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)

Three tips for wedding officiants asked to officiate a secret wedding or elopement ceremony, including confirming your couple's identity and the details on their marriage license, choosing a private location, and more!

¿Va a casarse, pero no está seguro de quién puede oficiar su boda si no es en el juzgado o en una Iglesia? ¿Quién oficia una boda si es en casa, en un parque público o en un lugar privado? Descubra cuáles son sus opciones a la hora de elegir un oficiante para su boda: incluyendo contratar a un profesional o preguntarle a un amigo o familiar que se ordene para casarlo.

Asked to officiate a friend's wedding ceremony? Learn how to get ordained online and officiate a wedding for friends or relatives, including ordination, minister certification and registration, the basic outline and parts of a wedding, what to say, and your responsibility to sign and return the marriage license.

Learn about Clela Rorex, the Boulder County Clerk who became a hero to the LGBTQ+ community and their allies when she issued a marriage license to a gay couple in 1975 in Colorado, and two resolutions introduced in the US House and Senate to honor her with a holiday, 'Clela Rorex Day.' (HR 248 / SR 118 ; same-sex marriage; marriage equality)

Learn how marriage licenses become public records in the city or county where you marry, why some couples want a private wedding, and how to keep your marriage records a secret with California's 'confidential marriage license' and Michigan's 'marriage license without publicity.'

The Anonymous Officiant #3 : This groom started to cry moment's before the wedding ceremony because he missed his mother, but a sweet gesture by a quick thinking wedding officiant helped dry his tears just in time. Read the full story in this installment of American Marriage Ministries’ new candid column about real weddings and officiants: The Anonymous Officiant.

Learn the value of a great online portfolio and digital presence when marketing your wedding officiant business! These 6 business and marketing tips from Officiant Sherri Crawford can help you establish a solid brand on social media, choose the right photos and content for your website, take advantage of Google Business Profile to attract new clients, and reach out to couples for shining reviews after the ceremony is complete.

Is the average age of marriage in the U.S. going up or down? Learn about recent trends that affect how old most men and women are when they get married, and why outside factors like education, the economy, pandemics, and shifts in spiritual or religious views can play a bigger part in when a couple decides to marry than you might think.

The ultimate wedding regret! Learn what to do if a couple changes their minds about being married after the wedding ceremony, and what your legal responsibility is as a wedding officiant when it's time to return a signed marriage license to the clerk or registrar's office.

Have you been told by a clerk or registrar that you can’t officiate a North Carolina wedding because you were ordained online? We want to hear from you! Here are the facts: Ministers ordained online through American Marriage Ministries can legally serve as wedding officiants and solemnize marriage anywhere in NC.

There's a new script in our library! This ‘Parent Officiating’ wedding script is the perfect fit for when a couple asks a mother, father, grandparent, or mentor to officiate their wedding ceremony. Use it as is, or personalize this sample officiant script with details from your life and love story, add a unity ceremony, then put it all together for a sweet, custom officiant speech that’s ready to go on your marriage day! Written by ordained AMM Minister Dan Henkel.

National formalwear network Dapper and Dashing closed suddenly this week, impacting couples, wedding guests, and employees in nearly a dozen states. What does this say about current wedding trends, and how can retailers, vendors, venues, and wedding officiants thrive in the years to come? We have some advice!

Learn why so many women in the U.S. change their last name when they marry, how patriarchy and legal restrictions shaped this interesting wedding custom, and why it's important for wedding officiants to be aware of a couple's preferences when writing the wedding ceremony script pronouncement and completing a marriage license. Author Ann Zhao's tweet sparked this interesting discussion about where spouses do and don't change their surnames, and why, and we're here for it!

This Atlanta bride went viral on social media for disagreeing with a few traditional wedding vows during the ceremony... especially that promise to 'obey.' See what happened, how the guests and wedding officiant handled it, and our advice for officiants on how to make sure a wedding ceremony script is exactly what a couple wants, before it's too late!

¿Busca un oficiante de bodas perfecto para una boda en Disney World, Disneyland o Aulani Disney? ¿Quiere casarse en un crucero Disney? Aquí tiene lo que necesita saber, desde contratar oficiantes profesionales hasta pedirle a un amigo o familiar que se ordene en línea para oficiar su ceremonia en Florida, California o Hawai.

Sample thank you notes and expert 'how to' advice to help you write a thank you letter to your wedding officiant following the ceremony. Whether you're sending a heartfelt card to a friend or family member who officiated, including a letter with another thank you gift, or just looking for the perfect wording for an email to a professional officiant, we've got you covered!

Commemorate your winter wedding with a festive marriage certificate! These unique designs also make a creative wedding gift or anniversary gift from an officiant or family member, to frame and display at home for years to come. Great for a Christmas wedding, New Year’s elopement, or any cozy winter marriage celebration.

AMM Reverend Scarlett Mullikin is an LGBTQ wedding officiant who creates meaningful, authentic memorial services and ceremonies for fellow free-spirits, honoring unique people in the same ways they lived.

American Marriage Ministries remains carbon neutral as we head into a new year of weddings and opportunity. Protecting our environment is essential, and climate change is a social justice issue, too!

How designations like ‘online church’ and ‘online ordination’ have changed after a year of connecting with loved ones and communities online, Zoom, and Skype, and the power of technology to bring us together.