Hi to all the engaged couples and married couples in Pennsylvania and couples who were married in Pennsylvania. This question has come up yet again in many wedding threads that I see. In Pennsylvania, is your marriage legal if someone ordained online married you?
I’d love to have an easy answer, but the best solution is to check with your county or an attorney. In most counties in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, it is legal. Some counties are currently in litigation over this topic.
This question of whether or not a marriage is legal if the person who married a couple was ordained online has been a back-and-forth debate for the last ten years. There was a case in York County back in 2007, that ruled a marriage invalid because the minister was ordained online through the Universal Life Church. I ran into a situation myself where one of the couples I married was getting a divorce (or trying to not have to pay for a divorce), when they stood in front of the judge, the judge said that it wasn’t a legal marriage because I was ordained online, originally through ULC and later through American Marriage Ministries, (and a brick & mortar) but after showing the Judge my credentials and many other legal documents, I was able to prove to the the judge otherwise and their marriage was valid.
In 2008 In re O’Neill, No. 08-01620-29-1, 2008 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 135 (C.P. Dec. 31, 2008) the parties filed a motion for judgment to confirm the validity of marriage, pursuant to 23 Pa.C.S. § 3306, seeking a declaration that their marriage was valid. 23 Pa.C.S. § 1503(a)(6) authorized a minister, priest or rabbi of any regularly established church or congregation to preside over a marriage. At issue was whether a minister ordained by the Universal Life Church (ULC) was a minister of a regularly established church under § 1503. The parties filed a motion for judgment to confirm the validity of marriage, pursuant to 23 Pa.C.S. § 3306. The outcome of the case was that the Court declared that a valid marriage existed between the parties similar to situation mentioned above.
This topic has become less of an issue and more mainstream, especially due to Covid. However, couples are still advised to be cautious of officiants who are ordained online. My advice from someone who was originally ordained online is to do your research. Make sure the officiant you choose is legitimate. Do your research just as you would when researching a venue or caterer. Check with your county to see the laws/regulations on being married by someone ordained online. Dawn Clark-Scott of Eternal Bliss Marriages made a great point during a conversation we recently had, “…check with a lawyer as most folks at the county level will not advise as they are told its a legal matter…” I hope that it becomes legalized in all counties in Pennsylvania in the future and that all counties are in agreement.