• If you reside in Ohio, you apply for the marriage license in the county where you live. If you reside outside of Ohio but plan to get married in Ohio, you apply for the marriage license in the county where you plan to be married.
• In the state of Ohio you can apply for your marriage license up to 60 days before the wedding. Witnesses are not required in the state of Ohio.
• Each county’s probate court requires different things. In Cuyahoga County they ask that you pre-register in advance on their website and simply have your ID and know your SSN. Other counties require your SS card and birth certificate. Please check with your county before applying for your marriage license.
• The most frequent hiccup in the marriage license process is when you’ve previously been married. You must have a CERTIFIED COPY of the divorce decree or your spouse’s death certificate to show that the marriage has ended. A photocopy cannot be accepted.
• Most courts provide 3 copies in your marriage license packet and some may look a bit different from others. One is a keepsake copy, another is the court’s copy to be signed and returned and some counties provide a copy for your officiant to keep. In Cuyahoga County I E-File all marriage licenses but in other counties I have to mail them back.
• At the wedding give the entire packet to the officiant. They will give you the keepsake copy and return the legal copy to your county’s probate court. Each county handles it differently. Some automatically send out certified copies of your marriage certificate. Others you need to call and request one to be mailed and some even require you return to probate court to obtain a certified copy.
• The certified copy is what you will use to begin the name changing process. This is also the copy that you’ll use for anything legal — employers, banking, insurance, etc. Please don’t waste your time taking the keepsake copy!

As always, if you have questions about this process, I’m happy to help!