Here’s Why So Many Celebrities Get Married in Nevada
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez recently became the latest celebrity couple to get married in Nevada, a state that has become known for its weddings.
But why is that? What made Nevada the state for famous people to have surprise weddings?
Thanks to longtime lawyer Alphonse Provinziano who is sharing his knowledge and experience in working with numerous celebrities who want to marry. Provinziano is based in Los Angeles and has worked
with celebrities, and other high-net-worth individuals on divorce and other family law matters. Mr. Provinziano has written an exceptionally informative piece wrote about why so many celebrities get married in Nevada, including most recently Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. ( This article was published on 7/21/2022 elsewhere. I have permission to re-run it)
Why So Many Celebrities Get Married in Nevada…
The answer goes back to Nevada’s history, the thick tangle of state-by-state laws on marriage and, in a roundabout way, changing social mores on divorce.
Here’s what you should know.
How did Nevada become known for its marriage laws?
Before Nevada was known for its quick weddings, it was known for its quick divorces. During the Great Depression, divorce was hard to get
in many parts of the country. State leaders saw an opportunity to bring in more visitors, so they lowered the residency requirement to six weeks.
Soon, famous Americans like actress Rita Hayworth, General Douglas MacArthur, and painter Norman Rockwell were coming to Nevada to get divorced.
As other states liberalized their divorce laws, that became less of a draw, so Nevada pivoted to the other side, making it easier to get married.
What are the requirements to get married in Nevada?
Nevada marriage licenses require both parties to appear in person before the county clerk. They must be 18, not married to anyone else,
and not second cousins. They need an ID with their name and age, and US citizens must provide a Social Security number. Unlike a lot of states,
no blood test is required.
Marriage licenses are generally issued the same day that a couple applies and have no waiting period, which makes them ideal for celebrities who
hope to hold a wedding without the paparazzi having too much advance notice.
The licenses are good for a year, and whoever performs the wedding has 10 days to submit documentation for it to be recorded.
Are there any benefits to getting married in Nevada?
Apart from marriages and divorces, Nevada also makes annulments easy. Unlike a divorce, an annulment makes it so that it’s as if
the marriage never happened.
The basis for Nevada annulments can be broad, including void vs. voidable marriages. For voidable marriage, it can include that there was a
lack of consent due to your mental state, which could include being so intoxicated that you could not consent.
However, if there are children of the marriage, it must include custody and a support plan.
Under Nevada Revised Statute 125, you can seek an Annulment in the State of Nevada, even if you are a resident of another state, so long
as you were married in Nevada or were a resident of Nevada for six weeks.
—Not every state allows annulments or makes them so easy to get.
How does Nevada law treat domestic partners?
Nevada law also confers numerous rights on domestic partners, whether same-sex or same-sex couples. Some of the most important rights accorded to domestic partners in Nevada are:
• Nevada community property rights;
• The right to financial support from a partner (similar to Nevada alimony);
• The right to inherit from a partner in the absence of a will;
• The right to visit a partner in the hospital;
• Medical decision-making and the authority to receive information about a partner’s medical condition;
• The right to seek monetary damages for a partner’s wrongful death in Nevada; and
• The right not to testify against a partner in state court.
How might getting married in Nevada affect issues back in your home state like dividing assets in a divorce?
Getting a divorce in Nevada requires few residency requirements and is close to its populous sibling, California, making it appealing to get a quick divorce. Also, for people coming from the East Coast,
Nevada is not an equitable division state as much of the East Coast, where states rely on common law principles to divide assets. Instead, Nevada is a community property state which allows for equal
division of assets and debts.
This community property division can be affected if there is “fault” on one side, which may include misuse of assets or wasting marital assets. One example would be excessive gambling, which
would give a compelling reason for a different distribution than 50-50.
However, it can be a race to the finish line; you can go to Nevada to get divorced, but if your spouse files where you lived as a married couple, that court might control the result. Also, a case can be
transferred inter-state in the interest of Nevada being an inconvenient forum.
Are there other states that are good options for a quick-and-easy marriage?
Montana allows for double-proxy weddings for residents and active-duty members of the military. This means that members of the military serving in two separate locations overseas, another person
or “proxy” can stand in during the wedding. In the case of a double-proxy wedding, there can even be two stand-ins. Some states such as California allow single-proxy weddings, but no other state allows
for double-proxy weddings.
In Colorado, you are allowed to self-solemnize marriages, which means you do not need an officiant — such as a minister, priest, rabbi, or judge to perform the marriage — a couple can simply walk into
the county clerk’s office, fill out the required paperwork and leave a married couple.
In some states, it’s so easy to be married that you might not even know it.
In Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and the District of Columbia, if you meet certain requirements — usually consisting of living
together for an extended period- of- time — a couple can become common law spouses.
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama allowed common-law marriage at one -time and are still bound to recognize it.
New Hampshire has a limited form of common-law marriage related to inheritances only. Rhode Island and Oklahoma have had legal cases that also upheld common-law marriages.
While California doesn’t recognize common-law marriages within the state; if you come from a state that does allow common-law marriages,
California is legally obligated to recognize them.
About Alphonse Provinziano
Alphonse Provinziano is a Los Angeles-based family law attorney and founder of Provinziano & Associates where he focuses on high net worth divorces, family law, domestic violence, restraining orders,
child custody disputes, child support, grandparents’ rights, and pre-nuptial agreements. He is sought after for his wealth of experience navigating high-stakes divorces as well as his comprehensive knowledge
of nuanced and complex financial matters. Provinziano sits on the Board of Governors for the Beverly Hills Board Association and is a board member for the Family Law Executive Committee of California
Lawyers Association. To learn more, visit: www.provinziano.com
Published by Alphonse Provinziano
If you have a question, you can find Mr. Provinziano on Linkedin.com
Stevie Wilson,
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