Bishop performing wedding outside of his ward

Brothers,

My Bishop is performing a wedding outside of our stake boundaries, and for church members who are not members of his ward. What forms/authorization does he need to do this? Who should I speak with?

Thanks,
Kevin

Assuming this is a civil marriage, I don't think it's really a church ordinance. So the real question is his civil authority good at this other location? I'd think as long as it's the same state, you're OK. But if it's a different state, there may be a problem.

If this is taking place at another church building, then it would be wise for someone to check ahead with whoever they have scheduled the building with.

If the agent bishop has questions, he can consult with the CDOL to verify your bishop is one.

At least that's my take on the situation.

See Handbook 1, section 3.5.3. There is no problem with the wedding taking place outside the ward boundaries, as long as one of the people being married is in the bishop's ward. If neither person is in his ward (but at least one is a member of the Church), then approval from the Office of the First Presidency is required. And of course, you have to make sure that the laws of your state authorize a bishop to perform weddings.

You guys are great. Thanks for the quick responses. We are in California. I read section 3.5.3 and (assuming at least the bride or the groom is a member of my ward) I didn't see any other restrictions or approvals needed. The bride and groom would need to bring a marriage certificate for Bishop to sign....is that it? (First time ward clerk - 2 weeks in)

I'd assume that the bishop has been set up with the State of California to do marriages in California. If he's as new as you, that might not be done yet.

kevintroyp wrote: (assuming at least the bride or the groom is a member of my ward)

If neither one is a member of your ward, I have taken the track of telling the people "I can't perform the marriage," rather than try to get permission from the First Presidency. I think there is wisdom in having their local bishop do the marriage so he can keep in contact with either them or the family of the member.

If they are both non-members, then there isn't a problem.

In Utah, when someone gets a marriage license, they are given two forms: One that is more symbolic that everyone signs and the bride keeps. The other form is signed and returned to the county clerk who prepares an official marriage license and mails it to them. Sending the second form to the county clerk is the bishops responsibility.

russellhltn wrote:I'd assume that the bishop has been set up with the State of California to do marriages in California. If he's as new as you, that might not be done yet.

This has been very weird to me. In Utah, a bishop doesn't need to register with the state.

It seems so hollow. Every time I perform a marriage, I think to myself, "Who am I do be doing this?" A very weird feeling. My first wedding was 3 days after I was set apart.

A quick Google suggests that it's not too difficult to do in California. But standard disclaimer - your state may vary.

Somewhere in all the instruction a new Bishop gets from the church should be something on civil marriages - presumably in addition to the Handbook. If not, it wouldn't hurt for him to double-check with the Stake President.

russellhltn wrote:Somewhere in all the instruction a new Bishop gets from the church should be something on civil marriages - presumably in addition to the Handbook.

Everything a bishop needs to know about civil marriage is already in Handbook 1:3.5.3, including the answer to the original poster's question and every other question that has been raised in this topic other than specific state requirements.

And because there are 50 states, not to mention that the Handbook covers every other country in the world, the handbook addresses the requirement by stating that civil marriages should be performed according to the laws in the place where the marriage is performed, which works anywhere in the world.

At that point, the bishop will need to find out what those laws are in the place where he is being asked to perform the marriage. Either the stake president or a more experienced bishop normally will be able to tell him. Or the clerk at the county courthouse, or the religious leader of any other church, or a local judge or justice of the peace.

All the bishop has to do is ask. After he reads the Handbook.

And yet, I still don't know how to apply for permission in the case of that person being a family member. How is this done?

BurbidgeKM wrote:And yet, I still don't know how to apply for permission in the case of that person being a family member. How is this done?

If one or both are members, but neither is a member of your ward, you apply for an exception from the First Presidency. A short letter on your ward letterhead should do just fine. If one of them is family, I would include that in the letter as part of the justification for your request for an exception.

I do not know what criteria the First Presidency uses to grant exceptions. If you would like further information before you write a letter, ask your stake president to call the Office of the First Presidency, explain the circumstances, and obtain counsel.

If neither one of the couple are members, you do not need an exception.

See Handbook 1:3.5.3 in the paragraph entitled, Civil Marriage for Members from Other Units, last sentence.

Were you able to find any direction on where/how to send a letter requesting an exception?

mgardineer wrote:Were you able to find any direction on where/how to send a letter requesting an exception?

I'd first take a look at the Application to First Presidency support in LCR and see if there is a general option to use for less common requests (I don't have access I so don't know what that looks like).

Otherwise take a look at this article in the Help Center. The article is for approval about temple work but I expect the address is the same that can be used for other approvals as well.

mgardineer wrote:Were you able to find any direction on where/how to send a letter requesting an exception?

The address in the link eblood66 provided in the previous post is correct. Mail works best for sending the letter, although your stake president might be able to call and see if the Office of the First Presidency will accept a facsimile copy. If they will, he will also be able to obtain the phone number.

Thanks for the help!

In NY State, a new Bishop/Branch president can perform a marriage day one.. Except in NYC. In NYC, they need to first be registered.. (The stake clerk should handle that)

I wanted to share my experience with other Bishops as it was really easy and quick.

Two separate family members asked me to perform their marriage.

Both live in different units to me
One is less active so their records were not in their home unit

I worked with them to find out their membership record numbers, home unit and stake (and their respective unit numbers), and marriage dates.

I also contacted their respective Bishops to talk with them and ensure they were happy for me to perform the marriage and put this all into a letter along with the reasons why they'd like me to marry them.

I then emailed the letter to my Stake President on a Thursday and he sent it to the Area Presidency, who forwarded it to the Office of The First Presidency. By the following Monday I had 2 signed approval letters emailed back to me directly from the Office of The First Presidency. It only took 3 days and two of those were Saturday and Sunday. Amazing.

This applies also to bishop performing wedding for members coming from outside his ward.

Trick: email your request directly to the Office of the First Presidency


Sent on a Friday PM.
Got a reply instantly.
Request was approved by Monday.