I was asked by one young couple to perform their wedding and I get asked that from time to time. To make a union legal in most states all that is required is a notary to stamp the license with the appropriate signatures. Now if you happen to be a member of some religious groups, things get a bit more complicated.
Different religious organizations can have lots of rules and regulations based on their traditions. If one family is a member of one group and the other a different group, one of the two groups is going to lay claim to the union. If that is your thing you need to stick with a traditional ceremony.
More people are getting away from "tradition" in order to get traditional. If a man a woman wants to get married all that is required is consent from the brides family but it never hurts to have consent from both. Then they can exchange their promises and tokens if they like, in front of a witness and in the eyes of the people really involved, they are hitched. Most like to have some written record of the event which in the US most often were family bibles.
In the US, marriage licenses were not widely available until the mid 19th century. Some cities and states started issuing marriage licenses as early as the 1600s, but those required "Church" approval in most cases. If you wanted to marry outside of the Church, you were on your own.
Once the State got involved, you had to have a license if you wanted to be recognized as joined in the legal bonds of matrimony. If you opted not to get a license, most states have common law marriage laws so if either party has some issues, you are hitched anyway.
In Florida, to be legally married you just need a license and a Notary Public plus one witness and you are hitched as soon as the license is filed. You can have any kind of ceremony you like or none at all and you are still hitched.
Where I come in is some like to have a different kind of ceremony. You can use Vic Dunaway's Baits Tackle and Rigging as your "bible", make up your own vows, use traditional vows, hand signals whatever you like then jump brooms, stomp glasses, jump into the ocean, whatever you like to commemorate your day, as long as you file the legal paperwork you are legally married. You can also get in a bit of fishing before during and after or just enjoy a day in the tropics.
Some captains have paid their fees so they can be a recognized Notary Public and some are even ordained by some organization of sorts to add a bit of legal looking pomp to the circumstance, but I am not yet institutionalized and hope not to be any time soon. I tend to believe it is a personal thing and as long as two people of age want to get hitched and have the support of at least one family, it really shouldn't be anyone else's business. If they file papers, then they are legal outside their circle of friends and family meaning health insurance companies, IRS and all those other parasites are happy.
On the fishing side, the bite is a bit irregular. It has been just windy enough that I haven't ventured out front much but Bay Side has legal but not impressive mangroves along with a steady Spanish Mackerel bite. Pilchards are not to hard to find, we chummed some up in less than an hour the other day though Bluefish ate most of them. Live Shrimp and fresh bait strips have been producing most of the better quality fish we have been getting. Bigger boats have been doing well on the wrecks but even they are fishing rock piles more than normal because of the East wind.
Marathon in the Florida Keys should be your next fishing vacation destination. Join us for charter fishing, fishing guide trips, wedding or our fishing 101 so you can fish on your own with better success.
Tight lines,
Capt. Dallas
