What to Look for in a Wedding Officiant

 Weddings are joyous events that bring both family and friends together in one place to celebrate a joyful occasion. Just as there are thousands of bridal dress styles there are just as countless Officiants' styles. Moreover, even if a couple attends a house of worship, it is not necessarily straightforward to find a spiritual or religious leader whose personality is comfortable for both you and your future spouse. Consequently, outside of a House of Worship, there are numerous different styles of officiants which opens essentially a world of possibilities.

 When choosing the special individual who will not only perform the officiating moreover will assist to create a ceremony that is a correct fit for your beliefs, traditions, personality, and energy. Keep in mind the type of ceremony you desire for your moment of joining in the bonds of matrimony. A few questions to ask are as follows:

 

1.     What do you feel is important for a couple to include in their wedding preparations?

2.     Pre-marital Counseling sessions, if yes, how often?

3.     Is there a limit to the number of meetings included in the package price?

4.     How long have you been a professional officiant?

5.     How much time is scheduled for the ceremony? What is the fee for exceeding this scheduled amount of time? When is this fee to be paid?

6.     How open are you to unique or non-traditional ideas for the ceremony?

7.     We desire to have a secular ceremony; will you accommodate us?

8.     May we write our vows? Will there be an additional fee?

9.     Will you craft a personalized ceremony for us? How much input do you allow? Will there be an additional fee?

10. Will you allow for unity celebrations? Which ones? Will there be an additional fee?

11. Will you attend rehearsals? Is there a fee?

12. Do you carry liability insurance? (Some venues require it.)

13. Do you have a contract?

14. Are you legal to officiate the ceremony at our chosen location?

15. What do you wear when you officiate? Will you accommodate our request to wear something different?

16. What if the ceremony date needs to be rescheduled, will there be an additional fee?

17. Do you allow animals to take part in the ceremony?

18. When do you require payment?

19. What type of payment do you accept?  Credit/Debit, Cash, Check, or Crypto?

20. How would you describe your style of officiating?

 

 Although a majority of these questions can be answered in part by visiting the officiants' website for those not part of a house of worship. Being comfortable with the officiant is of the utmost importance. No couple desires an inflexible officiant to create and perform their ceremony. So personality is an important factor; feeling confident he or she will create a ceremony that will be appropriate for you, your venue, and your theme is necessary for a satisfying working relationship. For example, if your beach wedding needs to become a ballroom wedding last minute due to adverse weather conditions, can your officiant on the fly reword the ceremony to accommodate the new setting?

 

 Nevertheless, weddings are never picture-perfect, little details will be less polished. However, little details will not ruin the ceremony, nor dare I say even be noticed by a guest; only the perfectionist at heart may notice. Conversely, an officiant which is ill-experienced or unable to create a beautiful, romantic, or passionate ceremony, will most certainly be noticed.