48 "Minister Feature" Category Articles Page 2

Meet Rev. Dr. Samora Smith of Common Ground Ceremonies in NYC, an experienced wedding officiant specializing in interfaith and ‘spiritual but not religious’ weddings, educating officiants as part of Officiant Accelerator, and helping couples build lasting marriages with The Lovesmith Academy.

Award-winning filmmaker and one-of-a-kind wedding officiant Nico Raineau is in the business of telling love stories. His officiant business RomCom Weddings takes center stage this year, as he performs stunning, cinematic-style custom weddings. Read his take on theme weddings, the Writers Guild of America strike, his upcoming romantic comedy film about professional wedding officiants, and more!  

AMM interviews Celebrant Sara Williams to learn what a home funeral guide does, how Death Cafes change the conversation around death and dying, the role of a death doula, and how natural after-death care and green burial helps people reconnect with the natural cycle of life. Sara is an educator, consultant, and officiant of funerals and weddings, and owns Shrouding Sisters, near Raleigh, North Carolina.

Dreaming of a nudist wedding? Texas Wedding Officiant Renee Reyes talks about spiritual elements of naturist weddings plus tips on how to have a nudist wedding

In addition to officiating with Savannah Simple Weddings, Wedding Officiant Helen P. Bradley is also a successful novelist! Her debut novel, Breach of Trust, was published by Moonshine Cove Publishing in April and launched in June, 2023. Learn about Helen's new book, her previous work as a victim advocate with the Chatham County Victim-Witness Assistance Program, her thriving wedding officiant business, her advice for first-time officiants, whether there's another novel exciting novel on the way, and more.

Comedian and licensed NYC wedding officiant Adam Sank brings heartwarming humor to the altar with comedy themed weddings: Adam talks about how to write a funny wedding speech, recent attacks on LGBTQ+ rights and marriage equality, naked weddings, and more.

Meet expert Celebrant Christopher Shelley! Chris uses the act of storytelling to write compelling and personal wedding ceremonies, and is a master at keeping wedding guests entertained and putting couples at ease! Christopher will be speaking at AMM's Officiant ACCELERATOR event in New York City this August, along with a panel of experienced wedding officiants.

Proposed drag bans like the one in Tennessee impact LGBTQ+ weddings, ministers and wedding officiants, and the entire queer community. Drag performers belong at weddings! Learn ways to protect LGBTQ+ ministers and wedding performers. (TN SB0003 ; U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker)

AMM-ordained officiants Nicki and Brandon Storm offer inclusive and personalized underwater wedding ceremonies in San Antonio, Texas, as well as scuba certification and open water instruction for diving enthusiasts, destination wedding packages, and more.

Texas Wedding Officiant Latrice Roman is known for performing unique marriage ceremonies that spill the tea on a couple’s love story and leave everyone feeling calm and comfortable – including the newlyweds! Her inclusive business, Put a Ring on it Dallas! , offers a small elopement venue, fun photos, and a wide range of wedding packages and services, to ensure a cute, affordable, and memorable wedding ceremony. Latrice is an ordained minister with American Marriage Ministries and has been officiating since 2018.

This original salt and sage ‘love smudge’ is the perfect ritual blessing for a lowkey Pagan wedding! Including directions on how to prepare the blend and cast a circle around the wedding ceremony space, with examples for the officiant on what to say and do during the smudging ceremony. This smudge recipe includes pink salt and sea salt, sage, rosemary, thyme, lavender, cinnamon, soil, and more, for powerful magick on the wedding day, and was created by AMM minister Reverend Scarlett Mullikin.

Meet 'Ordinary' Margaret Hall, an AMM-ordained minister and wedding officiant, and proud owner of The Matchbox Drive Thru -- an inclusive Vegas-themed wedding and elopement chapel located in Lafayette, Georgia, just outside Chattanooga Tennessee. Learn about Margaret's path to ordination with American Marriage Ministries, how she started a successful wedding officiant business, and how her unique marriage services support diverse communities in Georgia and beyond.

AMM-ordained Lori Prashker-Thomas made the leap from events photographer to wedding officiant when two friends in Salt Lake City, Utah, asked her to officiate their Jewish same-sex wedding ceremony. She now performs diverse marriage ceremonies and advocates for LGBTQ+ marriage equality in Pennsylvania, New England, and beyond.

AMM Minister Dyanna Volek got her start marrying people as a volunteer Marriage Commissioner at San Francisco City Hall. But when COVID caused shutdowns and delays to civil ceremonies and marriage licenses, she got ordained online with American Marriage Ministries to help friends and family get married quickly and safely. Soon, her passion became a business.

Minister Jan Shannon delivered an LGBTQ+ affirming prayer and message of love and unity at the Coeur d'Alene Pride in the Park event, while far-right protestors carried AR-15s and pistols through the crowd, anti-gay Catholics and others harassed members of the audience, and dozens of neo-Nazi Patriot Front members were arrested nearby for planning a riot.