Articles by Jessica Levey

A step-by-step guide to help you plan a wedding and get married in Colorado - including how to find a wedding officiant, information about self-uniting weddings and proxy marriages, how to choose the best wedding venue, plan your ceremony, and how to apply for and return your Colorado marriage license.

Learn who can legally officiate a wedding in your state and how to know if a wedding officiant meets the requirements to perform your marriage ceremony, including which states allow online ordination, types of American Marriage Ministries minister credentials, and minister certification / licensing in each state. Want to know if your marriage will be legal? Here’s what to look for when choosing a friend to officiate or hiring a professional.

Advice for wedding officiants during the holiday winter wedding season. Ten simple tips on which supplies to pack in your emergency kit, what to wear, what to include in your contract, how to network with other officiants to avoid day-of disasters if you’re unable to officiate at the last minute, and more.

A Michigan couple was married in an ALDI store on Nov. 9th, after winning the grocery chain's 'Happily Ever Aldi' contest. The grocery themed wedding ceremony script included food puns, references to ALDI deli products, and readings from friends and family. Wedding officiants: would you officiate this unusual wedding ceremony?

The rumors are true: Celebrity couple Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling are secretly married! Learn how to plan a romantic secret wedding like theirs by following a few simple steps, including finding a private wedding officiant, applying for a confidential marriage license, and other useful advice.

Candace Cameron Bure made headlines this week for comments against same-sex marriage, telling The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that Great American Family media network plans to keep 'traditional marriage at the core' of its Christmas movies. Read our take on the actor's interview, the exclusion of LGBTQ+ characters and queer families from holiday films, and Hallmark Channel's first gay Christmas movie.

Learn about common Quaker wedding ceremony traditions including how to get married without a wedding officiant in a self-uniting ritual, what it means to marry "under the care of the meeting,' the Quaker marriage certificate, traditional Quaker wedding vows, where it's legal to perform your own marriage ceremony, rules for marrying members outside the Religious Society of Friends, and more.

Learn about the Supreme Court Obergefell v Hodges ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in the U.S., the history of marriage equality in all 50 states, and the role of online ordination in ensuring all couples, including LGBTQ+ couples, can choose an inclusive wedding officiant.

All your questions about the wedding unity candle ceremony, answered: When to light the candle (before or after rings and vows), who lights the unity candle, how to include parents and others, wording and what to say, symbolism and meaning, whether to blow it out before the pronouncement, and more! For wedding officiants and engaged couples.

The best American Marriage Ministries Minister Ordination Package or Course for your needs: Compare what comes in each one for the price: A review of everything included in our officiant ordination packages and training courses, including a letter of good standing and ordination certificate, free minister training and affordable courses, to help you decide what to order and why.

Learn about efforts to protect same-sex marriage rights, the upcoming Senate vote on the Respect for Marriage Act 2022, the history of marriage equality in the U.S., and how online ordination plays an important role in non-traditional, LGBTQ+ and interracial weddings.

Quotes on love & happiness from The Dalai Lama to personalize any wedding ceremony script. Use in the invocation, wedding officiant’s blessing, vows, or as a unique wedding reading, for a Buddhist, interfaith, or spiritual marriage ceremony. Taken from The Art of Happiness, The Book of Joy & other essays, with additional quotes from Howard C. Culter.