Can You Get Same-Day Married in Michigan?

I'm pretty excited because in a month, I'm getting married to my best friend and the love of my life.

We're excited, and of course with an engagement comes announcements and big decisions on what to do for your special day. Do we spend thousands on something crazy and elegant?

Or, do we just go to the court house and knock this bad boy out?

When looking at options for our special day I noticed one thing: while places like Las Vegas have a lot of "get married now!" and drive-thru chapels, it appears we don't have them here in the Mitten State.

Why don't you see pop-up and drive-through wedding chapels in Michigan?

Turns out there is a waiting period to get married in the state of Michigan, meaning you can't get married the same day.

When you apply for your marriage license, which is required in order to get married in Michigan, there is a legally bound three-day "cool down" period before you're allowed to actually have the certificate and be married officially. That period does NOT include the day you apply.

After the license is issued at the end of the three-day cool-down period, you have 30 days to get married. (Technically it's 33 days, but the first three are your cool-down period.)

Why is there a three-day cool-down period on Michigan marriage certificates?

This is a fairly common law across the US, used to protect people from making a "mistake". (Although arguably, you can still make a mistake marrying someone even if you wait months to do so.) A lot of people argue that people might "get drunk and accidentally marry someone they knew from high school". (Sorry, Britney.)

Others also say the law is valuable because it protects people from being taken advantage of in the case of deception or an impaired state of mind.

Those that are against the law argue that the 3 days make little to no difference for the most part.

While this may seem annoying, if you plan ahead it shouldn't be a problem. If you're looking for something quick and without a waiting period, you may want to catch a flight to Las Vegas instead.