Miami, FL Online Ordination Guide

Officiate Weddings in Miami, Florida

When picturing a Florida wedding in your head, you probably imagine a sunny beach wedding in Miami. After all, Miami’s tropical beaches are well known for their warm waters and romantic allure. Though if a beach wedding is not your thing, Miami has plenty more wedding venue options for you to choose from.

More important than where you choose to get married is who you choose to officiate your wedding. Having a family member or friend get ordained to officiate your wedding adds a significance to your wedding ceremony that can’t be beat.

American Marriage Ministries ordains people to officiate weddings for their friends, family, and community. And ordination with “AMM” is free and takes only a few minutes. Beyond getting ordained AMM provides all the resources you need to help to prepare first-time officiants for the big day.

This page covers how to get ordained to officiate weddings in Miami. We go over all the important legal aspects and direct you to relevant resources for more information. It may surprise you that becoming a wedding officiant in Florida is much easier than you might think. There is no government officiant registration in Florida. All you need to do to obtain the legal ability to perform marriage is to get ordained online. Without further ado, let’s go over the steps you need to take to marry people in Miami.

STEP 1: Get Ordained with American Marriage Ministries

The Florida Statutes § 741.07 allows for the following officials to officiate weddings:

 

Completing your American Marriage Ministries Florida Minister Ordination is your first step towards performing wedding ceremonies in Florida. American Marriage Ministries is legal in Florida, an IRS recognized 501c(3) non-profit organization, and the easiest way to perform weddings that reflect your values and beliefs. Our ordination is free, easy, and never expires!

Officiant Registration in Miami

When it comes time to perform your duties as the officiant, Miami-Dade County may ask you to present your ministerial credentials, which AMM provides for a small fee. (You can call the county clerk’s office before you perform the ceremony to ask if they will require you to bring the certificate in person.)

Begin Ordination

STEP 2: Prepare For Officiating the Wedding

Getting AMM ordained is the easy part. Your next step as the wedding officiant is to prepare for officiating the wedding ceremony. As the wedding officiant, there are two main things you need to prepare for:

1. Non-Legal Duty – Officiating the Wedding Ceremony
2. Legal Duty – Signing the Marriage License

Non-Legal Duties – You non-legal duties encompass all of the performative aspects of the wedding ceremony. How do I write a wedding ceremony? How do I get ready to perform marriage? What do I say at a wedding?

To learn the answers to all these questions and more, we recommend that you read through the officiant training pages on the American Marriage Ministries website. These resources cover all important aspects of performing marriage and is geared towards first-time officiants. You can also check out these pages for more ceremony prep info:

• Officiant Preparation for a Wedding Ceremony
• Writing a Wedding Ceremony
• How To Perform a Wedding Ceremony

Keep in mind that practice makes perfect. The sooner you get started and the more time you allocate to practice, the better prepared you will be when it comes time to officiate the wedding.

Legal Duties – Your legal duties have everything to do with the marriage license. Your one legal job as the wedding officiant is to sign the marriage license for the couple. This is as simple as it sounds, kust complete and sign a piece of paper. That’s it!

We understand how important it is to make sure the marriage license is properly completed. If you do find yourself confused by some of the fields on the marriage license, check out our page on How to Fill Out a Marriage License.

STEP 3: Officiate the Wedding

Regarding your performative duties, this is where you shine. If you have done your due diligence in preparing for the wedding ceremony, you will do an amazing job. In fact, you may have a lot more fun officiating a wedding than you might think. Many officiants that are AMM ordained to officiate one wedding eventually go on to officiating several. It’s really a lot of fun!

Regarding the marriage license – The couple is responsible for applying for the marriage license. Make sure to double check with the couple before performing the ceremony. At some point on the wedding day, the couple must present to you their marriage license. Your job is to complete and sign it in their presence and any required witnesses. The marriage license can be completed before or after the ceremony, that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that all the fields are completed properly and that it bears your signature.

Once the marriage license is properly signed, you have successfully performed all of your functions as the wedding officiant. Afterwards we recommend that you follow-up with the couple to make sure the marriage license has been returned to its issuance office.

Miami Officiant FAQ

Who Can perform marriage in Miami, Florida?

If you were ordained online, you probably want to make sure that you can legally perform wedding ceremonies in Miami. Good new, you can! In addition to a list of judicial officers and other public officials, Florida Law states that the following may perform marriage: all regularly ordained ministers of the gospel, elders in communion with a church, or other ordained clergy, which includes ministers ordained online by American Marriage Ministries.

Because the state of Florida does not maintain a central registry of ordained ministers and other officers that are legally allowed to perform marriage, it is the responsibility of the officiating minister to have proof of his or her ordination. That means you don’t need to register your credentials with your local government.

However, once you are ordained online through American Marriage Ministries, you should purchase a copy of your ministry ordination credentials from our store, as it is your responsibility to verify that you are ordained.

Can ministers from another state perform a marriage ceremony in Miami, Florida?

Yes. As long as ordained ministers meet the requirements of Florida State Statute 741.07, out-of-state ministers may perform marriages in Miami, Florida and anywhere in the State of Florida. As an American Marriage Ministry minister, you can perform wedding ceremonies in Florida, no matter where you are from.

What are the requirements for being ordained, so that I can perform a wedding in Miami, Florida?

The Clerk’s office in Miami does not determine the legality of an officiant, and does not have anything to do with the ordainment process. Once you are ordained, you do not register with the Clerk’s office prior to performing a marriage.

Ministers ordained by American Marriage Ministries may legally perform marriage in the state due to the statutes of Florida State Statute 741.07, which states that:

“All regularly ordained ministers of the gospel or elders in communion with some church, or other ordained clergy, and all judicial officers, including retired judicial officers, clerks of the circuit courts, and notaries public of this state may solemnize the rights of matrimonial contract, under the regulations prescribed by law. Nothing in this section shall make invalid a marriage which was solemnized by any member of the clergy, or as otherwise provided by law prior to July 1, 1978.”

How much does Marriage License from the Miami-Dade County Marriage License Bureau cost?

A marriage license from the Miami-Dade County Marriage License Bureau costs $86.00. Other options include a marriage application with completion of premarital preparation course, which costs $61.00, and a duplicate license or amended license, which costs $30.00.

When should the couple file for the marriage license?

The state requires all Florida residents to take a four-hour premarital course or wait three days for the marriage license to be effective. This does not apply to non-Florida residents. A directory of premarital course providers is available online or at all district court locations. This means that the couple should either schedule their course, or file at least three days before the wedding ceremony. Since the marriage license expires if it is not signed within 60 days of issuance, the application should also not be more than 60 days before the wedding.

In order to become legally married in the state of Florida, both spouses must apply for a marriage license in person. In order to obtain their marriage license both spouses must be able to present valid identification with the applicant’s picture, signature, and date of birth, a Driver License issued by any state in the U.S., Passport, a U.S. Military ID, Alien Registration Card, or State of Florida ID issued by DMV are acceptable. Anyone issued a Social Security Card must provide their number.

Miami Marriage License Info

It is the couple’s responsibility to file for the Florida Marriage License. That being said, below is important information regarding applying for a marriage license in Miami-Dade County. If you need more clarification on what is meant by “Waiting Period”, “Expiration”, and “Return”, check out the Marriage License Definitions page on the American Marriage Ministries website.