When planning a marriage, it is helpful to establish a relationship with an attorney, so you have trusted legal counsel available at all times. Each partner might even wish to secure their own lawyer before marriage.

1. CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE
MARRIAGEA F E W T H I N G S T O K E E P I N M I N D B E F O R E T Y I N G T H E K N O T I N
I L L I N O I S

2. LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
FOR MARRIAGE IN
ILLINOIS
• Both parties must be 18 years old unless there is parental
consent, in which case the age limit is 16.
• The couple must first obtain a marriage license.
• If one of the two parties had a previous marriage, the date of
divorce or date of the previous spouse’s death should be
reported. If the divorce or death occurred in the last six months,
a certified copy of the divorce decree or death certificate may be
required.
CALL FOR A CASE EVAULATION: 630-305-0222

3. CALL FOR A CASE EVAULATION: 630-305-0222
PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENTS
A couple can choose to secure
and define the financial rights of
both spouses in the event of a
divorce. Prenuptial agreements
have become popular as a
planning tool that can help
eliminate the potential for
finance-related conflict during a
marriage.

4. CALL FOR A CASE EVAULATION: 630-305-0222
FINANCIAL DISCUSSIONS
Whether or not a couple decides to get
a prenuptial agreement, it is still best
for a couple to consider all of the
financial aspects of a marriage.When a
couple gets married, they often share
property, file taxes differently and, in
some cases, share debt. For these
reasons, it is reasonable for two people
to take a look at their financial
situations, so they can begin their
marriage on firm financial ground.

5. CALL FOR A CASE EVAULATION: 630-305-0222
MAKING ARRANGEMENTS
FOR CHILDREN
If one or both of the parties has
children, it is important to take that
into consideration when planning for
marriage. In some cases, a couple
might decide that adoptions or
custody modifications should be part
of family planning. Most importantly,
a couple should always take a child’s
financial and emotional needs into
consideration before marriage.

6. CALL FOR A CASE EVAULATION: 630-305-0222
PLANNING FOR THE
FUTURE
Estate planning should be done as early as possible and updated when major life
changes occur. Estate planning is often used to secure assets in the event of a
family member’s passing, but it can also have other applications. Estate
planning tools include:
• Wills
• Powers of Attorney
• Living Wills (called a declaration in Illinois)

7. CALL FOR A CASE EVAULATION: 630-305-0222
LIFE CARE PLANNING
Think of life care planning as a subset
of an estate plan. Life care planning
sets forth your wishes regarding your
treatment and care if you are unable to
take care of yourself. It is an extremely
important process that is invaluable
when one spouse suffers a chronic,
debilitating illness or injury.

8. CALL FOR A CASE EVAULATION: 630-305-0222
IF YOU CHOOSE A CIVIL
UNION…
In some cases, a couple may favor a civil union over a
marriage. Civil unions mean that a couple is given the same
benefits on the state - but not the federal - level.This means
that tax breaks and establishing a partner as a social
security beneficiary are not an option. Civil unions do,
however, enable two people to exercise joint control over
property.They also provide the same responsibilities,
protections and benefits offered to married couple by
Illinois law.

9. CALL FOR A CASE EVAULATION: 630-305-0222
ESTABLISHING A RELATIONSHIP
WITH AN ATTORNEY
When planning a marriage, it is helpful
to establish a relationship with an
attorney, so you have trusted legal
counsel available at all times. Each
partner might even wish to secure their
own lawyer before marriage. A family
law attorney will help you through
many of the situations you might
encounter throughout your life and
assist you with any legal issues that
could arise.

10. CALL FOR A CASE EVAULATION: 630-305-0222
TO LEARN MORE,
CONTACT WOLFE & STEC
The family law attorneys atWolfe
& Stec are here to help you with
your legal needs, from prenuptial
agreements to estate planning.
Contact us today by filling out our
online contact form or calling us
at 630-305-0222.