Your wedding officiant is one of the most crucial vendors you'll hire since you can't legally tie the knot without them. So who exactly is this “wedding officiant” everyone seems to be talking about? And what is our ‘small talk‘ that you need to know?

4 Types Of Wedding Officiants You Need To Know

Ordained Wedding Officiant

The officiant is the person in charge of the ceremony. The officiant will work with the couple beforehand to create ceremony materials and will conduct the wedding on the big day. This kind of wedding officiant is frequently preferred by couples who don't routinely attend religious services or churches because of the freedom it provides. A non-denominational wedding officiant will not restrict your ceremony to any one set of beliefs or rituals. The ability to create a ceremony that incorporates the religious practices and beliefs of both families makes this kind of wedding officiant a popular choice among interfaith lovebirds.

Your ceremony will be more meaningful if your officiant is someone you care about (and who cares about you) and who you trust to do a good job. Someone with these qualities would be trustworthy and methodical. They will need to be ordained and ready to go on the day of your wedding. Along with you and your future husband, the officiant will be in the spotlight throughout the ceremony, so they should be familiar with public speaking.

Religious Wedding Officiant

Religious leaders with titles including “rabbi,” “priest,” “imam,” “pastor,” “reverend,” and “minister” are all eligible to officiate weddings and sign legal documents on behalf of the couple.

But don't feel like you have to be married in a church, mosque, or temple simply since you're going with a religious officiant. A priest is a popular choice to perform wedding ceremonies, and many couples want to have their ceremony performed outside. But a Catholic priest may refuse to officiate a wedding outside of the church.

Remember that each religious group and religion has its own set of guidelines for this kind of wedding officiant. Before settling on a venue and a script for the ceremony, it's advisable to talk to them beforehand.

Professional Wedding Officiant

A professional officiant, often known as a celebrant, is a trained and certified someone hired to preside over a wedding. Many celebrants are comfortable officiating any kind of ceremony, whether it be religious, secular, or interfaith, but others may have a particular area of expertise.

A professional officiant can answer many questions that the couple might not think to ask themselves, such as how long the ceremony should last, how to handle any unforeseen circumstances at the ceremony site, how to personalize the ceremony by incorporating meaningful rituals and traditions, and more.

It's important to speak with potential celebrants before choosing them, just like you would with any other member of your wedding vendor team, and to ask as many questions as you can think of before the big day. You may rest easy knowing that your celebrant will conduct your ceremony with the greatest confidence and expertise since most celebrants have years of experience under their belts.

Civil Wedding Officiant

Typically, mayors or local judges will preside over such proceedings. Your local civil registrar will choose an officiant for you based on the chosen wedding date and the officiant's availability unless you have a particular individual in mind. Public locations are required for civil ceremonies.

In contrast to the religious context of a church wedding, which often involves a priest, a civil ceremony is performed in a non-religious location by a non-religious officiant. It's still perfectly legal and you have a marriage certificate and everything, so don't worry about it. What is necessary for a civil ceremony is, however, as follows: Each member of the couple must provide two forms of government-issued identification at the time of the personal appearance. Premarital Counseling Course Completion Certificate. PSA Official Birth Document.

When Is The Right Time To Hire Wedding Officiant?

You've found the one you want to spend the rest of your life with, but now you need to find someone to officiate the wedding. Although the wedding officiant is a crucial part of the ceremony, it is easy to let the task slip your mind in the midst of all the other preparations. Is there a certain time during the preparations when an officiant should be booked?

The early search for an officiant is encouraged by 48 Studio since many religious institutions recommend or even demand pre-marital counselling with the priest, minister, or rabbi before they would perform the ceremony. Counselling before marriage may take many weeks or even months. Give yourself plenty of time to meet with your partner and the officiant before the ceremony.

Finding a minister willing to officiate a same-sex wedding might be difficult, so extra time should be granted.

“I typically suggest starting the officiant search around the nine- to twelve-month mark before the wedding day,” says Krisy Parker Thomas, the owner and senior certified wedding planner behind Southern Sparkle Wedding & Event Planning, says. “This will allow you enough time to find the right person to marry you.”

Must Do & Don't Things When Talking To Wedding Officiant

“We have time for that. That can wait.“, mostly your man will say that in time you two are already drowning in the preparation for the Big Day but the meeting with your priest or wedding officiant is a NO-DELAY task!

If you're going to hire someone for your wedding, it's best to get to know them beforehand. Especially with the minister or priest.   The meeting is the equivalent of a first date with a prospective wedding officiant. You want to feel the connection. It's important to choose a wedding officiant who shares your values and aligns with your vision and is willing to put in the time to get to know you and your partner before the big day.

Never Mention ‘Camera' To The Priest, Why?

You might be surprised since the talk was not so popular but It did happen-cameramen got lectured by the priest. As the ceremony progressed, he became more distracted by the CLICK CLICK CLICK of the camera shutter behind him, and also the flash got in the way. While many ministers can be picky on their photography restrictions, it’s not uncommon for a photographer to get yelled at during the ceremony.

The phrases “photographer,” “flash,” “tripod,” and “camera” should be avoided at all costs while talking with your officiant. To rule out the possibility that they were traumatized by prior photographers who incessantly shone flashes into his eyes, we avoided doing that. Please have him/her come to us if he/she has any queries or ceremony-related rules/guidelines they would want us to follow to. Some wedding commissioners will not allow the photographers to move around too much and use the flash since it would create a distraction. When things are clear, you should let your photographers know so they can set out the plans and devices to capture your moments in the right way!

Your wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion. It would be a pity not to have 48 Studio to capture all of your pure emotional moments. The wedding book will be tangible proof of your wise decision to hire our professional yet affordable photographers. Keep your goals in mind; your big day will be much better than an “ordinary wedding,” so make it exceptional by START YOUR WEDDING PHOTOS FROM $499

They Help You With The Blind-sides

A Ceremony normally takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour, however, each commissioner has his own preferences. Pay close attention to what they instruct you to do.

There are lots of things that can possibly happen during the event and are difficult to handle such as sensitive situations such as the loud crowd or babies crying, also answers your questions like “Do we need to do rehearsal?”. Contrary to popular belief, an officiant is not required to attend wedding rehearsals. If this is something you believe you will desire or need, do not assume it will be included in the bundle, since it most likely will not. Rehearsals are usually used to practice things like the processional line-up and where to stand.  If you have a particular ritual inside the ceremony that requires rehearsal, be sure to inform your officiant before scheduling.

Avoid Conflicts

Before contacting him or her, you should ensure that the timeline for your wedding has been completed in order to prevent any potential conflicts with other events. 48 Studio believes that the key to a smooth wedding day isn’t military precision, but giving yourself enough time to ensure that everything goes as planned throughout the day of the wedding. Check out our Step-By-Step Guide To Have A Perfect Wedding Timeline, it is the timeline that will be your best medicine for the headache.

Inquire about basic pricing in addition to any extra expenditures, such as exceeding the scheduled time, travel fees, lunches, etc. Have the officiant thoroughly clarify the contract. Learn the deposit and final payment procedures, as well as the allowed payment options. Obviously, this is the first question you may like to ask the officiant.

We all know that weddings are expensive today, and not every couple knows how much they will have to spend until they begin planning their wedding. 48 Studio, on the other hand, will work with you to meet your wedding budget, which begins at $499 for Affordable Wedding Photography Services. If you have any questions, 48 Studio is happy to help you out, contact us today!