Online Ordination vs. One Day Marriage Officiant in Rhode Island for Weddings?

Which option is best for first-time wedding officiants in Rhode Island – getting ordained online or a one-day marriage officiant certificate? Take a look! 

 

Asked to officiate a wedding in Rhode Island? Congratulations! Performing marriage is a big honor, and this important day will leave you and the couple you marry with wonderful, lifelong memories. As you prepare for your role, you’ll need to decide between two options which will authorize you to be a wedding officiant in the state: a one-day marriage officiant certificate, or getting ordained online as a minister.

 

To help you decide which option is best for you as a first-time wedding officiant, we’ve answered a few common questions and compared the pros and cons for each option. 

 

Let’s take a look! 

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Let's compare your options for becoming a wedding officiant in Rhode Island! We'll look at the one day marriage officiant certificate, and online ordination with American Marriage Ministries. (Photo: Liza Summer / Pexels)

 

 

• Option One: Rhode Island One-Day Wedding Officiant

 

1. What is a ‘One Day Marriage Officiant’? (Rhode Island Wedding Officiant Certificate Program)

 

Rhode Island is one of a few states that offer a one-day wedding officiant permit, called a ‘One Day Marriage Officiant Certificate.’ This special certificate gives non-clergy individuals the legal authority to officiate a single wedding on a specific day. 

 

How to apply for RI One Day Marriage Officiant Certificate? Requirements & Process

 

To apply for a One Day Marriage Officiant Certificate in Rhode Island, you must be at least 18 years old and complete a detailed application through the RI Dept. of State’s online portal. The fee to apply is about $25, and can be paid online or by mail. 

 

You must wait until after the couple has applied for their marriage license to begin your officiant application. You can start your application up to 3 months before the wedding date, and you will need all of the information from the couple’s marriage license to complete the form. (They recommend you make a copy of the marriage license to use while completing your application.) It will take about 5 days to process your application.

 

Note: If you have ever been ordained online, even in another state, you are not eligible for a one-day marriage officiant certificate in Rhode Island.

 

Find more information here: One-Day Marriage Officiant Certification (Rhode Island Dept. of State Website)

 

SUMMARY: 

• Application fee is about $25, paid online or by mail
• Apply after the couple applies for marriage license
• You may need a copy of the couple's marriage license to complete your application 
• About 5 days to process your application
• Repeat process for every wedding you wish to perform

 

 

Option Two: Getting Ordained Online to Officiate a Wedding in Rhode Island

 

2. What does getting ordained online to officiate a wedding in Rhode Island require? 

 

The second option is to get ordained online as a minister to officiate the wedding. Ministers who receive their ordination through a recognized internet church like American Marriage Ministries (AMM) are legally recognized in Rhode Island, and have the same authority to perform marriage as traditionally-ordained clergy members.

 

After getting ordained online, you’re authorized to officiate a wedding anywhere in Rhode Island – no further registration is required! Ordination with American Marriage Ministries is free, only takes a minute to complete, and is all you need to perform a legal marriage ceremony anywhere in the state. (Some ministers choose to order copies of their minister credentials if they will be performing weddings in other states however, or to display them at home.) 

 

Learn more here: What are the Wedding Officiant Registration Requirements in Rhode Island?

 

SUMMARY:

• Online Ordination is free with American Marriage Ministries (AMM)
• No further registration is needed
• Ministers ordained online can officiate weddings anywhere in Rhode Island
• Ordination with AMM never expires - officiate as many weddings as you wish!

See Our Minister Ordination Package!
 

The best option for you depends on factors like how many weddings you want to officiate, the overall cost, wait time to become a wedding officiant, and if you want a spiritual or secular approach to performing a wedding. We'll help you consider each of these options more carefully below.  (Photo: Mika Photogenius / Pexels)

 

 

So Which is Better for YOU to Officiate a Wedding in RI? One Day Marriage Officiant or Getting Ordained Online?

 

Now that you know the basics, let’s look at some pros and cons of these two options, and why one option might work better than another for you. 

 

• COST & GOALS: PROS & CONS 

 

Getting ordained online through American Marriage Ministries is free, and allows you to officiate a wedding anywhere in the state of Rhode Island. On the other hand, it costs about $25 to apply for a state-issued One Day Marriage Officiant Certificate. If money is your primary concern, online ordination is the most affordable choice. 

 

Online ordination will also be the most affordable option for you if you want to perform more than one wedding! If there's a chance you’ll be asked to officiate a second wedding later on, or if you want to become a professional wedding officiant, then getting ordained online is definitely the most affordable option. (And trust us—once your friends and family see how great you are, you’ll likely be asked again, maybe every wedding season!) 

 

And while a one-day officiant certificate is only good for a single day, online ordination with AMM never expires.

 

 

• WAIT TIME: PROS & CONS

 

Next, let’s compare the wait time for each option. You can apply for your one-day wedding officiant certificate between 3 months and about 6 days before the wedding date – as long as the couple has already applied for their marriage license – and it will take about 5 days to process. On the other hand, you can get ordained online any time after being asked to officiate and it only takes a few seconds to complete the process. 

 

If there are still a few weeks before the wedding, either of these options works well in terms of timing. If you want to get a head start on the process, waited until the last minute to begin, or don’t have a copy of the couple’s marriage license on hand – online ordination might be the easiest choice for you. 

 

 

• SECULAR VS SPIRITUAL: PROS & CONS 

 

For some people, the appeal of a one-day marriage officiant certificate is that it offers a secular (nonreligious) option for individuals who don’t want to become ordained within a specific church or denomination. This is a totally valid and understandable reason to choose the one-day option.

 

Ordination is a meaningful decision, and we encourage anyone considering ordination to officiate weddings to research their options carefully. It may be helpful to know that AMM doesn’t require you to hold any specific religious beliefs to get ordained with us. 

 

American Marriage Ministries is an inclusive, interfaith church that ordains people of all faiths and beliefs, including Buddhists, Christians, Jews, Atheists, Pagans, Muslims, Agnostics, and many others. We’re a charitable organization and proud advocates for LGBTQ+ families, interracial couples and their families, marriage equality, healthy communities, and environmental stewardship. 

 

We don’t require our ministers to hold any specific religious or spiritual beliefs, only that they agree to the 3 Tenets that guide our organization: 

 

• All people, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation, have the right to marry.
• It is the right of every couple to choose who will solemnize their marriage.
• All people have the right to solemnize marriage.

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