Our Guide to Booking the Right Wedding Officiant for You

The wedding planning process is full of making decisions but choosing who marries you to your soulmate is one of the biggest. We are here to help you make sure that your big day is in the hands of the right person! Keep reading to learn what you need to know when booking a wedding officiant!

Officiant: Central Ceremonies // Wedding Planner: Heavenly Day Events

Early Bird Gets the Worm

In order to ensure that your wedding day is accompanied by the perfect officiant, it’s always good to get a head start on the search. It is important to give yourself enough time to find the perfect person to marry you without feeling rushed. Start looking for an officiant far in advance so you can take your time while interviewing and researching the right people.

Decide on the Type

There are multiple different types of wedding officiants. To have the wedding of your dreams, you need to determine which type of officiant is best for you. One way to make this decision is by taking a look at the type of ceremony you picture. Here are the different types of officiants that you can choose to marry you.

Religious Wedding Officiant

If you are envisioning a religious ceremony to highlight your faith, this is the type of officiant you should look into hiring. A religious wedding officiant can be a rabbi, minister, priest, pastor or another type of spiritual leader to create a wedding that calls attention to your beliefs. The officiant could be a religious leader that you have known for years or someone new that you have found to appreciate.

Professional Wedding Officiant

These are officiants that are licensed and experienced in performing marriage ceremonies. This type of officiant normally has a great deal of experience, so they bring professionalism and poise to your ceremony. Since professionals normally specialize in certain areas like interfaith or secular ceremonies, a couple might consider hiring one if they are not intending on having a religious ceremony.

We suggest using one of the professional wedding officiants from Central Ceremonies local team. This group is experienced in both religious and non-religious ceremonies and comes to the table with years of practiced experience – meaning your ceremony will go off without at hitch with their officiants’ leadership.

Civil Wedding Officiant

Couples might choose a civil wedding officiant to keep with a straightforward style wedding. This type of officiant is someone that performs marriage ceremonies in accordance with state laws. A civil officiant can be a judge, mayor, notary or another title that can assist you in getting married within the laws of your state.

Ordained Family Member or Friend

One way to personalize your wedding is by getting married by a family member or one of your close friends. Many people find it comforting to have a close friend or family member standing up at the altar, marrying them. If you are looking for a way to add your own personal touch to the ceremony, this is something to consider and is relatively easy and inexpensive to accomplish.

Do Your Homework

This step requires you and your significant other to do some digging. Once you have decided on a type of officiant, it is always smart to get some additional information where you can. Get referrals from newlywed friends or scroll through the internet about potential officiants. This can help you learn about the executions of their past weddings and also introduce you to their credentials.

Share the Same Values

Once you have your sights set on a few officiants, it is time to pay close attention to if you can truly see them officiating your wedding. There are a few qualities you want to make sure that they have, a crucial one is that you want to make sure they have the same values that you and your fiancé share. This step is not something that you want to overlook. The last thing you want is to hire an officiant that does not have the same views or values as you and your significant other.

Pick the Confident Speaker

A final thing to look for in an officiant is their presence while speaking. You want to select an officiant that you not only respect but one that is comfortable speaking in front of groups of people. Before committing to an officiant, make sure they are confident speakers, so the ceremony is clear and orderly. By choosing a confident speaker, the ceremony will flow easily and lack any awkward silences that could come with stage fright or inexperience, making it a happy moment to look back on.

You’ve picked your officiant, and now it’s time to start working on the ceremony! Think about what you want included – unity ceremony, songs, readings, ect. – then get to work on those vows! Here’s our guide to writing your own.