This TDCJ Wedding Officiant Helps Couples Choose Love Behind Bars

Texas wedding officiant Yomayra Ramirez officiated her first prison wedding last year. Since then, she’s helped 6 more couples ‘choose love’

 

Yomayra Ramirez had been a professional officiant for more than four years when she walked into a Texas state prison to officiate a wedding for the first time. It was very different from the weddings she’d performed before – no frills or decorations, no guests, no photos, and no ring exchange. But what she found at the ceremony that day kept her coming back: “people that continue to choose love in a difficult situation.”

 

Like many people visiting a prisoner at a Texas correctional facility for the first time, she wasn’t sure what to expect. But when a fellow officiant presented her with an opportunity to help someone in need, she decided to take a chance.

 

“I started my business in 2021 as a bilingual officiant who specializes in crafting custom ceremonies for local couples,” she explains. “About 50% of the couples I work with don’t live in my area. They come out here to get married because of family. I’m contacted as a trustworthy officiant because I’m open-minded and kind in response to the unique requests that future brides and grooms have in mind for their ceremony. I embrace new ideas and help them blend modern with cultural tradition to make sure the couple is happy—and so is their family.”

 

That same open-mindedness is what led her to explore what it would take to officiate a wedding inside a prison.

 

“A local wedding officiant referred a bride-to-be,” she says, “and after talking with her, I decided I would like to know how the process works. I went online and did my research…and after confirming I met the requirements, sent in my paperwork.” 

 

“Talking to the bride-to-be and having multiple conversations with her and the chaplain are what convinced me. I help the couples through the [marriage] process, when others avoid the calls...”

 

 

Officiant Yomayra helps couples navigate the often-difficult process of organizing a TDCJ wedding, so that they can focus more of their energy on the joy of the day.

 

 

Yomayra has officiated six more prison weddings since that day last September, often called ‘TDCJ weddings,' short for 'Texas Department of Criminal Justice.' The process is similar for each couple and each unit visit, with a few unpredictable elements. After all, it is still a wedding!

 

“During one of my visits there was a lockdown,” she says. “It has been a different experience each time I have gone to a unit,” but adds that “the process is definitely very straightforward.”

 

“Once we’re allowed into the facility and patted down, we sit and wait for the inmate to be brought to the location of the ceremony. This is a different location per unit. Some are conference rooms and others are regular visitation rooms. The ceremony is quick and there is no ring exchange. No photos either, depending on the chaplain attending.”

 

Related: Can You Get Married in Prison? Plus How to Find a Wedding Officiant While Incarcerated

 

“The first time I went out to the local unit, I found the chaplain to be quite crass and rude with the bride, the groom (inmate) not so much. I found [the chaplain’s] personal commentary quite unnecessary for people that are continuing to choose love in a difficult situation…but I did not allow that to deter me.” 

 

In fact, it seems people like that chaplain – people that try to make the process more difficult for couples in need – might even motivate Yomayra to do more:

 

“My consultations for [prison] weddings differ in that first I have to figure out where in the process the couple is, have they started the process of filling out the correct forms. I guide them through forms, affidavits, and acquiring a license. The process to get approved for a ceremony date can take two months sometimes.”

 

It’s a long and sometimes frustrating time for couples. But Yomayra helps keep things simple for them: 

 

“The ceremonies are scripted, so I just ask what language we’re doing, and if they need a religious based ceremony, or non denominational.” With the basics taken care of by an experienced officiant, it’s easier for the couple to focus on the joy of the day. Then, “the couple can add a personal touch by writing and reading their own vows,” she says.

 

It’s the joy that makes it worthwhile for her:

 

“Honestly, just being able to make marriage happen for the couples,” is what she enjoys most about being able to perform TDCJ weddings, she tells us. “The happiness I see among them once the ceremony is done.”

 

That happiness keeps her returning to places other wedding officiants might avoid – and bringing respect, dignity, and joy to couples who choose love, even in a difficult situation. 

 

 

Connect with Bilingual Texas Wedding Officiant Yomayra Ramirez!

 

Officiant Yomayra performs bilingual custom wedding ceremonies in Spanish and English in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, serving Hidalgo County, Cameron County, and beyond.

 

She specializes in religious, non-religious, and personalized celebrations for all couples. In addition to inclusive full-service custom weddings and elopements, Yomayra also provides professional, respectful wedding services for TDCJ inmates and their families.

 

Yomayra became an ordained minister with American Marriage Ministries in 2019 and has received more than a dozen 5-star reviews online from happy newlyweds. 

 

Connect here: 

 

• Facebook: Yomayra Ramirez - Wedding Officiant 

 

• Instagram: @yomayra_wedding_officiant

 

• TikTok: @yo.mayra

 

 

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AMM Ministers Make a Difference Every Day

 

We’re so grateful for AMM Ministers and wedding officiants like Yomayra Ramirez, and we know her couples are too. Her professionalism and support is inspiring!

 

At American Marriage Ministries, we believe that marriage is sacred. Our church was founded on the tenets that all people have the right to get married, to be married by an officiant of their choice, and to officiate weddings. 

 

Support these values and help people in your community get married – get ordained online free with AMM! 

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