Are friends and family members with online ordinations legally able to perform marriage ceremonies on Long Island?

"New York County trial judge stated in 2014 that marriages performed by ULC ministers in New York State are potentially invalid or at the very least in jeopardy. "

Online ordinations are indeed a can of worms. When you call Town Hall and ask this question, all they say is "This is a question to ask your lawyer." Some will go as far as to say that the license will be processed, because there is no registration required. However this does not mean that you are legally married. My advice is, if you really want your friend to get ordained online to perform your ceremony, just get legally married at town hall first. Then do what ever you want for the public ceremony. There are many samples here on my site that you are welcome to use. If you want to be legally married in front of family and friends, then hire someone who is legal to marry you. If you have been married by someone ordained online, go down to Town Hall and get legally married.

The case that will hopefully put an end to the controversy is still making it's way through the New York courts. – Oswald v. Oswald, 2013 N.Y. Slip Op. 02811 (N.Y. App. Div. 2013). Here on Long Island the Online Ordinations have been very popular, among "professionals" and non-professionals alike. DJ's, banquet managers, receptionists, even some long time officiants may not actually have the authority to marry in New York State. So always check credentials.

A recent New York court ruling, from a different appellate court, than mentioned above ruled that it is a factual question whether the ULC is a "church" whose ministers have authority under New York law to solemnize a marriage, and it remanded the case to the trial court for further proceedings. Although this case also remains pending, a New York County trial judge stated in 2014 that marriages performed by ULC ministers in New York State are potentially invalid or at the very least in jeopardy. – Ponorovskaya v. Stecklow, 2014 NY Slip Op 24140 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2014).

A wedding is a once in a lifetime event to celebrate a marriage. There should be no reason to wonder if you are actually married or not... Making good choices from the beginning is a far better decision than wondering what to do after the fact. Does "click here and you're in business" sound too good to be true? Well odds are it is. Does it say on the ordination web site that you can perform weddings anywhere and everywhere? Of course it does! But that's like asking Phillip Morris if cigarettes cause cancer.

Another reason that online ordinations are particularly frowned upon is that there is no identification process. The ULC requirement is that you are over the age of 13 in order to become a minister. As an example I had Sebastian Basset ordained last year. Not only is he a real Basset Hound, but he also passed away in 2008.

When the Federal Government granted Church of Ancient Ways full church status in 1997, I wrote my bylaws to mirror New York State law, so my people would be in compliance. NYC has decided to forgo the congregational requirement that still stands in the rest of the state. So they do register online officiants.

Nassau and Suffolk do not require registration and do not check credentials when processing a license. Honestly, you could fill it out at the kitchen table yourselves, using the names of your favorite TV characters, and Town Hall would still process it. Unfortunately having a Certificate of Marriage from the state, doesn't mean that you are legally married. How on earth can this be? I for one have no idea. But this is the reality of the current situation.

The problem would be if one of you wanted no longer to be married, and to disenfranchise the other by having the marriage declared invalid because the officiant did not meet the state's requirements. In the cases where this has happened, Ravenal v. Ravenal and Raniere v. Raniere for example, the marriages were declared null and void. That equated to no equitable distribution of assets... So if you are unsure about being married, having a friend ordained online might be even better than a prenuptial agreement. Or at least for one of you.

The ruling of null and void also opens the door to other liability. Things like health care benefits that were paid but not due, taxes that were filed jointly without legal right, all come into question. It becomes a mess. On top of all that, after the current case is finally through the Supreme Court, if the ruling is not retroactive, everyone married prior to the ruling will still be in this grey area.

I had a couple come last fall with a second license for me to sign, so there would be no question as to the validity of their marriage. He had cancer and his children didn't like the wife. He had no doubt that as soon as he passed, they would contest the will and try to have the marriage declared invalid because a friend, ULC ordained, married them. Although I was able to help them, their situation still saddens me to this day.

Once again, with all that said, my advice is, if you really want your friend to get ordained online to perform your ceremony, just get legally married at town hall first. If you want to be legally married in front of family and friends, hire someone who is legal to marry you. If you have been married by someone ordained online, go down to Town Hall and get legally married.

For more cases and information from other states see Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Life_Church

For more New York State Laws and cases there is a New York Times Article that notes cases and problems that are still ongoing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/18/fashion/weddings/making-sure-that-online-officiant-is-legal.html?_r=0

And if you want to see Sebastian's picture and ordination see my web site.
http://www.churchofancientways.org/articles/validity-online-ordinations-long-island/