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1. Blood Test. Both wedding participants must undergo a physical examination that includes three features: a blood test for syphilis; a blood test of any female participants for rubella; and counseling for HIV/AIDS. The test is good for 60 days. Any physician may perform this examination anywhere in the country, but he/she must complete the Massachusetts form, available online at http://www.mass.gov/dph/cdc/std/premar.pdf. (Note that retrieving this form requires Acrobat Reader.)
2. Notice of Intention to Marry. Massachusetts requires that both wedding participants swear to a Notice of Intention to Marry and file a blood test form from their physician, then wait three or more calendar days, then obtain a Marriage License. Both wedding participants must appear together and in person to complete and swear to the Notice. (There are exceptions for absence because of illness or military service.) IF YOU LIST AN ADDRESS ANYWHERE IN MASSACHUSETTS, THE TOWN CLERK OF WILLIAMSTOWN WILL ACCEPT THAT WITHOUT FURTHER PROOF. The street address for the Queer Student Union, by the way, is 20 Morley Drive, Williamstown, MA 01267. (Clerks in some other Towns may require proof of Massachusetts residency, such as a driver's license or a utility bill.) If you list an address outside of Massachusetts, the next question on the form will ask you if you intend to reside in Massachusetts. If you answer that question "no," the Town Clerk will pull out a list of impediments to marriage under your home state's law and explain to you why she/he cannot issue a license to you. (If you are planning an elaborate wedding, prudence dictates that you hurdle this barrier before setting the date.)
3. Marriage License. A Marriage License issued anywhere in Massachusetts is good everywhere in Massachusetts, so you can get your License in Williamstown and hold the wedding anywhere else you want. You must wait three calendar days after you file both the blood test and the Notice of Intention to Marry before you apply for the Marriage License. The license fee varies -- in Williamstown it is $10.00 US. The officiant at the wedding will complete the Marriage License and file it with the Town Clerk. It then becomes the Marriage Certificate, and is double-filed with the Town Clerk and with the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, Massachusetts Department of Health, in Boston.
4. If you want to bring along a clergyperson from outside of Massachusetts to perform the ceremony, plan a delay of four to five weeks to process the paperwork. The wedding participants or the clergyperson needs to call the Public Records Division of the Secretary of the Commonwealth in Boston at (617) 727-2836 and request the necessary forms. That Division will mail the forms directly to the clergyperson for her/him to complete and return. Upon approval, a temporary authorization will issue allowing her/him to perform your wedding ceremony in Massachusetts. That authorization will be attached to and recorded with the Marriage License after the ceremony.
5. "The College encourages the use of Thompson Memorial Chapel for weddings by the Williams community," says the Guidelines for Use of Thompson Memorial Chapel found at http://www.williams.edu/Chaplain/Weddings_Williams.html. The rental rate is roughly $150.00 US, paid when you reserve the Chapel for your wedding. In addition, there are the usual honoraria to the clergyperson and the organist. Note that TMC is just wrapping up several months of repairs. The Rev. Rick Spalding, College Chaplain, and Rabbi Sigma Faye Coran, Associate Chaplain, are both supportive and might be able to perform your ceremony. Check the page at http://www.williams.edu/Chaplain/Staff.html.