Weddings

Published on: November 7, 2014

Courthouse Romance? Oregon Judges Perform Weddings: Who, What, Where, and How (the Why is up to you)

By Laura Orr

Courthouses can be happy places on rare occasions and weddings can cheer up the otherwise gloomy edifices since wedding parties usually dress more colorfully than litigants (not to mention smile more) and that can brighten up almost everyone’s day (except of course for gloomy Gus in the bushes shouting “don’t do it!“)

For example, visit the Washington County Circuit Court Weddings website for information about getting married at their Courthouse.

Or, what about Clatsop County Courthouse?

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Published on: June 4, 2014

Now that it’s Legal: Same-sex Wedding, Marriage, and Divorce Law in Oregon

By Laura Orr

A Multnomah County Librarian has posted this practical and lighthearted collection of wedding, marriage, and divorce law links:

“Now that it’s legal: same-sex marriage and the law,” by Emily-Jane D., Jun 04, 2014

And maybe it’s also time to update my Engagement Ring Law blog post!

Published on: November 21, 2011

Can Laypersons Ordained Online Officiate at Weddings?

By Laura Orr

Some stories just catch your eye – from Justia Verdict (via Law in the News):

“Can Laypersons Ordained Online as Universal Life Church Ministers, or the Like, Officiate at Weddings? In Some States, the Answer Is No,” by Professor Joanna L. Grossman.

“In the second of a two-part series of columns raising questions about the legal effect of online ordination, Justia columnist and Hofstra law professor Joanna Grossman discusses whether persons who are ordained only by an online ministry, with no prerequisites for ordination but the payment of a fee, can legally perform marriages. Such online ministries include the Pastafarians (who belong to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster), the Church of Body Modification, the Universal Life Church, and others. Grossman points out that in some states, such ordinations mean nothing, and thus, marriages performed by such “ministers” will not be valid….” [Link to full article.]

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