American Weddings Blog

COVID-19 (aka Coronavirus) is dominating headlines and rapidly changing everyday life across the globe.

For those with obligations to officiate an upcoming wedding, you may find yourself amongst some very frantic and stressed individuals. While some cancellations are inevitable, many couples will choose to move forward with their wedding plans – either by delaying the wedding, or simply cutting down the guest list to meet compliance with current crowd restrictions.

Whether you’re facing a postponed wedding, an intimate ceremony, or a bare-minimum elopement: officiants must keep calm, and officiate on!

Now that the masses are getting ready to hunker down in self-quarantine or isolation, we present to you a positive and constructive way to occupy your time: by utilizing the many resources AMM has to offer, making headway on your (eventual) ceremony, and learning how to provide comfort and assistance to couples in this trying time....(continued)

“Hi AMM! I know I can perform marriage in any state for others, but can I perform my own ceremony?”

The quick answer is this: It might be possible to perform your own marriage, but it is not a common practice, and is generally not permitted.

Whether or not you can perform your own marriage ceremony depends entirely on the regulations in the state where you are getting married.

At present, these are the only states that offer self-uniting (also known as self-solemnizing) marriage licenses: 

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...the officiant? The bride? The groom?

Siri?

Short answer: it depends. There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to who should write the wedding ceremony. Every couple, every situation, and every ceremony is different.  Since we’re particularly close to the officiating side of the wedding world, we used to assume that the ceremony was almost always written by the friend or family member who was being asked to perform the ceremony: the officiant. 

However, what we have found over the years is that the couple often wants to write their own ceremony....(continued)

When it comes time to plan the wedding, couples often want to include close friends and family members - sometimes even all of their guests - in the ceremony. Weddings are a communal event, and we want the shared experience to remain in the memories of our guests long after the wedding is over and our loved ones have parted ways. 

Here’s some ideas to help you include as many friends and family as possible in your big day!

The Family and Friends Blessing

The family and friends blessing is a small piece (reading) in which the officiant explains the importance of family and friends. After the reading, the officiant asks the guests whether they will support the couple as they begin this new chapter of their lives. It’s similar to the end of aisle question, but it’s answered in unison, allowing all guests to feel like they’re a significant part of the ceremony. ...(continued)

Of all the big decisions a couple must make when planning their wedding, one of the most difficult is whether or not to have an alcohol free, or “dry” wedding. There are many reason that  couples might choose to have an alcohol free wedding, from religious prohibitions to a history of alcoholism in the family, to medical reasons. 
 
Sometimes the couple just doesn’t drink and they don’t feel like paying for that open bar. 
 
Remember, it’s your wedding, so celebrate it your way. And just because the booze isn’t flowing doesn’t mean that your wedding has to be boring. In fact, dry weddings can be downright exciting!  
 
We reached out to some couples who’ve had positive experiences with planning their dry weddings, to see how they did it, and what their experiences were like.
 
Emily and Aaron O'Neill's decided to have a dry recept...(continued)