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The day of our wedding, my husband and I just asked whoever was nearby to be our witnesses. But Offbeat Bride Carol and her husband Jim had a lot more fun with their witness-picking…
Each guest (of appropriate age) received a Bingo card in a sealed envelope. When we came to the signing of the registry, the guests were instructed to open their envelopes and we rolled out a Bingo cage. The two winners of our Bingo draw got to be our witnesses… and took home a lovely engraved toaster!
What kind of games and prizes are you thinking up now?
About the Author: Megan Finley Horowitz
When Megan's not writing, traveling, and sleeping, she's eating like the fate of the world depends on it. (You're welcome, world!) You can snoop into her personal life over on her website The Dash and Dine!
It totally bums me out (and I didn’t realize this at the time) that my state doesn’t have you sign your marriage license and have witnesses sign it the day of the wedding. When you go to the courthouse to get your license, that’s when you swear under oath that the information is true and the clerk who works with you is your “witness.” I was so used to seeing all my Midwestern friends’ wedding photos where they were signing their license after the ceremony with witnesses and whatnot. Totally not the way it works here. I didn’t know this until I asked our officiant AFTER our ceremony when we were going to sign the license. She said, “You don’t! That’s what you did at the courthouse last month.”
My state = Virginia.
Maryland is the same. We got our license from a state office about a week before our wedding and then the officiant just had to sign and send in a copy after the actual wedding to make us legal. Illinois also doesn’t have witness signatures. I was looking forward to signing my best friends earlier this year.
When I asked if I could sign it anyways the officiant was quite firm in telling me “no”.
That’s no fun! I’m glad it isn’t like that here in Louisiana–since we didn’t have a ceremony, witness signing was the only way for my husband and I to include anyone in our marriage!
Texas is the same. My sister got married in September and started freaking out about 30 minutes after her great-grandfather/officiant left because he didn’t have them sign their license or anything and wouldn’t calm down until they got a hold of him and explained that they didn’t have to.
We are choosing our witnesses by door prize. There will be two envelopes taped under two chairs and whoever sits there, get’s to come up and sign. If it’s a kid, first person to the left. I’m kinda hoping it’s someones random date and we get to meet two awesome people this way.