What about a civil ceremony?
Wedding can be simple or elaborate, religious or not
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The marriage license
A magistrate may legally perform a marriage
ceremony. You can be married by a New Hanover County Magistrate for a fee of $10.00.
If you choose to be married at the New Hanover County Jail, off Blue Clay
Road, there is a magistrate on duty 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. No appointment is necessary.
There is also a Civil Magistrate available at the New Hanover County
Courthouse. You may call his office at 341-4465 to schedule an appointment.
Some Magistrates, but not all, will perform a ceremony at a location other
than the Jail or the Courthouse. A ceremony performed by a civil magistrate, willing to go
to the location of your choice, may be as formal or informal as you wish, whether it be in
a public park, your home, the Magistrate's home, a hot air balloon, riverboat or at the
courthouse.
The ceremony can include the reading of poetry, Biblical passages, prayers
and music as you may wish. Just be sure to plan it out with the magistrate ahead of time.
There are some who have several sample ceremonies from which you can choose. Also, there
are a number of books available at bookstores on creating your own ceremony.
If you don't know of someone who performs marriage ceremonies, you can
obtain the names and phone numbers of magistrates simply by phoning any courthouse or government
center and asking the marriage license clerk. You'll most likely find everyone to be congenial
and helpful.
In North Carolina, responsibility for marriage licenses is assigned to
the Register of Deeds in each county. The license offices in the Cape Fear region can be
reached at:
- New Hanover County: Room 2, 216 N. Second St., Wilmington (910) 341-1302
- Brunswick County: County Government Complex, old U.S. 17, Bolivia (910) 253-2690
- Pender County: 300 E. Fremont St., Burgaw (910) 259-1225
- Onslow County: 109 Old Bridge St., Jacksonville (347-3451)
As with the clergy, expect to provide the officiant a reasonable honorarium for his/her service.
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A selection of vendors offering
Wedding Ceremony Sites
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Cape Fear National at Brunswick Forest
Hampton Inn & Suites
Riverwalk Landing
Wilmington Convention Center
See complete listings for
Wedding Ceremony Sites
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