Where? I thought you need a marriage license before the church will do any marriage ceremony. [California]
“Where? I thought you need a marriage license before the church will do any marriage ceremony. [California]”
Everywhere. A church can marry you in a religious ceremony without your obtaining a state license. Some won’t do it, but there is nothing to prohibit them from marrying you in a religious ceremony. In the secular sense, you won’t be married, but in the religious sense you will.
Ancient history now, but in the past certain states wouldn’t issue licenses to marry to mixed race couples. The Catholic churches in particular would simply marry the couples in a religious ceremony and in effect tell the state to go pound sand.