It is so much easier to get married in New York than it is to get married in Ireland! Most of our clients are coming over from the UK and Ireland to get married in Central Park. I’m British, I got married in Central Park in 2011, and I was living in New York at the time. This blog post is a long answer to a frequently asked question about what paperwork Irish couples need to get married in New York.
As I understand it, in Ireland, couples need to give at least three months’ notice to a Civil Registration Office of their intent to marry. You don’t need to do this at home in Ireland nor in the US if you’re getting married in New York. If you were getting married in Ireland you’d also have to attend an appointment with your partner to declare your intent, and obtain a Marriage Registration Form. Again, you don’t need to do this at home in Ireland nor in the US if you’re getting married in New York. Quite often, I find that Irish couples almost can’t believe how simple it is to get married in the USA.
Here’s what the Irish Citizens Information website says about getting married in the United States: “When you get married abroad, you must meet all the legal requirements of the country you are marrying in. These legal formalities are usually different to those in Ireland.” Here’s the link to the website, for more information.
So, what exactly are the legal requirements of the country you are marrying in? Each US state has different rules for getting marriage licenses. This might be waiting periods, or blood tests. At the time of writing, couples are not required to take a blood test to get married in the state of New York, and the waiting period between getting the license and getting married is 24 hours.
Before you go to New York, you should register online for your marriage license and make an appointment to go to City Hall in person to pick it up. The two of you will need to go together, and to take your passports, and proof of final divorce of death of your previous spouse if you have been married before. A marriage license will cost $35. The Manhattan branch of the City Clerk’s Office is open Monday through Friday (not open on holidays), 8:30am to 3:45pm, and is at 141 Worth Street.
The appointments to get your marriage license from City Hall become available three weeks beforehand. I’ve written a blog post that is a step by step guide to making an appointment to get your marriage license from New York City Hall. Keep in mind when making your travel plans that you can pick up the license at any point – ie you can arrive at the airport and go straight to get your license, or you can leave it a few days before you get your license. The waiting period rule is all about leaving 24 hours between getting the license and getting married.
Then you hold a wedding ceremony! This is the part where I can do everything for you, if you want to get married in beautiful Central Park. I can book the New York state registered officiant, get your event permit for the wedding ceremony location in Central Park, write the ceremony with you, book the photographer, help you to make a plan of timings for the day, book any musicians, video, hair and makeup, and order your flowers. Check out our wedding packages and prices, or drop me an email at [email protected] to ask any questions.
Take your license with you to the ceremony. If I’m planning your wedding with you, then I’ll remind you of this a few times in the run-up to the wedding! After the ceremony, the couple sign the license, along with the officiant and either one or two witnesses who must be over the age of 18. There is only a requirement for one witness but there’s space on the license for two, and if you’re eloping then we can ask your photographer to be your legal witness. Then the officiant sends the completed license to the City Clerk’s Office, they register your marriage and then they mail the short certificate to your home address, wherever you live. If you need the marriage certificate straight away and can’t wait for it to come in the mail, then you can take the completed license back to the City Clerk’s Office in person to get the certificate.
The Irish Citizens Information website says that couples must then register the marriage with the Irish General Register Office (GRO), but it also says that marriages abroad are generally valid if they are valid where performed. So, if we have followed the process described above, then your marriage is valid, but the Citizens Information website says registering ensures it’s on Irish records, so it seems sensible to me to do that too.
Check out our wedding packages and prices, the prices quoted are in US dollars, but I can take payment from a credit card from anywhere in the world. Drop me an email at [email protected] to ask any questions. If you would like me to help you with planning your own Central Park wedding or elopement visit our website. Keep updated with our news and see lots of beautiful photos, follow us on Instagram, follow us on Facebook, follow us on TikTok, and follow us on Pinterest.
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