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I have worked with many people who held an official license that granted them the authority to marry two people. The ability to officiate a marriage is a great honor. This article will guide you in the right direction.
A marriage ceremony can be commemorated by a priest, rabbi, minister, or an authorized person of any religious denomination 18 years of age or older. Once you are a registered officiant, you can perform a marriage anywhere in the United States.
Receiving a license to officiate a wedding is easier than you would think. However, actually performing the duty of officiating a wedding service is what takes more time to prepare.
How Do You Become Someone Who Marries People?
The quickest way that does not involve three to four years of attending Seminary School is to get ordained online. Being ordained online is simple and either free or requires a minimal fee. I personally did it in minutes. First, I filled out a contact form with my name, address, phone number, and email address. The process took seconds to complete.
After immediately receiving my congratulations confirmation, I had the option to purchase the Minister Ordination Package for $45.00, which includes the following:
Ordination Package:
- Minister’s Manual/Wedding Training Materials
- Ordination Certificate/Official Minister Credentials
- Letter of Good Standing
- Certificate Holder
- Getting Started kit
- Minister Licensing Instructions
- State Regulations Instructions
Click here to get ordination information state by state
Can a Friend Officiate a Wedding?
Yes! Follow the steps above.
Also, keep these tips in mind if you decide to have a friend officiate your wedding:
- Check your state first on requirements.
- You can save money by having a friend officiate your wedding. Hired officiants can range from $250.00-to $850.00. Church clergy is based on an honorarium fee ranging from $200.00-to $500.00.
- If a friend officiates your wedding, make sure they practice, practice, practice, and practice. Officiating a wedding for the first time is nerve-racking.
- Make sure you know what the friend-officiant will discuss during the ceremony. It’s not about the officiant. Sometimes friends who do the officiating forget this and talk too much about themselves and their personal relationship with the couple. The focus should always be on the guests of honor and the two getting married.
- Ensure the friend-officiant files the marriage license on time with the county to avoid additional fees. An officiant is legally responsible for filing the marriage license within 10 days of the ceremony with the county clerk-recorder. Once the license is recorded, then it is officially a marriage certificate.
I am Not a U.S. Citizen. Can I Officiate Weddings in the U.S.?
Yes, except for the state of Nevada. Nevada has a law prohibiting Non-U.S. residents from officiating a wedding ceremony. However, the other 49 states do not require a person to be a U.S. citizen to officiate a marriage ceremony.
Story Time Wedding
One summer in Southern California way back in 2011, I coordinated a wedding for two lawyers. To this day, I still refer to this event as the “Woodstock Wedding.” Friends and family of the bride and groom had filled the secluded ten acres of property with tents, campers, and Harley-Davidson Motorcycles. And the fresh aroma of incense and Marijuana filled my lungs with every breath.
My staple outfit attire for ranch weddings was a dress and cowboy boots. You never know when you may cross the path of a snake, That will be another story.
During our planning meeting, the bride told me six weeks prior that they were having a friend officiate their wedding, and he had recently received his license to marry the couple.
So, 30 minutes before the wedding, I started to get a bit nervous when there was no sign of the “friend-officiant.” I had asked the bartender, also a friend of the bride and groom, if he had seen the officiant. The bartender replied, “I’m sure he is around somewhere.” That answer didn’t really comfort me much.
I decided to locate the father of the bride (FOB), an attorney who was dressed straight out of an old western movie. This man stood over six feet tall, wearing cowboy boots, a hat, leather pants, a collard shirt, a vest, and a full-length duster coat. In fact, most of the guests were dressed straight out of the wild west.
FOB was not any help either and said, “He’s around.” Now it is 20 minutes till the ceremony starts. I inquired with two other family members, and the groom’s aunt said, “I saw him by the bar.” Great! I moved quickly back to the bar and asked the bartender again, “Where’s the officiant? I heard he was just here?” The bartender looked around, then leaned across the bar and whispered. “Settle down, darlin’; he’s here and will be ready when the time comes.” Then he winked. What? What does that mean? I knew I should have been adamant about getting the officiant’s number, but the bride was confident I didn’t need it and everything would be okay. Always get vendor phone numbers….ALWAYS! Rookie mistake.
Pretty-pink-ponies, pretty-pink-ponies is a chant I say to myself when things get a bit stressy.
The mother of the bride (MOB) who was dressed like Annie Oakley, approached me, looked around, and casually said, “so are we ready?” Ready for what I thought, there’s no officiant. Am I the only one here concerned? I replied to the MOB, “Umm, have you met the officiant?” MOB chuckles and says, “of course I have, dear. I’ve known his mother for years.” I smiled politely.
I decided to check on the bride, and she was making her way out of the bridal suite. “Are we ready?” The bride asked. She was dressed in a vintage deep purple gown that was amazing! And her hair was in a fabulous up-do. Simply gorgeous. “Question, what was finally decided on the officiant? Will he enter from the side or walk down the aisle?” Or magically appearing out of nowhere was what I really wanted to ask, but I remained calm as if I had things completely under control.
“Oh-yeah, there was a last-minute change, Cal will enter when the ceremony is underway and after I walk down the aisle.” I hate surprises. Apparently, Cal the officiant was a surprise performance for the guests to witness who was marrying the bride and groom.
Minutes later, the ceremony was underway, and the groom and the FOB made their way down the center aisle together. The FOB walked behind the groom carrying a shotgun. It was hysterical, and the guests loved it. Next, the bridal party entered and got into place, and last, the bride made her way and walked to the song “Walk This Way” by Aerosmith.
Once everyone was in place, the music stopped. The FOB stood up from the front row, still clutching the shotgun, then turned and faced the guests and shouted, “Who will marry this couple?” THAT WAS EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED TO KNOW TOO.
I looked around, as did the guests, and then heard a voice in the distance toward the bar call out. “I will!” That damn bartender was messing with me earlier. He was the officiant. Bartender-guy then did some sort of acrobatic move and hopped over the bar and moved like a gazelle toward the ceremony alter. As he passed me, he winked and whispered, “I like your kicks.” Smart-ass liked my cowboy boots.
~ Check out my article: 20 Steps on How to Plan a Wedding ~
Conclusion
I hope you found this article helpful in determining whether or not to have a friend or family member officiate your wedding. In my opinion, I have seen some lovely ceremonies where a friend or family member has officiated the service, and it was truly a special moment because of the personal connection.
~ Happy planning and enjoy your wedding day steps ~