> > > Rev. Fred Agnir (my pastor) did all the good introductory stuff, and, when my mother realized we had carefully planned to take out the "does anyone object" line...
> >
> > Not to give your mother's stupid claims credibility, but wasn't she partly right? I thought you had to have that line. Maybe you only have to have the banns, though....they'd have to ignore claims on the grounds of "I don't want this to happen"...
>
> I'm not sure that you *have* to have *any* of the traditional lines or format in a wedding ceremony except for having witnesses, asking the couple if they want to get married, and announcing that they are married. That's what I understood to be the legal requirement for the ceremony, so long as it's being performed by somebody who is a legal marriage celebrant. Anything apart from that is up to the couple and can use their personal choice of wording or that which their religion dictates. I think banns are another thing that's only required by some religions or denominations, not by law.
>
> I don't know anything about this though, so if I'm wrong somebody say so.


I was pretty sure you were right, but checked just in case . . .

State requirements for marriage ceremonies
Although most states require that a ceremony be conducted before the couple is considered husband and wife, they don't specify what type of service. Either a civil or a religious ceremony is acceptable. The ceremony must be conducted by someone authorized to do so, either a member of the clergy (priest, rabbi or minister) or civil servant (judge, justice of the peace, court official) who has the power under state law. There are normally no "mandatory" words in a marriage ceremony. The couple is simply required to indicate that they intend to take each other as spouses and say words to that effect.

After the ceremony is completed, the newly married couple files a marriage certificate with the proper state or local authorities and they are considered married. The person who performs the wedding frequently files this certificate for them within a few days of the wedding. A marriage "license" is different from a marriage "certificate" in that the license permits the marriage and the certificate proves that the marriage has taken place. Typically the couple and the person who performed the wedding sign the marriage certificate. Some states require that the witnesses sign it as well.

te (all legalled-out now) ach