Are there any restrictions on who can be a witness to a marriage?

In the state of Illinois, there are a few restrictions on who can be a witness to a marriage. The following people are not allowed to be witnesses to a wedding: anyone who is under 18 years of age; anyone who is not of sound mind; and anyone who is not competent to understand the solemnities of the marriage ceremony. In order for a witness to be considered valid, they must be present at the ceremony and sign the marriage license. Additionally, the couple getting married must have two witnesses present at the ceremony; however, those witnesses can be related to the couple. For example, the witnesses can be the couple’s parents, siblings, or close relatives as long as they are over the age of 18 and meet the other requirements. Finally, Illinois law requires that at least one of the witnesses must be of a different gender than the other. This helps prevent any issues of fraud or manipulation, as the law states that both a male and female witness must be able to validate the marriage. In summary, in order to be a witness to a marriage in Illinois, the person must be over 18 years of age, of sound mind, competent to understand the solemnities of the ceremony, and of a different gender than the other witness. Having two witnesses present at the ceremony is required, and at least one of them cannot be related to the couple.

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Are there any restrictions on who can be a witness to a marriage?

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