JAIL WEDDINGS?
THIS IS FROM THE COUNTY AND IT DOES SAY A CEREMONY MUST BE PERFORMED TO MAKE YOUR MARRIAGE LEGAL. The clerks office includes in in every envelope they give you with your marriage license. So read all they give you! SO IF THEY TRY TO TELL YOU YOU DO NOT NEED A CEREMONY, THEY ARE SCAMMING YOU! DO NOT BE FOOLED.
This is a great site/link to help you when you have questions about the jail/prison system if they are not treating you with respect, compassion or extending you your rights as a visitor or as an inmate. (see below)
They are called FRIENDS OUTSIDE
http://www.friendsoutside.org/what-we-believe.htm
We provide you with this consumer alert information as a public service, since we believe ethical choices ultimately benefit all people in our society.
Information (and the ability to verify it) gives you the power to do the right thing for your situation, protect yourself and your loved ones, and prevent others from being deceived.
CONSUMER ALERTS=
MARRIAGES BY PHONE =
A California state law signed in 2005 by Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger permits "proxy marriage" by phone for military personnel IN ACTIVE WAR ZONES ONLY. The enlisted person must complete and have notarized a statement of identity that must be presented to County authorities before a marriage license can be obtained.
THIS IS THE ONLY EXCEPTION (above) TO THE CALIFORNIA LAWS PROHIBITING PROXY MARRIAGE. ALL PHONE MARRIAGES AND ALL NON-MILITARY PROXY MARRIAGES ARE ILLEGAL IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.
Please contact your local County Clerk's office to obtain forms and instructions if you believe you qualify. Please call the County Clerks off in your area if you have questions or would like to inquire about proxy marriage procedures. You can read the text of the California state law allowing military proxy weddings by clicking here.
There are states that permit proxy marriage: Texas, Colorado, and Montana (Montana amended its State Code in 2007 and now requires that one party to a proxy marriage must either be a member of the armed forces of the United States on federal active duty, or a resident of Montana at the time of application for the license.) Each proxy marriage state has different requirements as far as identification, health testing, residency, and waiting periods. Also, a double proxy marriage may not be recognized by some governments or government agencies, so please research carefully before you proceed.
We receive numerous complaints that a certain wedding officiants are allegedly offering cash-only marriages over the phone for military or INCARCERATED PERSONS. According to notary guidelines issued in March 2007, NOTARIES AND WEDDING CHAPELS MAY NOT ISSUE MARRIAGE LICENSES TO THE INCARCERATED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. WEDDINGS CONDUCTED OVER THE PHONE ARE STRICTLY ILLEGAL IN CALIFORNIA, ARE NOT LEGALLY BINDING, AND THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS LAW (please see above concerning proxy marriage for military personnel in active war zones.) Marriages that are fraudulently performed may be declared invalid by the State.
MARRIAGE FOR THE INCARCERATED/IN CUSTODY=
NOTARIES AND WEDDING CHAPELS MAY NOT ISSUE MARRIAGE LICENSES TO THE INCARCERATED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. WEDDINGS CONDUCTED OVER THE PHONE ARE ILLEGAL IN CALIFORNIA AND ARE NOT LEGALLY BINDING. Please do not be taken in by the uninformed or unethical business practices of notaries and wedding chapels that are putting your legal marriage status at risk for their own financial gain.
There are authorized County procedures for obtaining a marriage license and ceremony for someone who is in law enforcement custody; WE know what they are and how to do it legally.
In order for a legal marriage to take place anywhere in California:
THE BRIDE, GROOM AND OFFICIANT MUST PERSONALLY AND PHYSICALLY APPEAR IN THE SAME ROOM AT THE SAME TIME. This cannot be done via phone as you can well guess.
THEY MUST EACH PRESENT A VALID UNEXPIRED STATE-ISSUED IDENTIFICATION OR PASSPORT TO THE PERSON ISSUING THE LICENSE and
BOTH BRIDE AND GROOM MUST SIGN THE LICENSE. This cannot be done over the phone either as you can see.
The validity of a marriage license that is obtained outside of County authorized procedures can be challenged by private parties, law enforcement, or state agencies. There are lots of criminal hucksters out there who'll offer to do your phone or internet wedding for ready cash; they'll probably be long gone if you get in trouble down the line. Is it worth the hassle if you get caught? Think carefully before you take a risk with the legal status of your marriage.
Scammers are clever and adapt their operations to avoid law enforcement detection. With correct information, you have the power to not only protect yourself, but to help prevent others from being deceived.
We provide you with this information as a public service since we believe ethical choices ultimately benefit all people in our society. We trust that with the right information, you'll have the tools to do the right thing for you. If you have further questions concerning marriage licensing, please email me or contact your local clerks office.
PLEASE IF YOU NEED A JAIL WEDDING PERFORMED DO NOT BE SCAMMED. (see above paper from the county) ^IF THE OFFICIANT/MINISTER NEVER DOES A CEREMONY WERE YOU BOTH HAVE TO SAY "i DO'S" WHEN YOU ARE NOT PHYSICALLY FACE TO FACE WITH THE MINISTER IT IS A SCAM JUST TO TAKE YOUR MONEY. CALIFORNIA FAMILY CODE 420A (GOOGLE IT) EXPLAINS IT ALL. I DO THEM THE RIGHT WAY.........IN FRONT OF BOTH OF YOU AND MUST ASK YOU THE NECESSARY VERBAGE TO MAKE YOUR WEDDING LEGAL......IF THE OFFICIANT NEVER LETS YOU BOTH SEE EACH OTHER AND SPEAK TO EACH OTHER DURING THE ENTIRE WEDDING PROCESS IT IS NOT LEGAL, AND I KNOW YOU WANT IT TO BE LEGAL, DON'T YOU? Check the reverse side of your wedding license....it says this! For this type of wedding, you will need to purchase the CONFIDENTIAL license ONLY as it needs no witnesses to sign (which is what you want). Email me or phone me or text and I can give you one by one steps to follow for this process. PRICES FOR A LOCAL JAIL WEDDING IS $150= IN CASH= AS I HAVE TO MAKE AT LEAST TWO TRIPS TO THE CLERKS OFFICE OR MORE. OTHER WEDDING OFFICIALS WILL CHARGE MUCH MORE BUT I DON'T AS THERE IS NO NEED TO. MERCED COUNTY JAIL, SANDY MUSH ARE THE LOCAL ONES I AM MOST FAMILIAR WITH. MY ASSOCIATE IS QUALIFIED TO DO PRISON WEDDINGS AND HAS DONE ALL THE WEDDINGS AT THE ATWATER PENITENTIARY SINCE ITS INCEPTION! THE LICENSE YOU MUST PURCHASE IS THE CONFIDENTIAL LICENSE IF YOU DO A JAIL INMATE WEDDING AS IT NEEDS NO WITNESS. THIS IS THE ONLY ONE I WILL ALLOW YOU TO USE- PERIOD. IT MAY COST A BIT MORE BUT IT IS WORTH IT AS IT WILL KEEP MISTAKES FROM BEING MADE AND EXTRA COSTS TO YOU AND EXTRA TRIPS TO THE CLERKS OFFICE AND JAIL AGAIN. The cofidential license must be gotten in the County you plan to marry in. These fees are non-negotiable as it is what the county and state charges so I have no control of these costs. Refunds for weddings done while incarcerated are non-refundable as it takes more effort to do this; hence please be sure first of what you need to do and dates, etc. and have all permission from interested parties involved before you pay any monies as no refunds are issued in this scenario.
LETS TALK HOW WE CAN HELP YOU MARRY YOUR SWEETHEART! You do need the INABILITY TO APPEAR FORM first and notarized by the inmate to be able to proceed. This form is provided by the clerks office. You cannot get the license until this is done.......call or email me and I can review the process with you.- 209-261-1947 or email me at - [email protected]. it is YOUR responsibility to seek and pay for your notary; not us! All fees are separate and are paid to each entity individually.......clerk fees, minister fee, notary fee, certified copy at recorders, etc all of these are paid to the person who does the service. WE DO NOT SEEK OUT A NOTARY FOR YOU IF THE ONES WE SUGGEST ARE NOT AVAILABLE! That is your responsibility as we have no control over their fees, or if they previously are booked or if they move or if they retire, etc. Notary fees vary from one to another which is the fee they charge to do their work, not us .
Your wedding license you purchase expires in 90 days so be sure you use it within that time frame or you will have to purchase a new one. I have 10 days from the wedding date to mail the license to the recorder.
LETS TALK HOW WE CAN HELP YOU MARRY YOUR SWEETHEART! You do need the INABILITY TO APPEAR FORM first and notarized by the inmate to be able to proceed. This form is provided by the clerks office. You cannot get the license until this is done.......call or email me and I can review the process with you.- 209-261-1947 or email me at - [email protected]. it is YOUR responsibility to seek and pay for your notary; not us! All fees are separate and are paid to each entity individually.......clerk fees, minister fee, notary fee, certified copy at recorders, etc all of these are paid to the person who does the service. WE DO NOT SEEK OUT A NOTARY FOR YOU IF THE ONES WE SUGGEST ARE NOT AVAILABLE! That is your responsibility as we have no control over their fees, or if they previously are booked or if they move or if they retire, etc. Notary fees vary from one to another which is the fee they charge to do their work, not us .
Your wedding license you purchase expires in 90 days so be sure you use it within that time frame or you will have to purchase a new one. I have 10 days from the wedding date to mail the license to the recorder.