How to Officiate a Wedding in Corpus Christi, Texas

Corpus Christi is a Gulf Coast City in south Texas that marries beach vibes with Texan hospitality. Even better, the outsized role of religion in Texan life means that online-ordained ministers are able to officiate weddings without any hassle, so if you’re still wondering who's going to officiate your wedding -- or thinking about officiating someone else’s -- you’re in luck!
 
We’ll start by reviewing the basics of getting ordained, applying for marriage licences, and how to handle the paperwork on the big day. Once that’s taken care of, we’ll point you in the right direction for ceremony planning, and send you on your way.

Step 1: Get Ordained with the American Marriage Ministries 

Texas laws state that the following individuals are legally able to perform a marriage ceremony within the state of Texas:

• Religious-based officer, minister, priest, rabbi, etc. 
• Justice of the peace
• Judges

If you aren’t a Texas Wedding Minister, you can become one in a few minutes by applying for ordination right here on our website. We’re a non-denominational religious organization that exists so that folks like you can get ordained and perform wedding ceremonies for friends, family members, and neighbors. Click here to get started. 

Step 2: Prepare for the Ceremony in Nueces County

Since wedding ministers don’t have to register with any government offices in Texas, the legal part is mostly finished for now. The next step is preparing for the ceremony. 

We recommend getting an early start since that will give you time to work with the couple to create a wedding ceremony that properly expresses how they feel about each other, and can tell guests about the life that the couple wants to start together. 

If you’re wondering, “how do I do that?” Don’t worry, we’ve got lots of free training tools that will get you started. Check out our awesome wedding officiant training, which contains a ton of helpful information on how to plan, write, and deliver an engaging and memorable wedding ceremony. 

Step 3: Officiate the Wedding and Complete the Marriage License

Get to the venue well rested and ready to rock, and give yourself enough time to make any last-minute adjustments. By this point, hopefully, you’ve gone over the ceremony so many times you can perform it in your sleep so just take a deep breath, step forward, and kick some ass! 

Once the ceremony is over, and you’ve hit a home run, you need to sign the wedding license. Double check that all the information such as dates and names are presented correctly, affix your signature, and you are good to go!

The couple needs to obtain the marriage license from the clerk's office to get the ball rolling. You will both have show up together to sign the license and apply. You can show up to the clerk's office located at 901 Leopard Street. 

You can get a head start and complete the online marriage license application to save you some time at your appointment. Just make sure you head into the office within five days of completing and submitting the application. 

Please bring these documents along with you when you go to apply for the license:

• Photo ID
• Social security number
• $77 marriage license fee (If both parties are out of state residents the fee is $177)

No photo copies of anything will be accepted, especially for ID. It must be an original.

The Basics

Corpus Christi is a well-known military city. That means lots of weddings before folks ship off, and lots of chapels and venues that are flexible and can accomodate short-term changes. Even so, take a few minutes to see if there are events happening in the area that might get in the way of the venue that you want to use.

There are usually free festivals and markets, as well as a lot of live music events that happen in the area. If folks are attending the wedding from out of town, you want to make sure they can still get a room and a rental without breaking the bank. 

Lots of weddings mean variety when it comes to venues. If you want to get married at a mansion, then Mansion Royal might be a good place to start looking. The Courtyard Gaslight is a pretty stunning waterfront venue as well.

Weather

The weather in the area is moderate, nice, and comfortable. However, since it is right on the coast, it is important to watch for storms that might come through the area. It can also get pretty muggy in the summer, so unless you want to be pouring sweat during the ceremony, take the time and location into consideration.