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Legal Tips for Getting Married

Preparing for your marriage involves more than just planning your wedding; there are many legal considerations you'll need to keep in mind when getting married.  Here are some of the most important ones.
  • Get a Prenuptial Agreement.  It’s not just used to protect you in case of divorce.  A Prenuptial Agreement allows both spouses to disclose their financial situation before the marriage – so both parties know what they’re getting into, and can create a plan for managing finances together in the marriage.
  • Decide on married names.  The easiest way to get a legal name change is to do so on the marriage license, but the hard part is deciding what the name will be.  Figure out if you want to share the same last name, keep your current names, or hyphenate.  Then be prepared to Notify everyone you do business with about your new name in addition to getting all of your identification cards and documents replaced.
  • Get signed contracts with all of your wedding vendors.  Whenever you make an agreement with a vendor, you need to put it in writing.  If your caterer doesn’t show up on the wedding day, and you have it in writing, your guests may still go hungry, but you will have grounds to at least take the vendor to small claims court.  For example, you can create a Venue Rental Agreement with Rocket lawyer.
  • Get liability insurance for your wedding.  Often wedding event spaces require you to release them from liability at your event.  If something happens, like someone slips on the dance floor, you need to have liability insurance to cover it.  Often you can add it to your homeowner’s policy.
  • Create or update your estate plan.  Once you’re married, you’ll need to include your new spouse in your Will, Living Will, Living Trust, Power of Attorney, or any other family legal documents.

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Laws on this topic may vary from state to state. This content is not meant to provide you with complete information and it is not intended to be legal or tax advice. It is recommended that you consult with your own attorney, accountant or other advisor regarding your specific situation.