WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN HIRING A WEDDING OFFICIANT!

The question has been popped and now it’s time to start planning for your big day! First off, congratulations!

What is the difference between a wedding officiant, a minister, and a reverend?

A wedding officiant has a degree or certificate from a church that allows them to officiate a wedding, an ordained minister gets ordained from any particular church and is allowed to perform wedding ceremonies as well as other church activities.

Anyone who is officiating your wedding needs to know the rules specific to the state the ceremony is happening. Different states have different rules and requirements.

I have been a wedding officiant for many years and officiated countless weddings. I actually grew up with an aunt who was/is a wedding officiant, and she has been my teacher for several decades (well really not that long. I can’t give away my age now).

Planning a wedding includes meeting with dozens of vendors, finding the right decorations, the right flowers, and dresses, building your wedding party, deciding on food and the photographer and the wedding officiant! (all within budget right) But does it really matter who marries you? I mean, as long as they are licensed to do so?

The answer is YES!!! Finding the right officiant is very important. Let me preface what I am going to say next with a little tip

            A MORE EXPENSIVE OFFICANT ISN’T NECEISSARILY THE BEST QUALIFIED OR RIGHT FIT

WHO marries you is important. Many people choose to have a family member or friend get ordained online (P.S. ITS FREE) and preform the ceremony. This is great! It is an option that allows someone special to be a part of your ceremony.

Others choose not to use a friend or family for multiple reasons (and this is not an exhaustive list); no experience, there isn’t anyone willing to do it, it’s too complicated, not wanting to put that responsibility on a friend or family, and so many more reasons.

There are different types of ceremonies and officiants, not every one is the same and not every officiant offers the types of ceremonies.

A Civil wedding officiant are those who hold government roles such as a judge, justice of the peace, mayor, city clerk or notary (depending on the state).

A religious wedding officiant often is a leader or a church or area of faith. These ceremonies are often performed within the church/religious entity they congregate in.

Professional wedding officiants include civil and religious officiants as well as professional officiants and celebrants, are licensed professionals hired to perform the wedding ceremony. Celebrants are often knowledgeable on secular, spiritual and interfaith ceremonies.

And finally, Ordained wedding officiants are those often ordained online, chosen by the couple, like a friend or family member to perform the ceremony.

IF you choose to go with a professional wedding officiant, there are some things to consider and questions to ask. Remember, YOU are hiring THEM, this is an interview. Not every officiant requires a religious background, not every officiant performs specific religious ceremonies (or multiple religious ceremonies).

Here are some things to consider when you start shopping for an officiant.

·      Do they vibe with you and your fiancé

·      What experience do you want them to have?

·      Are you set on a specific gendered officiant?

·      What is your budget?

·      Are you willing to pay travel fees?

·      Do you require a religious ceremony?

·      Make sure the officiant is a confident speaker

I will say this, I have had brides come to me needing an officiant, but they preface the conversation with

“First, I want to explain my situation, you can let me know if you are not comfortable and I understand. I have been divorced, I have a child out of wedlock, and we are not religious”.

THIS WILL NEVER ME A PROBLEM FOR ME! But there will be officiant’s aka ministers who are not okay with some of these things. It is important to ask the questions and give the information up front.

Now, when you find an officiant that you’d like to interview, here is a list of important questions you should ask, in addition to any ceremony specific questions you’d like answers to.

1.     Are you available on our date?

2.     How many weddings have you officiated?

3.     Do you have any examples of your work?

4.     Will you help us get a marriage license?

5.     Can you personalize the ceremony?

6.     How do you handle disruptions?

7.     How many times do we/should we meet with you?

8.     How long does the ceremony last?

9.     Do you do rehearsals?

10.  Do you help with Vow preparations?

11.  What do you wear when you are officiating?

12.  What are your fees?

13.  Do you have a back-up in case something happens?

14.  What time will you arrive?

15.  Do you offer premarital counseling?

The final thing I want to talk about is the fees for the officiant. A quick Google search will tell you that an officiant can range up to $900.00. These searches will also tell you that the less charged means the less experienced. While there are many individuals who are professional officiants that charge mid-high range, there are also professional officiants who charge lower amounts because it is not their primary source of income, and they just do it for fun on the side.

Set your budget, talk to a few officiants, if you can, meet with them in person and see who you vibe with the most. It is an interview process, and you and your fiancé get to choose who is hired, after-all, this day only happens once right?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this blog post and your experience with wedding officiants. Feel free to comment or use the contact form on the main page to get ahold of me.

I decided to start blogging to provide access to educational information to new and seasoned Notaries Public and Wedding Officiants and their clientele to improve service to each population.