Getting married in Navarro County starts at the clerk's window

The window you want is in the basement of the old courthouse at 300 West 3rd Avenue in Corsicana, the Civil Department of the County Clerk's office. That's where a Navarro County marriage license is issued, and it's also where you'd file a Declaration of Informal Marriage, the paperwork Texas uses for common-law marriage. Both members of the couple have to come in person, and the office runs marriage licenses by appointment, so call ahead at (903) 654-3035 rather than just walking up.

The license itself runs about $82, and Texas builds in a 72-hour waiting period between getting the license and the ceremony unless you qualify for a waiver. Bring valid photo ID for both of you. The clerk now points couples to an online application to fill out before the appointment, which speeds up the visit, but the printing and signing still happen at the counter.

One thing people get tangled up on later: if you ever need a certified copy of the license, say for a name change, a passport, or Social Security, it comes from this same Navarro County Clerk, the county where you filed. The state health department keeps marriage records but only issues verification letters, not the certified copy itself. So whoever marries you, hang onto where the license was filed.