Choosing a Wedding Officiant

Choosing a wedding officiant is something you don't think about until you are actually planning your wedding. Most people do not think about the person who will perform the wedding ceremony and join the two of you in matrimony. If you belong to a church or other religious organization, the answer may be as simple as asking your priest, minister or other clergy member. But if you do not belong to a church or you are getting married in another state, you may have to start searching for the perfect officiant to perform your marriage ceremony.

Choosing the right person to perform your wedding ceremony is one of the most important choices you may make during your wedding planning. It is important that you and your officiant are on the same page as far as what type of ceremony you wish to have and what your belief systems are. You may be nondenominational Christians, agnostics, atheists or pagans who wouldn't want to end up with a Catholic or Protestant officiant. Ceremonies and belief systems can greatly differ from religion to religion, clergy member to clergy member and sometimes from location to location.

Before you start searching for a wedding officiant, sit down as a couple and decide on what kind of ceremony you want. There are many types of ceremonies, including civil, nondenominational religious, single-faith or interfaith religious, pagan and Wiccan to name a few. There are also many rituals and ceremony elements that can be included and added to your basic wedding service, either from family or cultural traditions or regional customs.

Once you have an idea of what you want, you can start looking for someone to perform the ceremony. Check the phone book, talk to friends and family and search online .

Clergy members, judges and justices of the peace are all legally able to perform marriages. A friend or family member can get legally ordained to perform your marriage service in most states.

Before settling on the right officiate, interview several people. Find how many couples they have married and whether the couples were satisfied. Yes, you can ask for references.

When interviewing the officiate here are some basic questions you should ask:

• What services do you provide?
• What is the total cost of your services ? (Get it in writing so they can't change it later)
• Can we customize the ceremony?
• Can we write our own vows?
• What types of ceremonies do you perform?
• How many couples have you married?

Also make sure to ask them anything relevant to your situation. Make sure they will work with you on the type of wedding you want and will allow for any customization and rituals you want included. Above all else, make sure you are on the same page with your belief system. If an officiant is uncomfortable with a certain type of wedding, keep looking until you find someone who'll happily be a part of the ceremony.

Finding the right person to be your wedding officiant doesn't have to be hard when you are prepared ahead of time, know what you want and know what to look for in an officiant.