Hello people…
Been wondering—when does marriage officially start from a legal standpoint? Is it when you sign the marriage certificate, say your vows, or when the officiant declares you married? I know it might vary depending on where you live, but I’m curious about the specific moment that counts legally. Any insights?
Thea are usually rules about what time of day you can have a ceremony, but it depends on the country or state.
I can’t really think of a situation where this would matter, unless you consummated the marriage between saying your vows and signing the license, and now you’re trying to get an annulment.
My wedding certificate actually has a time on it—4:17. So yep, I got married at 4:17 
Since you have to file the paperwork after signing the vows, I guess nothing’s legally binding until it’s lodged and ratified. But it does get backdated to the date and time you signed.
The legal date of the marriage is whenever the certificate is signed.
Linguistically, the ceremony includes the vows and the declaration (“I now declare you man and wife”), which are known as “speech acts.” These have the power of actions—just like how making a threat can get you arrested or how an oath of office is legally binding. It’s the same reason a judge announces a prison sentence out loud. The signature on the certificate (or in my case, on the license) verifies that the vows and declaration actually happened…
In my state you aren’t legally married until the signed certificate is filed and recorded with the state, the date the officiant listed as the wedding date is the legal date the marriage began.
The date the witnesses put on the marriage license
This question needs a bit of context, so let me break it down. I took my vows on Saturday at 4:45 PM, which I consider my date of marriage (DOM). The witnesses and officiant signed the paperwork on Sunday around 3:30 PM, which is when the contract was technically executed. Then, my marriage certificate was issued on Monday around 9:45 AM.
So, what’s your endgame here?