Massachusetts Residents No Longer Need To Give a Blood Test to Get Married

I'll be tying the knot in October and I'm doing everything humanly possible to plan the perfect day; right down to obtaining the marriage license.

It has come to my attention that at one point in time, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts required a premarital blood test for anyone getting married in the state. The law was active for a good 60 years before it was abolished in 2005.

At first, I assumed it had something to do with confirming you weren't marrying a family member (as odd as that sounds), but it turns out it was more of a health concern to prevent the spread of syphilis.

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The bill to no longer require a blood sample was signed by then-Gov. Mitt Romney in January 2005, saving the Commonwealth an estimated $2 million in medical and lab fees annually.

Even though this has been public information for almost 20 years, I'm still grateful I don't have to take the extra step of getting a blood test as one of the tasks that come with getting married.

These days, any couple planning on getting married in Massachusetts must have a license certificate authorized a minimum of three days before the wedding and a maximum of 60 days before expiring. However, the minimum waiting period for a "certificate of the intention of marriage" may be waived in "extraordinary or emergency cases," according to Massachusetts law.

Massachusetts law also requires both parties to be 18 or older to apply for a marriage license, and a $50 fee.