For your wedding, you'll need to secure a marriage license (good for 90 days across the state) from the Bureau of Vital Statistics. In addition to the $40 application, you will also need an Alaskan officiant to "solemnize" your marriage -- basically, to make it legal. Your officiant is also responsible for mailing the completed marriage application back to the Bureau of Vital Statistics. Make sure the person you choose is reliable!
Questions to Ask Your Officiant
For best results, inquire with your wedding officiant about working with personal vows, the order of ceremony events, travel costs and any other fees. If your official is honest and up front, everything should be clear and easy to understand. Meet with a few different officiants to get a good feel for your options and who might best lead you through your special day's events.Alaska Wedding Officiant Requirements
As Alaska is so large, state law has been set up to make it quite easy to find an officiant for your wedding. Any rabbi, minister, priest or other elder religious official is certified to perform your ceremony, as is any justice of the peace. You can find numerous officiants in and around the major cities of Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Juneau. A Beautiful Affair of the Heart is a collective of reverends across Alaska that are happy to travel to your wedding location. Combined, they have performed thousands of weddings, and are ready to put that experience to work for your unique ceremony.Castle Ministries is another fine option for finding an Anchorage-area officiant who fits your style. They specialize in working with personalized vows and locations, and offer a number of special services, such as rose ceremonies for the bride and groom.
Alaska Budget Wedding Officiants
One of the great things about an Alaska wedding is that anyone can be your officiant. By contacting the judge in the county of marriage, your friend or relative can become a marriage commissioner, with full power to perform your ceremony exactly per your wishes. There is no charge, instructions are provided, and requests to be made a commissioner must be made in person at the county courthouse.Of course, the classic wedding-on-a-shoestring option would be to go to a justice of the peace to make it official. The fee for courthouse weddings in Alaska is a modest $25.00. Appointments should be made in advance with the court of the county in which you will be married.
Local clergy and religious officials are another sound option. Their rates are often reasonable, particularly if you are already a member of the congregation.