Wedding Officiants

Unless you've been a member of a church or other religious institution for some time, you're going to have to find your own wedding officiant. This could be a priest or pastor, a rabbi, a justice of the peace, a Muslim officiant, a non-denominational officiant, a Wiccan officiant, or even (in some states) a friend who is ordained for a day specifically to perform your wedding ceremony.

If you're interviewing officiants in preparation for the big day, there are some questions you MUST ask before settling on the one who will eventually perform your wedding ceremony. Here are some highlights, and a link to the full list will follow.

• Will the officiant be available on your wedding date?
• Do you have to travel to their house or worship or will they come to you?
• Will this officiant allow you to write your own vows or recite contemporary readings?
• Are there photography or videography restrictions in his/her ceremony?
• Can this officiant recommend musicians?
• Does this officiant have rules about which music can be played at the wedding ceremony?
• Can a second officiant also take part in the ceremony?
• Will this officiant marry you and your fiance even if you're of different faiths?
• Does this officiant require that you attend premarital counseling?
• Is there an officiant fee or suggested donation we have to pay in advance?

Click for more tips on interviewing your wedding officiant or to shop for ceremony accessories

Questions to Ask Your Wedding Officiant

Just as with all your other wedding vendors, the officiant you choose should harmonize with your personal style and the type of wedding ceremony that you'd like to have. For instance, the officiant you might choose for an informal wedding in the park may not be the same officiant you'd choose for a formal religious ceremony in a church.

Your officiant may ask to meet with you several times before the wedding to discuss your feelings about love, marriage, commitment and sometimes your religious beliefs. Now, we can't help you with that -- but we can point you toward a great list of questions to ask your wedding officiant so you make the very best choice.

Go check it out!