How to Write a Thank You Letter to Your Wedding Officiant (With Examples)

Find the perfect wording to say ‘thank you’ to your wedding officiant in a card or letter, with samples to help you get started

 

Listen now: 

Your wedding officiant was an essential part of your wedding day: guiding you through the ceremony, helping you exchange wedding vows, pronouncing you married, and signing your marriage license. In fact, you might say that your wedding officiant was the most important person at your wedding.* Below are a few tips on what to write in a thank you card for your wedding officiant, to let them know how much they mean to you!

 

A heartfelt thank you card or thank you letter is a meaningful way to show your gratitude to a professional wedding officiant or beloved friend officiant! Thank you notes have an old-school charm and make sweet keepsakes, unlike a quickly-forgotten text or email. 

 

(*Don’t worry, we won’t tell your other wedding guests that you have a favorite.)

 

 

What to write in a thank you note to wedding officiants

 

So, what should you say in a wedding thank you card to your officiant? The wording you use will depend on how well you know your officiant, but the basics are often the same:

 

• express your gratitude
• focus on what they did well
• tell them which moments or services mattered most to you
• let them know how their presence made you feel
• sign your names with love!

 

For example, did your officiant make you feel relaxed or confident the day of the wedding? Tell them! Did they write a custom ceremony for you, help you with your wedding vows, or include a special reading? Did they keep things short and sweet, help you fill out the marriage license, or travel to be with you on the wedding day? Make you laugh, lead a beautiful prayer service, or keep calm under pressure?

 

Focus on what your officiant did well, let them know how much you appreciate them, and wish them well!

 

Below are a few thank you note examples to help you get started.

 

Related: How Much Should You Pay a Friend to Officiate Your Wedding?

 

 

When should thank you cards or letters be sent to an officiant?

 

We recommend mailing your thank you note within one month of the wedding, though sending it anytime within one to three months is considered acceptable.

 

If you're including a thank you note or card with a professional officiant’s payment, it should be sent immediately after the ceremony or according to the payment terms in the officiant’s contract. If you’ve already paid the fee and want to send a separate thank you card or gift, we suggest sending it within one month of the ceremony, along with leaving a positive online review for their business.

 

 

Remember how your officiant made you and your partner feel on the wedding day, then write it down! Consider the sample thank you letters to wedding officiants below for inspiration. Photo: CasarsaGuru / iStock

 

 

Thank you note to wedding officiant: 4 Examples with sample wording

 

 

• Example One: Thank you letter to a religious wedding officiant 

 

“Dear [Officiant’s Name],

 

We’re so grateful that God blessed us with you on our wedding day! Your calm presence and humor made our ceremony much less stressful than we thought it might be, and we felt closer to each other and our families because of this gift.

 

Thank you with the utmost sincerity for your wisdom in the days before the ceremony. We so appreciate you sitting with us in prayer, counseling us on our expectations of married life, and helping us remember to laugh at the unexpected things that came up while planning the wedding. (God laughs when we make plans, right?) 

 

We will cherish our memories of our wedding day forever, and look forward to seeing you soon at services.

 

With gratitude, [Your Names]”

 

 

• Example Two: Informal thank you note to personal friend officiating wedding

 

“Dear [Officiant’s Name], 

 

You made our wedding day so special! Seriously, thank you, thank you, thank you! You were so patient with us, even during all those late night phone calls and our last-minute changes. And that passage from [favorite book or poem]? SO funny! Thank you for adding that, we couldn’t stop laughing. And thanks for not listening to us when we told you we didn’t need backup snacks – we needed backup snacks, you were very right.

 

We could not have done this thing without you and we love you to pieces. We feel incredibly lucky that you married us. Ahhhh it’s official, we’re married, thanks to your amazing help! Thank you, thank you, thank you! We owe you brunch, times a hundred. 

 

Sending you all our love, [Your Names]”

 

 

Photo: insung yoon / Unsplash

 

 

Example Three: Thank you note to a friend or family member who officiates (alternate option)

 

“Dear [Officiant’s Name], 

 

Thank you for officiating our wedding! We’re so grateful for the beautiful words you wrote for us and the thoughtful touches you added to our ceremony – telling our ‘love story,’ describing how we fell in love, making our friends laugh, making our wedding feel personal and special. 

 

We are blessed to call you our [friend] and to have you in our lives. Thank you for your support and for all the work you did to officiate. Our wedding was more beautiful than we could have even imagined because of your help and presence. 

 

With love and gratitude, [Your Names]

 

 

Example Four: Thank you letter to a professional wedding officiant

 

“Dear [Officiant’s Name], 

 

Thank you for officiating our wedding. It was a beautiful day and everything we’d hoped it would be. Your attention to detail, knowledge about the marriage license, warm energy, and constant kindness made us feel comfortable, respected, and taken care of during the entire process.

 

We are very grateful to have had you as our wedding officiant and will remember this day forever, with deep appreciation and joy. 

 

Sincerely, [Your Names]”

 

 

And remember!

 

In addition to a thank you note, one of the best ways to thank a professional wedding officiant is to leave them a good review online.

Online reviews are essential to a professional officiant's business, and let other couples know they’ve found the right person for the task. Include the same glowing praise in your review that you did in your thank you letter. 

 

For more tips on how to thank your wedding officiant, read: 

 

3 Ways to Thank Wedding Officiants 
(That Don't Cost You a Thing)

 

Need the perfect gift for your wedding officiant? Looking for a way to say thank you that won't break the bank? These 3 ideas are creative, easy, and free ways to show your appreciation. Read the full article here. 

 

---

 

You might also like: 

 

• How Much Should You Pay a Friend to Officiate Your Wedding?

 

• When Should The Marriage License Be Returned?

 

• What Does a Wedding Officiant Do After the Wedding Ceremony?

 

Asked to officiate a wedding for a friend or relative, but not sure what your responsibilities as a wedding officiant are after the ceremony is over? Read the full article here. 

 

 

---

 

Love it? Pin it! 

 

 

---