Frequently Asked Questions

To begin, it is important to understand the distinction between the wedding ceremony and solemnization of marriage.

The wedding ceremony is a purely cultural affair that has no legal form or standard. Solemnization of marriage is a fancy way to describe the act of completing the marriage license, the legal document of marriage.

The marriage license is filed for by the couple and administered by the local government. To legally record the marriage, the wedding officiant must complete and return the marriage license as required by State Law; this is just a clerical task.

Laws will vary from state to state, but these steps must be taken everywhere in the country:

• Have the couple present their marriage license to you and the necessary witnesses.


• Verify that the marriage license is valid. (Waiting periods & expirations may apply.)


• Verify the accuracy of the couple's information.


• Have the couple declare their intent. (The "Do you take…?" "I do!" portion of the ceremony.)


• Complete the marriage license with the necessary witness signatures.


• Return or mail the completed marriage license to its office of issuance. (Every state has a return deadline, so the sooner the better.)


• The marriage license will be recorded with the State's Department of Health or Vital Statistics. Once recorded the marriage is legal.

For more detailed information visit our PERFORM MARRIAGE resource.

In many states, obtaining our free ordination is enough to legally perform marriage. However, some states, counties, and cities require that our ministers complete a local registration procedure.

Local governments are fully within their rights to set standards and keep records of everyone performing marriage in their jurisdiction. No government office can deny our ministers ability to perform marriage based on our ordinations alone,

We recommend that our ministers speak with the local government registrar holding jurisdiction over where the marriage will take place (usually the County Clerk’s or Recorder’s Office). This office will be able to definitively identify any further steps that must be taken before performing marriage.

For more detailed information visit our PERFORM MARRIAGE resource.

There is no legal form for a wedding ceremony in any state.

The legal act of performing marriage is nothing more than completing the marriage license; this is known as solemnization of marriage.

The legal act of performing marriage is nothing more than completing the marriage license; this is known as solemnization of marriage. Generally it goes like this:

• The couple applies for a marriage license from the local government registrar.


• At the time of the marriage, the couple must presents their marriage license to you and the necessary witnesses.


• You verify that the marriage license is valid. (Waiting periods & expirations may apply.)


• You have the couple declare their intent. (The "Do you take…?" "I do!" portion of the ceremony.)


• You complete the marriage license with the necessary witness signatures.


• You return or mail the completed marriage license to its office of issuance. (Every state has a return deadline, so the sooner the better.)


• The marriage license is recorded with the State's Department of Health or Vital Statistics. Once recorded the marriage is legal.

For more detailed information visit our PERFORM MARRIAGE resource.

If the marriage license asks you to identify your title, write,

"Minister"

If the marriage license asks you to identify your denomination, write,

"Non-Denominational"

If the wedding was celebrated according to a specific religious rite, identify that rite instead.

If the marriage license asks you to identify your church, write,

"American Marriage Ministries"

If the license also asks you to identify the church address, write your address. In many states, a copy of the recorded marriage license will be mailed to the address that you write.

You can be 100% sure that the marriage is legal once it has been recorded with the state government. This will be either the Department of Vital Statistics or the Department of Health. Couple's can file for a copy of their marriage license from the appropriate local office.

Yes, our ordinations are legal. Our Ordination is an appointment reflecting the desire of the couple to have someone close to them officially bless their marriage.

American Marriage Ministries is incorporated as a non-profit in Washington State and holds foreign corporate filings in all States where required. Our ordinations and the rights of our ministers to perform marriage is protected by the 1st Amendment, Judicial Opinions, and the Laws of each State.

Completion of our Ordination takes only a few minutes, it is simply a matter of successfully completing our online application.

When applying for ordination we will ask for some personal information; your name, address, DOB, email, and phone. As long as the information is correct and we can contact you, your ordination is valid.

Through American Marriage Ministries, yes. The ease of our ordinations is deliberate and pragmatic. Our goal is to remove as many barriers as possible for our ministers to perform marriage.

Our application is online because this is the most effective method of making our church available to people. We do not charge for ordination because that would restrict the amount of people who would benefit from our ordinations.

We want to make this part of the marriage process easy for our ministers, so that they can focus on preparing a memorable Wedding Ceremony for the couple.

Yes, we keep your records in an encrypted secure database and will under no condition share this information with third parties without your consent. All credit card information processed is sent directly to our service merchant; we keep no records of any of your sensitive information.

Our ordinations are free. We are here to enable people to perform marriage, not get in their way.

Your ordination is valid in all 50 States. We offer Credentials issued by State to better represent our ministers and keep track of where they are active. Some States will require that the minister provide a hard copy of their ordination in order to perform marriage.

Our ordinations do not expire and we do not charge any periodic licensing fees. Our ministers remain ministers of our church so long as they see fit to associate with us and keep their account information current.

No. Our ordinations do not confer any tax shelters and are to be used only as prescribed; to perform marriage for friends and family.

American Marriage Ministries a non-profit, our main goal is the enabling of people to celebrate marriage according to their values. We sustain our activities through the contributions of ministers who buy products from our store.

We are set up to provide our services for free and only expect a fraction of our ministers to finance our activities. By doing this we can make ourselves available to more people and lessen the financial burden of the wedding.

If you would like to support us, simply make a purchase. Our offerings are a token of thanks that have utility and commemorate a special event. We value the support of our ministers and their communities.

We do not require that our ministers make any purchase. In most places our ministers can perform marriage simply by completing our ordination.

If our minister is not asked to take further steps through the Government office where the couple files for their marriage license, then they can perform marriage at no cost to themselves or the couple.

Alternatively our ministers are welcome to support us by purchasing hard copies of their ordination to present to the couple or simply to have as a keepsake.

Select Governnment offices will require that our ministers register with them. For more detailed information visit our PERFORM MARRIAGE resource.

No. All taxes are included in the purchase price.

We offer Ordination Credentials for our ministers and Marriage Certificates for the couple. We also offer Diane Warner's Complete Book of Wedding Vows; a resource for the Bride, Groom, and Minister.

An Ordination Credential is simply a physical copy of the minister's ordination record. The certificate contains the minister's full name, ordination date, and the State where they will be performing marriage.

This letter states that the minister is in Good Standing with American Marriage Ministries and authorized to perform marriage. The letter is addressed to the State Government, signed by a church office, notarized, and dated.

Select Government Offices will require our minister's provide such a letter, though it may be called:

• Letter of Good Standing


• Letter of Recommendation


• Affidavit of Authority to Solemnize Marriage

Ministers performing marriage in Hawaii, Nevada, Ohio, New York City, Minnesota, Missouri, Virginia, and West Virginia are required to produce such a letter. Other Cities and Counties may also require such an endorsement.

For more detailed information visit our PERFORM MARRIAGE resource.

These are decorative certificates for the couple to commemorate their wedding day. The actual legal document of marriage is the marriage license is filed with your State Government. The couple can also file for a marriage certificate from their Department of Health or Vital Statistics.

Ordination Credentials and Wedding Officiant Authorization letters will be issued with the minister's name and information as reflected in their account. During checkout, alternate shipping and billing persons can be entered; this will not affect the information on the minister's documents.

Standard shipping is free. We also offer two expedited shipping methods; Flat Rate Priority and Express mail for additional charges.

Yes. You can enter a new shipping destination during the checkout process. This will not affect the name on the minister's credentials.

We deliver via USPS. You should expect your order in no more than 10 business days from the time the order was placed. If you have not received your order in two weeks, contact us and we will handle the situation accordingly.

We accept VISA and MASTERCARD. We do not accept Discover, American Express, or Visa branded gift cards. We are not set up for Paypal.

Yes. You can specify an alternate billing person during the checkout process. This will not affect the name on the minister's credentials.

Yes. All sensitive information is protected by a Secure Socket Layer, encrypted, and sent directly to our certified payment gateway, Authorize.net.

Yes. We understand that some people are not comfortable making purchases online. To order by phone simply call us during normal business hours. To place an order by mail simply write us with your request including a check or money order.

We will refund any order within 30 days of purchase. If the order has already shipped, it will have to be returned before the refund is processed. If there is a typographical error, we will replace all incorrect documents at no charge.