Marriage Ceremony Formalities in Tennessee
At a glance
| Who may solemnize | Religious leaders over 18 with care of souls; listed judges, state/local officers, qualified legislators, notaries, and district attorneys general (§ 36-3-301(a)). |
|---|---|
| Appointment or registration route | No general one-day route in § 36-3-301; legislators and district attorneys general must file vital-records opt-in notice; online ordinations excluded (§ 36-3-301(a), (l), (n)). |
| License and ceremony timing | Present county-clerk license before ceremony; valid 30 days from issue (§ 36-3-103(a)). |
| Required declaration or form | No fixed formula; each party declares before minister/officer acceptance of the other as husband and/or wife (§ 36-3-302(a)). |
| Attending witnesses | No general attending-witness count in ceremony/certificate provisions; Quaker vows occur before congregation (§§ 36-3-301(b), 36-3-302 to -304). |
| Religious or self-uniting route | Quaker parties pledge vows to one another before congregation; congregation clerk or alternate handles officiant duties (§§ 36-3-301(b), 36-3-303(b)). |
| Proxy or remote presence | Armed Forces member stationed abroad for combat/operation may join by video with commissioned-officer and officiant identity checks; other party in Tennessee (§ 36-3-302(b)). |
| Who signs the certificate | Solemnizer signs license endorsement and clerk-supplied certificate form; Quaker clerk or alternate assumes duty (§§ 36-3-303, 36-3-304). |
| Return recipient and deadline | Solemnizer, or Quaker congregation clerk/alternate, returns signed license to county clerk within three days after marriage (§ 36-3-303). |
Requirements one by one
Authorized officiants and notices
Section 36-3-301(a) lists religious leaders over 18 who have care of souls, and a broad group of judges, current and former officials, notaries, and other civil officers. A religious leader's designation must come from a church or other religious group's considered, deliberate, and responsible act. The statute expressly excludes persons receiving online ordinations. Members of the General Assembly and district attorneys general have distinct vital-records notice requirements (§ 36-3-301(l), (n)).
License and declaration
The parties must present the county clerk's license to the officiant before being joined; it lasts 30 days from issuance (§ 36-3-103(a)). No set wording is required, but each party must declare in the officiant's presence that they accept the other as husband and/or wife (§ 36-3-302(a)).
Quaker vows and the military video route
For the Religious Society of Friends, the parties' vows to one another before the congregation are an equally effective solemnization (§ 36-3-301(b)). The congregation clerk, or a designated alternate, assumes the ordinary solemnizer's duties (§ 36-3-303(b)). For an Armed Forces member stationed abroad in support of combat or another military operation, § 36-3-302(b) permits video appearance if a commissioned officer verifies that member, the authorized officiant verifies the other party, and that other party is in Tennessee.
Certificate and return
The solemnizer endorses the fact and time of marriage on the license, signs it, and returns it to the county clerk within three days of marriage (§ 36-3-303(a)). The clerk-supplied form on the license calls for the solemnizer's signature (§ 36-3-304). These sections specify no general attendee-witness number or witness signature line.
What trips people up
The three-day period runs from the marriage date, not from license issuance (§ 36-3-303(a)). The 30-day license term is a separate clock (§ 36-3-103(a)). Section 36-3-302(b)'s video option applies only with its stated military and identity conditions; it does not describe a general remote ceremony route.
Common questions
May an online-ordained person officiate? Section 36-3-301(a)(2) expressly says persons receiving online ordinations may not solemnize the rite.
Who handles a Quaker congregation's paperwork? Its clerk, or the clerk's designated alternate, takes on the solemnizer's duties (§ 36-3-303(b)).
Statutes and sources
Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 36-3-103 and 36-3-301 to -304 were checked on October 4, 2026. The online-ordination sentence was added by 2019 Tenn. Pub. Acts ch. 415, § 3; notaries were added by 2021 Tenn. Pub. Acts ch. 255, § 1; and district attorneys general were added by 2024 Tenn. Pub. Acts ch. 759, §§ 1-2. The source URLs and verbatim supporting text appear above.
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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