Having a Family Member/Friend Officiate Your Wedding

It can be tempting to ask a friend or family member to become ordained, and officiate a wedding. After all, you may likely have known them for a long time, and feel that they are the best fit for you. I have in fact had couples that have made the decision not to have me officiate their wedding, due to the fact that the friend or family member will officiate the wedding free of charge. I am here to tell you that before you make this decision, carefully weigh out this decision.

This is the most important day of your life. A seasoned officiant knows the ins and outs of advising you on the logistics of your rehearsal and ceremony as well as the design of the text and the ritual itself. The experienced officiant can be a wealth of information and ideas to help you create the ceremony that is perfect for you. They know what works, and what doesn't. Typically officiants like myself have a library of different ceremonies, readings, and specific extra touches to the ceremony that a friend or family member does not have. Furthermore, officiants like myself have had experience with those little mishaps that do in fact happen at times, and know how to roll with it.

If you are wanting a friend or family member to officiate, make sure that they have done their homework, and perhaps even sought out someone like myself to coach them on officiating what very well may be-the first wedding/ biggest speech of their life that they will ever give.