Remote weddings? You can get married via video in California now

Let the wedding bells ring.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Thursday afternoon to allow Californians to get married and obtain marriage licenses via video calls for the next two months during the coronavirus emergency.

During the wedding, the couple must have one witness in addition to the person performing the live ceremony, according to Newsom’s directive.

“Additional persons invited by the parties may, but need not, also observe the videoconference,” the order reads.

Before the wedding, couples can obtain their marriage licenses via video calls with their county clerk. The applicants are required to be in California for this process and will receive their license electronically once they’ve submitted photo identification.

The wedding does not require the two parties to be physically present in California, but the ceremony has to be videoconferenced live so the person officiating the marriage can physically hear and see the couple take their vows.

After the wedding, the couple would need to sign the license or certificate and electronically submit that document.

The announcement is the latest in a series of orders Newsom has signed during the coronavirus to keep California functioning during COVID-19.

Weddings fall square in the category of activity essentially banned by the stay-at-home order Newsom issued in mid-March to mitigate the spread of the virus. As COVID-19 cases continue to increase and with hope for a vaccine or cure still a far-off future, planned ceremonies have had to either be postponed or called off.

Newsom said on Thursday he hopes California in the next couple of weeks can begin easing the restrictive stay-at-home order, though mass gatherings are unlikely through at least the summer.

The order is set to expire in 60 days.