Several years ago the California legislature passed a law that would solve a very practical problem for a group of people living in California. This group needed a special wedding license to facilitate their wedding. They are those who had been living together for a long period of time and who wanted to get married without anyone (e.g.. their children, their neighbors, etc.) finding out that they hadn't been married all along.

The law provides for a license that is not published in the paper. This works great in solving the problem of legalizing what was once called "Common Law" marriage.

Many who do not fall in this category are choosing to get a Confidential Marriage License. This is problematic for several reasons:

1) One has to state on the application that you have been living together;
2) There can be problems with government agencies finding out about your wedding (e.g..          IRS, Social Security, and etc.); and,
3) It is more expensive.