How soon after POE can we get married?

[Wishing 1]

Hi Everyone,

Hope all are having a great weekend! We will be getting married in California and just wonder how long (if any) of a process it is to get a marriage license and get married in California. We want to do the justice of the peace/legal wedding within a week to two weeks after POE which will likely be in late August/early September...

(On a sidenote also planning a destination wedding in April 2011)

Thanks!

Edited June 20, 2010 by Wishing

[HeatDeath 430]

Here in Utah, I could pick up my fiancee from the airport, stop at the county office to apply for a marriage license on the way, and, if I had made arrangements no more than a few days earlier, be married by a Justice of the Peace right there in the county office, all before I'd gotten my fiancee back to my house.

Your only delays are going to be :

A ) how long a person has to be a resident of your state to be married there. Utah has no residency requirement. I don't think many states do.

B ) a forced waiting period between the issuance of the marriage license and the wedding. Utah has none. Some states do. California may be among them, but it'd be for no longer than a week, tops.

C ) How long it takes to arrange a justice of the peace. Will vary wildly from county to county. If you know your fiancee's arrival date in advance, this can be done ahead of time.

At any rate, with a little bit of planning, marrying within 2 weeks of PoE is very very doable. You should also try to have the AOS forms completed as much as possible prior to your fiancee's arrival. That way they can be sent off the instant you have your completed marriage certificate (which can be arranged to be within 0-3 days after the ceremony, if the county office will let you hand-deliver it - which depends on the office).

Edited June 20, 2010 by HeatDeath

[Danu 19]

Pretty much as soon as they have an available appointment. We did ours about 4 days after we arrived (booked it 2 days after we got here) only cuz we wanted time to unpack the moving truck. You can set up the whole appointment to get your license and do the ceremony online for most courthouses.