The First Presidency released a letter on June 30, 2021, announcing new guidelines for Church leaders officiating civil marriages. Church officers may only perform a civil marriage for a man and woman when the following conditions apply:
- The bride or the groom is a member of the Church
- Either the bride’s or the groom’s membership record is assigned to the unit over which the Church officer presides
- The Church officer is legally authorized to officiate at the civil marriage in the jurisdiction
This policy applies to stake presidents, mission presidents, district presidents, bishops, and branch presidents. Prior to this announcement, Church officers were able to conduct civil marriages for nonmembers without special approval. The letter is available to read in the Official Communication Library of your ChurchofJesusChrist.org account. You can click here to read more about the civil marriage policies of the Church in the General Handbook.
Aleah is a graduate of Southern Virginia University, where she studied English, Creative Writing, and Dance. She now works full time as a marketing and product manager, writer, and editor. She currently hosts the podcast “Single to the Glory” about singlehood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Aleah served a mission in California and loves baking, Lang Leav poetry, Gaynor Minden pointe shoes, and Bollywood movies.
