Can We Legally Marry You?

Yes, we absolutely can.

Our Credentials

All of our officiants are 100% legally authorized to marry you anywhere in New York State — and beyond. We know it can feel awkward to ask, but verifying an officiant’s legal status is one of the most important things you can do when choosing who will sign your marriage license.

Every officiant on our team is ordained through Church of Ancient Ways, a federally recognized 501(c)(3) religious organization that has held that status since 1997. This means:

We are not ordained online
We meet or exceed all New York State legal requirements
We are authorized to officiate weddings in all 50 states (note: some states require advance registration)

How It Works in New York

New York State has some of the strictest officiant rules in the country. Here’s what you need to know:

New York State does not issue licenses to officiants.
New York City, however, requires officiants to register with the Office of the City Clerk.

All of our officiants are registered with NYC, and all hold legitimate ordinations from Church of Ancient Ways — making them fully legal within NYC and throughout the rest of the state.

A Word of Caution About Online Ordinations

In 2006, New York City began allowing officiants with online ordinations to register for NYC ceremonies only. But outside the five boroughs, New York State law still does not recognize online-only ordinations.

You can read more about this by clicking here.

That means an officiant who was ordained online and registered in NYC is not legally authorized to marry you on Long Island or anywhere else in the state. If you’re working with someone who received an online ordination (like from a universal Life Church website), and your wedding is outside NYC, you’ll need a legally recognized officiant — like us — to sign your marriage license.