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Five Important Questions to Ask Wedding Celebrants

 in Celebrant / Ceremony / Secular wedding / Wedding Celebrant / Wedding Ceremony / Weddings  tagged officiant / wedding / wedding celebrant / wedding ceremony / wedding officiant by


There are five important questions to ask wedding celebrants when selecting the person to create and offer your ceremony. This article has an even more exhaustive list, but these five will give you the most critical information. While it can feel a bit intimidating engaging with celebrants or officiants, they are there to help you have the wedding you envision. They are ready and willing to provide the information you need to decide if you want to work with them.


Kathy officiating ceremony

The five important questions to ask wedding celebrants

  1. Are you available on our wedding date? Do you serve our venue? These are very practical questions that should be asked up front. If the answer to either is “no”, you don’t need to invest more time with that celebrant.
  2. Are you legally credentialed to officiate marriages in our state/county/city? Another simple but essential question. You want your ceremony to legally marry you. Each state, and sometimes more local jurisdictions has different laws defining who can legally marry people.
  3. Do you offer the non-religious (or particular type of religious) ceremony we are interested in? As participation in organized religion drops, more people want a secular or non-religious ceremony. Celebrants who are affiliated with a religion will often not offer a secular ceremony. Or they will slip in god references, often without thinking about it. You can have the kind of ceremony you want if you ask for it.
  4. Will we be able to have input to the ceremony? How will that happen? Some celebrants do not provide a draft of the ceremony to couples before the wedding day. If you want to participate in the creation of your ceremony, or want reassurance that it will meet your expectations, ask how this can happen.
  5. If we want to have a rehearsal, will you attend and run it for us? Rehearsals are a great way to reduce stress and make everyone comfortable before the wedding day. If you plan to hold a rehearsal you’ll want to know if your celebrant will come and run it for you.

Important Questions to Ask Yourselves

While those are the five important questions to ask wedding celebrants, there are equally important questions to ask yourselves. After meeting with a prospective officiant or celebrant ask yourselves: Do we feel comfortable with this person? Will we be able to ask questions of them? Do we think they will respect our wishes and input for the ceremony? Do they provide a ceremony contract that documents our agreement?

Obtain answers to these five important questions to ask wedding celebrants. Follow with the questions to ask yourselves and you’ll be on your way to selecting your ideal wedding celebrant.

Engaging Wedding Celebrants

 in Celebrant / Ceremony / Officiant / Wedding Ceremony / Wedding planning  tagged celebrant / officiant / wedding celebrant / wedding officiant / wedding planning by

Engaging wedding celebrants can be a bit daunting for a newly engaged couple. It is an important part of planning your wedding day, though, so don’t delay due to nerves. There is a simple process you can follow that will help you decide when you’ve found the wedding celebrant that’s right for you.

Before you reach out to potential celebrants, you’ll need two key pieces of information: your ceremony venue and wedding date. These will be necessary for any celebrant to tell you if they are available on your date, and if they serve your location/venue. Armed with the date and venue, you’re ready to begin your search.

If you’ve been to a wedding where you really enjoyed the ceremony, or if you know people who have recently married that’s a great place to start. Talk to those couples and ask for reviews, referrals and contact information. If you’re starting from scratch, try an online search. Use “wedding officiant ” for example. Note that I suggest using “officiant” instead of “celebrant” for this search. That’s because celebrant is a more specialized term and you’ll find more possibilities using the term officiant. Spend some time reading celebrant websites to learn more about the services they offer. Some will likely appeal to you more than others.

Now it’s time to begin engaging wedding celebrants you’re drawn to. An email or phone call is probably the best place to start. Provide the date and venue information and ask if they are available. It’s helpful for you to include information on what kind of a ceremony you’re looking for. For example, do you want a religious or secular ceremony? Do you want to include any special activities in your ceremony? Perhaps you know you want to include a handfasting ritual. If so, tell the prospective celebrant up front so they can let you know if that’s something they offer.

Once you’ve identified a prospective celebrant (or two), it’s time to get “face to face” with them. This can be in person or via a video conference. The important thing is for the three of you to get to know each other a bit. You’ll be looking for how comfortable you are with the celebrant. You’ll be looking for confirmation that they are experienced and interested in providing the kind of ceremony you want. They’ll be looking to understand if they can meet your needs and feel they can work well with you.

When engaging wedding celebrants, don’t be afraid to let them lead the conversation, at least at first. They’ve had these discussions many times and know what information both you and they need to get from your meeting. That said, don’t be intimidated. You are the client, and they need to fit you and your vision for your wedding ceremony. After your initial meeting you’ll need to decide if you want to work with that celebrant. Please be courteous and let them know either way. Their feelings won’t be hurt if you choose a different celebrant. But it will help them tremendously if they know that your wedding date is still available to other couples who might be looking to book at the same time. Take a deep breath and begin the process of engaging wedding celebrants. It’s exciting and such an important part of your wedding day.

Defining Your Ceremony Vision

 in Ceremony / Officiant / Personalization / Wedding Ceremony / Wedding Vows  tagged officiant / personalized wedding / wedding ceremony / wedding planning / weddings by

Defining your ceremony vision can seem like a daunting task. This is likely the first time you’ve considered what you want in your wedding ceremony. The good news is you don’t have to do it alone. A good celebrant will be genuinely interested in meeting you and discussing your ceremony wishes. Here are three ways you can prepare for that meeting and tackle the process of defining your ceremony vision.

  1. First, consider what you’ve seen in other weddings. Think about those moments when you thought, “That’s special. I would like to have something like that at my wedding.” Or, on the flip side, maybe you saw something that you knew you definitely did not want at your ceremony. Both are good to share with your celebrant.
  2. Next, talk about your vows with your fiance(e). Your exchange of vows will be the highlight of the ceremony as you make your promises to one another. But there are a number of ways to accomplish that. You can write your own vows if you want them to be totally personal and unique. If that doesn’t fit your style, your celebrant will likely be able to offer sample vows in the “repeat after me” style that you can choose from. Or perhaps you’re very shy or maybe English isn’t your first language and you prefer to respond to the celebrant with a simple, “I do”. Since vows are so important in a wedding ceremony, identifying the vow style you prefer is a key part of defining your ceremony vision.
  3. Finally, before meeting with your celebrant, discuss the length and tone you want for your ceremony. I often hear, “We want a short and sweet ceremony.” But what does that mean to you? Ten minutes, 20 or more? Knowing the time frame you want will help your celebrant guide you in terms of ceremony content and flow. And what about the ceremony tone? Do you want a romantic and more serious ceremony? Perhaps you prefer a lighthearted ceremony and think that some laughter is essential. Maybe involving family members is important to you, or conversely, maybe you want to keep the focus on the two of you and your path to this moment.

Defining your ceremony vision is as simple as following these three steps. Doing so will help ensure that your wedding ceremony reflects your priorities and your personalities, and is memorable and fitting for the two of you.

Hiring Your Wedding Officiant

 in Officiant / Wedding Ceremony  tagged celebrant / officiant / wedding celebrant / wedding officiant by

Hiring your wedding officiant should be done soon after you’ve selected your date and ceremony venue. With those two key pieces of information, you’re ready to start your search. Officiants will be able to quickly tell you if they are available for your date, and if they provide services to the location you’ve selected.

By selecting your wedding officiant early you increase the chances that they will be available for your date, and you leave time for an orderly and relaxed timeline for the creation of your ceremony. If you have a particular officiant in mind, it really isn’t ever too early to reach out with an initial contact. If you’re feeling apprehensive about initiating contact with officiants, here are a few tips to ease you into the process:

  1. Online searches for officiants in your geographic area is a good place to begin. Once you find one or a few officiants you’re interested in, see if they offer an online contact form. When you complete and submit their form you can be sure that you’re providing the initial information they need. The officiant can then respond with additional information and suggestions on how best to proceed.
  2. Reputable officiants will offer a no cost, no obligation initial consultation. This is an opportunity for all parties to decide if you’re a good fit for each other, and if the officiant is a viable option for your wedding day. Consultations can take place in person, via video conference, or via teleconference.
  3. Hiring your wedding officiant should include a formal document that lays out all the details – date, time, place and cost of course, along with what the officiant will do and what your responsibilities are. The one exception to this is if you are hiring an officiant for a ceremony in the next few days, in which case a verbal agreement or email exchange may serve your needs.
  4. Make sure you give some thought to what you want in your wedding ceremony before you meet with potential officiants. The more information you can provide about your wishes, priorities, and requirements, the better chance you’ll have of hiring the right person.

Hiring your wedding officiant may take a little time and effort, and it’s OK to continue your search if you don’t connect with the first person you meet. Your wedding ceremony is the first public event of your wedding day. It’s also a required element of your day, if you want to be legally married. So take your time, invest some thought and effort into the process, and you’ll select the person who can deliver on your vision for the ideal wedding ceremony.