Introduction: Getting married in Texas. Getting married in Texas depends on where you want to celebrate in the Lone Star State. Getting married in Texas is different for partners planning a wedding in Dallas than for couples planning a wedding in Austin.
Regardless of where you want to get married or who makes your wedding cake, this guide on how to get married in Texas is a great starting point. We explored Texas for the most beautiful Texas wedding venues, from the Panhandle to the Gulf Coast and everywhere in between.
Many brides hold their wedding ceremony in their local church, followed by a reception on the church grounds. You have various options from hotels and event centers, indoor venues or outdoors, from rustic to elegant, right here in Southeast Texas – let us guide you to the perfect location for your wedding.
Would you like to know about Texas weddings to a foreigner, of the state, Prison, Justice of the peace, and Getting married in Texas without ceremony? Let’s start;
Texas wedding to a foreign
First, you and your immigrant spouse must get married and register your marriage with the authorities of the state or county where you were married. If you and your non-U.S. citizen spouse already live in the U.S., they likely have a U.S. work visa or visitor visa. Your spouse can become a lawful permanent resident through “adjustment of status,” where they will convert their temporary permit to a green card.
If you want to get married in the U.S., but your spouse wants to go back to their home country to apply for a green card, perhaps for work or family reasons, you can consistently get married on a temporary visa. You will only need to follow the state marriage laws. You also need to understand the 90-day rule, which may make your spouse ineligible to adjust to permanent resident status while in the United States.
Getting married in Texas from out of the state
Since the United States Supreme Court’s ruling in June, the marriage inequality dominoes have fallen so quickly that it’s challenging to keep track of all the courts that have struck down same-sex marriage bans. Federal challenges to these restrictions have almost all been successful. The only exception came in early September 2014 from a federal court in Louisiana.
As Texas cases move through the courts, moving out of state to get married remains an option. Following a United States Supreme Court ruling in June 2013, the federal government began recognizing same-sex marriage, even among couples who do not live in a state of marriage equality.
Many clients have asked me if there are any practical advantages to getting married out of state. Although many federal benefits are now available for getting married out of state, whether getting married is beneficial depends on your circumstances.
Both federal and state laws provide benefits, rights, and protections to married couples. Because Texas does not allow same-sex marriage or recognize marriages performed in other states, same-sex couples remain legal strangers for purposes of Texas law, even if married outside the state. As such, married same-sex couples receive none of the many benefits or protections offered to other married couples under Texas law.
Getting married in Texas Prison
Prisoners in Texas will again be allowed to marry someone on the outside under new rules formulated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDJC) in the wake of an outcry of the general statement following a September 1, 2013 ban on marriage by proxy adopted by the Texas legislature.
Given the circumstances and understanding, offenders have a lawful right to wed. TDCJ spokesman Jason Clark told the Associated Press in November 2014, changing a long-held policy that denied prison weddings as a security risk. The agency is drafting a policy that permits a prisoner to marry a non-incarcerated person within our facilities.
The statement drew praise from the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas. Under the policy change, prison marriages must comply with prison dating rules, match the inmate’s dating status, and require no special facilities. The out-of-state spouse is responsible for arranging all the details, including obtaining a marriage license and finding and paying someone to perform the ceremony.
Persons must be present for a marriage to be legal in Texas. Texas prison officials have long allowed marriages by proxy, in which incarcerated spouses represent a stand-in who swears in the ceremony. Still, Republican state Rep. Trent Ashby approved a bill that created a conflict in which both were needed.
Justice of the peace
If you want to get married by a Justice of the Peace, you must first go to the county clerk’s office to get a marriage license. In most cases, you must have a marriage license for at least 72 hours before you can get married.
Can a Justice of the Peace in Texas marry you? Who Can Marry in Texas? A licensed or ordained minister, priest, rabbi, justice of the peace, and most judges can marry couples. Each individual must provide current state or federal photo identification or a certified birth certificate.
You must be 16 years old to apply for a marriage license. A Texas marriage license will cost between $70 – $85, depending on the county where you choose to use one. Bring the money.
Getting married in Texas without ceremony
Get married. It depends on you. Just plan to get out of your secret, and that “marriage” will be quite the anti-season. In four years, you might have a big commitment party or something like that. Please don’t call it marriage, and it will be cheap.
Don’t be surprised if people don’t respond to this party as they do to your cousin’s or sibling’s real first wedding. It’s just the way people accomplish it.
Conclusion: Getting married in Texas
In Texas, the only requirement is that you and your loved one go to the county clerk’s office to purchase a license. The marriage ceremony is unnecessary except to make witnesses available to sign the marriage.
Many denominations are no longer even performing legal weddings but are instead inviting their parishioners to perform “covenant weddings,” which are purely religious ceremonies. In this case, the county clerk covers everything that legally makes you married. Texas also has a common-law marriage, which does not require a ceremony. It’s not formal unless registered, and then it’s the same thing.
Also read: How to prove Bigamy in Texas?; Bigamy laws in Texas; Adultery in Texas.
This post is also available in:
English 
Español (Spanish)
