Wedding officiants - Get your real wedding published in a wedding blog or magazine!

 

At a Glance:

 

1. Plan Ahead
2. Befriend the Photographer
3. Ask to Be Included 

 

 

Why might you, a wedding officiant, want to submit a real wedding you officiated for publication?

 

There’s the rush of seeing yourself (and the ceremony you worked so hard to create!) in print or online. And it’s a joy to showcase a favorite couple’s wedding day, for others to enjoy and be inspired by. 

 

It’s also great marketing for you and your business – putting photos and descriptions of your work out into the world helps potential clients and fellow wedding vendors find you, see what you’re all about, and why they should hire you. 

 

Here are a few tips to help you get started… and get published! 

 

(Psst… Number 3 is a game-changer!)

 

 

Have a unique wedding ceremony or elopement on the books? Plan ahead to get it published. 

Photo: Josue Michel

 

 

3 Tips for Officiants to Get a Real Wedding Published

 

 

1. Plan ahead

 

Always plan ahead for publication, especially when you have a cool wedding on the books.

 

Gorgeous couple? Creative venue? Something seasonal, quirky, unusual, or original? Make a plan for what you’ll need to submit your wedding or elopement before the day of the ceremony: 

 

• Get familiar with wedding publications that appeal to you. Learn their submission guidelines so that you gather and submit the right materials.
• (Read more about when and how to submit photos and wedding stories for publication here.)
• Consider adding a clause to your contract to let couples know their photos may be used for marketing purposes (such as publication, use on social media, or inclusion in your online portfolio). Permission beforehand can save time and prevent disappointment. 
• Make sure there’s someone wonderful behind the camera – great photos are essential.
• Take notes! Write down funny anecdotes, unexpected plot twists, and other details, so they’ll be fresh in your memory when it’s time to submit your wedding.

 

Related: For couples: How to Get Your Wedding Published in a Magazine or Blog

 

 

Wedding photographers and officiants make a great team! 

Photo (cropped): Getúlio Moraes 

 

 

2. Befriend the Photographer 

 

Photos are one of the most important ingredients in a real wedding submission. But let’s face it, not everyone has a good eye for composition or knows what will make for an interesting photo. That’s why professional wedding and event photographers are one of the best resources for great wedding photos – so get networking! 

 

Plus, most pro photographers publish photos from the weddings they work on their personal blogs, websites, and social media accounts. They’re more likely to credit you in the ceremonies they share if they know who you are, and how to find and tag you. 

 

You’ll meet professional photographers at bridal shows and wedding conferences; weddings you perform or attend as a guest; and through introductions by other wedding vendors, venues, planners, officiants, and friends.

 

• Network! Introduce yourself to photographers at weddings you perform or attend, bridal shows and wedding conferences, and those you meet through other vendors, venues, officiants, and friends.
• Work with the photographer at your ceremony and collaborate for better shots. Good communication about what will take place during the ceremony, and where, will help create better photos. 

 

For more on developing good working relationships with photographers: 

 

• Making it Click: 4 Ways An Officiant Can Make the Wedding Photographer’s Life Easier

 

• Want Great Wedding Photos? Get Centered… For the KISS, That Is!

 

 

 

Ask to be credited in vendor lists when weddings you officiate are published. 

Photo (cropped): Daniel Thomas

 

 

3.  Ask to Be Included 

 

How many times have we seen a wedding published with zero credit given to the officiant? 

 

It happens all the time, which is a huge bummer. Wedding officiants are actual rockstars and deserve just as much credit as other wedding vendors do. They make the wedding ceremony possible, and they deserve to be shouted out in publications. 

 

Officiants get overlooked for several reasons, but the biggest one is probably because most wedding submissions are sent in by couples and wedding photographers, who may not think to mention the wedding officiant in their submission details. 

 

And although most publications require the photographer’s name to be included as part of the submission process (in order to properly credit their work), many publications don’t ask for other vendors’ details directly. This means it’s far too easy for officiants to get left off the list.

 

If a wedding you officiate is published online but you aren’t credited – ask to be included. And it certainly doesn't hurt to mention that you are, "ordained by American Marriage Ministries." 

 

Keep your request to be credited professional, kind, friendly, and to the point. 

 

• Don’t send an angry email asking why they didn’t credit you, or accuse them of overlooking you. This will just make editors and content publishers defensive (and probably unresponsive). 
• Do send a friendly email identifying yourself as a professional wedding officiant, provide a link to the wedding you officiated, and ask to be credited alongside the other listed vendors.
• Do include your name as you’d like to be credited, and any of these other details that apply: Your business or company name, your website, your social media handles/accounts, and your credentials as an ordained minister of American Marriage Ministries.
• Do focus on professionalism and your role as a professional wedding vendor.
• If you receive a friendly response and it seems helpful to the conversation, describe the ways in which you were an essential part of the ceremony – and the ways in which wedding officiants contribute to the industry as a whole. As competitive as this industry might feel sometimes, we’re all in this together! 

 

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Read Next 

 

How to Get Your Wedding Published in a Magazine or Blog

 

How to get your wedding published - for engaged couples and newlyweds! Everything you need to know to get your real wedding submission accepted and published in wedding magazines, blogs, websites, and social media, by following these important suggestions. 

 

 

 

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