Divorce and Annulment Thanks to your Minister

Often couples decide they would like to have a family member or a close friend be the officiant to their marriage. This is a wonderful concept. Perhaps it is a second marriage and the daughter to the first is old enough to be the officiant. The individual can go online and get a certificate or card that gives them a “license” to be the officiant of a ceremony. In many states this is perfectly valid and the state will recognize the marriage.

In North Carolina, there are some online means which are valid, but there has actually been case law and statutory language which has thrown the Universal Life Church under the legislative bus. NC Statute 50-1.1 actually says that “Any marriages performed by ministers of the Universal Life Church prior to July 3, 198, are validated from their consummation.” Case law has then taken this a step further to interpret the statute to mean that marriages performed before that date are valid, and any marriages performed after that date are invalid.

This means that by having your brother go online and get ordained by this organization, the marriage can be annulled by a court after a review of the case law.