Prepare together
Explore your options, then use your account to complete your couple profile and the requested details. Follow the license instructions in your portal and upload the approved license when prompted.
Planning your marriage from California
Online marriage in California: get legally married from home
Want a small ceremony, less travel or more privacy? Understand California’s public and confidential license options, then compare them with our guided online ceremony and its separate paperwork.
Explore your ceremony options ↗A guided remote ceremony, with a separate license process.
Two different ways to plan
Understand public and confidential licenses
California commonly issues public and confidential marriage licenses. Under the public route, at least one witness must attend the ceremony. The confidential route has different eligibility and record-access rules, including that the applicants must be adults living together as spouses. A small guest list or a ceremony at home does not by itself qualify a marriage as confidential.
Both California license types are for a ceremony in California. The confidential route does not require ceremony witnesses, while the public route does. Those are conditions of California-issued licenses, not choices that can simply be transferred to our online service. Our remote ceremony has its own license, officiant, witness and filing requirements.
If privacy is your main reason for considering an online ceremony, separate the privacy of the occasion from access to the official record. You may choose not to invite guests or share photographs, but the legal record follows the rules of the jurisdiction that records the marriage. Ask about those rules before assuming an online wedding is a confidential California marriage.
Your plans, made clearer
Compare the document route before choosing the setting
California’s general guidance says its marriage licenses are valid for 90 days after issuance. If you are using that local route, build your ceremony plan around the actual expiration date. If you are choosing our service instead, follow the license instructions in your account. Do not buy a California license only because you are living in California.
Consider how you will use your certificate after the wedding. A name update, an employer’s benefits request and an overseas document request may call for different supporting items. Keep the intended use with your plans and ask which official copy is needed. An apostille authenticates a document; it does not turn every marriage record into one accepted for every purpose.
You can also separate the legal ceremony from a California celebration. Decide which date is the marriage event, which gathering is a celebration and who needs to join each. Clear language with family and vendors can help you keep the day simple without confusing the legal paperwork.
A digitally guided experience
What to expect from the process
Meet for a live ceremony
Choose an available appointment after the required preparation. You and your partner join by video with an officiant and two adult witnesses. We can provide the witnesses, or you can bring your own.
Choose document support
The $399 package includes the ceremony. The $899 package adds apostille authentication for your marriage certificate. Both have a separate government marriage license fee. An apostille authenticates a document; it does not guarantee acceptance.
See the complete online process ↗ Explore ceremony options ↗
Guidance for your plans
Keep the details you need close
Local requirements
California marriage rules to know
These details apply to a marriage license issued through the California local process. They are state-specific planning points, not requirements for the separate license used for our ceremony.
- California issues public and confidential marriage licenses.
- Public licenses require at least one ceremony witness; confidential licenses do not require witnesses.
- Confidential license applicants must be adults living together as spouses; both types require marriage in California.
- California licenses valid 90 days after issuance.
State rules reviewed: November 7, 2026. Confirm local requirements with the issuing office before applying.
Two different processes
Choose the route that fits your plans
A marriage license issued in California follows California rules. Our remote ceremony uses a separate application and ceremony process. The steps below explain what our service includes; they do not replace local requirements if you apply for a California license.
| Question | A local California license | Our live online ceremony |
|---|---|---|
| Which license applies? | The license is issued by the local California authority. Use the waiting-period, validity and filing information in this guide, and confirm local details with the issuing office. | The ceremony follows the process described on our How it works page and uses a license for that process. It is not a California-issued license. |
| Where does the ceremony happen? | Follow the location and ceremony rules that apply to the specific California license. | You and your partner join a live video ceremony with an authorized officiant. You may join from the same room or separate locations. |
| What about witnesses? | Witness rules can depend on the local route and license type. Confirm them with the issuing authority. | Two adult witnesses attend. Witnesses are included if you need them; let the team know before your appointment. |
| Who records the marriage? | The office that issued the local license receives the completed return under its process. | The officiant submits the required marriage paperwork. Follow the clerk’s instructions for obtaining your official certificate. |
Before you rely on a certificate: Ask the office, agency or organization that will receive it which certified copy, authentication or translation it requires. A certificate or apostille does not guarantee acceptance for every purpose.
A real ceremony, with clear steps
How to get married online from California
The ceremony takes place live by video. Your application, license, officiant, witnesses and certificate each have a role. You can review the process before creating an account.
Choose your ceremony option
Your account provides up-to-date package options, inclusions, pricing, terms and appointment times. The government license fee is separate.
Complete the application and identity checks
Follow the instructions in your account to enter both partners’ information, verify your identities and prepare the license. You can join from different locations.
Attend your live video ceremony
You, your partner, an authorized officiant and two adult witnesses join the call. Test your camera and microphone, keep identification ready, and follow the appointment time shown in your account.
Complete filing and request your certificate
Your officiant submits the required marriage paperwork. Follow the clerk’s instructions for your official certificate and any additional document checks.
What brings you here?
Find guidance for your situation
Every couple has a different reason for choosing a live online ceremony. Start with the guide that best matches your plans.
Military couples ↗Plan around orders, training, deployment or a move.Long-distance couples ↗Join the same live ceremony from separate locations.International couples ↗Plan ahead for document and destination requirements.Busy professionals ↗Choose a ceremony time that fits work and travel.Same-sex couples ↗Review the legal process and plan at your own pace.Private ceremonies and elopements ↗Keep the legal ceremony intimate and personal.Homebound and bedside weddings ↗Explore options when travel is difficult.Accessible planning ↗Explore accessibility options for your ceremony.
Planning from around California
Start with your local plans
Whether you are planning from Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, the online ceremony can be joined from different locations. If you choose a local California license, check the issuing county or town office for its current application, appointment and ceremony steps. Local offices may have their own forms and scheduling details.
- Los Angeles
- San Diego
- San Jose
- San Francisco
- Sacramento
Before your next step
Questions from California couples
Is an online wedding the same as a confidential California marriage?
No. California’s confidential license is a specific local process with its own eligibility and record rules. A private online ceremony does not automatically use it.
Can we bring a California license to your online ceremony?
Follow our account’s licensing instructions rather than substituting a local license. Let the team know if you have already obtained one.
Will our ceremony be recorded in California?
Not through this separate remote process. Your marriage record is held by the government authority that records the ceremony, rather than automatically by your home state. Keep the certified copy and confirm what the organization receiving it needs.
Can we join the ceremony from different places?
Yes. The ceremony is live by video, and both partners may join from the same room or separate locations. Everyone must be able to see and hear one another. Two adult witnesses attend, and witnesses are included if you need them.
Does this service issue a California marriage license?
No. The online ceremony follows the process described on our How it works page. The California rules above apply to couples choosing a local California license. These are separate routes, so do not treat a local application or a general course as a substitute for the process described on our How it works page.
How long does it take to get married online from California?
Your portal shows available appointment times and guides you through the application and identity checks. The government authority handles certificate processing after the ceremony; timing depends on that office.
Will every agency accept our marriage certificate?
Requirements depend on the office or organization receiving the certificate, and can differ for benefits, immigration matters or use outside the United States. Ask that office what record, certified copy, apostille or translation it needs before choosing a package.
Can we use a local clerk near Los Angeles, San Diego instead?
You can choose a local California license route, but local application and ceremony rules are separate from our remote process described on our How it works page. Contact the clerk or issuing office for the current requirements in the county or town where you plan to apply.
Keep exploring
In-depth state marriage guides
Compare planning details in nearby guides, or browse the full state directory.
Check the rule at its source
Official state references
These government references support the state-specific local rules above. Visit our How it works page to learn about the online ceremony process.
- California Department of Public Health license types ↗ Checked 2026-11-07
- California general marriage license information ↗ Checked 2026-11-07
This guide is educational and is not legal advice. Local requirements can change.
Take the next step with a clearer plan
Explore the ceremony options, or tell us where you will each join from and what you need help understanding.
Ask the team a question ↗ Browse the state guides ↗
Information checked November 7, 2026. Local requirements can change.
