Sign & Go

Absolutely. We have a simple "Intimate" package that includes a pre-written ceremony text modified with a few of your wedding details. It’s an economical way to tie the knot if you’re interested in keeping things simple. Make sure you are aware of the minimum legal requirements by checking with the appropriate state agency.

We also offer a "Sign & Go" when you all you need is the license signed, and you can even add a small "Micro-Ceremony" to that.

Sign & Go: This is merely a license signing. There’s no ceremony performed, the officiant doesn’t get dressed up. We turn in the license to the appropriate municipality or county on your behalf. The officiant can optionally perform a micro-ceremony (and dress appropriately) as an optional add-on.

Intimate: A ceremony is performed by any of Chadwick Weddings’ officiants, and the ceremony is on the shorter side (usually less than 10 minutes) based on some basic questionnaire answers in the limited "Intimate Ceremony Builder" in your client account. The "Intimate" package is meant for a ceremony performed at a non-professional venue, such as a private home, a public park, or some other public space such as a restaurant. The ceremony cannot be attended by more than twenty-five people.

K.I.S.S.: This is a full ceremony performed by an assigned officiant. The ceremony itself is built from your answers in the K.I.S.S. Ceremony Builder in your client account, or optionally based upon one of a few ceremony templates made available as a starting point with a few variables thrown in that you fill out in your client account. You may alter the ceremony text however you like! You can add, change, or delete anything you want. In short, you are the one doing any sort of creative writing addition to the text.

The Perfect Fit: This is a fully customized ceremony text based on a much more thorough questionnaire placed into your client account, and fully personalized based on those answers. You will get the ceremony as a MS Word document to edit as you see fit. It is an original text written for your specific wedding ceremony.

A “Sign & Go” is just a license signing. There is no ceremony that takes place, it is merely a legal signature on your marriage license. Chadwick Weddings currently performs “Sign and Go” services in NJ and PA.

What you will need:

Step 1. A legal marriage license from the appropriate municipality/county in NJ or PA. In NJ, the municipality will require our contact information for the license. It is: Chadwick Weddings, Minister, 6 Nantucket Court, Medford NJ 08055. Our contact number is 609-975-9766.

- In New Jersey, you will apply for the license in the municipality where at least one of you resides. If neither applicant is a NJ resident, submit the application in the municipality where the license will be signed/marriage will be performed, according to the municipal tax records for the venue’s address.

Note, it is not always the same town name as the venue’s physical address! Check the address with https://www.njpropertyrecords.com to find the correct municipality and county. Plan on applying at least one week before the license is issued! There is a 72-hour waiting period and the license is good for thirty days, so get it closer to thirty days out if you can. You will not be given the license until the 72 hour waiting period has concluded. Check with your township for more information on logistics and fees. For more information and basic marriage requirements, see this page: NJ Dept. of Health Vital Statistics

- In Pennsylvania, there are no residency requirements. They will issue your license and you can pick it up immediately, but it will not be valid for 72 hours. It is valid for 60 days, and the wedding must take place in Pennsylvania. For general information and requirements/fees, look up the county in which you live (or where the wedding will take place if neither of you are residents of Pennsylvania) and search for their marriage license information. This is often called the Clerk of Orphans' Court.

Once you have the license in hand, Chadwick Weddings has permission to solemnize your marriage by signing your marriage license. An important thing to know in NJ is that you will need two adult witnesses with U.S. mailing addresses. In PA, no witnesses are required.

Chadwick Weddings will mail the appropriate form(s) for you via US Priority Mail postage, and we will retain our portion/copy for our records and as a backup.

Step 2. Pick up your certified copy or copies of the marriage certificate at the appropriate time.

Each municipality or county is different, so be sure to inquire with them when the certificate may be ready. The certificate comes from the same place you turned it in (of course). They will charge a fee for the first copy, and usually a much smaller fee for additional copies. If one or both of you are making changes to your legal name, it is highly recommended you get six or seven copies. If you have to go back later for additional copies, you’ll have to pay the larger fee again.

If your Sign & Go takes place in Medford, NJ, here is some additional helpful information. You will need to fill out an Application for a Non-Genealogical Certification or Certified Copy of Vital Record. They only take cash or check and you must bring exact change. Currently, the first copy is $25 and additional copies are $5 (if they change that I might not be made aware, so check with them first to be sure). So, if you want seven copies, you will need to bring $55. The process of generating the certified copies normally takes less than a day, so please contact the township clerk directly to inquire about any timing concerns. It may take longer based on staff availability or demand, but I have seen it take less than thirty minutes if everything is in order.

If you wish to receive your marriage certificate(s) by mail, Medford Township requires the following:

1. A Self-Addressed, Stamped Envelope to the address which matches the information on your ID. 2. A copy of your ID (Driver’s license, Passport, or some other acceptable form of identification) 3. A filled out Application for a Non-Genealogical Certification or Certified Copy of Vital Record 4. Check or Money Order for the exact amount to cover the number licenses desired

If you are looking to have this information from a different township, please contact that township directly for their requirements.

If any name changes will be taking place, you definitely want 6 or 7 copies for various agencies. There are services online that can assist you such as HitchSwitch or MissNowMrs or NewlyNamed. If you use HitchSwitch, be sure to enter coupon code Chadwick12 to get 12% off all packages and gift cards.

In NJ, contact directly the municipality where your license was mailed/turned in. This will be the municipality listed on the top of your copy of the license (not necessarily the township that issued it!).

In PA, contact the county that issued the license.

This is information your township clerk might request. Your officiant’s title is Minister, and here is the company’s contact information.

Chadwick Weddings 6 Nantucket Court Medford, NJ 08055 609-975-9766

If the township insists upon the specific officiant’s name, please feel free to use it, but keep the rest of the information as is. All communication regarding marriage licenses goes through the company.

Happily!

We perform weddings for any loving, consenting adult couple who wishes to be joined in the beautiful covenant of marriage. To Chadwick Weddings, a same-sex wedding or LGBTQIAP+ wedding is treated with the exact same reverence and joy as any other wedding might be. We believe in equal kindness, respect, and treatment for all.

Chadwick Weddings has a beautiful rainbow stole and a rainbow handfasting cord available upon request.

Chadwick Weddings is currently licensed to perform weddings in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, and Maryland. We are happy to get licensed elsewhere if your wedding takes place in another state or even another country. We simply need to know well ahead of time in order to apply for and obtain that license.

The license to get married is something that the couple has to acquire. The fees for ceremony services performed by Chadwick Weddings includes delivery of the marriage license to the appropriate agency immediately following the wedding. If you want to turn it in yourselves, you are welcome to do so, but we are more than happy to do it for you.

Each county/township’s web site usually has helpful FAQs about the license and the post-wedding marriage certificate process.

The marriage license must be acquired in the state in which you are getting married, not the state in which you live (if different). While marriage licenses are not transferable between states, a legal marriage in one state (and its subsequent marriage certificate) is legal across the entire country and is proven by the marriage certificate.

When applying for the license, most townships (especially in New Jersey) will request the name, address, and title of the officiant. Ours is: Chadwick Weddings, Minister (if they request a title), 6 Nantucket Court, Medford NJ 08055, 609-975-9766.

After the wedding, you will get copies of your marriage certificate (the document proving you’re married) from the appropriate township or county where the license was filed.

While Chadwick Weddings cannot perform this service for you, we can offer some guidance. The license does not affect name changes, it merely gives us permission to marry you. The certificate is what you receive from the municipality in which you got married (in NJ – it’s listed near the top of your copy of the license) or at the county clerk’s office where you got the license (in PA). This is usually available 2-3 days after they receive the license.

It is important to know that you will always use your current legal name when applying for your marriage license and acquiring the marriage certificate. The marriage certificate is what you will use later on to prove that you are married, so that you can then change your name accordingly.

After the wedding: 1. Get multiple copies of your certificate to avoid larger fees for additional copies later. I recommend seven or eight copies. 2. Update the “big three” which are Social Security, driver’s license, and passport. Inquire at each regarding their specific requirements before you just show up. 3. Update other things that use your name such as bank and credit cards, lease agreements, loans, car title and registrations, insurance, mortgage, utilities, medical, etc.

There are also services that can assist you with changing your name, such as HitchSwitch or MissNowMrs or NewlyNamed. If you use HitchSwitch, be sure to enter coupon code Chadwick12 to get 12% off all packages and gift cards.

This will be discussed in more detail later, but the short answer is your choice of either a suit or a black cassock (robe). With the cassock (or the suit, for that matter) your officiant can also wear a stole (like a long scarf going down both sides in the front).

We are happy to dress in any way that is appropriate for your wedding. If any wedding is so specifically-themed that an entire costume rental or purchase is required, that exact cost would have to be reimbursed in advance of the wedding date, or the costume would have to be provided.

A "Sign & Go" is just an informal license signing by a professional officiant who is legally authorized to solemnize your marriage by filling out and submitting your marriage license. There is no ceremony that takes place, it is merely a legal signature on your marriage license.

You can add a micro-ceremony (about 4 or 5 minutes) when you sign up for the service. In that case, the officiant would be dressed more formally and would perform a small ceremony.

What you will need:

1. A legal marriage license from the appropriate municipality/county in NJ or PA. 2. If the signing is in NJ, you will need two adult witnesses with U.S. mailing addresses. PA does not require witnesses.

That's it! This is informal, so you don't need to be dressed up if you don't want to be. If you have added a micro-ceremony, the officiant will be dressed formally. If not, the officiant will be dressed informally.

The short answer is, yes. Both members of the couple must be present during the license application and each must provide valid identification. This includes a photo ID (usually a driver’s license, military ID, or passport) and a secondary ID that provides proof of a Social Security number (Social Security cart, ITIN doc from the IRS, pay stub, W-2, income tax form, etc.).

There are some counties in PA who do allow for virtual appointments. The last report I received on this stated that a virtual appointment may be made in the following PA counties: Berks, Bucks, Dauphin, Montgomery, and York.

It is highly recommended you do an internet search on the town/county in which you live (or if you live outside of the state, the town/county in which you will be married) plus “marriage license” to get more details.

Some additional helpful information:

If either or both of you have been previously married you must provide proof you are no longer married (i.e. a death certificate or a divorce decree).

If an interpreter is required, they must be an adult and provide current valid photo ID.

Many offices require an appointment for processing the license application. Most states do not require a witness in addition to the couple. However, in New Jersey, one adult witness is required to accompany you to the application appointment.

If one or both members of the couple are terminally ill, arrangements can sometimes be made to have the license application performed at a hospital. This is a question which should be directed to the town/county directly.