Frequently Asked Questions & Tips

NO.  One payment gives you the course for both of you to use.  If your fiance is in another location, you can forward the automatic letter with the link to him/her and they can download their own copy.

No.  Paypal allows you to pay with any credit card.  NOTE:  Paypal allows you to use a direct transfer or e-check from your bank account.  If you do this, it takes them 3-5 days to process it and you don’t receive the course until the processing clears.  Unless you have plenty of time before your wedding, I don’t recommend this.

Here is how to pay with OR without a Paypal Account:
• When you click on the Add to Cart button, you will be taken to a page that asks you to enter your country and zip code.
• After you do that,click on Update Cart
• Then, click on the PAYPAL button – even if you don’t have or want a Paypal account.  This is simply to process payments.
• On the next page you will have an option to either log in and pay with a Paypal account OR to pay with any Credit Card even if you don’t have a Paypal account.
• Then it will give you a place to enter your credit card information.  That information is handled through Paypal’s secure server.  It does not come to me or anyone else and is secure.
• Then you follow the rest of the buttons, Review & Continue, etc.

Yes, BUT be sure to let me know by e-mail what name the registration is under and what your name is when you let me know that you have completed the course and quiz. I have had certificates delayed because I can’t match up the name with the registrations.

When you do the quiz, you will be asked to put your current legal name.  That means first and last name, not just Joseph or Mary.  The name you put should match what is on your driver’s license or the legal identification that you plan to use to verify who you are when you go to the Clerk’s office.  The certificate name has to match that first and last name or they will not accept it.

• Check your SPAM folder.
• Check other e-mail accounts that you may have used or put on the quiz.
• If you did it from someone else's computer and sent e-mail to notify me that you are finished from their account, it may have gone to them.
• Make sure you have removed any spam filters or approval requirements that may be holding up the e-mail.
• If you still have not found it, e-mail me and give me your e-mail again and an alternate e-mail so I can send to both. Sometimes there is a typo in the e-mail address or a problem in your Internet provider (Some hate attachments! AOL seems to have the most problems. The certificate is a PDF file. )
• If you still don't find it, contact me and I will re-send it.

After you complete the required time and pass the short quiz, you will receive the certificate within 1 business day by e-mail (unless there is a hurricane, internet provider problem, etc.). Sometimes you will get it within the hour.  Other times it could be several hours or at the end of the day.   I am a therapist with clients during the day, and occasional meetings outside the office.  I do the certificates as quickly as possible.  I check and do them throughout the day as I can, in the evening, and first thing in the morning. If you need your certificate for a Friday, be sure to complete your course and quiz by 7:30AM.  I will always check first thing on Friday mornings, but I am frequently in meeting on Friday or leaving early for a workshop.  Sometimes I just take Friday afternoon off and do errands. ALWAYS check the first page HERE for any vacation/out-of-town notices. I will always try to post them in advance.

Occasionally that happens and most often depends on what program you are using to open the PDF file. Adobe Acrobat Reader should always open it correctly both on Windows and Mac computers. Mac Preview normally opens it correctly, but if not, try Acrobat. Other programs are likely to give you mixed results. Adobe Acrobat is often already on most computers, but if not, you can download it for FREE here. Make sure you get the right version for your computer. They have older versions HERE.

It depends.  Most often I put the certificate in both names, assuming that both of you have done the course and each done a quiz.  If only one person is taking the course, you will have a place on the quiz to let me know whether or not your partner will be taking his/her own quiz.  If you write NO, I will just issue an individual certificate.  If later the person decides to do the course and quiz, I can either issue them an individual certificate or create one with both names.   To have both names on a certificate, both must take the course and their own quiz.

For one year from the date it is issued.

When you purchase the course, you will immediately have a link on the screen to download the course. If by chance you miss it, you will receive an automatic letter entitled Premarital Course Important Info & Links that has the link again. READ and SAVE that letter. It has important information AND the quiz links.
Download the course to your computer because the link will expire. Once you download it, you can take your time in doing it. The quiz links will not expire.
The course is in a PDF file that you can either read on your computer or print out. I recommend printing it out, especially any pages with activities.
Spend the required time and then take the quiz AFTER you have done the course. Notify me and I will review the quiz and assuming you pass it, I will then send the certificate.

The certificate will be sent as a PDF attachment through e-mail. Monroe and Pasco County require hard copies.

Florida law requires that you spend a minimum of 4 hours on the premarital course. It is not my rules. It is not just my course. It is true for every premarital course because it is law.

You can read the material probably in an hour and a half. (If English is not your primary language, it may take longer. Hopefully in the future we will have it in other languages!) The rest of the time is to be spent doing the activities and discussion questions together. You are meant to interact with each other, not the computer! Couples enjoy the discussion questions and regularly comment that they learned new things about themselves and sometimes were able to talk about important things, including some they never thought to disucss.

Yes. Be sure to download it to your hard drive because the link will expire. But once you download it, you can take as much time as you want to start and finish it.

The links to the quiz are at the bottom of the letter you will receive after you purchase the course. There are separate links for the male and female. If you mix them up, don't worry. It's just so that you don't have the same exact quiz.

• If you actually read and do the course, you should not have any trouble with the quiz. 
• Do the quiz AFTER you have done the course.  If you have forgotten something, you can always look it up again. 
• Most of the questions are either multiple choice or Ture/False. There are no 'trick' questions, but it does require that you read the course. There are also a few asking you what you learned about your partner, etc.  

• Occasionally, people will not get enough correct answers on the objective questions, although I think most often it is because they didn't actually read the course!  If that happens, I will usually send you the questions you missed so that you have an opportunity to review those sections again and submit the correct answer.    If you just try to guess your way through it and miss half or more, I will either have you do submit some of the written activities you did together or have you review the course and try again.   My goal is not to trick you or prevent you from passing or stop you from getting married.  It is simply a way of making sure people actually read and do the course.

The counties listed on this website are the counties where I am registered.  I am usually listed under Dawn J. Lipthrott, LCSW, but sometimes they list it under the Relationship Learning Center.   Online and printed directories with individual counties are often not kept up to date. One person received a directory that was 2 years old. So while I am listed in most, there are a few in which I am not listed even though I am approved. If you have any doubt, call the Clerk's office. But if any of these counties listed on my site say I am not listed, it is because someone in the office is not bothering to check or is looking it up incorrectly.

I have not registered in all counties, but have approval in major counties all over the state. If I am not approved in your county, you can get your license in a neighboring county where I am approved and then get married in your own county. Florida does NOT require that you get married in the same county of your license. Once you have your license, you can get married anywhere in Florida. But you will need to file your paperwork after your ceremony in the same county where you obtained your license and they will keep your records there.

Yes. If it is done by a registered provider and meets all the requirements of the law. Here is the section of the law:

"Each individual shall verify completion of the course by filing with the application a valid certificate of completion from the course provider, which certificate shall specify whether the course was completed by personal instruction, videotape instruction, instruction via other electronic medium, or a combination of those methods."
Florida Statutes 741.0305 (1)

It depends on how your individual county interprets the law.  Check on your county’s marriage license website or call them to be sure.  Many do NOT require it, but a few do because they interpret the law differently.   Also note that they are referring to your LEGAL residence.  Even if you have been at college or working in another state for a year, but still have your driver’s license or other legal residency here, you are considered a resident of Florida.

Most couples, even if one person is not required to take it, do the course as a couple for their own benefit and also because you have to meet the 4 hour requirement.  It does not take 4 hours to read the course.  So that means that you need to spend time doing the activities.

You can each read your own copy of the course and then do some of the actifvities by e-mail, telephone or Skype.  One person who’s fiance was in the military in Iraq said that doing the activities by phone and e-mail made them feel more connected while he was there.

Most Clerk's offices do a fine job and things go smoothly. Once in a great while, couples may encounter someone new, or someone filling in at lunch time or when someone is absent and they just don't know. If you have any problem, ask to speak with the supervisor. If you still have problems or are not able to speak with the supervisor, go to a different branch office in your county. If all else fails, go to a neighboring county. My name and number will be on the front of the certificate, so if you can reach me, I would be happy to answer any questions or speak with the clerk's office if you are having problems. I just may not be available.

Don't panic reading this!!!! It is a rare occurence, but I want you to be prepared and not stressed out at the last minute. That's why it is good to get your license before the actual time of the ceremony, even if it is earlier the same day. It is better to have to make 2 trips to the courthouse, then have your family at the courthouse and you having to straighten something else, or bring something you may have forgotten. Be clear about what ID or other papers you have to bring. Many Clerk's offices have good information about requirements on their websites.

It usually means that your Internet Browser is pinging the site numerous times to try to download faster. It won't work. If you have any accelerators on your browser, turn them off or use another computer. I have it set on the maximum. E-mail me and I will reactivate the link or if all else fails, we will use an alternative way.

1.  Make sure the e-mail address you use with Paypal is a current working address.  The course link and links for the quiz is automatically sent to that address.  So if you use an old Paypal account, or put in your mother’s address because you are using her credit card, the course will go to her e-mail.

2.  READ & SAVE the automatic e-mail letter. You will need it. (Premarital Course Important Info & Links)  Usually within 15 minutes of purchasing the course, you will receive a receipt from Paypal and a letter entitled Premarital Course Purchase.  It has the links to the quiz that you will need after you finish the course.

3.  Spend the required 4 hours on the course.  It is not my rule, it is Florida law.  Neither you nor I can change that.  If you try to shortchange the process and I discover it, you will be required to do extra work and in some cases, denied the certificate.  If you are honest and do what you are supposed to, you won’t have any problems.

4.  Use it as an opportunity to learn something new about relationships and about each other. No one knows it all or knows everything there is to know about their partner or themselves -- even if they think they do. Even if you are not thrilled about having to do it, enjoy the activities and discussion questions. This is not to just pass a quiz. It is an investment in building a solid and lasting marriage. Use it to connect with each other.

5. Scan over the Frequently Asked Questions and read any that you are not sure about. It can save you problems later. Check there first, because most questions are answered.

6. E-mail is the quickest way to contact me if your question is not answered or you if you run into any problems.