Problem solved
I don’t disagree with you, but my authority in Ohio is to “solemnize” marriages, as it reads on all the paperwork. My sense is that they’re saying their authority is what legalizes the union. They’re saying that mine is ceremonial and that my signature simply affirms the act has been completed. They see their license as the issue.
From my perspective, the critical element in American religion in our era is fighting, insisting, demanding that the effort by the state to recognize “freedom to worship” be recognized as the perversion it is. The constitution says “free exercise of RELIGION.” Our religion is far more than just our worship services.
Our religion touches every aspect of our lives, and that includes marriage.