This historic landmark, built between 1888 and 1890, is a beacon of German Beaux-Arts architecture. You’d have to spend all day scouring each side of the building to take in all the detailed sculptures and stone carvings made in its Indiana limestone. You can choose to simply have your ceremony onsite and move your reception to another location -- or, if you like, you can even hold your reception in the building!
If you want to highlight Indiana’s natural beauty on your wedding day, the 200-acre old growth forest, Wesselman Woods, is a great option for an intimate group. The serene property allows private gatherings and the bride and groom can get ready in the privacy of the nature center.
Or, if you want to embrace Evansville’s German heritage with a huge bieberstube style event, check out The Bauerhaus. The gorgeous indoor/outdoor venue can host up to 550 guests and offers full menus, bar service, wedding cakes, transportation, music, lighting and entertainment, simplifying the planning process, so you don’t have to stress about it.
These options are all located in Vanderburgh County. If you or your partner is an Indiana resident, you are free to use your Vanderburgh-issued marriage license outside of Evansville -- so you should keep exploring your options! But note that if neither you or our partner is an Indiana resident, you must get married in the county that issued you your marriage license.
Of course, your venue choice will be contingent on the season you choose to get married. Indiana has four distinct seasons: hot, humid summers; short, but very cold, cloudy winters; and pleasant springtimes and autumn seasons. Perhaps the best time for a wedding in Indiana is in September or October when the temperatures have cooled down to perfection and the skies are clear.
The region is also known for the occasional tornado, ice storm, blizzard or flood. While it’s unlikely one of these weather events will fall on your big day, it’s worth it to purchase wedding insurance, which will protect you financially in the event that you have to cancel your plans last minute.
The city’s public transportation METS currently operates 22 fixed city routes and two intercity connection routes, but you may find it’s a bit limited when it comes to meeting your transportation needs. So, if you’re coming in from out of town, Lyft or Uber will be your best friend during your stay. Or rent a car to make getting around easier. Evansville is jokingly referred to as “the city of lights” by locals because of its overabundance of traffic lights, which slows things down a bit. So factor a bit of extra time in when planning our trips to be safe. However, street parking is plentiful, even downtown, so that’s not a concern.
For The Couple
& Officiant
Yes! You can register with AMM to legally perform weddings in the state.
After it’s issued by the county clerk’s office, you need to hold your ceremony and file the notarized copy within 60 days.
Yes, but you are subject to slightly different rules. (See below.)
If at least one of the members of the couple is an Indiana state resident, then yes. If both are out-of-state residents, you need to apply for the marriage license in the county where the marriage will be solemnized, i.e. where your actual ceremony will take place.
If at least one applicant is an Indiana resident, the fee is $18. If both are out-of-state residents, the fee is $60.
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