FAQ's & Marriage License Info

Wedding Licenses:

Both parties must go in person to ANY South Carolina Probate Court to apply for their marriage license.  There will be a 24 hour wait before you must go back to pick up your license.  The probate court will hold the license for up to 6 months after you apply.  Please read carefully the requirements for what documentation you need to apply for the license.  Different counties may have different requirements.  Also, applicants under the age of 25 may have additional documentation required.

 

  • You must pick up your license from the same probate court in which you applied.
  • If you live in South Carolina, it would most likely be easiest to apply for your license at your closest probate court to where you live.
  • You will be given 3 copies of the license.  You must present all 3 copies to the officiant before the wedding at the beach the day of the ceremony.

 

If you do not live in South Carolina, you have a few options to obtain your marriage license….

_____________________________________________________________________________________

URGENT COVID UPDATE***THIS IS THE MOST CURRENT, UPDATED COVID PROCESS THAT WORKS IN FAVOR OF OUT-OF-STATE-COUPLES.  THIS IS THE #1 OPTION THAT WE MOST RECOMMEND (FOR NOW) BUT IT MAY CHANGE AT ANY TIME ONCE COVID IS FULLY UNDER CONTROL:

______________________________________________________________________________________

Option A: Apply at any South Carolina Probate Court IN PERSON. There will be a 24-hour wait before you must go back and pick up your license. They will hold the license for up to 6 months after you apply. The closest location to Myrtle Beach is the Conway office at 1301 2nd Avenue, Conway SC 29526 which is in Horry County. This is 15 miles from the Myrtle Beach Airport and hours are 8:30-4:30 Monday – Friday except holidays. 

If you do not live in South Carolina, the fee is $115 (fee was raised by the Court in July of 2017. Please see the marriage license instructions to know what you must bring with you.

http://www.horrycounty.org/portals/0/docs/probatecourt/INSTRUCTIONS_FOR_OBTAINING_A_MARRIAGE_LICENSE.pdf

 

Option B: Apply IN PERSON to Georgetown County Probate anytime before your wedding – they do not expire in this county. You BOTH will need to apply for your license in person at the Georgetown Probate Court when you get into town. After the full 24 hour waiting period, you can go back to pick up your license or send any designated family member to get it for you as long as the court is aware of this fact.

The office is 34 miles from the Myrtle Beach airport. Hours are 8:30AM – 4:00 Monday through Friday except on holidays.

The fee for ALL applications is $115 and they do NOT take credit or debit cards (This new fee amount took place on 10/1/19). Even though this location option is a little further from greater Myrtle Beach, the advantages of using this location are if you are staying on the far south end of the area, or if you do NOT have your actual Social Security cards (which are mandatory to have if you go to Horry County).

Here is a link to the instructions and the application for this option. http://www.georgetowncountysc.org/probate_court/ (Please be assured that it is more than acceptable to get your license from Georgetown County – or ANY other county in the state of South Carolina – and still get married on a beach in Horry County). (Also note that effective July 31st, 2015, Georgetown County NO LONGER accepts applications through the mail as everything must be done in person).

 

Option C: If your schedule once in Myrtle Beach for the wedding is just not going to allow you to have time to apply for and then go back and pick up your marriage license over a 2-day time period, you can always decide to go the Justice of the Peace in your local hometown and have a quick “official” ceremony where you will complete the paperwork and therefore not have to worry about obtaining it here in South Carolina.

In this case, you are NOT even required to bring the “official” paperwork with you to the beach to show us. We will still treat your ceremonial wedding here at the beach with the same enthusiasm and importance no matter where the paperwork is processed. Just because your paperwork may say one date on it, you know that you will forever celebrate your “wedding” day as the date you had us perform your ceremony in front of the beautiful ocean!!

This option works really well and may be necessary for those couples only looking to come to Myrtle Beach for a quick turnaround before returning home and won’t be able to spend 2 additional days obtaining their license from South Carolina.

  • No blood tests are required.

 

  • No license is required for Renewal of Vows.

FAQ’s

Are there any restrictions to being married on the beach (feet in the sand)?

  • Weddings on the beach are not allowed within the Myrtle Beach City Limits. Should you decide to stay in the City, we use alternate beach locations that would be, at the most, 15-20 minutes north or south of the city.

 

Is there a limit to how many guests can be present?

  • No limit, no price change. The only exceptions to this are if you require more chairs or if you are getting a full reception package through us as there is a charge for each person at a reception.  Please note, however, that parking is VERY limited at beach accesses and we strongly advise carpooling.  If possible when making your travel plans, try and stay at a hotel location that is “legal” to have a beach wedding so that you can walk right out and not worry about parking.  A list of some of these locations can be found under the “Recommendations” section above.

 

Can I have my own officiant?

  • YES!, unlike many other beach wedding companies in the Myrtle Beach area, we have no issues at all with you supplying your own officiant.

 

May our guests take photos or videos?

  • Yes, although we urge them not to interfere with the ceremony or your wedding photographer.  If there are multiple guests taking pictures behind the official photographer that you have hired from us, and they want you to look at their cameras, it will reduce the amount of pictures you get with the hired photographer.

 

May we add our own decorations?

  • Yes, of course, but please keep in mind that there are often strong winds, and you will need to be sure that everything is stabilized. We actually use special equipment for that purpose. Glass containers, SILK Flower Petals, Chinese Lanterns, candles or any type of flame are not allowed according to local police laws.

 

May our pets be included in the ceremony?

  • Certainly! We have included dogs, horses and even pot-bellied pigs in our ceremonies. The only restrictions would be those of the municipality relative to the times pets are allowed on the beach during peak months (generally May 15 – September 15 when pets are only allowed before 9 AM and after 5 PM.  Check with the local laws of the town you will be staying in to see what their specific rules are regarding pets on the beach.

 

If we elect to have the Bridal Music on the Beach, may we include our own special songs?

  • Yes, we will be happy to play your special song in lieu of “Here Comes the Bride,” during the Sand Ceremony or instead of the Wedding March at the end of the ceremony. All we need are the songs and artist(s) and we will download the songs to be played.

 

Do you have back-up options if the weather becomes an issue?

  • It is very rare that inclement weather will prevent a beach wedding, as many of the storms stay west of the Waterway, thanks to Westerly prevailing winds. With that said, we know there are going to be certain days where the weather will just not cooperate in allowing an outside wedding.  Here is how we treat such times:

 

  • Beach Occasions is strictly a BEACH wedding company as that is what 99% of our couples wish to have when they book with us.  We do not have an indoor facility as that would greatly increase our prices to you and complete rainouts are extremely rare.  But we also know you don’t book a beach wedding to have your ceremony inside.  To that end, we will do everything possible to put your feet on the sand!  Typically when it rains here, it’s just a passing shower and we can wait it out.  If there happens to be something more than that, we will stay in contact with you ahead of time and be flexible to move your time or even day if necessary (only as both of our schedules may permit).  If we are forced to move inside somewhere (i.e. your beach house), we would refund the fees directly related to the decorations you do not receive because of the weather.  In extreme, unlikely circumstances we are unable to have the wedding at all, we would refund your money in full.  As a note, we are one of the very few companies who will refund certain charges related to poor weather.  If you are comparing companies, be sure to ask if the other company you are researching has the same policy.

 

How do I reserve my date and time?

  • This is perhaps one of the most important things to do, as we reserve ample time for each wedding, and therefore restrict the number of weddings we can perform. Often, weddings are scheduled a year in advance, so an early reservation is encouraged as we typically sell out many of our dates. You can reserve your date and time by clicking on the big red heart button that says “RESERVE YOUR DATE” or by clicking here Bridal Contract. Once we receive your contract and initial $100 deposit, we will email you a confirmation email with your invoice and questions so that we can begin discussing the details of building your dream wedding.

 

How do I make payments?

  • Payments may be made via credit/debit card or by Zelle on our website by clicking on the “Make a Payment” button on our Home page, or by check/money order/cash to Beach Occasions. Final payment is due 30 days prior to the Wedding Date.

 

 

 

For help in planning your destination wedding, please contact us by calling 843-742-9339, emailing info@WeddingsinMyrtleBeach.com or fill out our brief contact form.