Selecting A Professional Wedding Officiant

Selecting A Professional Wedding Officiant

It is important for a bride and groom to select a professional wedding officiant to conduct their wedding ceremony. The reasons for that are very specific.

Know the laws in your state about who is authorized to pronounce couples as being married. Make certain that you select an individual who meets those standards. Professional wedding officiants, those who conduct wedding ceremonies to make a living, will be qualified. They will have the necessary certifications to afford you a carefree experience.

Professional wedding officiants make their living conducting weddings. They will tend to have conducted many wedding ceremonies. They will be experienced and polished.

A professional “specializes” in conducting wedding ceremonies and pronouncing couples. They normally will have planning kits with options for the couple to review. They can aid the couple in building a ceremony that tells their story. The options are endless for customization of ceremonies. The end result can be a delightful and memorable experience. A professional officiant can make all the difference in a ceremony through their presentation. They are more expert in what they do. They do it more often than those who just “dabble” in weddings. 

Listen to prospective officiants intently. Do they take an interest in your history? Do they have ideas and suggestions that sound exciting to you? Can you hear a level of interest and excitement in them? Do they offer materials to help in the planning process? Can they talk about their experiences in conducting weddings? Do they speak well? These points are important. They indicate that you are considering someone who is committed to making your day special and unique.

Read reviews on-line. What are other couples saying about their performance? The Knot and Wedding Wire are key sites where couples can speak their minds. Look for words like “they listened” “they got to know us” our “audience raved about the ceremony”, “it was like they were part of the family”. There are many more words like those that can show intent. They can clearly indicate that the couple doing the review selected the perfect person to conduct their wedding ceremony. 

You can look for videos of them performing ceremonies. Watch their eyes as they perform the ceremony. Do they make good eye contact, or do they just read a ceremony? Presentation is critical. What sort of emotion do you detect? Watch closely. You will see the professionalism.

Many couples have a family friend or relative conduct their ceremony. The questions to ask of that person can be very direct. How many weddings have you conducted? Are you certified by the state to conduct weddings? Do you know how to file my license with the state? What will you say during our wedding ceremony? How will you work with us to make certain that we have a wonderful and memorable experience? The answers to those questions will “tell the tale”.

It is important that the couple has their marriage actually recorded by the state. Many couples have a friend or relative conduct their ceremony. However, it is quite possible that many couples who “think” that they are married, have actually not had their marriage license filed with the state for recording. If that has not been done, in the eyes of the state the couple is not “legally married”. That can lead to all sorts of issues. Make certain that the person conducting your wedding actually knows the laws of the state and is competent to file the proper paperwork with the state where you are getting married. If they do not know those details – stay away. You may be in for trouble.

Some thoughtful research into the background and professionalism of a prospective officiant for your special day will lead you to a successful and memorable wedding ceremony. Select wisely.