If you’re into motorcycles, the number one event on your schedule is probably the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally early each August in the Black Hills of South Dakota. And if you’re into motorcycles and you’re getting married, what better place to tie the knot than at Sturgis? The population of the town of Sturgis swells from around 6,500 to a half million (or more) around the first week of August each year — a far cry from the handful of motorbike enthusiasts that gathered at the western edge of the state for the first rally back in 1938. With a half-million visitors crowding into Sturgis for partying, concerts and other activities,…
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Getting Married This Year? Here’s What You Need To Know…
You were engaged over the holidays? Congratulations! If you are getting married this year, now the fun begins — the planning, the worrying, the “sweating the details.” Okay, “fun” may be a relative term, but there’s no reason for one of the biggest days of your life to be daunting. The first thing to know is that you have options, even if you are planning everything on your own. Gather your resources — The Knot, Brides Magazine, and Bridal Guide are excellent places to start. And, now that you know who you will be marrying, it’s time to figure out who will marry the two of you! If you belong…
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Can A Nun Become Ordained?
We are often asked: are Catholic nuns allowed to become ordained? Our answer is yes. And no. We’ll start with the “no.” Current canon law and the church’s catechism directs that “only a baptized man validly receives sacred ordination” to serve as a priest — and only male priests can lead a parish of Catholic Christians, celebrate Mass, and bring new members into the church through Baptism. However, while they are not permitted to celebrate Mass, nuns may become ordained in compliance with state law, which does not restrict sisters from performing marriage ceremonies as an Officiant. Ordination through First Nation Ministry complies with all state laws, and is respectful…
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Performing A Marriage Ceremony At Burning Man?
How many people do you know that got married at Burning Man? It seems almost de rigueur these days that if you’re spending time on the playa, you might as well have your wedding on the playa. The single most important thing to keep in mind if you are planning to get married during Burning Man is that you must obtain your marriage license in advance — don’t wait until the very last minute! Your marriage license must be obtained in Nevada. You cannot bring an out-of-state marriage license into Nevada — your California, Arizona or Oregon marriage license is not valid in the Silver State. If you are coming…
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First Nation Minister Performs Taylor-Smith Nuptials
District of Columbia-based First Nation minister Young Lee performed the marriage ceremony uniting actor-singer Billy Clark Taylor and attorney Jeremy Benton Smith on October 16 at the 3 West Club in Manhattan. Mr. Lee obtained his ordination through First Nation, with the New York City endorsement, in order to perform the ceremony. Read the complete article on the New York Times website.
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First Nation Minister Kim Kirkley Celebrates Salik-Riffat Nuptials
The entire First Nation family extends its congratulations and warmest wishes for a lifetime of joy and love to Dr. Irim Salik and Mahmud Riffat, who were married last weekend at Park Savoy Estate, with Kim Kirkley serving as their Celebrant. Kim Kirkley, an ordained and licensed First Nation ceremonial minister, is one of the leading life-cycle Celebrants in the New York and New Jersey area. In addition to her service as a Celebrant, she serves on the faculty of the Celebrant Foundation and Institute, focusing on Fundamentals of Celebrancy, Weddings, Ceremony Across the Life Cycle Certifications, and Advanced Marketing Courses. She is the author of several books, including “Love Stories: A Celebrant’s…
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The “Standard” Format For Marriage Ceremonies
One of the most-asked questions we receive — right up there with “what the heck am I supposed to do next?” — is actually fairly important: What is the standard structure of a wedding ceremony? Most weddings follow basically the same format, with minor adjustments here and there depending upon the desires of the bridal couple. Keep in mind that the bridal couple usually comes up with their own format for the ceremony, but many times you’ll show up and they’ll be looking at you for guidance every step of the way — and you had better be ready with a plan! Keep in mind that, aside from traditional ceremonies…
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First Nation Minister Weds NYC Couple
We extend our best wishes for a lifetime of love and joy to Elise Chang and Alastair Kusack, who were married in Manhattan this weekend, with First Nation ceremonial minister Kim Kirkley officiating. Their full, wonderful story is detailed in the pages of today’s edition of the New York Times.
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Anglican Wedding Ceremony (1662): The Form of Solemnization of Matrimony
We are often asked for sample ceremonies, or guidance on how to perform a specific style of wedding, by members of our clergy. We were recently contacted for assistance on planning an Elizabethan or Olde English ceremony by a minister who was asked to perform a marriage at a Renaissance Faire-style event. In our research, we came across this amazing period piece — an Anglican Wedding Ceremony from more than 350 years ago. Read, and enjoyeth thyself: First the Banns of all that are to be married together must be published in the Church three several Sundays, during the time of Morning Service, or of Evening Service (if there be no…
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Sage Advice For The First-Time Wedding Officiant
We received an inquiry this week from a minister who was getting ready to perform her very first marriage ceremony this coming weekend. Getting asked to perform a wedding for the first time progresses very quickly from “Sure, I’ll do it!” to “Yipes, what do I actually do?” First Things First Here is the million-dollar question: are you ordained to perform wedding ceremonies? If you don’t know what ordination is, I’ll give you a quick explanation. Ordination is the process through which you receive legal authorization to perform marriage ceremonies. Every state in the United States requires you to have legal authorization, without exception, before you perform a wedding. You…
