Today, a new law passes in the state of Tennessee. In a nutshell, House Bill 213/Senate Bill 1377 (Tennessee Law on Online Ordination) states that if you are a wedding officiant who has been ordained online, then you may no longer legally solemnize marriages in the state of Tennessee, starting today. If you would like to read more details about the bill, a peer of mine has written up a great post about it here.
So what does this mean for couples getting married in the Tri-Cities? It means you need to make sure the officiant you have chosen for your ceremony can legally marry you.
Below are the suggestions for who we think are the best options to solemnize your marriage. All the suggested officiants may legally perform wedding / marriage ceremonies after July 1st, 2019 in the state of Tennessee.
Rev. Daphne Trees Henson
Rev. Daphne is an ordained interfaith minister and wedding officiant offering creative marriage services. She will travel to your ceremony site. She serves the Tri-Cities area of Tennessee, as well as a large portion of North Carolina.
Contact:
828.414.8045
[email protected]
facebook.com/ceremoniesbydaphnetrees
Rev. Carolyn Claiborne
Rev. Carolyn is the senior minister and founder of Distinctive Wedding Ceremonies. She has been performing ceremonies for over 25 years and has performed over 1000 ceremonies. She will travel to your ceremony site. Distinctive Wedding Ceremonies serves the Tri-Cities, most of Tennessee (excluding Memphis), western North Carolina, Southwest Virginia, most of Kentucky, as well as northern South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama.
Contact:
423.636.1003
distinctiveweddingceremonies.org
Pastor Robbie Groover
Robbie is the Pastor at the Refuge on the Mountain Ministry & Church. Although based out of Sevierville, he will travel to your ceremony site in the Tri-Cities. He serves all of east Tennessee, as well as portions of Kentucky, Georgia, and North Carolina.
Contact:
865.312.6205
[email protected]
refugeonthemountain.org
Ashlee Lynch, Minister
Ashlee is a non-denominational minister who also offers marriage counseling. She is based in Greene County but will travel to your ceremony site.
Contact:
423.278.6735
[email protected]
If you are a wedding officiant and would like to be featured, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]