American Weddings Blog

If this is your first time officiating a wedding, your first concern might be, “how do I make sure the wedding is legal?” The good news is, it’s actually pretty easy. But, you’ll need to figure out the following: Do you need a government minister license, or is your online ordination sufficient?
 
Let’s start by breaking down the difference, and then learn about which states require a government license or some other form of registration.
 
An ordination is the first, and often only requirement to officiate weddings in all 50 states. Ordination grants someone the authority to perform certain acts as a “minister” or religious authority, sanctioned by a religious institution. When you get ordained by American Marriage Ministries, it empowers you to legally join couples in marriage and sign the marriage license as an AMM minister. You don’t need to hold any specific beliefs. All that is re...(continued)

If your nuptials are forthcoming and you’re experiencing more than just the typical pre-wedding day nerves, we’re guessing it may be because you’ve been streaming coverage of the spread of the new coronavirus outbreak.

In China, officials have advised couples to delay their weddings and asked families to scale down funeral services in order to prevent the spread of the virus, which has claimed hundreds of lives in China and infected over 20,000 people around the world. Here in the U.S., there have been more than 10 confirmed cases (six in California, one in Massachusetts, one in Washington state, one in Arizona, and two in Illinois) and there’s a possibility that this tally will continue to rise....(continued)

Finding a wedding officiant is different than any other part of wedding planning. As wedding ceremonies change with the times, the search for the perfect wedding officiant is starting earlier and getting more complicated. 

Just check out Google trends, which around this time of year shows that people become very interested in this subject:

But with hundreds of articles about “what to look for in a wedding officiant” or, “how to officiate a wedding,” it’s harder to find people talking about “how to find a wedding officiant.” ...(continued)

Have you ever spent half the day looking for your car keys only to discover that they were right in front of you the whole time (under the cable bill that you’ve been trying not to look at all week)? For many couples, the most challenging part of wedding planning is finding professionals to help them create their big day. There’s the internet, asking friends, and all kinds of wedding planning apps…

Here at American Marriage Ministries, we think wedding planning should be stress-free (for the most part), and that includes finding your wedding officiant. Our philosophy is that wedding ceremonies are a celebration and reflection of community and love. As long as that is honored, you’re going to have an awesome wedding, because that’s what makes memories.

 ...(continued)

Working closely with your wedding officiant is a must, but a lot of couples don’t quite know how to navigate or coordinate their timeline with their wedding officiant’s. We’re here to give you some pointers so that you know what to expect, and how to get a head start on your ceremony planning.

What Your Officiant is Responsible For:

•  Working with you up until the wedding to craft your ceremony.

• Being present and performing your ceremony on your wedding day (and rehearsal, ideally).

• Assisting with the signing and filing of the completed marriage license.

First, Consider This

What type of ceremony do you want? Religious, Non-denominational, or Civil?...(continued)