Tennessee Marriage Records

Tennessee is one of the few U.S. states whose marriage rates are considerably higher than the national average of 6.2 marriages per 1,000 population. The state has recorded an average of 50,000 marriages annually in the last few years. According to reports by the Tennessee Department of Health, Sevier County had the highest count of marriages held in 2019 and 2020 in the state, with 9,057 and 7,077 marriages, respectively. Under state law, a person must be at least 18 years old to get married legally or at least 16 with the consent of both parents, next of kin, legal guardian, or the state.

Prospective couples must apply for a marriage license at one of the state's county clerk offices to register for marriage in Tennessee. Typically, they will submit certain documents, provide some vital information, and pay certain fees. The marriage license fees vary by county. After their wedding, state law requires that the marriage license be returned to the county clerk's office within a specified period for proper registration. Once a marriage is registered, the clerk's office will store copies of the documents submitted during the application for a marriage license and the signed marriage license as marriage records.

Tennessee marriage records are not public until they are 50 years old. Only eligible persons may access them within this period. In addition to the county clerk's offices, the Office of Vital Records of the Tennessee Department of Health also maintains marriage records for certain years. Generally, the Tennessee Library and Archives (TSLA) has marriage records older than 50 years.

What are Marriage Records?

Marriage records are official documents that provide details about marriages. In Tennessee, they show the details of marriage events and legal unions contracted between individuals within the state. Generally, marriage records are created from the interactions between prospective couples and the county clerk's offices statewide and the actual marriage events. The documents submitted while applying for marriage licenses and the information filled in the application forms all form a major part of marriage records in Tennessee.

Relevant authorities in Tennessee maintain marriage records for many reasons. They are considered a part of the state's vital records and are used to track and maintain population data for married individuals. Marriage records are also an essential part of family history and may help families verify children's legitimacy and establish inheritance rights. They can help people answer some pertinent questions about their ancestors and validate information about them. For instance, they may help a person determine the names of their ancestors, maiden names of grandmothers, and if their ancestors were married multiple times.

Furthermore, marriage records are required as legal proof of name change for spouses who change their names after getting married. For example, without a marriage certificate, some institutions in Tennessee may not permit a married person to make name changes on official documents. In many cases, a marriage record can be the only readily available proof of a woman's maiden name, especially if they have been married for many years. This is why people need to obtain and keep copies of their marriage records once they marry.

Marriage records exist in various forms in Tennessee, but marriage licenses and certificates are the most common. They typically include information such as the following:

Full names of both spouses at the time of marriage
Ages of both parties at the time of marriage
The date and location of the marriage
Name of the officiant who performed the marriage ceremony
Names of both spouses' parents

The information on Tennessee marriage records may differ from county to county. While some counties started recording the names of the parents of the two parties in a marriage in the 1880s, many others did not begin doing that until the mid-1920s. Marriage records created in the last 50 years in the state are not publicly available and may only be accessed by certain persons. They remain confidential until 50 years have passed since the marriage took place. Only the persons named on the records, parents, children, other close family members, and legally authorized persons may access Tennessee marriage records under 50 years. The state's Office of Vital Records has marriage certificates created from 1974 to date on file.

The Tennessee State Library and Archives also hold records of early marriages as recorded in ledgers by several county court clerks. Such entries are available in the Archives in microfilm index forms for marriages from July 1, 1945 - December 31, 1973, 1861 - June 30, 1945, and 1780 - 1861. Tennessee did not start keeping statewide marriage records until July 1, 1945. They are maintained at the county level before this date.

Marriages in Tennessee

Tennessee's marriage rate of 7.3 per 1,000 residents in 2022 was higher than the national average for that year. Despite this, the state's marriage rate has declined over the past few decades. The last time the state had a considerably high marriage rate in two decades was in 2000, when at least 15.5 individuals out of 1,000 were married. The national average for that year was 8.2 marriages per 1,000 total population. In 2023, Tennessee ranked as the 13th state out of 51 in the number of weddings in the United States.

Tennessee men get married at a median age of 27.3. On the other hand, women get married around 25.7 years. Unfortunately, some of these marriages end up in divorce. Tennessee has ranked as one of the U.S. states with the highest divorce rates over the past years. While it has declined over the past decades, the state's divorce rate in 2022, at 3.0 per 1,000 people, was still higher than the national average of 2.4 per 1,000 total population. Reports have shown that Tennessee has more married males and older than women. At least 51% of the male population aged 15 years and older are married or were once married. On the other hand, only 47% of the female demographic aged 15 years and over are married.

The following outlines marriage distribution among the various ethno-racial groups in Tennessee:

Asians (including Hispanics) - 60.88%
Whites (non-Hispanics) - 53.84%
White Hispanics - 49.94%
Other racial groups (including Hispanics) - 45.73%
Mixed (including Hispanics) - 34.12%
Blacks (including Hispanics) - 27.92%

A person does not have to be a Tennessee resident to legally marry within the state. Similarly, there are no blood tests or medical exam requirements for getting married. This has been discontinued since 1987. Someone who has been married before and now wishes to remarry will typically have to provide the month and year of their divorce or the date of their deceased partner's death. A divorced person who has had a name change in their divorce and has yet to change their name on their driver's license must provide a certified copy of their divorce decree before they can remarry. There is no need for a witness in a marriage ceremony under Tennessee marriage laws.

How To Get Married in Tennessee

Before any marriage can occur in Tennessee, prospective couples must obtain marriage licenses from the County Clerk in any county within the state. They can get a license from any county and get married in another county within the state. A marriage license fee comes at a certain fee, which varies by county. However, it is often reduced for couples who opt to complete a Premarital Preparation Course. Couples who get premarital counseling and obtain a certificate of completion from an authorized counselor before obtaining a marriage license may have about $60 of their license fee waived.

Most counties in Tennessee allow would-be couples to apply for a marriage license online before visiting the clerk's office. However, both spouses must appear in person to pick up their licenses. They are required to submit all the required documentation, including valid IDs and other information, to complete the marriage license application while visiting. Required documents include Social Security numbers (if applicable), divorce decrees (if applicable), and proof of date of birth (any government-issued ID). If one of the spouses is unable to appear in person due to a physical disability, the applicant (the other spouse) must submit a notarized affidavit. A copy of the affidavit may be obtained by contacting the county clerk's office by email. In addition to the notarized affidavit, the applicant must obtain a notarized consent letter from the attending physician on medical facility letterhead. The letter must state that the disabled applicant is oriented, alert, and has given their consent to obtain a marriage certificate.

Once a couple obtains a marriage license, they may get married immediately. There is no waiting period unless one of the spouses is a minor. In this case, there is a 3-day waiting period after applying for a marriage license. However, this waiting period may be waived by applying to a court for a waiver. Generally, a Tennessee marriage license is valid only for 30 days after issuance. Per Section 36-3-301 of the Tennessee Code Annotated, only certain authorized individuals may officiate a marriage in the state. They include the following:

Municipal court judges
Members of county legislative bodies (former or current)
The governor
Notaries Public
Former and current speakers of the Senate and speakers of the House of Representatives
Mayors of municipalities
All religious ministers, including pastors, preachers, rabbis, priests, and religious leaders of every religious belief, provided they are at least 18 years old and have the care of souls.
Former and current judges of general sessions courts
The county clerk and former county clerks who were in office on or after July 1, 2014
Former and current Tennessee chancellors and judges, including federal administrative law judges and federal judges

Both spouses and the officiant must sign their marriage license either during or after the ceremony. No witness signature is required for wedding ceremonies in Tennessee. After completing and signing the marriage license, the officiant must return it to the issuing county clerk's office within 3 days of the ceremony. Otherwise, the marriage remains unofficial. Afterward, the couple may receive a certified copy of their marriage license from the county clerk's office.

Tennessee Marriage Certificate

A Tennessee marriage certificate is a document showing that two individuals are legally married under state law. It is typically finalized by the issuing county clerk's office after a marriage ceremony has occurred. A marriage certificate in Tennessee contains the names of the married spouses, the location and date of the marriage, and the signature of the marriage ceremony officiant. As a part of marriage records in the state, marriage certificates are not open to the general public until after 50 years. Only the individuals named on the certificate, immediate family members, and the legal representatives of both spouses may retrieve certified copies of a Tennessee marriage certificate.

The Office of Vital Records maintains copies of marriage certificates and disseminates them to eligible persons. Such individuals may apply online or offline (in person or by mail) to retrieve certified copies. Spouses named on a Tennessee marriage certificate may also visit the county clerk in the county where their marriage license was issued to obtain certified copies of their marriage certificate.

How To Find and Access Tennessee Marriage Records

It is important to determine the age of a Tennessee marriage record to be able to find and access it. Many counties began keeping records of legal unions as far back as the 1880s. However, the state did not begin maintaining statewide records of marriage until 1945. Generally, it is possible to find and access Tennessee marriage records online or offline.

Accessing Tennessee Marriage Records Offline

The Tennessee State Library and Archives maintains marriage records with dates 1780 - 1861, 1862 - June 1945, and July 1945 - 1973. Interested individuals may request records of marriages that took place during this period by mailing a completed Vital Records Request Form (SS-2237) to the Library and Archives at:

Tennessee State Library and Archives

1001 Rep. John Lewis Way N.

Nashville, TN 37219

Requesters may also submit their requests in person. The Library and Archives can search the microfilmed county records for any marriage record from 1861 to June 30, 1945, if given the county of marriage, date of the marriage, and the names of spouses listed on the records. Anyone requesting marriage records search for the dates July 1, 1945 - December 31, 1973, must provide the name of the groom. The State Library and Archives maintains a year-by-year statewide microfilm index of marriage records within this period, which is arranged by the name of the groom. It costs state residents $5 and out-of-state residents $10 to order a Tennessee marriage record by mail from the State Library and Archives.

Tennessee marriage records from 1974 to the present are held at the state Office of Vital Records. Eligible individuals may obtain copies of these records by completing the Application for a Certified Copy of a Tennessee Certificate of Marriage Form and submitting it with the required documentation in person or by mail to:

Tennessee Vital Records

First Floor, Andrew Johnson Tower

710 James Robertson Parkway

Nashville, TN 37243

Accessing Tennessee Marriage Records Online

The Office of Vital Records in Tennessee does not accept direct online requests for marriage records created from 1974 to date. Rather, it contracted with a third-party record service company to receive such requests on its behalf. Anyone using this option to find a Tennessee marriage record may opt to have their order shipped to them once ready or pick it up in person in Nashville.

Interested persons may also obtain Tennessee marriage records from 1780 - 1861, 1862 - June 1945, and July 1945 - 1973 from the State Library and Archives by email. To do this, they should email a completed Vital Records Request Form (SS-2237) to the Tennessee State Library and Archives.

References

Counties in Tennessee

List of Content

What are Marriage Records?
Marriages in Tennessee
1. How To Get Married in Tennessee
2. Tennessee Marriage Certificate
How To Find and Access Tennessee Marriage Records
1. Accessing Tennessee Marriage Records Offline
2. Accessing Tennessee Marriage Records Online