Getting Married in New Hampshire? Whether
you are a long time resident of NH or your parents live here or you just
love the state, congratulations on your choice to have your wedding in
NH! There are many great services here in the state that can assist you
with your NH wedding. There are also beautiful places both inside and
outside to have your wedding and your wedding reception.
Weather & Your
NH Wedding
The first things you need to know about NH
is the weather. If you have lived here in NH for any length of time
then you probably have heard the old saying “if you don’t like the
weather, wait a minute.” If you don’t have a clue what that means, let
me explain it. NH weather changes fast and unexpectedly sometimes. You
can wake up one morning with warm sunny skies and by lunchtime it is
cold and raining. Or one day it is cloudy and in the 40’s and when you
wake up the next morning there is a foot of snow on the ground. So you
want to take NH weather into consideration when making your plans.
If you insist on an outdoor wedding, don’t let NH’s unpredictable
weather foil your plans. It is crucial that you rent a tent in case of
rain or even snow. If you are having a winter wedding and you have
guests coming from out of town, you may suggest to them that they come
in a day or 2 early to avoid any delays or cancellations.
For an
idea on average temperatures see our list of
New Hampshire's
average temperatures by each month.
NH
Wedding Requirements
Requirements for getting married in the
state of NH can be confusing for some. New Hampshire doesn’t have many
requirements to get married but there are a few things you need to know. First,
you will need a NH marriage license. You will give that to the person
who is performing your marriage so you will want to get that right away
and keep it in a safe place. You cannot get married without it. You must
purchase the license within 90 days of your wedding from your local town
hall.
If both
the bride and groom live in the state, you may go to any NH town clerk’s
office. Most of the time you will apply at the town clerk’s office in
either the town the bride or groom lives in. If only one of you is a NH
resident, you must buy the NH marriage license in the town the NH
resident lives. If nether the bride or groom is a resident of New
Hampshire, they must apply in the town they are getting married in. The
cost is $45 to get a NH marriage license. You and your partner both must
go to the town clerk’s office with either a driver’s license or birth
certificate and fill out a NH marriage license application. If one or
both of you has been married before, you must provide a certified copy
of the final divorce decree. If you or both of you are a widow or
widower, you will need your spouse’s certified death record. There is a
3 day waiting period between the time you apply for your marriage
license and the time you get married. As a rule of thumb, you should
apply for a NH marriage license at least three weeks before your wedding date.
You must be at least 18 years of age to get married in the state of
NH.
In the state of NH, you can legally get married by a judge, Supreme
Court justice, assistant judge, justice of the peace, rabbi, minister or priest if
they reside in the state of NH as well. You can have a priest, rabbi or
minister from another state officiate at your wedding but only of they
apply for a special license from the Secretary of State in Concord. NH
Law does not require any witnesses to be present in order for your
wedding to take place.
After you get your
NH marriage license, you only have 90 days in which to use it or it will
expire. A blood test is not needed in the state of NH.
NH
Marriage License
Before you wedding starts, you must present
the person marrying you with your NH marriage license. After the
wedding ceremony is complete, the person who performed the ceremony will
complete the sections concerning the date, place, officiator info and
then they will sign the license. The officiator will then take the
license to the same NH town clerk’s office where it was issued. They
have 6 days to do this. The town clerk will then register the NH
marriage license and it will be ready for you to pickup within seven
days of the wedding date. The registered version of the Marriage license
will be embossed with the town or state seal. The cost is $12.
NH
Civil Unions
Beginning on 12-01-09, civil unions were
available to same sex couples. A civil union does not have
any residency requirements. Civil union couples will need a NH marriage
license but there is no waiting period. Both parties must be present to
get a license and the cost is $45. Both parties must provide info such
as names, town of residence, place and dates of birth, social security
numbers, and name and parents place of birth. If previously married,
you will also need to provide the dates of divorce or spouses death. The
marriage can be performed by the same list of people performing a
wedding.
Wedding Guests
If you're having out
of town guests coming in for your NH wedding, you need to plan ahead.
The state has a wonderful selection of
NH B&B’s, inns, resorts and
NH hotels. Make sure
you have a list printed out for your out of town guests with places to stay. There are lots of things to do
in NH for your guests to do in between wedding events such as fishing, hiking,
biking, fairs, festivals, boating, antiquing, whale watching, water-skiing,
skiing, shopping and sleigh rides.
Give your guests a list of things they can do in the area along with directions.
Or you can head to your local chamber of
commerce and pick up some brochures of local attractions.
Have a great
NH wedding!
