does anyone know the process to be able to get married at Solano :confused:

Yep, I do. :)

I was married at Solano in March. The process is pretty easy. Here is what you have to do:

Have your fiance get you a "Marriage Packet". He can get one from his counselor and then he sends it to you.
Fill out all of the info that is for the "bride". You will also have to include a letter (addressed to the counselor) that explains that you are aware of what the inmate is incarcerated for, what his charges are, how much time he has left, if you've ever lived together before, how long you've known eachother, etc.
Send the packet back to the Counselor (make sure you find out your fiance's counselor's name, etc.)
Your fiance will then sign his portion of the packet once the counselor receives it.
Then the counselor will sign the marriage licence part of the packet and send it back to you.
Next, take the licence app. to the Vital Records office in downtown Fairfield. You will have to pay $75 and sign the licence.
Now, on the third thursday of every month the counselors go down to the hall of records and pick up the licenses. So if you went today and got your license, the counselor would pick it up on June 21st. If you turned in your license app. after June 21st, they will pick it up next month on July 19th. Get it?
After they pick up the license, they will have your fiance sign it.
Now you can call the reverend and schedule a wedding date. You MUST pick a date that is atleast 21 days AFTER the date that the counselor picks up the license at the Vital Records office. (example: if you go to the V.R. office on July 1st, the counselor will pick it up on July 19th, the third thursday of the month. So, the date you pick for your wedding must be AFTER August 9th.)
Also, the license is only good for 90 days from the day you pay for it......so another example would be: You buy it on July 1st, so it's good until Sept. 28th. And since you have to wait those 21 days (until Aug. 9th for this example), your options would be to get married on either Aug. 11th, 18th, 25th, or Sept. 1st, 5th, 18th, or the 22nd. The Reverend only does weddings on Saturdays.
Then you are all set. You pay the reverend $50 and on the day of your wedding he shows up at 11am and you get married.
After the wedding, the reverend sends your licence back to Fairfield, and in about 2 weeks you can go down there and buy copies of the certificate. The copies are $15 each.
Good luck!I know this may be confusing at first, but I promise it's really easy. Let me know if you have any other questons. Also, all of this info, plus the addresses and phone numbers of the Vital Records office, Reverend, etc., are listed in the marriage packet.

William'sBaby:heart:

thank you so much! one more question, what about wedding rings? are they allowed?

yes just his can't be more then 200.00 dollars and no diamonds i got him a silver band ingraved

do i take the rings the day we get married and does he get to keep it with him

Yes, bring the rings the day of the wedding. Take them up to one of the COs on duty in the visiting room, and they will make sure the ring is listed on your new husband's personal property list. He will get to keep his ring and wear it everyday. :thumbsup:

William'sBaby:heart:

How much does it cost to find the counselor?

How much does it cost to find the counselor?

Do you mean the Reverend?

William'sBaby:heart:

I'm Getting Married At Csp-solano. Here's My Question I Been Married A Couple Of Time's And Now Divorce But Do I Have To Put Down All The Time's I Was Married Or Can I Just Put Down The Last Time??? Anyone Know The Answer To My Question????

Well I got engaged today!!!! And I am full of questions....but I will make it simple....I just wanted to know if anyone of you ladies had gotten married here. How long the whole process took, from start to finish. And did you get married in the visiting room?

Thanks for helping me out.

I was married at Solano a little over a year ago. Here is some info for you:


Have your fiance get you a "Marriage Packet". He can get one from his counselor and then he sends it to you.
Fill out all of the info that is for the "bride". You will also have to include a letter (addressed to the counselor) that explains that you are aware of what the inmate is incarcerated for, what his charges are, how much time he has left, if you've ever lived together before, how long you've known eachother, etc.
Send the packet back to the Counselor (make sure you find out your fiance's counselor's name, etc.)
Your fiance will then sign his portion of the packet once the counselor receives it.
Then the counselor will sign the marriage licence part of the packet and send it back to you. (This may take a few weeks)
Next, take the licence app. to the Vital Records office in downtown Fairfield. You will have to pay $75 and sign the licence.
Now, on the third thursday of every month the counselors go down to the hall of records and pick up the licenses. So if you went today and got your license, the counselor would pick it up on June 19st. If you turned in your license app. after June 19st, they will pick it up next month on July 17th. Get it?
After they pick up the license, they will have your fiance sign it.
Now you can call the reverend and schedule a wedding date. You MUST pick a date that is atleast 21 days AFTER the date that the counselor picks up the license at the Vital Records office. (example: if you go to the V.R. office on July 1st, the counselor will pick it up on July 17th, the third thursday of the month. So, the date you pick for your wedding must be AFTER August 7th.)
Also, the license is only good for 90 days from the day you pay for it......so another example would be: You buy it on July 1st, so it's good until Sept. 28th. And since you have to wait those 21 days (until Aug. 7th for this example), your options would be to get married on either Aug. 9th, 16th, 23th, 30th, or Sept. 6th, 13th, 20th, or the 27th. The Reverend only does weddings on Saturdays.
Then you are all set. You pay the reverend $50 and on the day of your wedding he shows up at 11am and you get married. Do not be late! You must get a visitors pass just like everyone else. They (prison staff) don't care if you are getting married, you still have to wait in line like everyone else. So make sure you and your guests get to the prison early to obtain a vistor's pass. If you are late, the Reverend will not conduct the wedding.
You are married in the visiting room. You can either do it inside or on the padio (if you visit on side A).
You can bring wedding rings, but your fiance's ring cannot be worth more than $200, and cannot have any diamonds. He must also show the ring to one of the officer's in the visiting room, so that they can list the ring as part of you fiance's property.
After the wedding, the reverend sends your licence back to Fairfield, and in about 1-2 weeks you can go down there (County Clerks office, upstairs from the Vital Records office) and buy copies of the certificate. The copies are $15 each.
Good luck!
I know this may be confusing at first, but I promise it's really easy. The whole process with the marriage packet took about 2 weeks, but give it about a month. Let me know if you have any other questons. Also, all of this info, plus the addresses and phone numbers of the Vital Records office, Reverend, etc., are listed in the marriage packet.

William'sBaby:heart:

The Processed Has Changed A Little. Now You Are Responisible For Finding Your Own Minister And That Minister Has To Go Down To The Recorders Office And Get The License With You. Also The Inmate Has To Have Money On His Books Because He Has To Get A Form Notorized To Explain Why He Cant Be Present To Get The License.
The Only Reason I Know Is Because My Husband Friend Is Getting Married This Weekend And My Mother In Law Is Preforming The Ceremony. She Lives Here In Fairfield So She Is Going Down To The Recorders Office To Get The License And They Are Getting Married The Next Day. The Minister Has To Be An Approved Vistor Also. There Was A Thread In Inmate Marriage Information That List All The Changes. I Will See If I Could Find It For You.

thank you so much ladies..... it seems like its alot of hoops and loops....but its so worth it. I just want to make sure I do everything right the first time! Thanks again for all your help.

The Processed Has Changed A Little. Now You Are Responisible For Finding Your Own Minister And That Minister Has To Go Down To The Recorders Office And Get The License With You. Also The Inmate Has To Have Money On His Books Because He Has To Get A Form Notorized To Explain Why He Cant Be Present To Get The License.
The Only Reason I Know Is Because My Husband Friend Is Getting Married This Weekend And My Mother In Law Is Preforming The Ceremony. She Lives Here In Fairfield So She Is Going Down To The Recorders Office To Get The License And They Are Getting Married The Next Day. The Minister Has To Be An Approved Vistor Also. There Was A Thread In Inmate Marriage Information That List All The Changes. I Will See If I Could Find It For You.

Where is this thread? I can't believe they would change the process that much.

DeeNGee, You should get a hold of your fiance's counselor and find out about getting a marriage packet. Your fiance will mail you the packet and it will have all the info you need. ;)

William'sBaby:heart:

Thanks ladies for all the info, I was about to ask the same question. My fiance says that everyonr there is talling him it's going to be really hard because they make you go through a lot there at Solano to discourage marriages. I'm hoping that he's wrong but if not I'll just have to jump through their hoops, but all this info is very helpful where to start. ;)

HELLO EVERYONE I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE HAD ADVICE ON THE BEST PLACE TO START THE MARRIAGE PROCESS. I LIVE LIKE 8 1/2 HOURS AWAY SO I CAN'T BE BACK AND FORHT A LOT. mY HONEY ALRREADY HAS THE QAPPLICATION, AND GOT THAT END STARTED, BUT WITH THE TIME LIMITS I WANT TO GET EVERYTHING DONE THE RIGHT WAY, AND HE'S HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING HIS COUNSELOR TO MEET WITH HIM. ANY INFO WOULD BE A BIG HELP! THANKS LADIES. :)

Hey yall..
I just wanted to know can we wear tubtop dress for our marriage dress?..
Obiuzly the same visiting code rules apply..
i want to buy a cute one.. but its hard cuz we r hella limited!!...:(

is there a specific thread on the rules for wedding dress??

sorry if my post doesnt make sence lol :o

I think you mean a strapless gown and my guess would be that you can't be wearing anything strapless in a prison visiting room. :p

There are many wedding dresses with sleeves that are very pretty, so I'm sure if you keep looking you'll find a pretty gown that isn't strapless or otherwise against dress code policy.

Good luck with the hunt and congrats on your marriage. :)

ok so NO strapless lol
no flowers
how about the rings he wants a dimond cut..

Oh Yeah 1 More Thing...

Ive Found Some Dresses That Have A Thick Shoulder Strap Will That Work?
And What About Trains? All The Simple Ones Have A Train Some Are Shorter Than Others...

Ok.. No More Than 200 4 His Ring! Got It! Lol
My Bad I Shuld Have Finished Reading The Whole Thing! Lol
Thanks!!!

I cannot let it go 4 some reason lol

Who can i talk 2 about my dress for the day of our marriage..

it turns out I gotta order it the end of this month or early next month...

we dont have a date but he told me it doesnt take that long 2 get approved and get a date.. since i wanna get married in may (wishing lol)... the lady at the bridal store told me i gotta order this early bcuz xmas and holidays get in the way..

i know i cant wear a "real" gown (big ass one lol) but i found cute bridesmaids dresses so as of now i wanna do that...

n e 1 with info pm me or reply thanks ... sorry 4 the looooong ass message..

I cannot let it go 4 some reason lol

Who can i talk 2 about my dress for the day of our marriage..

it turns out I gotta order it the end of this month or early next month...

we dont have a date but he told me it doesnt take that long 2 get approved and get a date.. since i wanna get married in may (wishing lol)... the lady at the bridal store told me i gotta order this early bcuz xmas and holidays get in the way..

i know i cant wear a "real" gown (big ass one lol) but i found cute bridesmaids dresses so as of now i wanna do that...

n e 1 with info pm me or reply thanks ... sorry 4 the looooong ass message..

Maybe call the marriage coordinator? Good luck!

Hi Everyone:)
I am so excited right now.. My Fiance and I have decided to get married while he is at Solano.. Can anyone share their wedding experience with me. What was it like for you getting married there? What steps did you have to take to make this happen? What about the rings and pastor how did you take care of that. I understand I need to send a letter to his counselor along with the wedding packet. What things should I include in the letter to them. I look forward to hearing about your expereince there.:thumbsup:

I just received a letter from a great friend of mines who's talking about getting married possibley in July!! Wow!!Don't know how it works but I would like to attend!! I know pretty much all of the prison's are the same but any info is appreciated!!

My Fiances got our Marriage Packet :D>>> I am very excited... We have waited a long time for this.. I hope the process goes smooth for us. I am still very confused about the steps we need to take.. He said something to me about having to get his signature notorized I guess that would be in his absence to obtain the marriage certificate. We also need to find a Pastor outside of the prison who will be willing to come in with me to marry us. If anyone knows of anyone locally please PM me... okay I will just take this one step at a time and Breath :o...