3 Main Types of Wedding Officiants you Need to Know
A wedding officiant is someone who leads the ceremony. However, that’s only a part of the job they usually do. Whether secular or religious, an officiant works with the couple months before the wedding day to plan the ceremony which might include personal vows, readings, music, and more. They may also help with the paper works and premarital counseling. Also, the officiant must be legally ordained to perform weddings in the state and understand all the laws as they pertain to the marriage license. On the wedding day, your officiant will fill out all the necessary documentation and sign the marriage license, along with the witnesses, and send for certification. So, a wedding officiant has a huge role to play in wedding ceremonies. Here are the four different types of wedding officiants you should know:
- Civil Wedding Officiant:
Civil
officiants refer to those individuals who are in government roles and have the
ability to legally perform a marriage ceremony according to state laws. They
often oversee ceremonies in a government setting, including courthouse
weddings. Usually, couples select civil officiants for a straightforward,
non-religious ceremony that is legal in the eyes of the law.
- Religious Wedding Officiant:
Religious
officiants are those who serve as leaders within their particular area of faith
or religion and perform wedding ceremonies according to their place of worship.
They can commonly be identified as priests, pastors, rabbis, imams, or
ministers. All these officiants can perform a wedding ceremony and sign your
marriage certificate. However, if you are choosing religious officiants, it
doesn’t mean you have to get married at church, temple, mosque, or any place of
worship. You can ask them to officiate at a beach or farm, or in your backyard.
- Professional Wedding Officiant:
Similar to
civil and religious officiants, professional officiants, also known as marriage celebrants are licensed and experienced individuals hired to perform your
wedding ceremony. Most marriage celebrants are secular, and spiritual,
and believe in interfaith ceremonies. Marriage celebrants officiate all kinds
of weddings as well as Registry weddings. In addition to officiating on the big
day, they also offer guidance with writing the ceremony and wedding vows. They
also offer the flexibility to customize your ceremonies with rituals, readings,
or events you’d like to include.
When you
choose a marriage celebrant, just like a member of your family you can
meet with them and discuss your requirements. You can ask them as many questions
as you want to check if they vibe with your personality and understand what
exactly you want. Luckily, most celebrants come with years of experience and
can help you create a stress-free and personalized wedding ceremony.
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