Rev. Ann Cruz
Question and Answers
Q. Why should we choose you rather than other wedding officiants?
A.
Finding the right person to marry you is an important decision – after
all, they will have a huge influence on the tone of the ceremony. You'll
want to make sure that you find someone who is willing to perform the
kind of ceremony you are envisioning, or who has a style and belief
system similar to your own. And of course, if you want to make it legal, you'll need to make sure that they are legally able to marry you in your state.
I began my career in the wedding industry in 1998, when I became a wedding planner and relationship counselor. I fell in love with helping people plan their weddings, and received a lot of personal satisfaction from counseling couples in building healthy relationships with one another. After five years of planning and counseling couples, I became ordained as a nondenominational Christian minister. I am legally recognized to perform wedding ceremonies in
Michigan and all other states. I am a Certified
Marriage Educator with the National Marriage Centers, Inc. and Founder of the Midwest Marriage Outreach which is based upon the Gospel of
Jesus Christ.
In Michigan, marriages may be performed by federal, probate, district, and municipal judges, and district court magistrates, in their court area; mayors, in their city; County clerks; ministers and pastors of the gospel, both resident and non-resident. The Michigan Statutes also have a provision that allows for marriages to "be solemnized in the manner heretofore used and practiced in their respective societies or denominations."
In Indiana, marriages may be performed by a member of the clergy (including a minister, priest, bishop, rabbi, and imam), a judge, a magistrate, a clerk of the circuit court, or a clerk or clerk-treasurer of a city or town.
In Illinois, marriages may be performed by ordained ministers, judges, retired judges, and public officials whose powers include solemnization of marriages.
There are many people that want to know if they can just have a friend ordained over the internet. Beware, there are many so-called "officiants" that got their ordination from the internet. The truth is that there are several states in which marriages done by internet "ministers" have been declared invalid. Please ask any potential officiant how and where they received their ordination credentials. If you take your wedding vows seriously, do you really want to be married by someone that got their "credentials" online from an entity that doesn't care who applies for ordination and that will ordain non-humans (like your cat) for free? How appropriate does that seem to you?Here are some more FAQ:
Can we write our own vows? YES
Will you marry us even if we are not current members of your church? YES
If we are of different faiths, or one of us is not religious, is that a problem? NO
One of us is divorced, does your religion allow you to marry us? YES
Will our non-religious friends be allowed to participate in the ceremony, including giving readings, singing? YES