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0 pointsNoZebra120vClip3y ago0 comments

Correct; there are places where a couple must consecutively go through both a religious ceremony and a civil ceremony in order to satisfy the requirements of both Church and State. Sometimes it matters which order they do it in.

In these United States, all Catholic priests (and other ministers who regularly solemnize weddings) are licensed by the state to act as witness in the civil sphere as well. So one of the most important things a priest will do right before a wedding is sign off on the state's marriage license and have the secretary file that with the clerk.

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soco3y ago

Where I attended ceremonies (Romania, Switzerland) the priests will only marry you "officially" if you present them a civil marriage certificate, so ceremonies are usually arranged right after the visit to the city hall. I said "officially" because you'd surely find some willing monk if you elope, but I'm not sure even the church would afterwards recognize that marriage without some hassle.

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