Why The Professional Officiant?

A lot of the scuttle-butt on the Professional circuit these days is about officiants who do not perform their work on a professional basis.  This includes friends and relatives of the bride or groom who apply for an ordination simply for the purpose of performing this specific wedding, often as a measure for saving money, but occasionally for the purpose of being the individual who blesses the marriage.  While either is acceptable in the eyes of the law, and reasonable for the couple, the finished product can sometimes be a disaster, leaving the bride and groom with memories that are below their expectations when it comes to how they see their wedding.

To see what you might be missing by having Uncle Joe perform your ceremony, consider what services you get with a professional officiant.  First, the officiant meets with you, taking the time to get to know you.  He or she might have a questionnaire for you to fill out, describing not only your preferences, but a little bit of the history of your relationship, so that your ceremony can be personalized to the two of you.  He or she might interview you, to really get acquainted with you both.  Then, if there are several basic ceremonies that the officiant uses, you can select a ceremony that reflects who you are as a couple and the feelings that you have for each other.  In my estimation, this is one of the most important things in the preparation of a wedding ceremony.  The professional officiant will prepare the ceremony and send you a copy for your approval.  He or she will rehearse with you prior to the ceremony so that your wedding will appear polished.  The day of the wedding, the professional officiant will coordinate events in such a way that everyone is ready on time and the ceremony comes off like a well-practiced production.  Your license will be signed and copies delivered to the appropriate parties.  You can trust the officiant to complete all phases of the preparation and display of the ceremony, without having to remind him or her of anything. 

When you are being married by Uncle Joe, this is not going to happen.  Although your friends and relatives know you, they do not know wedding protocol or what needs to be done when.  They are likely to find a ceremony script on the web, and will read it for you, but the ceremony will be lacking in polish, practice, and satisfaction.

While a professional officiant costs more money, the finished product is worth the extra investment.  Shopping around, you will be able to find a professional who cares about the memories that you are going to create, and will take a creative approach to providing them.