OFFICIATING A WEDDING
Officiating a Wedding is an exciting one, especially if your friends asked you specifically to officiate their big day. It is a huge honour to be asked to help your besties tie the knot, so we thought we’d give you a few tips on How to Officiate A Wedding.
As a professional marriage celebrant and wedding MC I am here to help guide you through the process of officiating a wedding and creating an unforgettable day for the newlyweds.
Is an Officiant a Celebrant?
Absolutely! A Marriage Officiant in America is often referred to as a Marriage Celebrant in Australia and the UK. They perform the same duties, there are just different legal requirements to becoming registered in each country.
What Does An Officiant Do? Officiating a Wedding
The short answer is that a Wedding Officiant or Marriage Celebrant does a lot of different things before, during and after a wedding ceremony to ensure a smooth and legal binding service. As an officiant, it is your duty to make sure that couples not only get the dream wedding they hoped for, but that they are officially and legally married at the end of it.
Click here for A Beginner’s Guide to Officiating a Wedding
This means plenty of meetings, and possibly an all-important wedding rehearsal before the big day. Once you have throughly prepared, and nailed an awesome ceremony, you may even be asked to perform the Master of Ceremonies Duties at the Reception.
Click here For a Beginner’s Guide to Emcee’ing a Wedding
What Does An Officiant Do Before The Wedding?
The role of an officiant doesn’t start and end with the wedding ceremony itself. You also need to;
1) Meet with the couple to capture their love story and get a feel for the tone they are after for their ceremony and wedding day
2) Help guide them with their personal vows and ceremony inclusions
3) Generate the legal paperwork and site legal documents
4) Help plan the logistics of the ceremony such as entrances, music, readers, ring exchange, and exits as newlyweds!
If you are in the category of the Friend Officiant, then the first step will be easy. You will already know a lot about the couples background, history together, and general energy expected for their wedding ceremony. However, this initial meet-up is a great ice breaker for aspiring Professional Officiants who are working with couples they haven’t met, when starting your own marriage celebrant business.
It helps to meet with couples fairly early on in the wedding planning process to build a relationship and know exactly what they want from the big day. You will ask questions, answer questions and help guide them through the steps of getting married and work with them on planning their ideal ceremony.
You may even want to offer a wedding rehearsal before the big day. This is great practice for all involved as the couple gets a test run of the logistics and moving parts of the ceremony. Everyone involved including the couple, the wedding party and any readers will be shown their positions and movements. First-time officiants working for friends can also practice their duties and get ready for the main event.
What Does The Officiant Do On The Wedding Day?
By the time the big day arrives, the couple and wedding party will have a good idea of what to do. However, that isn’t necessarily true for the guests. An undervalued duty as an officiant is greeting and wrangling the guests. There may be an usher or family to show them to their seats, but you can help inform them where to go and what they can and can’t do. This also means instructing them to turn off their phones so there are no unnecessary interruptions.
Click Here for How to Start a Wedding Ceremony: Pre-Ceremony Announcements
Then the couple will arrive. This is where the role of the officiant really matters. Without you, the couple cannot legally become a married couple. This is all because of two very important tasks during the wedding itself. They are:
1) Saying all the right things during the ceremony.
2) Signing the marriage license.
Officiating a Wedding - What Does The Officiant Say?
An officiant doesn’t have to say an awful lot during the ceremony itself. There will be some couples that will want nothing more than the official legal requirements and will prefer to let their vows do the talking. However, if you are an officiant because of a connection with the happy couple, you might want to go a little further than that. For example, if you are a lifelong friend of both spouses, you might want to lean into that and talk about what an honour it is to be there officiating because of your history. Don’t make it too much about you, but make the most of the opportunity.
Either way, there are two important things you need to say to keep it all legal. The first is the declaration of intent. You will know this as the part where the officiant says “Do you X take Y…” the wording from there can vary depending on the gender and wishes of the couple. But, you need that starting point.
Then there is the pronouncement of the happy couple. Once they have declared their intentions and exchanged rings, you need this closer to end the ceremony and move on to the next stage. Again, the wording will vary depending on the couple, but it all starts with “I now pronounce you”.
Signing The Marriage Licence.
This is the part that really counts, and where some couples have misconceptions over the legality of their union. Couples aren’t officially married until they have their license signed and recognized by the county clerk. This means getting both parties to sign the license on the day of the wedding and adding your own signature as the officiant.
What Does An Officiant Do After The Ceremony?
All the official work is over for the day once the license is signed and ready to be sent out. Some people will continue their role as a wedding emcee in addition to being the officiant for the ceremony. However, there is no obligation to do so unless specifically hired to. If you are interested in what a wedding emcee does, you can learn more here.
From there, you can treat the event as more of a social occasion and spend time with the couple and their families. If you are in the role because of personal ties, this is a good time to kick back with a well-earned glass of champagne.
As a friend officiant, you are sure to see them socially again after the honeymoon. There you can give your thanks for the honour of the job, and maybe a small gift. As a professional officiant with no connections to the couple, it is a good idea to send a follow-up email. This can only help when it comes to those online reviews and recommendations.
Other Consideration To Keep In Mind when Officiating a Wedding
This includes:
1) knowing what to wear to officiate a wedding
2) knowing how else to advise couples
3) knowing who else to liaise with during the preparations
What Should An Officiant Wear?
Officiants need to be careful when choosing an outfit for a wedding. The outfit needs to be professional in nature but not so showy that it upstages the couple in any way. For example, you don’t want to be up there in a designer dress when the bride is being deliberately casual. You may find that there is a dress code or a theme for the wedding. For example, there may be forms of traditional dress or accessories and flowers worn by the wedding party. Or there may be a colour theme. Work with the couple to find out how best to match in with this so as not to look out of place.
Advising Couples Before The Big Day.
Another important part of being an officiant is acting in an advisory role to help couples reach important decisions. You should be there as a guiding light when they are struggling with any issues or jitters, and not just during the rehearsal. This is why it is so important to train as an officiant and get as much certification as possible. You want to be able to point them in the right direction as a trustworthy friend. This may mean being there on call at less-than-sociable hours. However, this may also help you gain great testimonials for your business.
Working With Others Before The Wedding
Your duties as a professional officiant may also see you working with others in the run-up to the big day to keep everything running smoothly. If you advise the bride-to-be on her flower choices or music choices during a meeting, someone has to then work to make that happen. If they have a wedding planner, you can work with them to make sure they get everything exactly right. This means less stress for the couple if you can take something off of their plate.
Officiating a Wedding Like a Boss!
As you can see, there is a lot to consider when becoming a marriage celebrant and officiating a wedding successfully. The most important duties are to keep the couple relaxed, complete the legal requirements, and keep the guests entertained! Give every duty you have your full enthusiasm, stay approachable and professional, and you’ll help create a day to remember for the rest of their lives.
Marriage Celebrant
