How to Become a Wedding Officiant

Introduction

A wedding officiant is the person who leads or officiates a wedding ceremony. The details surrounding a wedding officiant can be quite tricky but this article will serve the purpose of simplifying this information for you. Officiants can be anyone from a pastor to a friend or family member of the couple getting married. The process of becoming a wedding officiant is usually a fairly easy process. Once you become one and register through your local and/or state government you then are able to marry a couple. Having the privilege of being the wedding officiant for a family member or friend can be a very special and memorable experience. Wedding officiants can also marry couples they are not acquainted with if they have a passion for the job and are looking to make some money.

What a Wedding Officiant Does

 

Duties of the wedding officiant will vary from wedding to wedding. What a wedding officiant does during the wedding will largely be influenced by what the marrying couple wants him or her to do. The main job of the officiant is to help the couple plan and create the ceremony. It is essential that the officiant become familiar with where the ceremony will be held so him or her can make the ceremony the best it can be. The tone of the wedding is also another important element of the ceremony that the officiant needs to establish with the couple. The officiant will often advise the couple on certain things such as organizing the processional too. Communication between the couple and the officiant is necessary in making sure the couple has the ceremony they desire.

Is a License Required to Marry People?

 

The qualifications of what a person has to do to be able to marry a couple vary from state to state and even from county to county. For most states, any member of the clergy (such as ministers, priests, rabbis, etc.) are able to legally perform a wedding. Becoming ordained is an easy process as this can be done on the Internet through online ministries. This process can be done instantly online through organizations like The American Fellowship Church. Justices of peace, judges, or court clerks are typically able to perform weddings as well.

Do I Need to Become Ordained to Marry People?

 

Most states require that the person marrying a couple has to be ordained. However, these laws will vary from state to state. For example, in Massachusetts all one has to do is ask the local government for permission to marry a couple. After becoming ordained one should also register themselves with the city and state so that they can legally perform the marriage. When it comes down to becoming qualified to marry a couple it is always important to know what the law in your state or county says about the matter as the laws can differ in different parts of the country.

What to Charge?

 

How much a wedding officiant makes will vary depending on many factors. If a family member or a friend is an officiant, this duty will usually be done for free. If someone is hired to be a wedding officiant that the couple does not know, the amount of money they make will still vary depending on the type of work they do. Typically, a wedding officiant can expect to make between $300 – $2,000 per ceremony. Putting time and passion into this profession can build up your reputation and lead to a fairly good source of income. Often times a couple chooses a wedding officiant based on a recommendation so make sure you do quality work to receive more job opportunities.

Performing the Marriage Ceremony

 

Once you are legally able to marry it is time to start looking forward to the ceremony. Make sure you have everything scripted and planned out as this is not the time to wing it. Practice your lines to make sure you have them down before the ceremony. Double check to be certain the plans for the ceremony are to the couple’s liking. Lastly, on the wedding day, sign the marriage license to make the marriage official. Marrying a couple is a big responsibility so you want to perform your role as best as you can, not only for the couple but to better your own reputation as a successful wedding officiant.

Keeping up with Your Education and the Laws

 

The most important thing to be sure of when becoming a wedding officiant is to follow the law. Double check to be certain you have done everything required as this process can be quite complicated when dealing with both state and local laws. Mistakes are not acceptable when it comes to something as important as a wedding so be 100% sure you are well informed on what you have to do to marry a couple.

Other Resources

As you can imagine there are a lot of resources available to you if you would like to pursue your journey on becoming a Wedding Officiant.  We have listed a few of them here:

How to Become A Wedding Officiant – https://www.godaddy.com/garage/how-to-become-a-wedding-officiant/

Summary of How to Become A Wedding Officiant

We hope you have enjoyed our article and begin to see how easily you too can become a wedding officiant.