Can a Friend Officiate a Wedding in Louisiana?

Legal & Ordination

Yes — Louisiana allows friends and family to officiate weddings after online ordination, though the state’s legal system (based on civil law rather than common law) makes it worth double-checking a few specifics.

What Louisiana requires

1. Get ordained through an online organization such as Universal Life Church or American Marriage Ministries.

2. No statewide officiant registration required. Louisiana does not require online-ordained officiants to file paperwork before performing a wedding.

3. Know the 72-hour waiting period. Louisiana requires 72 hours between when the marriage license application is filed and when the ceremony can take place, one of the longer mandatory waits in the country. Encourage the couple to apply well ahead of the wedding date.

4. Perform the ceremony, including the declaration of intent.

5. Sign and return the license. After the ceremony, sign the marriage license along with the required witnesses, and confirm with the couple who is responsible for returning it to the clerk of court in the parish where it was issued — Louisiana uses “parishes” instead of counties, and marriage licenses are handled by the clerk of court rather than a county clerk.

Louisiana’s parish system

Because Louisiana uses parishes rather than counties, and licenses are typically handled through the clerk of court (in Orleans Parish, through a different specific office), it’s worth confirming the exact office with the couple rather than assuming a standard “county clerk” search will turn up the right result.

Bottom line

Louisiana is workable for friend officiants, but the 72-hour waiting period is longer than most states, and the parish-based system is genuinely different from the standard county-clerk model — plan ahead accordingly.

For a complete legal checklist and week-by-week planning timeline, see our Checklist & Timeline Kit.

This guide is informational, not legal advice. Always confirm current requirements with the specific parish clerk of court handling the marriage license.