Carolyn Burke STL Blog

Although some couples see this as a mundane task, I suggest you treat it as a ritual of love.  Prepare for the practical aspects, but also allow yourselves to feel and celebrate the importance of the celebration. This is the first step towards making it legal. It will be very exciting when you see your names on the license for the very first time. From the practical point of view, BOTH of you must apply for the license in person, bringing the appropriate payment and  documentation. The clerk's office will not allow a solo bride or groom to apply for a license. Missouri law allows you to obtain your license anywhere in the state (for example, you can get the license in St. Charles County, even if you intend to wed in the City of St. Louis). A marriage license from another state will not be considered valid. In Illinois, the ceremony must be performed in the same county of which you apply and pick up the marriage license. Illinois Marriage License CLICK HERE TO ...

I received a phone call from a young man who is in the armed services. He asks if it is possible to get married in the USO at Lambert Airport here in St. Louis. The three things I must have in order to confirm my services is a date, location, and time. "Jeff" was on furlough and had organized a flight for his fiance', "Kathy", to fly into St. Louis. The plan was to meet at the airport, take a taxi to the county clerk's office, go back to the airport, and get married in the USO. I had the date and the location, but not the time because they were depending on transportation to take them from place-to-place. My schedule allowed me to wait until they called from the county office, and then head out to the airport where I would perform the ceremony before 2:00pm. I get a call from Jeff around noon and he states his ride to St. Louis was slow and he did not arrive at the airport as soon as he had planned. I told him I wouldn't mind meeting them on the stre...

Many times I find myself saying to someone about something we have in common, "It's a small world."  Well, not in the Marriage License Department of St. Louis County.  I performed three wedding ceremonies in past week where the license was dated September 3, 2010.  That means these three couples were standing in line applying for their license for a wedding to take place within 30 days.  I have to keep a record of all the marriages I performed and I get such a joy over seeing the marriage license numbers grow - from a low number is January to over 3,000 in September.  The last four numbers of the three licenses I gathered were 3855, 3886, and 3899.  The first and second couple were separated by 13 others in line, and the second and third couple were separated by 31 others in line. I doubt they chatted with each other while waiting for their turn to apply.  The world is not small in the Marriage License Department of St. Louis ...

When you apply for a Missouri Marriage License, information printed on the form includes the full name of the bride and groom, the city, county and state where they reside, and the date the marriage license is issued.  I had two wedding this year spell a name wrong - this practically makes the license VOID - if not annoying. The officiant writes in the county where the marriage took place, the name and title of the person performing the ceremony, the city where the ceremony occured.  Of course, the day, month and year of the ceremony, and signatures of the officiant and two witnesses.  Most Missouri licenses also like to know my official title which is Wedding Officiant.  Some might ask for the address, city and state of the officiant, some may not. It is important that the spelling is correct and all other information is accurate!    Whenever I complete the marriage license, I always read most of it out loud to the two witnesses becaus...

It was my first time performing in a chapel in the afternoon.  It was a sweet little church in South County Saint Louis called Unity Church of Peace.  I arrived, introduced myself to the bride.  Everything seemed to be going well until the church coordinator came up to me and said, "We have lost the marriage license." I was a little bit shocked.  Lost the marriage license?? Well, they were at the rehearsal the Thursday night before where the coordinator said they can leave the marriage license at the church. I do not attend the rehearsal and had little to do with the problem at hand.  We will see what happens from this point. My advice to you - do not leave the marriage license to ANYONE.  My motto has always been to let the bride and groom be responsible for the marriage license and the rings.  No vendors should have the responsibility for this very reason.  Now the bride and groom may have to go back to the county courthouse an...