(a) When marriages are solemnized by a minister of the gospel or priest, the ceremony shall be according to the forms and customs of the church or society to which he or she belongs. When solemnized by a civil officer, the form observed shall be the one the officer deems most appropriate.(b) It shall be lawful for religious societies who reject formal ceremonies to join together in marriage persons who are members of the society according to the forms, customs, or rites of the society to which they belong, with the exception that the requirements set forth in the Covenant Marriage Act of 2001, § 9-11-801 et seq., shall be complied with if the parties enter into a covenant marriage.Rev. Stat., ch. 94, §§ 12, 13; C. & M. Dig., §§ 7050, 7051; Pope's Dig., §§ 9030, 9031; A.S.A. 1947, §§ 55-222, 55-223; Acts 2001, No. 1486, § 3
Arkansas Legal Code