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Stay up to date with the latest wedding ceremony trends, script writing inspiration, tips and advice for first-time officiants, and news that matters to couples and wedding ministers. Over 1732 articles and counting!

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How to Get Married in Nevada: Plan a Wedding in The Silver State

Recent Articles

Colorado extends provisions for online marriage license appointments

Colorado extends provisions for online marriage license appointments

Colorado legislators extend provisions for online marriage license appointments, will allow couples to meet with county clerk or recorder online via audio-video technology indefinitely. Updated law also includes guidelines for training of county staff by the human trafficking council every year. (House Bill 1278 / HB23-1278)

NYC Celebrant Chris Shelley shares the secret to becoming a successful wedding officiant

NYC Celebrant Chris Shelley shares the secret to becoming a successful wedding officiant

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.

A group of young women Pagans stand together in a circle holding hands around a smoking fire. They are in a forest filled with colorful fall leaves, and are wearing black and have colorful hair.

Online Ordination for Modern Pagans: Why it’s So Important, Especially Now

Access to non-denominational online ordination for Pagan wedding officiants is essential! Modern denominations like Wicca, Druidry, Heathenry choose online ordination to meet the legal requirements for handfasting, weddings & other marriage rites

In Support of the "Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act of 2023”

In Support of the "Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act of 2023”

Learn more about H.R. 4602, and how this legislation would help to protect marriage equality for LGBTQ+ couples at the federal level. The ‘Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act of 2023,' would remove gendered words like 'wife' and 'husband' from multiple federal marriage laws. This legislation was introduced by U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley, D-California.

Sex at the Wedding: Are Public Consummation & Bedding Ceremonies Making a Comeback?

Sex at the Wedding: Are Public Consummation & Bedding Ceremonies Making a Comeback?

Ready for some wedding whoopie? Learn about the bedding ceremony in Medieval Europe, recent examples of public consummation ceremonies, and why we think this sexy wedding day ritual might make a comeback. We'll cover the symbolism and legal meaning, stocking tossing, a benediction posset recipe, Priests at the nuptial bed, eavesdropping guests, royal rumors, and Game of Thrones… From the Middle Ages to the modern marriage ceremony, this one's all about nuptial nookie!

Illinois Repeals Old Laws to Protect Marriage Equality

Illinois Repeals Old Laws to Protect Marriage Equality

Learn about amendments to the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act that strengthen protections for marriage equality in the state. Three laws have been repealed, which previously prevented out-of-state interracial and same-sex couples from traveling to Illinois to marry there, ensuring the state remains a safe haven for interracial and LGBTQ+ couples. (HB 1591 / 2023)

Bride and groom hold hands as they walk across a scenic field near farm buildings on the wedding day

How to Get Married in West Virginia: Plan a Wedding in The Mountain State

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

The Anonymous Officiant: When the Father of the Bride has Chest Pains…

The Anonymous Officiant: When the Father of the Bride has Chest Pains…

Remember not to panic! When a medical emergency delays the start of this wedding ceremony, the officiant leaps into action with the help of a few knowledgeable guests to keep things calm and on track. Read all about it in this week's exciting installment of The Anonymous Officiant, American Marriage Ministries’ candid column about real weddings, written by real officiants. (Anon Officiant #10)

How to Get Married in Virginia - Planning a Wedding in ‘The Old Dominion’

How to Get Married in Virginia - Planning a Wedding in ‘The Old Dominion’

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

Unity Ceremony Ideas for a Pantheist Wedding Ceremony

Unity Ceremony Ideas for a Pantheist Wedding Ceremony

Pantheist wedding ceremonies celebrate love, spiritual connection, the joy of living, and the divine universe. These unity ceremony ideas are the blend of nature and science themes, spirituality, and symbolism! With timeless traditions including tree planting, handfasting, candle lighting, stone blessing, and more, you're sure to find inspiration for your own custom marriage rite.

Hawaii Marriage Performer License Fees Increase For All Officiants, Including AMM Ministers

Hawaii Marriage Performer License Fees Increase For All Officiants, Including AMM Ministers

Learn about the fee increase for Marriage Performers in Hawaii, including all ordained religious officiants and judicial officiants. Effective July, 2023, all wedding officiants are required to pay $100 per year for a standard license or $25 per 60 day period for a short-term license to solemnize marriage in Hawaii. Asked to officiate a wedding in Hawaii? Here's what to know! (2023 HI SB1370 / HB1072 / Kouchi)

Bride and groom hold hands at the wedding ceremony

Wedding Ceremony Script PDFs for Officiants: Download, Print, and Perform!

Looking for the perfect wedding officiant script? AMM now offers a simple PDF download option for popular wedding scripts and templates in our Ceremony Scripts Library! Choose from religious, non-religious, traditional, modern, and LGBTQ+ friendly scripts, then click, print, and officiate.

More Recent Articles →

Asked to Officiate a Wedding?

Follow these simple steps to perform marriage for friends and family.

News Articles

NASCAR Wedding! Couple Gets Hitched in 10 Second Pit Stop Ceremony

NASCAR Wedding! Couple Gets Hitched in 10 Second Pit Stop Ceremony

Newlyweds Tori Lindsay and Nick Brendel were married during driver Kevin Harvick's 10-second pitstop at the South Point 400 NASCAR Cup Series playoff race in Las Vegas earlier this month. The unique wedding ceremony was part of a social media giveaway sponsored by Busch Light Beer.

Are You a First-Time Wedding Officiant in Search of a Mentor to Show You How to Officiate?

Are You a First-Time Wedding Officiant in Search of a Mentor to Show You How to Officiate?

This nationwide wedding officiant training course is a modern approach to mentorship that works! New and first time officiants learn from experienced professionals and local peers during an interactive seminar, then build community online with Alumni Facebook groups full of officiants like you!

Concept photo collage shows the US Capital building and a red sign that reads 'shutdown'

Can You Get a Marriage License During a Government Shutdown?

Can you still get a marriage license during a government shutdown? Can AMM Ministers still officiate a wedding ceremony during a federal shutdown? We cover everything you need to know about getting married during these wild times, including details for Washington D.C.

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Ceremony Planning Articles

Illustration symbolizing the lucky or auspicious wedding dates in 2024 based on numerology, the illustration shows to hands reaching up into a sky, with a red heart and wedding rings, surrounded by numbers

Wedding Numerology: The Best Dates to Get Married in 2024

The best wedding dates for every season in 2024, according to numerology! Expert numerologist Rebecca Scolnick offers insight and inspiration to help you choose the best day to get married, with Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall wedding dates that bring a mystical mix of love, connection, family, structure, spontaneity, tradition, and magic.

AI generated image shows elderly woman smiling on a laptop screen during a video call.

Wedding Toast from Beyond: Using AI to Include Dead Loved Ones in Your Ceremony

Learn how conversational AI technology makes it possible to include deceased relatives and friends in your wedding ceremony, such as a virtual toast, speech, marriage advice, and more. With the help of platforms like StoryFile Life, HearAfter AI, and others, couples can now have new ways of honoring the dead on the wedding day.

Collage image shows wedding themes and scenes with the text 'AMM's American Weddings: 20 Most Popular Articles of 2023'

AMM’s Most Popular Articles of 2023: Current Wedding Trends and Classic Content

The most popular topics on AMM's American Weddings this year: The wedding trends that shaped 2023, with inspiration for 2024 and years to come! Including love locks and creative ring exchanges, public consummation, Satanic weddings, feet washing ceremonies, how to perform legal weddings with confidence, casting a circle and calling the corners for a Wiccan wedding, and more.

More Ceremony Planning Articles →

Religion and Rituals Articles

More Religion & Rituals Articles →

Community Articles

A Pagan Priest Creates Community in Conservative Mormon Utah

A Pagan Priest Creates Community in Conservative Mormon Utah

AMM Minister Feature with wedding officiant and Pagan Priest Leandra Southwinds. Leandra left her Mormon upbringing to pursue Priesthood and now advocates for modern Pagan and LGBTQ+ communities in her home state of Utah, with focus on Irish Polytheism, the Morrigan, weddings, blessings, and other life rites. She has presided over many same-sex weddings, fire festivals, seasonal rituals, and more.

The American Marriage Ministries (AMM) minister ordination packaging, a white box with the AMM logo and name against a blue background

Is the American Marriage Ministries Minister Ordination Package Worth the Price?

What comes in the AMM Minister Ordination Package? A review of everything included in your ordination package, including your letter of good standing and ordination certificate, to help you decide which package to order, and why you’d want to.

AMM’s Commitment to Your Data Security, Transparency, and Best Practices in Action

AMM’s Commitment to Your Data Security, Transparency, and Best Practices in Action

This blog post is a slight departure from our usual topic of wedding ceremonies, but with data security front-and-center in today’s world, we wanted to take a few minutes to talk about some recent data security developments here at AMM.

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