Doing A Ceremony After A Couple Were Married

[Minister OZ]

Hyer All,

I'm doing a wedding ceremony for a couple who were married in Nevada for their family in chicago. They are already married however want to have a service for their family. Is there any legal thing I need to do since they are already married.

thanks Minister OZ

[SalemWitchChild]

No there is no paperwork to file since they are already married. Many couples do this. Its normally called a recommitment ceremony.

[BrDevon]

Some friends of mine in the clergy who do "repeat" or "duplicate" weddings for benefit of couples who need an extra service basically do the standard wedding with one tweak:

at the end, where the couple would be pronounced wed, since they already have that legal status and the extra service is not the one providing that status, the words:

by the power vested in me by the [legal authority], I now pronounce you man and wife

is replaced with:

in the company of these witnesses, I reaffirm your status as man and wife.

It reads more awkwardly than it sounds, but having seen it in practice, it actually comes off very nicely, and avoids any possibility of unpleasantness from anyone attempting to claim the repeat service is for any reason than symbolic for the benefit of those who could not attend the "real" wedding. You are not representing yourself as marrying the couple at that service, you are acknowledging them as a couple fully married.

[mark 45]

or you could say something to the effect of"we are gathered here to witness the reaffirmation of the vows already taken by x+y".right off the bat,that will clear things up.just ask the couple.