Online Marriage Guide
Online Marriage:
A Legal Wedding by Video Call
A Legal Wedding by Video Call
A licensed officiant and a state-issued marriage license, with a ceremony you join from your living room (or from two different continents).
Updated
19,455 couples have married through Utah County's online marriage system in 2026 so far. The ceremony is real, the license is real, and the certificate works the same way it would if you'd stood in a courthouse. This page covers the questions couples ask us most: whether it's legal, what it costs, how fast it happens, and how your state treats it.
Is online marriage legal?
Yes. Utah authorizes online marriage license applications under Utah Code § 30-1-4.1 and video ceremonies under § 30-1-17. Neither partner needs to set foot in Utah, and there is no residency requirement. You apply online, meet your officiant over video, and Utah County issues the same marriage certificate it issues for in-person weddings.
Once Utah issues that certificate, the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the U.S. Constitution requires other states to recognize the marriage, the same way they recognize a Las Vegas wedding after the couple flies home.
The mechanics of the Utah process are covered in detail on our Utah online marriage page. The statute-level detail, including what makes a ceremony valid, is in our online marriage legal requirements guide.
How does getting married online work?
Four steps, all from home. Most couples finish inside a week.
Book your ceremony
Pick a date and time. Evenings and weekends are open, and rush slots exist for weddings that need to happen today.
Apply for the Utah license
One online application covers both partners. Government photo ID is enough; no birth certificate required. The county processes it before your ceremony date.
Meet your officiant on video
You, your partner, and a licensed Utah officiant on one call. Say your vows, exchange rings if you have them, and the officiant pronounces you married.
Receive your certificate
The officiant files with Utah County right after the ceremony. Your digital certificate typically arrives within days, and printed copies can be ordered.
How much does an online marriage cost?
The total is $420: $349 for the ceremony service and $71 for the Utah County marriage license. That covers the officiant, the license filing, an HD recording of the ceremony, and your digital certificate.
Optional extras change the math: rush scheduling if you need to marry today, a witness if you can't bring your own, and a live interpreter for bilingual ceremonies. Nothing is charged until you book.
The full breakdown, including add-on prices, is on the pricing page.
How fast can we get married online?
The license application usually clears within one business day, and ceremony slots run seven days a week. Couples with paperwork ready have gone from booking to married in under 24 hours. A more typical pace is three to five days, most of it spent picking a date.
On a deadline? Rush scheduling can turn this into a same-day marriage.
Which states recognize online marriage?
All 50 states recognize a valid Utah marriage certificate under the Full Faith and Credit Clause. You can use it for a name change, taxes, insurance, and benefits enrollment anywhere in the country.
What differs by state is the paperwork around it. Some agencies ask for extra documentation, and some counties record out-of-state certificates differently. The state guides below cover those details, plus each state's own marriage rules if you'd rather marry locally.
Worried about your own state? Here's how home states treat online marriages.
Deployed or PCSing? Online marriage for military couples.
Who actually gets married online?
Our count of Utah County's public marriage records shows who this actually serves: long-distance couples closing the gap, military members marrying before a deployment or a PCS move, international couples on different continents, and plenty of people who would simply rather skip the courthouse line. We've officiated for couples in at least 42 states and roughly 40 countries.
We publish the full dataset, updated monthly, in our Utah marriage statistics report.
Online marriage vs. proxy marriage vs. courthouse
| Online marriage | Proxy marriage | Courthouse | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Both partners attend | Yes, on video | No, a stand-in appears | Yes, in person |
| Travel required | No | No | Yes |
| Typical timeline | Days | Weeks to months | Days to weeks |
| Who can use it | Any adult couple, in any state | Mostly military couples, four states | Anyone who can appear in person |
Unsure which fits your situation? We wrote up the differences: online marriage vs. proxy marriage.
Online marriage questions, answered
The ones couples actually ask before booking.
Ready to get married online?
Book a time, finish the license application, and meet your officiant on video. We handle the paperwork from there.