By DON DARE
6 On Your Side Reporter

GATLINBURG (WATE) -- People in the profitable Gatalinburg wedding industry are concerned about a big drop in the number ceremonies over the last eight years. Could it be people are worried their ministers aren't really ordained?
Tourism has declined some in the Smokies over the last five years. And of course recently, the economy has slumped, in addition to rising gas prices.
But suppose the minister who married you received an ordination certificate online in three minutes? That has some legally ordained ministers worried.
East of the Mississippi, Gatlinburg is one of the most popular spots for weddings. Sevier County is the most popular place in Tennessee to tie the knot. More than a quarter of the state's marriages are performed in the county.
A good portion of the ministers performing ceremonies in the Smokies are legitimate, but there's a growing number of people who are not.
"In three minutes, you can become an ordained minister, anyone," says Baptist Minister Rev. Ed Taylor, who's legitimately ordained himself.
Nearly 30 years ago, Rev. Taylor and a small group of ordained ministers organized the Gatlinburg ministries.
Over the past three decades, Rev. Taylor has conducted thousands of wedding ceremonies.
But now with the click of a mouse, and the right Web site, you can get an ordination certificate. It even says online it's free.
"A lot of people, according to what we've discovered, are not legally married under the law. The fallout could be devastating in years to come," Rev. Taylor says.
It's so easy to get an ordination certificate, Rev. Taylor got one for his two-year-old dog, Bebe.
Paralegal Nancy Brady Fisher explains, "Say your spouse dies, for instance, and you have life insurance. If their life insurance company gets wind that you were never married, they don't have to pay."
Concerned about this issue, the Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce recently requested all wedding chapels that belong to the chamber provide a list of their ministers and a copy of their certification of ordination.
One certificate belongs to Dan Saffelder, who owns the Wedding Chapel in the Glades.
Saffelder says the chamber responded to people calling their office, wondering if they were legally hitched.
"I've had people call and say, 'Are we legally married?' Those that got married here seven or eight years ago of course, we say yes, you are legally married," Saffelder says.
Eight years ago, there were more than 21,000 marriage ceremonies in Sevier County. In 2007, the number dropped to under 15,000.
There's a law on the books that identifies ordained clergy as conducting wedding ceremonies, but it says there's no authority in the law for the county clerk to enforce the rule.
Rev. Taylor is fighting to get the law amended and give it teeth so those who are married never have to worry whether their religious ceremony is legit.
For many couples being married by an ordained clergy member is extremely important.
Those who operate Gatlinburg wedding chapels with legitimate credentials urge people to call and ask questions first, making sure the person doing the ceremony is a real minister or rabbi.