Where to start searching for Volunteer State recorded wedding vow exchanges
The Office of Vital Records has delegated responsibilities for initial review, official registration, maintenance and issuance of records pertinent to marital unions formed within Volunteer State borders pursuant to its applicable annotated statutes. From this very first outset, it is vital to note that Tennessee marriage records must be dually divided as certified or non-certified. That distinction has major ramifications because certified marriage records may be legally accessed only by named registrant(s) and immediate family members or legal representatives thereof. By contrast, non-certified marriage records are publicly accessible by any desiring party (ies). Nevertheless, “non-qualifying” applicants with no officially recognized legal or familial relationship with the named registrant(s) normally have no difficulty obtaining non-certified copies of virtually desired marriage document.
• In person
Certified marriage record requests are processed at the Nashville Vital Records Office. Applicants must present valid photo ID that matches an immediate family member, legal representative or registrant named on the original marriage record requested. Non-qualifying applicants must also provide documentation to support legal entitlement to the requested certified marriage record. Most requests for certified copies are processed while the applicant waits at the Vital Records Office.
Of course, the first task is filling in all required information on an official request form. Applicants may complete a paper request form obtained at the front counter or submit their request via an electronic kiosk located nearby. Once all necessary data is provided and the applicant’s identity verified, a modest fee is required to process their request. Acceptable forms of payment include cash, most major credit cards, debit cards, money orders and personal checks. All applicants paying by debit or credit card must submit electronic requests, which carry a small vendor-imposed surcharge.
• By Mail
Mail-in requests for certified marriage records must contain the following documents:
o Completed request form signed by the applicant
o Legible copy of a valid government-issued ID with requestor’s photo and signature
o Money order or personal check made payable to “Tennessee Vital Records” for full amount of the appropriate processing fee
Find free downloadable official request forms at the official Tennessee government website.
The Tennessee Vital Records Office physical and mailing address is:
1st Floor, Andrew Johnson Tower
710 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone number: (615) 741-1763 or toll-free (855) 809-0072
Walk in hours of operation:
Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. CST
Tuesday and Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. CST (except legal holidays)
• Online ordering option
At present, Tennessee’s State Vital Records Office doesn’t provide direct access to request certified marriage records online. However, a very efficient indirect access route lies within easy reach via a Web-based third-party vendor’s official website.
Random kind acts by various virtual vendors make it very easy to locate Volunteer State
While State Vital Records Offices offer the best bet to begin and end all quests for marriage records dating back last 50 years or less, Tennessee marriage documents that go back much longer in time will take a little more digging to find. Luckily, though, many privately maintained virtual domains offer relatively easy access to very elderly Volunteer State marriage records contained in various databases.
One particularly great Web-based platform for launching a productive online voyage to find Volunteer State venerable old wedding files is Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAGK). Locate the first landmark by logging onto RAGK’s official site. Next, carefully view its long list of outbound links that can lead viewers to a vast volume of extremely valuable data featured on various external online venues.
Not to go without very honorable mention is an online integrated database exclusively dedicated to helping viewers trace Tennessee marriage records that date back as far as 1780.