Chapel has guidelines before couples tie the knot Published July 31, 2008 By Brandice Armstrong Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., -- Wedding planning doesn't have to be stressful, especially when marrying at the Tinker Chapel. If an engaged couple is interested in marrying on base, chapel officials offer several guidelines to assist with the process. The rules comply with laws for marrying in Oklahoma. "In order to use the chapel, either the bride or the groom must hold a valid active-duty military [identification] card, or military dependent or retiree card," said Lt. Col. William Toguchi, 72nd Air Base Wing chaplain. Couples who request a chaplain to perform their wedding must be aware pre-marital counseling is required. Based on denomination requirements, pre-marital counseling may vary from chaplain to chaplain. Pre-marital counseling varies from three to six months, Chaplain Toguchi said. If couples opt to be married by a civilian clergy, the civilian clergy is required to be registered through the State of Oklahoma. If the civilian clergy is to perform a wedding at the base chapel, the clergy must show proof of ordination and an ecclesiastical endorsement, or recognition from their denomination to verify the clergy is authorized to officiate a wedding. If an interested couple is permitted to marry on base, they are required to hire a "Tinker Chapel-approved" wedding coordinator. "These coordinators are familiar with wedding procedures and the policies of the chapel and can greatly assist you with planning and the details of your wedding ceremony," Chaplain Toguchi said. Officials said wedding coordinators charge a fee, which must be paid before a wedding will take place. In order to apply for a wedding license, Oklahoma requires an engaged couple to be present at the Oklahoma County clerk's office in Oklahoma City. Both the bride and groom must be at least 18 years old and if either is younger than 18, in-person parental consent is needed. Under-age persons must wait three days before the marriage license is valid, according to an Internet Web site regarding marriage licenses. Couples, in which one partner is younger than 16 years old, require a court order, according to the Web site. Engaged couples must bring proof of age to the county clerk's office. Acceptable proof includes a military ID, driver's license or birth certificate. A marriage license costs $50 and must be used within 10 days, counting the day it is received. "For instance, if you obtained the license on the second of May, it must be used by the 11th," Chaplain Toguchi said. If a couple has taken pre-marriage counseling or attended a counseling retreat, chapel officials must sign the certificate and paperwork, in order for the engaged couple to be eligible for the $45 discount on a marriage license. In Oklahoma, previous marriages must officially be dissolved and final through annulment or divorce for at least six months. It is suggested, the prior-married fiancé brings a divorce decree or necessary paperwork when applying for a marriage license, according to the Web site. After a chaplain signs the wedding license, the now-married couple has five days to register it with the county clerk's office. For more information, call the chaplain's office at 734-2111 or the county clerk's office at 713-2311.