Originally Posted By: julf
That's how it works here in The Netherlands. The only legally recognized marriage is the civil one - if you want to have a religious ceremony, feel free to have one, but you *do* need to have a civil servant perform the legal civil procedure for it to count.

That's basically true in the US, too, with the qualification that religious leaders are allowed to officiate the "ceremony". They basically work as a notary public in this instance. (Note that the concept of a notary public in the US is apparently a lot more restricted than in the rest of the world; they exist solely to witness and certify oaths.)
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Bitt Faulk