Marriage License Information

This will inform you of what you need to do before your event on the vessel, in order to make your wedding ceremony legal onboard.

Hornblower does not provide the wedding license. It is the responsibility of the Bride and Groom to apply for the license in advance, and have it available for the Captain the day of the ceremony. You may apply for the license at the

Recorder/County Clerk's Office, 1600 Pacific Highway, Room 260.
The license is good for 90 days. Hornblower Captains cannot marry persons without a license that is within the time frame of the license.

Hornblower Captains are Ministers, licensed by the State of California. They can perform marriages on California licenses only. There are two types of licenses available, Public and Confidential. Public licenses are good for ceremonies anywhere in the state. Confidential licenses must be used in the county of issue.

Please identify to the Captain two persons whom you wish to be witnesses. The Captain will get the required signatures after the ceremony, and will fill out the license in black ink. If you have a copy of the license that says "Customer Copy" on it, the Captain will fill this out and give it back to you on the day of your wedding.

Certified copies of the original license are available within 2-4 weeks after the ceremony. It is your responsibility to mail in the request for this. The request form is attached to your license.

The Captain is responsible for filing the completed marriage license with the County Recorder. Please do not ask to file it yourself. Hornblower maintains a record of all marriages performed on our vessels. If you have any questions about the date of filing of your license, please call and ask to speak to the Port Captain. Thank you and enjoy your wedding.