AMERICAN WEDDINGS BLOG
Check out these 183 articles tagged with Marriage Laws. The American Weddings Blog is your source for officiant tips, ceremony planning, and more.
New Virginia marriage law protects same-sex, LGBTQ+, and interracial couples. See how the change impacts AMM Ministers and wedding officiants in Virginia.
Virginia marriage laws effective July 1, 2024 protect constitutional right to marry and ban child marriage by raising legal marriage age in Virginia
Learn about proposed changes to Delaware state marriage laws which determine how people on parole or probation apply for a marriage license. A substitute Senate bill would remove the requirement for parolees to obtain special permission from a court officer to marry. (SS 2 for SB 4 / 2024 / Sen. Pinkney / House Majority Leader Melissa Minor-Brown)
Learn about updates to Hawaii marriage laws that make it possible for couples to meet with a marriage license agent remotely using online services. Once approved, this law would go into effect April 14th, 2112. (2024 HI HB2435, Rep. Scott Saiki [D])
Learn about updates to online/virtual marriage laws in Utah, and what wedding officiants and couples should know about remote marriage services in the state: What to know if you want to officiate an online wedding in Utah! (UT SB0081 / Chapter 424, 2024 / Sen. Weiler, Rep. Loubet)
Learn more about remote wedding options, including whether or not it’s legal to get married over the phone, using online virtual / video-conferencing platforms like Zoom, or by proxy marriage ceremony.
Follow these simple steps to perform marriage for friends and family.
Learn about controversy caused by Justices of the Peace in Bridgeport, CT, who are loitering outside the vital records office and marrying couples at city hall without prior permission.
Learn about marriage legislation in Tennessee that would ban marriages between first-cousins – plus a bill that would create a separate marriage license for opposite-sex couples, and one that would discriminate against LGBTQ couples by only allowing common law marriages for heterosexual couples in the state.
Gov. Inslee signed a bill into law on Thursday raising the legal minimum age to marry in Washington State to 18 years old, without exception. This change will become effective on June 6th, 2024, which means that minors will not be permitted to apply for a marriage license after this date.
Utah legislators consider a substitute bill that will allow couples to marry in virtual wedding ceremonies from anywhere in the world, as long as certain guidelines are followed carefully. Amendments include creating a criminal penalty for officiants who knowingly make a false statement on a marriage license, prohibiting use of power of attorney to secure a license, and strengthening guidelines to confirm age, legal name, and identity when they apply for a marriage license.
Learn about proposed changes to Utah's remote marriage ceremonies and services in 2024. Legislators seek to amend the law to require at least one of the individuals getting married be physically present in the state when the marriage is solemnized. Currently, only the officiant must be located in Utah during an online wedding. (Senate Bill 81 ; UT SB0081 | 2024 ; Sen Todd Weiler)
Four states are considering child marriage bans in 2024, with legislation that would raise the legal age of consent to marry to 18 years old. Learn about efforts in California, Hawaii, Missouri, and Washington to outlaw the marriage of minors: CA SB575, HI HB206, MO SB767, WA HB1455
Learn about legislation to outlaw child marriage in Washington State. The members of the WA House of Representatives voted unanimously in favor of HB 1455 this month, which would eliminate an exception that allows 17 year old minors to marry in the state. The bill now heads to the Senate. (2023 / 2024 WA House Bill 1455; Representative Monica Stonier [D])
Learn about legislation to allow virtual marriage license appointments and online wedding ceremonies in New Jersey. Carry over bills sponsored by Representative Don Guardian [R] and Representative Annette Quijano [D] would create new legal provisions for remote marriage services and ceremonies conducting with video-conference like Zoom, Skype, or Google Meet. (2024 Senate Bill 1165 and Assembly Bill 3082 / S1165 ; A3082 ; previous A2347 )
Can an AI Avatar or Chatbot Legally Officiate a Wedding Ceremony? Learn who (and what) can serve as a legal officiant for your marriage ceremony, including what to know about self-solemnizing weddings, virtual and remote online weddings, and how to include an AI avatar or chatbot as a co-officiant.
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