Online Ordination vs. Alaska’s One Day Marriage Commissioner Application

Which is best for first-time wedding officiants in Alaska: Marriage Commissioner for a day, or becoming an Ordained Minister online? Let's take a look! 

 

Asked to officiate a wedding in Alaska? 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 new role, you’ll need to decide between two options which will authorize you to be a wedding officiant in the state: becoming a one-day marriage commissioner, 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! 

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

 

 

Option One: Alaska One-Day Wedding Officiant

 

1. What is an Alaska ‘Marriage Commissioner Appointment’? (One-Day Marriage Officiant in Alaska)

 

Alaska is one of a few states that offer a one-day wedding officiant permit, called a ‘Marriage Commissioner Appointment.’ This special appointment gives non-clergy individuals the legal authority to officiate a single wedding on a specified day. 

 

How to apply for AK One Day Marriage Commissioner Appointment? Requirements & Process

 

To apply for a Marriage Commissioner Appointment, you must be at least 18 years old, complete an application and pay a fee of about $25. You’ll need to know the exact date of the wedding, and personal information about the couple getting married. Depending on where you apply in Alaska, you may also need a copy of the couple’s marriage license to submit with your application. It’s recommended that you apply at least one week before the wedding date (and after the marriage license has been issued). 

 

Find out more information here: Alaska Marriage Commissioner Appointment Application Details & Process

 

SUMMARY:

• Application fee is $25 
• You must be 18 years old
• Must apply after couple applies for marriage license
• May need copy of marriage license when applying
• Must have personal details of couple getting married
• Apply at least 1 week before wedding date
• Only good for a single wedding on a specified day

 

 

Option Two: Getting Ordained Online to Officiate a Wedding in Alaska

 

2. What does getting ordained online to officiate a wedding in Alaska 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 Alaska, 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 Alaska – 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 Alaska?

 

SUMMARY:

• Ordination with AMM is free
• You must be at least 18 years old
• Complete the ordination application at any time
• Ministers who are ordained online can officiate weddings anywhere in Alaska
• Ordination with AMM never expires
• Officiate as many weddings as you wish!

 

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

Become a minister today!

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 by Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels)

 

 

So Which is Better for YOU to Officiate a Wedding in AK? One Day Marriage Commissioner Appointment, 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 Alaska. On the other hand, it costs about $25 to apply for a state-issued One Day Marriage Commissioner Appointment. 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 an AK marriage commissioner appointment 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 marriage commissioner appointment anytime after the couple applies for their marriage license, and up to about 1 week before the wedding date (so between 90 days and 7 days before the wedding date). 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, wait 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 wedding officiant appointment 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 a 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.

Order Your Minister Credentials Now!

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More Alaska Wedding Ideas:

 

• How to Get Married in Alaska - Planning a wedding in The Last Frontier
   
• Would you officiate a skydiving wedding? Alaska couple jumps into marriage heart first
   
• How Much Does it Cost to Get Ordained Online in Alaska to Officiate a Wedding?
   

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