Is Handfasting legal?
If at least one Priestess or Priest officiating at the rite is legally registered, the rite can stand as a legal marriage. Most Handfastings, however, are not legally certified. Many Pagan Priestesses and Priests obtain legal certification through the Universal Life Church in Modesto, CA. In most states in the US, to obtain legal registration you are required to file documents proving your religious certification with a state level office (in Ohio that’s the Office of the State Attorney General), and usually also with a county and/ or city level authority in the vicinity of where the rite is to take place. Each of these governmental authorities can give you information about documents needed to file to officiate legal weddings. Couples wishing to make their Handfasting rite legal need to follow their local guidelines to obtain a valid marriage license. A legally registered Priestess or Priest can sign and process the license. The Handfasting so conducted will be considered as legally b
