For people who aren’t going to have a priest or minister marry them, a Judge is the next logical choice.  Depending on your preference, you can have a Judge come to your reception site or other location and perform your ceremony there.  Or, you can accomplish the formal exchange of vows at your local Justice Court, leaving you more time and energy to focus on your reception and having fun with your guests. 

Anyone who has been appointed as a Judge, Justice of the Peace or Judge Pro-Tempore (pro-tem judge) can perform weddings in the State of Arizona.  Most Justice Courts do weddings, but call ahead to make sure.  You can find phone numbers for all the Maricopa County Justice Courts here, and all the Pinal County Justice Courts here.

For your convenience, here’s a quick run-down of what you can expect at a Justice Court wedding. 

• You will need to get your marriage license ahead of time.  Marriage licenses cost $72 and you can get one at the County Clerk’s Office – Maricopa County information is here, Pinal County information here
• The County Clerk’s Offices and the Justice Courts can be miles apart, so make sure you give yourself enough time to get the license before you are supposed to be at the Justice Court. 
• Don’t fill anything out on the license until you are at the Court and have checked with the Staff or the Judge. 
• Generally, when the Bride signs the license, she uses her maiden name unless she’s already changed her name.  Whatever your legal name is at the time of the ceremony – that’s the one you use.  Changing your name isn’t too complicated, you can find more information here. 
• You will need to bring two adult (over 18) witnesses with you. 
• Do not expect anything fancy – I’ve seen weddings performed in the judge’s office, in less than a minute.  It ain’t pretty, but it gets the job done!  I try to be a bit more formal: I wear my robe, I do the wedding in the courtroom, and I have a ceremony that runs about 2-3 minutes.  That’s just me, however! 
• If the ceremony is during business hours (M-F, 8 – 5), there is no charge and judges are not allowed to accept gratuities. 
• If the ceremony is after 5 pm at the Courthouse, Courts will generally charge around $60, but it varies so ask the Court staff when you call to make your appointment. 
• If your wedding is set after 5 pm, try to get to the Courthouse at least ten minutes before 5.  The staff may have to type up paperwork for you before the actual ceremony begins.  Also, keep in mind that Courthouse staff will be staying after hours (at no extra pay) until your ceremony is finished.  They generally don’t mind doing weddings, but it doesn’t hurt if you are extra gracious and respectful!
• No matter how great a person you are, the Court is still going to want you to pay with cash or a money order.  Don’t show up with a personal check and expect to get married. 
• Remember, most Justice Courts are pretty busy, so the length and location of your ceremony is entirely up to the Court.

Of course you can also get a Judge to do an “off-site” wedding for you at your actual reception site or another location of your choosing.  This requires a little advance preparation, some judges will want to meet with you at least once or twice before the wedding.  Also, since it’s outside of the courthouse, you can expect to pay more, unless the Judge is a friend or acquaintance and willing to do it in exchange for a bigger piece of wedding cake.  Or first shot at the buffet.

You can ask the Judge to use your vows, or just let them use theirs.  If it means a lot to you, check first; I have very secular vows with no references to anything religious (one-size-fits-all vows), but some judges have more spiritual language in their vows.  It all depends on your preference, and you can work with your Judge to figure out what you want in the vows.  

All in all, getting married in front of a Judge is a quick and inexpensive way to get the formalities out of the way so you can concentrate on hosting a fabulous celebration! 

Guest Blogger Delia Neal is a Pro-Tem Judge for Maricopa and Pinal Counties.   You can read more from Delia in her blog at http://deliasez.wordpress.com/. 

Images sourced from freedigitalphotos.net