There are some real angry posts out there if you Google “Bridal Spam”. Most of them seem to point the finger at David’s Bridal.

This problem caught my attention when Annette received a catalog from Invitations By Dawn (they make wedding stationary). It wasn’t a bad catalog: it entertained us for five minutes in the afternoon.  Like these! Who wouldn’t want to see my likeness on a bottle of water?

Photo Water Bottle Wraps from InvitationsByDawn.com

Annette also received one or two annoying phone solicitations as well. Not so amusing.

My suggestion? Create a junk email account and a proxy phone number (Google Voice) to use for wedding vendors. The email accounts are easily disposable, while Google Voice is less so. However, you can always modify the call forwarding options.

Every wedding blog has one. Now we have one too!

Read it on the Our Engagement page. You’ll be captivated and humored. Warning: you may also experience an “awww” moment or two.

One of the questions burning the in the back of my mind was, how exactly do people become legally married? After a bit of digging, I’ve distilled into two steps:

1. Obtain a marriage license (paperwork to get more paperwork)
2. Conduct a ceremony with an officiant (signing the license)

Obtain A Marriage License

A couple needs to apply for a marriage license in person at city/town hall. A driver’s license is sufficient identification. There is a fee, which varies in municipality.

Then there is a three day waiting period before the license can be picked up. This does not include the date of the application, but includes weekends and holidays. This waiting period can be waived via court, but seems more trouble and expense than it’s worth. The license is then valid for 60 days.

There may be an extra fee for a marriage certificate, provided after the marriage. It effects surname changes, avoiding the $165 court fee if done at a later date.

Ceremony

This completes the marriage, and the officiant completes the license and sends it back to the originating municipality. The city then registers the marriage. The marriage certificate can then be obtained.

So who can be an officiant?

• Religious officials
• Justice of Peace (these are specially designated people who have some legal authority, that’s my best attempt of a description)
• Anyone (by obtaining permission from the Governor’s Office for $25 a few weeks in advance)