Most Recent AMM Articles

The Southern Baptist Convention voted this week to expel Saddleback megachurch and Fern Creek Baptist because they have women pastors, and introduced an amendment to the church’s constitution that would explicitly restrict a woman from becoming ordained or holding a leadership position within the denomination.

How much does it cost to become an ordained minister online in California? Get ordained online free with AMM and learn how to officiate a wedding in California!

Six suggestions from professional wedding officiants to help you create a picture-perfect wedding ring exchange! Advice for officiants on how to choose creative wording, help the photographer get a great ring shot, save the day with a few fake rings in your emergency kit, what to do during a handfasting or marriage vow renewal ceremony, and more. Plan a fun and stress-free exchange of rings!

Celebrate the meaning and symbolism of the Christian feet washing wedding tradition, and learn how to include it in your marriage ceremony. A sample script with examples of what to say is provided for the wedding officiant. The ritual of washing feet at a wedding originates with a story in The Holy Bible, John 13:12-18, when Jesus washes the Disciples' feet as a sign of selfless love, humility, and forgiveness. A foot washing unity ceremony can be added to any Christian denomination wedding, along with biblical scripture reading and prayer.

A simple step-by-step guide to help you plan a wedding and get married in New York - including how to find a wedding officiant to officiate, choose the best wedding venue, plan your ceremony, and how to apply for and return your New York marriage license.

Which is a better choice for wedding officiants in New York - the new One Day Marriage Officiant License or Online Ordination through American Marriage Ministries? This side by side comparison makes it easier to weigh the pros and cons of each option for a first-time officiant, including cost, wait time, requirements to apply, secular vs spiritual considerations, and more.

Everything you need to know to add a handfasting ceremony to your wedding or vow renewal, including the symbolism and meaning of the handfast ritual, how to tie a handfasting cord into a beautiful knot, when to include the handfasting in the ceremony (what order), and how to perform a handfasting as an officiant -- with examples of what to say and do and links to a sample script!

Looking for the perfect wedding ring exchange script for the officiant? Maybe something offbeat? Funny? Classic and traditional? Modern? Whatever tone you’re looking for, these popular examples are sure to be a perfect fit! Use as is, or personalize a sample script below to suit your ceremony.

The Anonymous Officiant #8: A special guest dropped in on this Australian couple's gravity-defying Grand Canyon wedding in Arizona -- a rare, endangered California Condor! Read about the dizzying heights, incredible views, and unexpected excitement of these national park nuptials, in this installment of American Marriage Ministries’ new candid column about real weddings and real officiants.

Legislation to raise Connecticut’s legal marriage age to 18 years old has passed the House and Senate, and is on its way to Gov. Ned Lamont’s desk for final approval. Learn more about this ban on child marriage in CT, and what wedding officiants in the state should know about the changing law. (House Bill 6569 / HB06569 2023)

The AMM Wedding Ceremony Script Library contains more than 100 sample wedding scripts to choose from. Every template is written by a real wedding officiant, making it a creative and authentic alternative to an generic online wedding script generator. You'll find a variety of themes, styles, and tones to choose from -- including religious and nonreligious wedding scripts, themed weddings, funny and lighthearted scripts, romantic scripts, LGBTQ+ inclusive ceremony scripts, and more.

Curious what to expect when asked to attend or officiate a Satanic wedding ceremony? Learn what happens at a Satanic wedding, where Satanic weddings are held, who officiates, how to find an officiant, and what wedding traditions and rituals you might see -- including handfasting, candle lighting, sword exchanges. Plus, details about what The Satanic Temple and its members believe, and the common values of modern Satanism.

Lawmakers in Maine passed legislation this week to prohibit the marriage of minors and raise the legal age to apply for a marriage license to 18 years old. The bill now heads to Gov. Mills for approval. Learn how LD 443 will amend the current law by removing provisions that allow 16 and 17 year olds to marry with parental permission, and if the change will impact American Marriage Ministries Ministers in Maine.

Unique vow booklets to help you write your own vows and deliver them in style! These vow books contain questions & prompts to inspire you, plus suggestions & examples to organize your words into heartfelt vows in time for the wedding day. Two designs and color themes to choose from, making these sweet vow journals perfect for any wedding or elopement.

Learn how to write a couple’s love story for a personalized wedding officiant script with this simple advice, including examples from real wedding scripts written by real officiants. A great wedding ceremony script tells a story!

A step-by-step guide to help you plan a wedding or elopement in Oklahoma - including how to apply for your marriage license, how to find a wedding officiant, choose the best wedding venue, plan your ceremony, and when to file / return your OK marriage license after the ceremony. Get married in the Sooner State!

Want to use AI to write your wedding vows or toast? It's important to write a great prompt! Check out these tips on how to write a better ChatGPT prompt for custom vows that sound like you, including the best structure to use, examples of effective prompts and commands, and a prompt writer 'template' to get you on the right track -- without all the work and stress of writing something from scratch.

The Anonymous Officiant #7: Who's got the rings? When the Best Man misplaces the wedding rings before the ceremony things gets interesting... Learn how a quick-thinking officiant and a well-stocked open bar saves the wedding day (and the Groom's sanity) in this installment of American Marriage Ministries’ new candid column about real weddings and real officiants.