No, this is no longer required.

No. You no longer need to have witnesses at your wedding. All you need is a licensed wedding officiant, either a Justice of the Peace or a member of the clergy.

Yes and I am happy to marry any loving couple.

Yes. Writing your own vows is a special way to make the ceremony more personal.

The marriage ceremony itself does not automatically change your surname.  While you (or your spouse) are not required to change your surname, if you would like to, you must first contact your local Social Security Administration office and file the appropriate paperwork.   After that, follow the procedures to change your name with all your legal contacts – your employers, your landlord, your mortgage company and all companies associated with shared bills – like telephone, utility and cable companies.

Yes. Your ceremony must be held within 65 calendar days after the date of your application. If you sign the application on different days, your license expires 65 days after the first person signs.

Absolutely! Many ceremonies have been co-officiated with a relative, family friend or other person who was not legally recognized as a Connecticut officiant. The Justice of the Peace must be present, perform parts of the ceremony, sign your marriage license and submit it to the appropriate Town Clerk according to Connecticut law. This is your day and your happiness is paramount!

No. You need to have a wedding ceremony, no matter how brief in order to be legally married in the state of Connecticut. Your Justice of the Peace will fill out the parts of the license, sign it and submit it to the Town Hall. Only after your marriage ceremony are you considered legally married in Connecticut.

No. Wedding rings are not necessary for marriage in Connecticut. However, some couples prefer to use one ring and others prefer two rings. It is important to let me know whether you will have rings as part of the ceremony so that I can incorporate that into the plans.

I typically wear a black official robe, but am amenable to wearing a white robe or suit.

There is no reason to limit your number of guests, of course depending on the restrictions of the venue. Likewise, there is no reason to have any guests if you don’t want people at your wedding ceremony.

The Wedding Wire website has some great suggestions. Here is the link to their site listing some of the options. https://www.weddingwire.com/c/ct-connecticut/fairfield/wedding-venues/11-vendors.html

A wonderful option is The Plumed Serpent Bridal Boutique in Westport. It is one of New England’s premiere couture bridal salons. https://www.plumedserpentbridal.com/

Cake Suite in Westport is one of the best. http://www.cakesuite.com/ Another local favorite is The Cake Box in Ridgefield. https://www.thecakeboxofct.com/ Still another that has rave reviews is Sweet Rewards in Brookfield. Although their storefront is currently closed they can be reached here https://www.kellysweetrewards.com/contact

Peggy Garbus Photography https://www.peggygarbus.com/blog/ Talented and local Stephanie Brauer Wedding Photography https://stephaniebrauer.com/ High-end, based in Stamford, CT

Lemon Dahlia Florist, Wilton, CT https://www.lemondahlia.com/ Earth Garden Florist, New Canaan, CT http://earthgardenflowers.com/weddings/ Michele Klink Floral Design (klinkct@gmail.com)

FORMAL Rolling Hills Country Club (https://www.rhcconline.com/club/scripts/home/home.asp) 203-762-4600 LESS FORMAL The Old Town Hall (https://www.wiltongardenclub.org/book-old-town-hall/) – Contact person: Lisa Cawell (203) 451-9976 e-mail - lisacaz@optimum.net INFORMAL The Grange Hall (https://cannongrange.org/) It is a historic building next to Cannondale Village in Wilton INFORMAL Ambler Farm – (https://amblerfarm.org/events-all/facility-rentals/)  The Carriage Barn can be rented. If the weather is nice it is a beautiful place for pictures. INFORMAL Merwin Meadows – a long the river trail to the left of the pond. Outdoor only, so weather dependent. No rental fees.