Utah Remote Marriage Ceremony Requirements

UTAH ONLINE WEDDING CEREMONY

Online weddings are legal in Utah, but couples must apply for their marriage license in a participating county. Currently, Utah County is the primary location for obtaining a remote marriage license. A Utah County marriage license is available to everyone, not just Utah County residents, and couples can apply for their license online from anywhere in the world. The ceremony is also performed fully-remotely – which means that the minister, couple, witnesses, and guests can all attend the event using video conference technology like Zoom, Google Meet, or Facetime. The completed license is submitted digitally following the ceremony.

 

UT REMOTE MARRIAGE CEREMONY REQUIREMENTS

There are special legal requirements for Utah’s remote marriage ceremonies that you should be aware of as the couple’s officiant (Utah Code § 81-2-302): 

 

• As the wedding officiant, you must be physically located within the State of Utah while the ceremony takes place. 
• You must be the designated “host” of the video conference, and your location will be recorded on the marriage license. 
• You must verify the couple’s identities and the identities of their two witnesses during the “pre-ceremony business” portion of your video call, before the ceremony begins.
• As of May 2026, you must give a simple verbal warning to the couple before the ceremony begins, using these specific words, as stated on the Utah County Online Marriage Application page: 

“A marriage solemnized according to the laws of the State of Utah through online remote appearance may be invalid in the country where the parties to the marriage reside.”

• As of May 2024, you must include a verbal 'declaration of intent’ during the wedding ceremony. This means you must clearly ask the couple if they want to get married, and they must clearly answer yes (or ‘I do’, ‘we do’). 
• Both parties to the marriage and their witnesses must appear for the ceremony, and be able to participate in real-time (audio and video). However, these individuals can join your video conference from any physical location.

 

Contact your County Clerk's Office for the latest legal information.

 

Find more details in AMM’s American Weddings blog: 

 

• How to Officiate a Remote Wedding Ceremony in Utah
• How to Get Married in an Online Wedding Ceremony in Utah

 

 

COMPLETING A UT MARRIAGE LICENSE FOR A REMOTE CEREMONY

When a couple applies for their marriage license using Utah County’s online portal, their marriage license is issued electronically (as a digital marriage license) and takes the form of a unique URL for that couple. This unique URL is sent to the couple after they apply for the license, and they must send it to you before the ceremony to verify. 

 

After performing the ceremony, you will use this unique URL to complete and file the marriage license.

 

Once that's done, you have successfully completed your job as the officiant.
 

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For more information, contact your local County Clerk's Office or reach out directly to Utah County for information regarding online wedding ceremonies.

 

Utah County Guidelines

 

COVID-19, social distancing, travel bans, lockdowns… Many couples are being forced to downsize their wedding plans and for many guests, the only way to attend is with their computers and mobile phones.

 

If your guest list is shrinking to just the couple and officiant, or maybe just the couple, Utah marriage laws regulate who must be in attendance, and how the ceremony is conducted. Here are some options to help adapt your wedding plans in Utah to celebrate a COVID safe wedding.

 

Virtual Weddings vs. Livestream Ceremonies in Utah

For the sake of clarity, we differentiate virtual wedding ceremonies (or Zoom/Skype ceremonies) from livestream ceremonies by who is in attendance. If the officiant is officiating the vows from another place via video, then we call that a virtual or Zoom ceremony, since the people involved in the ceremony are interacting over whatever video platform is chosen.

 

However, if the couple and the officiant are present, but guests are watching remotely, we call that a livestream wedding since the ceremony itself is happening in one physical place. You can read more about what distinguishes each option here.

 

How can we celebrate a legally valid live streamed ceremony in Utah

You can livestream any activity or event, and it doesn't matter where you are in Utah, what you're doing or how many people are physically present with you. Some of the most popular platforms include Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts, Facebook Live, and Instagram Live.

 

As long as you have a tripod and a phone with a good camera on it, your guests will be able to participate remotely. Many of these platforms even allow guests to comment, chat, and interact in other ways.

 

We realize that this is not always ideal, but ultimately, if couples choose to move forward with scaled down weddings and smaller guests lists, these communications platforms let friends and family around the world know that they are still being thought of.

 

For folks planning on livestreaming their nuptials, Here's How to Livestream Your Wedding.