Central Ceremonies has been providing professional, customized ceremonies with uncustomary service since 1999. Rooted in Central Texas, their name is also a reflection of their radical idea that ceremonies are central to our lives, our communities, and our relationships. For over 20 years, they have joined couples of all faiths, backgrounds, genders, orientations, nationalities, and styles together in matrimony. They are the kind of officiant you’d trust with your wedding: a good listener, honest, polished, non-anxious, caring, respectful, and always acting with integrity. They bring a deep and broad level of experience to their couples, allowing them to craft ceremonies that range from the religious and spiritual to the nonspiritual, including customized vows, unique cultural and personalized accents, readings, and rituals. While each wedding is unique, the core value of love is universal.
We asked Rev. Sarah de la Fuente, Austin wedding officiant and founder of Central Ceremonies to share the top reasons you should hire a professional officiant for your wedding day. Keep reading to learn more!
Planning a wedding involves many details, some of which are mundane (cocktail napkins), some of which are profound (who you will marry!) So when it’s time to choose who will perform your wedding, I’ll start by asking a question: When have you ever walked into a large event, a life-altering moment, or any significant event in your life without research, preparation, and pros in charge? Odds are your answer is—next to never.
As costs mount, and the pile of contracts grows, the wedding officiant may seem, in this grand scheme, a place where you could trim your budget. You could ask a friend to do it. They are a great speaker. They know you so well. They’d do it for free.
But here are five really good reasons to reconsider:
- Experience. All weddings have a structure, a rhythm, and a particular energy. As professionals, we’ve lived in that space for years, many times, over and over again. We understand the flow, and not only help you work within it, but know just where to bend it and mold it to make it your own. We are familiar and comfortable with the energy around wedding ceremonies: joy, stress, anxiety, surprise. We are trained to hold that space, and to create a place for you that is non-anxious so you can actually enjoy getting married to each other.
- Credibility. It matters. It really does. Just ask my couple who discovered their best man had forgotten to file their license. (That was the last time I left a license with the best man! I file paperwork myself now. Oh – and yes, we quickly remedied the situation.) The requirements for who may marry whom, what paperwork must be filed, how it is filed, and when it is filed vary a great deal. And not only do they vary, they vary from year to year, state to state, county to county. And the statutes themselves can be vague and confusing. Professional clergy, as well as judges (and certain other public servants) are safe choices who insure that your marriage is valid, and is and will always be legally recognized.
- Customization. One reason people want their friends to marry them is because they desire a more personal touch. Now that makes a lot of sense. Each couple’s story is at once universal and unique. It’s a precious story that begs to be told here at its opening chapters. As a seasoned wedding officiant, part of my job is to plumb my couples for tidbits and tales that both bind them to the universal value of love, but also their unique traits. I bring years of ideas, as well as the keen ability to wordsmith – to articulate thoughts and feelings and thus, customize the wedding while simultaneously (I hope) giving each couple some tools upon which to build their new marriage through that customization of words and actions.
- We work for you. This may seem obvious, but it is worth saying. We work for you. We aren’t your guest. You don’t need to feed us, or entertain us. We aren’t there to party, or catch up with other family, friends, or guests. That client relationship gives both the couple and the officiant (me!) the freedom to be fully present in the wedding itself. We’ve been hired to create a wedding, and then hold that space for you. Our focus is you, your wedding, and your ceremony!
- Marriage is more than a moment. Yes, of course we are there to make your marriage legal, and do it beautifully. But you are the ones who actually have to be married. It’s a verb. Marriage reaches far beyond that date and time listed on your beautifully designed wedding invitation. Our job, at the very least, is to create a ceremony that is a true rite – something that gives our couples a strong, articulated foundation, rich soil, hooks on which to build their marriage. We hope that each ceremony we craft is a sort of working document for our couples. It will be something to recall and revisit as marriage unfolds.
Now that you understand the importance of hiring a professional, hear from couples directly on why Central Ceremonies stands out, highlighting why they’re the ideal choice for your wedding day!
Reviews That Speak For Themselves
“Sarah de la Fuente was our officiant and she was truly exceptional. I don’t think we’ve ever been to a wedding where the guests spoke so much about the officiant but that was true for our wedding. We received so many comments from guests singing her praises! Sarah met with us in the months leading up to our wedding to get to know us personally and she did such a great job personalizing our vows, incorporating our little quirks as a couple. Her professionalism and attention to detail made our wedding day even more memorable. We wholeheartedly recommend Sarah for anyone seeking a top-notch officiant!” – Kimberly L.
“Central Ceremonies was by far the best option for our officiant. Sarah took the time to get to know us and our relationship then focused the ceremony around that. Multiple guests came up to us after the ceremony and asked if our officiant was a friend we knew before the wedding (she was not). It was such a beautiful, personal ceremony and something we will remember for the rest of our lives. The process leading up to it was so easy too. We had a conversation and sent some notes and ended up with the most personal and incredible ceremony.” – Kierstyn H.
“My husband and I worked with Sarah on our ceremony at Central Presbyterian. Given that our families have mixed religious and cultural backgrounds, we were nervous about how to proceed with putting together a ceremony that felt authentic to us while respecting our different family members. Sarah was a blessing from day one; in our intro chat I could feel how much she pours her heart and soul into making meaningful moments and getting to know the couples she works with. I knew we were in capable hands. Sarah wrote a gorgeous ceremony for us. I loved the process, as we explored what marriage and religion means for us and it felt very custom and special. Several attendees commented on how this was one of the most beautiful and unique weddings they have seen. I would recommend Sarah to anyone looking to get married. Thank you so much Sarah!” – Agnieszka G.
If you’re searching for more helpful resources leading up to your wedding, Central Ceremonies has a ton of amazing blog posts including Five Questions to Ask Your Potential Wedding Officiant, a series on Things to Consider When Hiring an Officiant, and more!
Let Central Ceremonies make your wedding day amazing. Trust them to curate an unforgettable experience, tailored to your unique love story, leaving you with cherished memories to last a lifetime.
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