Booking Your Officiant

Booking Your Officiant

  While you may feel that choosing your officiant is a simple task, and it is, it is also one of the most important factors of your wedding. Your officiant helps to set the tone for your vows, drawing in the guests with their voice, their words and even those bad jokes they just might try to crack to draw a laugh or two. Many religious organizations provide their own officiant and other venues may not, but either way you’ll want to ask this short list of questions just to make sure they’re the officiant for you:

1. Are you legally allowed to marry us? Or, can our best friend marry us? 

In most cases priests, rabbi’s and pastors are all legally allowed to marry you, but in some states you can get a special license that may allow a friend to marry you instead. You’ll also want to make sure that online ordinations count. Some states don’t allow ministers ordained online to perform legally binding weddings!

2. Are you okay with non-traditional readings?

This is your wedding and you want to be able to include words that are meaning full to you, not just your officiant. Make sure that they’ll be comfortable performing your wedding when you plan to have your best friend come up and give a reading of a poem written by an unorthodox author. 

3. Do you require us to attend premarital counseling?

Some officiants require you to go through a premarital counseling course, often with them, before they will marry you. You’ll want to know ahead of time if this is a requirement before choosing them. 

4. Are you comfortable in a venue where alcohol will be present?

This is an important one if you’re having your wedding performed by a member of clergy and your wedding will be held in the same place as your reception. Make sure they are comfortable or consider an alternative clergy-man. 

5. If we book you, do we have to follow a traditional order of service?

Many clergy keep to a specific layout for their weddings. If you want to deviate from this you’ll need to find an officiant that is willing to work with you!