License to Marry!

Doesn't it sound dramatic and dangerous when put like that?!  

There are two aspects of a valid legal marriage (as I recently learned in Family Law!): 

license and solemnization

I've been doing some research into the first requirement, now that we've finally squared away our officiant for the wedding.

And I have to say, I'm kind of giddy about going with Todd to the county clerk's office and picking up one of these babies:

It might look like this, right? Well, probably not.  This one's from several decades ago in Bermuda.  But I dig all the theatrical flourishes in the font of 'marriage'!

Since we're getting married at Disneyland, which is in Anaheim, which is in Orange County, we'll need to go to the clerk's office there within 90 days of our wedding date (no earlier than April 26).  

We'll need to bring three things:

1. ourselves

2. valid government-issued IDs (I think I might bring my passport, since we'll be honeymooning shortly after the wedding!)

3. a debit card or check to pay for our license

And we'll have to decide whether we want a Public Marriage License (PML) or a Confidential Marriage License (CML).  The only differences between the two are that, for PMLs, anyone can pick up a copy of one at the county clerk's office, and the couple can get married anywhere in the state.  For CMLs, the couple must get married in the county where it is issued, and no one but the parties to the marriage can get a copy of the license.  We'll be going with a PML...

One nifty thing about the Orange County clerk's office is that they have an online application for a marriage license and appointment system, so a couple can literally walk in, walk up to the counter, pay, and pick up their marriage license.  Genius!  I wonder if that system's already in place for the crowded environs of the Las Vegas clerk's office?