American Weddings Blog

Just when you thought they couldn’t go any lower, a group of Tennessee lawmakers introduced yet another bill that aims to strip non-traditional couples of their constitutional right to marriage and equal treatment under the law. 

But this time around, two Republican lawmakers Janice Bowling and John Ragan are coming at it from a different angle – arguing that supporting same-sex marriage is a violation of the First Amendment's establishment clause which prohibits the government from "respecting an establishment of religion." ...(continued)

Couples suing Virginia claim that the state’s marriage license application process is "offensive," "unconstitutional" and "reflective of a racist past.” And it’s not hard to see why...

In one county, the list of races that couples can choose from includes "Aryan," "Octoroon," "Quadroon" and "Mulatto.”

If your list includes designations used by slaveowners to designate ensure that mixed race children of slaves and their white owners would stay enslaved (and separate from “pure” white folk) you’ve got a serious problem.

A “mulatto” person is half black (one black parent). A "quadroon" was one quarter black (one black grandparent). An "octoroon" is one eighth black… ...(continued)

Our ministers are the reason that we show up to work every day. Without our ministers, AMM isn’t much more than a few empty desks, a couple of computers, and a coffee machine… 

But when you stand with couples in front of their friends and families, you are preaching our gospel of love and community. You’re reinforcing our values. You bring the magic that transforms weddings into transcendant expressions of love and joy!

That’s why it’s so important to tell your stories, to let others know why AMM exists, and why you chose to get ordained through us to officiate weddings. ...(continued)

I woke up early on the morning of February 22, 2019 and drove to the Hall County Probate Court to see what Frank and Joseph’s wedding might have looked like if this particular office hadn’t decided to stop conducting courthouse wedding ceremonies.
 
The building is situated in the heart of Gainesville’s scenic downtown. I can see right away why the couple I’m about to join in marriage wanted to have their ceremony take place here. It’s solid, historic, and stately. There’s a significance to structures such as this one, bastions of civil society, and - up until a few years ago - popular destinations for courthouse weddings.
 
But that’s not possible any more, and that’s also why American Marriage Ministries’ efforts are still so important.
 
It all started when Frank, an AMM minister himself, emailed us wondering whether there were any AMM ministers in the Gainesville are...(continued)

Republican lawmakers in Tennessee have introduced a bill that prohibits state government officials from facilitating same-sex marriages, undercutting the Fourteenth Amendment, and denying same-sex couples the rights afforded to their heterosexual counterparts. This proposed law is in direct contradiction to AMM’s belief that "everyone has the right to marry the person they love, and that it is the right of the couple to choose who solemnizes their marriage.” 

American Marriage Ministries condemns this latest attempt to marginalize minorities, and stands in solidarity with our LGBTQ allies. ...(continued)