How Quickly Can I Get Married In MA?
We get this question, or a version of it, a lot. And we understand why there might be confusion, since many of our New England neighbors (New Hampshire and Maine, for example) allow same-day marriage licenses. Getting married in Massachusetts requires a tiny bit of extra planning, but the rule itself is simple:
There’s a 3-day waiting period before you can pick up your marriage license in Massachusetts.
This is three calendar days, not three business days. So if you were to fill out your notice of intent to marry on a Friday, you’d be able to pick up your Massachusetts marriage license when city hall opened on the following Monday. Easy!
Every Dearly Studio appointment includes an officiant who can legally solemnize your marriage. You’ll bring your license with you to your booking and we’ll return the signed copy to the appropriate city or town clerk on your behalf. That’s one less thing for you to worry about as you spend the rest of your day celebrating!
Since you’re already here in our corner of the Internet, we’ll assume you’ve already taken a look at Dearly Studio’s wedding ceremony packages. Maybe you’ve noticed that our online booking system accepts reservations without a 3-day waiting period. That’s because we assume you’ve already obtained your Massachusetts marriage license before booking your elopement ceremony. If this is not the case, make sure you have a paperwork plan before finalizing your Dearly Studio booking.
Photo by Local Legends Photography
How the Massachusetts Marriage License Waiting Period Works
If you’re planning to get married in Massachusetts, keep this waiting period in mind when choosing your elopement or ceremony date and booking your Dearly Studio appointment. Again, the process is pretty straightforward:
Complete your Notice of Intent to Marry.
Wait three calendar days.
Pick up your marriage license from the appropriate city or town clerk.
Bring your marriage license to your wedding ceremony.
If you forget to apply for your MA marriage license…
You can always petition for a “marriage without delay” at a district court. You can read all about the rules via the Massachusetts.gov website guide here. We also have a blog post all about the Massachusetts marriage license process that we’ll link to below.
