On Your Own; Your Legal Right @ Eighteen On Your Own formatted final version | Page 67

If both you and your partner are 18 or older, you do not need your parents’
consent to get married. Your parents’ permission is needed if you are
between the ages of 16 and 18. You may not marry if you are less than
16.
After obtaining a marriage license from the town clerk in the town where
you or your partner reside, you may be married by a judge, justice of the
peace, or an ordained or licensed member of the clergy of any religion. A
person over 18 years old may also register to become a temporary
officiant.
Once married, you may choose whether to take your partner’s last name,
keep your own, or create some combination of the two names. If you
change your name, you will have to send notification of your name change
to organizations such as the Social Security office, the Post Office, and any
place where you maintain bank accounts or credit cards.
As a married couple, you may wish to change your bank accounts to “joint
accounts”—accounts in both of your names. Joint accounts can provide a
“right of survivorship,” which means if either of you dies, the other spouse
automatically owns everything in the account without having to get
ownership through the court. Joint accounts are also handy in that you
both have equal access to your funds, which could be important in cases
of sickness or emergencies.
With respect to property, each marital partner owns what was brought
into the marriage, whether it be real estate, a car, jewelry, cash, household
items, or any other property. Being married does not give you the right to
manage the other person’s property. But, if you get divorced, the family
court will divide the property you or your spouse brought into the
marriage, as well as any property you gained during the marriage.
No matter where or how you are married, remember: marriage is a
contract that imposes certain obligations. For example, each spouse must
support the other, and parents must support their children. If you do not,
you could be charged with a crime, and you could have your children taken
from you and placed with a relative, foster home, or the state.
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