What couples ask us most.

Both of you apply together, in person, at any Florida county clerk’s office. You do not have to use the county you are getting married in — a Florida license is valid anywhere in the state.

Bring photo ID for both of you, and be ready to give your Social Security numbers if you have them. There is no blood test. If either of you has been divorced or widowed, the clerk will ask for the date it ended.

For Florida residents, yes — three days. It is waived if you both complete a registered Florida premarital preparation course, which usually reduces the license fee as well. Couples traveling in from outside Florida have no waiting period at all.

Once issued, your license is valid for 60 days. Time the application so the wedding lands inside that window.

Your officiant completes it at the ceremony and returns it to the issuing county clerk well inside Florida’s deadline. You do not have to chase it, mail it, or think about it.

Once the clerk records it, you order certified copies directly from that office — you will need one for name changes, Social Security, and your insurance.

Yes. Jennifer and Mark are both authorized to solemnize marriages under Florida law, and to complete and file your license as part of that.

A full custom ceremony usually runs 20 to 30 minutes. A legal-only signing takes about ten. In the end, your ceremony runs as long as your day calls for. Add readings, family traditions or a special tribute and we make room for them; keep it simple and it stays short and sweet.

Absolutely, and we will help. Most people have never written vows before and freeze at the blank page, so we send prompts, read drafts if you want a second opinion, and print them on cards so you are not squinting at a phone in front of everybody.

Prefer repeat-after-me? That works beautifully too, and nobody in the audience can tell the difference.

Yes, with one exception. You will receive your ceremony script well before the wedding to review and adjust. The part we keep as a surprise is your love story.

It is written entirely from the answers you each give to our questions, so nothing in it is made up. Hearing it for the first time alongside your guests is one of the best moments of the day.

Both, and everything in between. Your ceremony can include prayers, a scripture reading or a blessing, leave faith out entirely, or blend two traditions. It is your ceremony, so we write it to reflect what the two of you believe.

One thing to know: we are civil officiants, not clergy. Your marriage is fully legal in Florida either way, but it is not a church sacrament. If your faith requires a priest, pastor or rabbi to marry you — a Catholic nuptial Mass, for example — your church is the place for that part, and we would be glad to point you in the right direction.

With The Prelude, yes: your officiant attends and directs the rehearsal as part of the package, and we strongly recommend it. The Duet is small enough not to need one, but if you would like a rehearsal added, just ask and we will quote it.

No — we do not bring our own sound equipment. Most venues and DJs have a microphone for the ceremony, and with The Prelude, meeting with your sound person beforehand is part of our checklist. We test the mic and the levels together so the back row hears your vows and not the air conditioning. If your venue has no sound at all, tell us early and we will talk it through with you.

Most couples book six to twelve months out, and Central Florida’s peak months go first.

It also helps to know how we book: each officiant takes just one Prelude wedding per date, so nobody arrives rushed from another ceremony. That means each of us can say yes to only one custom wedding per date, and popular dates fill quickly.

Planning a Duet? Elopements are short, so we can sometimes fit one in on a busy date, always well clear of any other couple’s ceremony. Ask even if your date looks taken.

That said, short notice is not a problem — if the date is open, it is open. Send it over and we will tell you straight away.

Yes. Tell us who you would like when you send your inquiry, and if they are free on your date, they are yours. No preference? We will match you with whoever is available. And if one of us is already booked, the other may still be free, so two officiants means two chances at your date.

We talk first, at no cost. If it feels like a good fit, a signed agreement and a retainer secure the date, and the balance is due before the wedding. We will walk you through both.

Highlands and Polk County, Florida — Sebring, Avon Park, Lake Placid, Lakeland, Winter Haven, Bartow, Haines City, Auburndale, Lake Wales and everywhere between. Travel within both counties is included. Anywhere else in Florida, ask us and we will quote the drive.

Whatever your day calls for. Formal black is the default; we will match a color palette, dress down for a beach ceremony, or go full formal for a ballroom. Just tell us the dress code.