Wedding Preparations: Selecting Your Officiant

In the past, we discussed the importance of selecting the ceremony venue. The next important step is selecting your officiant. In researching this topic, I came across the article, “The Ultimate Guide To Your Ceremony,” in Brides magazine. In this article were some very useful tips when selecting your officiant and obtaining your marriage license. Here are the highlights of what they discussed.

If you choose a venue that is not a House of Worship, you will need to hire someone to make it official. You can choose a professional to do the ceremony, or for a more intimate approach, request a close friend or a family member. If you go the professional route, I’d be happy to recommend some great officiants I enjoy working with.

When making your selection, you want to make sure the person is ordained. If the chosen officiant is not, the person will need to complete an online course at getordained.com. You also want to make sure you are compliant with local laws during this process. In some cases, the officiant must register in advance for the marriage to be considered legal by the state.

Once you have selected your officiant, you want to work out the ceremony details with them. You want to make sure you include this person early on in your planning process. Discuss your vision for your big day. Let the person know which parts he or she is going to oversee, and it is also at this time that you want to go over any personal anecdotes that you would like to be included in the wedding festivities.

On the day of your wedding, make sure you legalize your marriage. After the conclusion of the ceremony, the officiant and /or witnesses must sign the marriage license. Once this is done, you will need to submit it to your local city or county clerk’s office to receive the official marriage certificate.

At the time of this writing to obtain your marriage license, you must apply in person at the city or county clerk’s office sometime during the month of the ceremony. The license is usually valid for 30-90 days. You will need to check the local laws for specifics. Also, remember to ask whether you will automatically receive a copy of the marriage certificate. If it is not automatic, make sure you request for a copy of your marriage certificate.

Source

“The Ultimate Guide To Your Ceremony.” Brides. April/May 2017. 218. Print.