The Rutland Region has many services available to help make your special day easy to plan. Whether you're planning a small, intimate wedding or a large gala, your future begins here!

Here are some important guidelines to follow when planning your wedding:

Guidelines || Services || Justices of the Peace || Churches

How do we get married in Vermont?
Before you can be married, you'll need to purchase a Vermont marriage license and give it to the clergy/justice of the peace before the ceremony. Your license may be purchased up to two months before the ceremony, but becomes void 60 days from the date of issue if not used.

Where do we purchase a marriage license?
If both bride and groom are Vermont residents, you may go to the town clerk in either of your towns of residence. If just one of you is a resident, you must go to the town clerk of the town you currently reside.

What If We Are Not Vermont Residents?
First, decide where in Vermont you wish to be married. Out-of state residents must buy their license in the county where they plan to marry. Any town clerk in that county can issue the license. Marriage licenses cannot be issues through the mail.

Is there a waiting period?
No. Vermont allows you to marry the day your license is issued.

Do We Need Blood Tests?
No.

How Much Does a Vermont License Cost?
A Vermont marriage license costs $45 plus an additional $10 for a certified copy.

Who May Be Married in Vermont?
Two people who are each at least 18 years old may marry in Vermont. Two people who are each at least 18 years old can obtain a civil
marriage in Vermont. If you are at least 16, but under 18, you will need the consent of a parent or guardian.
Your parent or guardian should go with you to the town clerk’s office to sign an affidavit giving you permission to
marry. (The affidavit is on the back of the marriage license and is a legal part of the license.) By Vermont
law, no one under the age of 16 may marry in Vermont.

What Statistical Information Will I Need to Provide?
You will need to provide information about your race, the highest grade you completed in school, the number of times you have been married and how your previous marriage(s), if any, ended. This information does not become part of the marriage certificate.

What if Either of Us Has Been Married Before?
If you are a widow or widower, you are free to marry. You will be asked the date your spouse died. If you are divorced, you may remarry after the date on which your previous marriage is dissolved.

Can We be Married by Proxy?                                                                                                                                      

No.

Where Can We Get Married?
A Vermont license is valid only for a marriage performed in Vermont. If you are a Vermont resident or are marrying a Vermont

resident, you may be married anywhere in Vermont. If you are not a Vermont resident, you must be married in the county where your license is issued.

Who May Marry Us?
A judge, supreme court justice, assistant judge, justice of the peace, or an ordained or licensed minister, rabbi or priest residing in Vermont or authorized by their denomination may perform your ceremony. A priest, rabbi, or minister from another state may perform your ceremony if he or she first obtains a special authorization from a probate court in the district where the marriage will take place.

What Do We Do with the License?
By law, you must deliver the license to the person who will conduct your wedding ceremony before the marriage can be performed.

Do We Need Witnesses?
Vermont law does not require witnesses. If you are planning a religious ceremony, check with your church or synagogue to see if religious tenets require witnesses for your marriage.

What Happens to the License after the Ceremony?
After the ceremony, the person who performs the ceremony (officiate) will complete the sections concerning the date, place and officiate information, and sign your license. It must then be returned by the officiate to the town clerk's office where it was issued within ten (10) days, so that your marriage may be officially registered. It is not a complete legal document, useful for passports, Social Security, etc., until it has been recorded in the town clerk's office where it was purchased.

How Do We Get a Copy of Our Marriage Certificate?
There are two ways to obtain a copy of your marriage certificate:

(1) When you purchase your license, you may arrange with the town clerk to mail you a certified copy of your certificate as soon as your marriage is recorded. The cost will be $30 ($23 for the license and $7 for the certified copy);

(2) Two weeks or more after the ceremony, you may request, in person or in writing, a copy from the town clerk's office where you purchased your license; or six or more weeks after the ceremony, you may request in person or in writing, a certified copy form the Vermont Department of Health, Vital records Unit, 108 Cherry Street, P.O. Box 70, Burlington, Vermont 05402. Either way, the fee is $7, and you will receive a copy of the original certificate, embossed with the town or state seal and signed and dated by the appropriate official. These certified copies are accepted for all legal purposes.

For more information
contact the Vital Records Unit * Vermont Department of Health * Agency of Human Services PO Box 70,108 Cherry Street, Burlington, VT 05402 * 863-7275 or 1-800-439-5008

Please refer to the following list which will assist you with members who provide services for your special day: