Wedding officiants in OKC are always faced with special weddings, and experience counts when officiating these kinds of weddings to the couple’s satisfaction.
First cousins’ weddings are generally not permissible under Oklahoma’s marriage law, but there are ways a wedding officiant in Oklahoma can go about officiating this wedding.
A professional wedding officiant in Oklahoma City should be open-minded when delivering services. Cultural, religious, or personal beliefs shouldn’t affect officiating, and they must be willing to help couples out of difficult situations.
It’s not the place of a wedding minister in OKC to judge your decision to marry your cousin as wrong or right. It all depends on your decision. If you’re certain of your decision, a supporting wedding minister in Oklahoma that can guide you through everything without invalidating your wedding legitimacy is all you need.
In Oklahoma, the prohibition of cousin marriage is only restricted to the first cousins only. You can marry your second cousins or first cousin once removed. Hence, the first essential question a wedding officiant should ask intending couple-cousins is where they belong on the cousin’s tree.
Oklahoma isn’t the only state in the U.S that has such a disposition towards first cousin marriage. Just twenty (20) states allow such marriage out rightly without conditions.
Nevertheless, most wedding officiant agencies in Oklahoma believe laws and regulations shouldn’t stop love. They have professional wedding ministers in Oklahoma City who are willing to help you satisfactorily with your special wedding.
Dr. Saramosing Lifelong Wedding Ceremony is one of such reputable wedding officiant agencies OKC with open-minded marriage officiants OKC that can officiate first cousin weddings.
The necessary steps the marriage officiant Oklahoma needs to take to ensure success officiating of this wedding type is looked into below.
How a Wedding Officiant in Oklahoma can Officiate First Cousins’ Wedding in Oklahoma City
Genetically, there has been no proof that a first cousin’s marriage increases the risk of any mutation or adverse inheritable traits.
Since this wedding type poses no threat to the health of the couples and the well-being of their offspring, wedding officiants Edmond Oklahoma believes it should be permissible.
The permissibility of such wedding types in other U.S states like Alabama, Florida, New York, and Virginia makes it evident that there’s no adverse effect if such a marriage takes place in Oklahoma without regard to the law.
However, there are ways/circumstances that can permit a wedding officiant Oklahoma to officiate first cousins’ weddings. They include:
Relationship by marriage Only
If the cousin relationship between the couples exists because their parents got married, then it’s permissible for a wedding officiant in Oklahoma to proceed with officiating the wedding.
This is somewhat usually referred to as half-cousins. Irrespective of the term, it is permissible under the Oklahoma marriage law. Thus, a wedding officiant in Ardmore, Oklahoma, can proceed with a first cousin’s wedding if the relationship is by marriage and not by blood.
Oklahoma Statute Provision
The provision of the Oklahoma Statutes, Title 43, section 2, states that Oklahoma will accept and recognize any first cousins marriage formed in another state where it is legal.
This implies that cousins can get marriage licenses from states like New York and Florida, where the marriage is permissible, and have their wedding ceremony in OKC without a hitch.
A wedding officiant Norman Oklahoma can undertake this first cousin wedding without legal issues. Making it another acceptable way for a wedding officiant in Oklahoma to officiate such a wedding.
Things a Wedding Officiant that’s Officiating a First Cousin Marriage in OKC must do.
If both of the above scenarios have been established, a wedding minister OKC can go ahead to officiate this type of wedding. However, they must do certain things before going ahead with the wedding.
They include:
Proper Consultation with the Couple
One of the recipes for officiating a successful wedding in Oklahoma is having a proper dialogue with the engaged couple. The wedding officiant must get every needed information from the couple to avoid major issues.
You must establish whether the couple’s families consent to their wedding and help them highlight the possible solutions to every likely obstacle their wedding ceremony may encounter. Proper consultation also gives you an insight into the couple’s Dos and don’ts for their wedding ceremony.
Some couples may not want wedding videography or photography for this kind of wedding. They prefer everything done discreetly. In contrast, others see nothing wrong in having a wedding like every other person.
Verify the Marriage License
Intending cousin-couples may try every available trick to get their wish. One of such is faking a marriage license from states that permit such marriage.
Hence, wedding ministers in Oklahoma must verify all the information and documents presented to them before officiating the wedding.
It’s often more advantageous for couples to be open and plain with their marriage officiant. But, in a situation where that isn’t the case, a wedding minister must verify every claim before proceeding with service delivery.
Be Open-minded
It’s paramount that you don’t force your ideas or opinion on the couple while deliberating on how the officiating should go or when seeking your consent to proceed with the marriage.
Your prior belief and personal opinion shouldn’t cloud your sense of judgment. Be as open-minded and as professional as possible. That way, you can get the couple to cooperate, making your work seamless.
Conclusion
The Oklahoma Statute for marriage is essential and should be held in high regard. Despite this, an experienced marriage officiant should be ever willing to help couples get the best out of every situation.
Marriage to first cousins in Oklahoma isn’t permitted, but there are ways willing wedding officiants can help you go about it. Being open-minded is one of the most important traits your wedding officiant needs to have.
By being professional and open-minded, the wedding minister will always want to explore every possibility in a situation before giving up on it.
