Picking the wrong officiant is one of the few wedding mistakes that can legally invalidate your marriage. It's rare, but it happens — and it's entirely preventable. Here's who is legally authorized to perform wedding ceremonies in Kentucky and Ohio, including the nuanced question of internet ordinations.

Kentucky — Who Can Officiate

Under Kentucky Revised Statutes §402.050, the following people are authorized to solemnize a marriage in Kentucky:

  • Any minister of the gospel or ordained preacher of any religious denomination
  • Any judge of a court of record
  • Any county judge/executive
  • Any retired judge of a court of record
  • Any district judge
  • The mayor of any city

The key phrase for religious officiants is "ordained preacher of any religious denomination." Kentucky statute does not specify what qualifies as a religious denomination — which is what opens the door (with some caution) for internet ordinations.

Ohio — Who Can Officiate

Under Ohio Revised Code §3101.08, the following may solemnize marriages:

  • An ordained or licensed minister of any religious society
  • A judge of a court of record
  • A probate judge
  • A mayor of a municipal corporation
  • A superintendent of the state school for the deaf
  • A notary public (added by recent amendment — Ohio now permits notaries to solemnize marriages)
Ohio note: Ohio added notary publics to the list of authorized officiants. If you have a friend who is a notary, they may be authorized to perform your ceremony — but verify they hold a current Ohio notary commission before relying on this.

Internet Ordinations: The Real Answer

This is the question everyone wants answered. Can your friend who got ordained online through Universal Life Church, American Marriage Ministries, or a similar service legally marry you in Kentucky or Ohio?

The practical answer: generally yes, but with important caveats.

Kentucky courts have historically recognized internet ordinations when the ordaining organization is a genuine religious denomination. Universal Life Church ordinations have been upheld in Kentucky in multiple cases. The same is true for Ohio. Neither state has a registry of approved denominations — the question is whether the organization constitutes a legitimate religious denomination under the statute.

What creates risk:

  • Organizations that are explicitly not religious — some "ordination mills" are purely secular and might not satisfy the "religious denomination" language
  • Individual county clerks who push back — while ULC ordinations are generally accepted, a clerk who questions the denomination can create friction when the license is returned
  • Court challenges — extremely rare, but a contested marriage (in a divorce or estate proceeding) could surface the question

The safe path if using an internet-ordained friend: use Universal Life Church or American Marriage Ministries (both well-established), and call the county clerk's office where you got your license to confirm they've accepted that ordination in the past. Most will say yes. If they express doubt, hire a professional officiant for $150–300 — it's cheap insurance.

The Officiant's Legal Responsibilities

Once you have your license, the officiant takes on specific legal obligations:

  • Must be present at the ceremony in person
  • Must complete the officiant section of the marriage license after the ceremony (signature, date, location, their title/ordination)
  • Must return the completed, signed license to the issuing county clerk or Probate Court within 30 days of the ceremony

The return step is where officiants sometimes drop the ball. Remind your officiant explicitly. If the license isn't returned and recorded, you won't be able to obtain a certified copy of your marriage certificate when you need it for a name change or legal purpose.

Out-of-State Officiants

An officiant doesn't need to be a Kentucky or Ohio resident to perform a ceremony in either state. A minister ordained in Tennessee, a judge from Indiana, a friend ordained online — all can perform your Kentucky or Ohio ceremony as long as they meet the state's authorization criteria. There is no separate registration requirement for out-of-state officiants in either state.

What Happens If the Officiant Wasn't Authorized

This is the scenario everyone worries about. In practice, marriages are almost never invalidated because of an officiant problem — courts in both states apply a "good faith" doctrine that protects couples who genuinely believed their officiant was authorized. But "almost never" is not "never," and the legal ambiguity is real. The straightforward fix is to confirm your officiant's authorization before the ceremony, not after.