LGBTQ+ Wedding Officiant in Evansville, Indiana
You should never have to wonder whether your officiant is truly glad to be there. I am. Same-sex, trans, nonbinary and queer couples are welcomed and celebrated here.
More than a rainbow on a website
Plenty of vendors say they are "LGBTQ friendly." For me, affirming is a practice, not a label. It shows up in the details.
- Your names and pronouns, always. If the name on your license is not the name you use, the ceremony uses the name you use.
- No gendered defaults. No "husband and wife" unless you want it. No assumptions about who walks in, who stands where, or who gets "given away."
- Language that fits. Spouses, partners, husbands, wives, or a word you made up together.
- Family handled with care. If some relatives are complicated or absent, or you are surrounded by chosen family instead, the ceremony can honor that honestly.
- Privacy when you want it. Quiet elopements, unlisted locations and discretion about your plans are always available.
Your ceremony should tell the truth about who you are and who you love. Nothing less, and nothing watered down.Jason Dicken
A few ways couples make the ceremony their own
- Walking in together
Many couples skip the traditional processional and walk in side by side, or each walk in with the people who raised them, chose them or stood by them.
- Honoring the road here
A brief acknowledgment of what it took to get to this day, whether that means marriage equality, coming out, transition, or simply finding each other.
- Chosen family rituals
A community vow, where guests promise to support your marriage. A ring-warming passed through every pair of hands. A toast from the friend who has been there all along.
- Rewriting old traditions
Keep what you love, drop what you do not, and reshape the rest. Unity candles, handfasting, breaking the glass, jumping the broom: every tradition can be made yours.
- Private elopements
Not everyone wants an audience, and not everyone is safe having one. A quiet ceremony at a park, at home or with a trusted witness is just as real and just as legal.
- Vow renewals
Married at a courthouse on a lunch break in 2014? Wed in another state before Indiana would recognize it? A vow renewal lets you have the celebration you deserved.
Marriage equality in Indiana
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Indiana since October 2014 and nationwide since the Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges decision in June 2015. The marriage license process in Vanderburgh County is identical for every couple: apply together at the county clerk, bring your ID, and the license is valid for 60 days with no waiting period.
Indiana marriage licenses no longer ask for "bride" and "groom," and legal name changes after the wedding work the same way for every couple. If you have questions about paperwork, names or what happens after the ceremony, I am glad to help or point you to someone who can.
Need other affirming vendors? I keep a short list of photographers, venues, planners, florists and bakers in the Evansville area who welcome LGBTQ+ couples and have proven it. Ask and I will share it.
Let's plan a wedding that sounds like you
Reach out with your date and a little about yourselves. I will reply within one business day. No forms to justify yourselves, no judgment, just a conversation.