Getting Ordained in Tennessee

Becoming a marriage officiant with the ULC is simpler than you might think. The online ordination process is quick and cost free to all those who feel so-called to ministry. Legally licensed ministers ordained by the ULC officiate many weddings and other ceremonies each year. After you've received your minister license, officiating a wedding is just a few steps away! Click the button below to get started.

How Do You Perform a Wedding in Tennessee

Your first step is to contact the office that is issuing the marriage license, which is typically the county clerk. Once in contact with this office you need to ask what is required for a minister to legally perform a marriage in this jurisdiction. You may be asked to present several different items to confirm you are an ordained minister. Each county can have their own requirements, so it's always a good idea to contact the office before you perform any wedding, even when there are two within the same state.

If you encounter any government official making assertions that your ordination may not be valid, please reach out to us as soon as possible so that we can investigate how we might assist you.

Select a county to see contact information for each office:

How Do You Officiate a Wedding?

Once you have all your documents in hand and you've checked to make sure your online ordination is recognized, you're ready to perform the wedding! Don't hesitate to utilize the tools found below to help prepare yourself for the ceremony. These carefully curated resources will give you helpful tips and provide insight on all facets of performing a wedding ceremony. Created specifically for our Universal Life Church wedding officiants, these guides and tools contain all that you'll need to create and perform the perfect ceremony.

Many ULC ministers have used these same resources for guidance when becoming professional officiants!

Signing the Marriage License in Tennessee

Now there's just one final step - but it's an important one! After performing the wedding, you must sign the marriage license (along with the couple). Your official title will be "Minister"; for ceremony type, put "Religious", and for denomination, write "Non-Denominational". No license number is required. The name of the church is "Universal Life Church".

If the document asks for the church's address then you should use your personal ministry or home address. Lastly, remember that the signed license must be turned in to the marriage office before the deadline passes!