Some bridal couples ask us after the fact, often in a panic, "Why haven't we received a copy of the marriage license from the county?"
We understand that you have plenty to think about on your wedding day that it's hard to remember when we explain to you how to get your marriage license copy. The necessary steps to receive your certified copy or copies are very simple. However, the L.A. County Clerk's Office assumes that you do not want a copy of marriage license until you ask for one. You will not receive a certified copy of your California marriage license until you specifically order it from the Los Angeles Registrar Recorder/County Clerk's Office.
In Los Angeles County, each certified copy of your California state marriage license costs $14. We suggest that you purchase at least two copies of the marriage certificate so that you'll have multiple copies to keep in separate locations. That way if you lose one copy of a marriage certificate you'll have at least one more and will not have to deal with the time consuming hassle of acquiring another marriage record from Los Angeles County.
If your marriage license in California is a Confidential marriage license, such as the license that the Officiant Guy can issue, you'll need to follow the specific instructions that you'll receive along with the customer copy of your wedding license that your wedding officiant should give to you after the marriage license is signed. To acquire a certified copy of your California Confidential Marriage License you'll need to submit the following to the County Clerk's Office in the County that issued your wedding license:
1. An Application for Marriage Record (a copy of this "Pink Sheet" will be provide along with your marriage license);
2. A personal check payable to Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk in an amount equal $13 for each marriage license copy you've ordered, and
3. A cover letter in the form provided in the below link. (The letter is addressed to the Los Angeles County Clerk Registrar's Office).
IMPORTANT: Recent changes to the format of the Confidential Marriage License have made it more difficult to obtain your certified copies by mail so you will receive your certified copies more quickly and with less paperwork if you have your officiant file your Certified Copy request along with the Original Copy of your marriage license when he or she files it immediate after your wedding day. If you mail your request for certified copies of your Confidential Marriage License you must wait until weeks after your wedding day to mail your request and you will also have to include Certificate of Identity from a Notary Public or the County Clerk in the County of Residence. We recommend, based on our experience, that you ask for 2 copies of the marriage certificate for your files.
It will take 7-10 weeks to receive your requested certified copies of your marriage license unless you ask your officiant to file your request on an expedited basis along with the Original Copy of your marriage license. In that case it will take 1-3 weeks. In Los Angeles County, an expedited request must be accompanied by a preaddressed and postage prepaid overnight express mail envelope. A request filed by your officiant that does not include the overnight express mail envelope will like take a few weeks longer than the expedited request.
Click here for a form letter that you can send to receive a copy of your marriage certificate.
