Chapel In The Vines
The Marriage License
Public or Confidential - which is right for you?
As mentioned on The Details page, you can get married with either a Public or a Confidential marriage license.
A Public Marriage License can only be obtained at the County Clerks office and a copy of your filed license can be purchased by anyone. They cost slightly less than a Confidential Marriage License, and you must have a witness to your wedding sign the license. If you are under 18, you can get married using a Public Marriage License if you are emancipated or with a court order allowing the marriage. With a Public License, you can get married in any County in California.
A Confidential Marriage License can be obtained at the County Clerk's office as well. Nobody can obtain information from or a copy of your confidential marriage license and no witnesses can sign it. You MUST be at least 18 years old to obtain a Confidential Marriage License and you must reside together (there is no minimum time limit on how long you have resided together). And you must have the wedding in Riverside County. We need a couple of days notice if you want us to provide the license because we must line up a Notary who is authorized by the County Clerk to sell them. PLEASE NOTE: The license will cost $50 - $100 MORE if you have us find a Notary to bring it to the wedding, and sometimes it's difficult to find a Notary who is available the day of your wedding. I recommend that you pull the license yourself and bring it with you.
Whether you get your license from us or the County Clerk, you'll need to bring current government issued ID with a photo (State Driver's License or Passports are perfect) and if possible, bring your birth certificate.
If either party was divorced within 90 days of the issuance of the marriage license, you must also provide a copy of the final decree of dissolution. A Minute Order can not be accepted.
Questions you'll need to answer on the license application include:
Your current and birth names
Your parent's full name at birth (as shown on their birth certificates) and location of birth
Date most recent prior marriage ended for each party and how
New names after marriage (only the middle & last names can be changed, and there are rules guiding the changes)