Need help finding an officiant

[codex57]

Any tips, suggestions, or advice? What to look for? What to ask?

Wanted to ask the pastors at my church, but they''ve got a certain rule and are unable to do it for us. So, we gotta find an officiant. I''ve looked, but really don''t seem to find any way to distinguish them all. Any suggestions on where to start?

 

[gingerBcookie]

no help here but ditto on the question!

 

[lilyinct]

I''m Catholic, and the soon-to-be husband is Jewish....are you seeing the problems yet?

We were going to have a Priest and a Rabbi do the ceremony, but neither of our mothers were very happy with idea, so we took it upon ourselves to ask my fiance''s best friend (who is a great speaker) to do the ceremony.

He registered (for free!) at http://ulc.org/ - The Universal Life Church, whose only commandment is to be good to other people. Gotta love it.

Good luck!

 

[saturn]

I think it kind of depends on what is important to you.
Do you want a religious officiant, or a secular one (like a judge)? That''s probably the first question to ask. Because you wanted your pastors, I''m guessing religious.(?)

How would you describe your religious background? If you are from a particular background, you may be more comfortable with an officiant who has a similar background.

Does the officiant have any conditions that apply to you? Some may need to meet with you first, may require pre-marital counseling, etc.

Where are you having the wedding? If it''s in a church, then the church may have requirements about who can perform the wedding. If it''s not in a church, then make sure your religious officiant is willing to marry you in that location.

Are they going to give a sermon/homily/message/speech? Is there certain content that you want or don''t want in that speech? This is important to address ahead of time.

Do you care if your officiant is a man or a woman? Young or old? This apparently matters to some people.

Are you comfortable with this officiant?

The Knot has a list of questions to ask your religious or civil officiant here:
Religious: http://www.theknot.com/ch_article.html?Object=3321838379&keywordID=146&keywordType=2&parentID=527
Civil: http://www.theknot.com/ch_article.html?Object=AI91121160315&keywordID=146&keywordType=2&parentID=527

 

[codex57]

Thanks. I''d prefer a religious one. Protestant. I feel kinda odd if it were a judge or something (too close to divorce court in my view). Other than that, I''m not too picky. It''s at a hotel so old, young, whatever. Just trying to figure out how to tell em all apart.

 

[elepri]

If you haven''t yet, I''d try posting on your local board on theknot. I found it a great way to find out all the wedding-related local resources. Found our officiant though it too.