Wedding Officiant

Planning a wedding involves making choices and many decisions. Choosing a wedding officiant is important because you want him or her to set the right tone for your ceremony in order to reflect the character of your relationship and wedding.

Before selecting an officiant, first decide whether or not you want to have a religious ceremony, include others to perform readings and/or music, and want to get married outdoors, indoors or in a church or other religious building. The next step is to find an officiant that can facilitate your choices.

An quick and easy way to find officiants in your area is to use one of the many online directories. For a more intimate and personal ceremony, consider a close friend or family member to officiate your wedding. They will have the most personal knowledge about you and your partner.

Tip: Relatives or friends can become ordained as an wedding official through the Universal Life Church

Marriage laws vary in each state; sometimes even county to county so it's important to be familiarized with the requirements set forth by your local and state government. Contact the local government agency that issues the marriage license and ask what is required of the minister who will perform the marriage ceremony. In order for a marriage to be legal, the wedding ceremony must include the Declaration of Intent (commonly recognized as the “Do you take..." and "I do” exchange) and after performing the wedding, completion of the marriage license. This usually requires the signatures of two witnesses and the officiant, in addition to those of the couple.

Our Story: My dad who used to be a part-time wedding official in Holland, married my three sisters. Because we wanted to get our families involved in the wedding ceremony, we approached my dad to lead our ceremony in California. Initially, he felt a bit intimidated because he wanted to make sure that officiating a marriage in a for him foreign country would be legal. By using the Universal Life Church ordination, this hurdle was cleared and nothing seemed to be able to stop us from complying with all legal requirements. It wasn't until after the wedding was over and one of our two witnesses was about to leave in her car to catch a flight to Chicago, we realized that she hadn't signed the marriage license! On the now empty bar counter we signed the license making sure that our marriage would work on paper as well :)