What if Your Wedding Officiant Cancels? 3 Ways to Save the Day

If your wedding officiant cancels, don't panic! Try this instead...

 

Your wedding day is almost here, but the universe just gave this love story a plot twist – your wedding officiant cancelled! 

 

Although this might seem like the perfect time for a cathartic Reddit rant or scathing review on you-know-who’s business page, we’ve got a much better solution for you. In fact, we’ve got three simple ways to save the wedding day – and your sanity! 

 

How much time you have left before the big day will help you decide which of these options is your best choice. After all, an officiant no-show as you’re touching up your makeup is much more stressful than a cancellation a week-out from your wedding day. 

 

But don’t panic – no matter what, it’s going to be ok! 

 

 

No matter what happens, don't panic. It's going to be a great day! (Photo by Trung Nguyen / Pexels)

 

3 Ways to Save the Day if Your Wedding Officiant Cancels

 

1. Ask a friend in the wedding party to get ordained online right away. 

 

First, ask someone you trust in your wedding party to get ordained online with a reputable church like American Marriage Ministries right way. This solution works best if there are still a few days, or weeks, before the wedding. 

 

Once your friend is ordained, check to see whether or not they need to get registered locally as a minister before conducting the ceremony. If they do, start that process as soon as possible – but be warned that the registration process usually takes a couple of weeks at minimum. 

 

If you’re short on time, you may need to choose another option below. 

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2. Ask friends, family, and your venue for a referral. 

 

Ask your contacts for a referral! With so many couples choosing a friend or relative to officiate, there's a good chance someone you know has done it – or knows someone who has. Loved ones might also have a lead on a professional wedding officiant they can recommend, so start that group text asap. 

 

If your contact list comes up dry, check with your venue for a referral – wedding venues usually have a list of trusted vendors who might be able to help. 

 

If you’re still coming up empty, consider posting a request in an online forum for professional wedding vendors on Facebook, Reddit, or a similar social platform. It’s the internet, so leave-out any identifying personal details and take recommendations with a grain of salt. But online professional networks can sometimes move quickly to help you find someone qualified in your area. 

 

 

3. Throw a beautiful commitment ceremony, then head to the courthouse. 

 

If your wedding officiant no-shows the day of the ceremony and you can’t find a replacement, there’s still a way to save the day: throw a beautiful commitment ceremony and then take your marriage license down to the courthouse to make things legal later on. 

 

This option gives you the chance to enjoy your venue, attire, food, and guests, just as you’d hoped to. And you’ll still get to celebrate your commitment; the day will just look a little different than planned. 

 

• Simple Commitment Ceremony Script

 

As a last resort, have a beautiful commitment ceremony instead, then head to the courthouse to make things legal later on. (Photo by Gideon Majambe / Pexels) 

 

 

Since a commitment ceremony isn’t a legal wedding, anyone can perform one. You can have anyone stand-in for your missing officiant, they just can’t sign your marriage license if they’re not a qualified officiant. 

 

They’ll also need to avoid using words like ‘wife,’ ‘spouse, ‘husband,’ ‘marriage’ or married’, and other words that imply legal marriage. Instead, stick to words like ‘partner’, ‘forever person,’ ‘commitment’, or ‘bonded in love.’ Or just shift things into the future tense, using phrases like “future wife,” instead of “wife.” You get the deal…

 

Save the wedding-words for your sweet courthouse ceremony afterwards, when you make things legal! 

 

 

Plan ahead! 

 

If you’re reading this article because your officiant might cancel before the wedding day, take the proactive approach and ask a friend or relative to be your backup officiant. 

 

Friends and relatives can get ordained online free with American Marriage Ministries, and download a simple wedding ceremony script to use if your officiant cancels at the last minute.

 

Having a backup officiant is the best insurance for a stress-free wedding day!  

 

• Ask a Bridesmaid to Get Ordained to Serve as a Backup Officiant

 

• Ask your Best Man to serve as backup officiant to ward off wedding day disasters

 

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On the other hand, if you're an officiant and need to cancel, here’s how to do it without putting stress on the soon-to-bes: 

 

• How Wedding Officiants Can Cancel Last-Minute Without Ruining the Ceremony
   

Wedding officiants: Click the article linked above to learn ways to save the wedding ceremony when bad luck strikes! Sometimes wedding officiants have to cancel at the last minute – that's life – but you can work with the couple to keep it from becoming a day-of disaster. That's good business, and good for love! 

 

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More Last Minute Wedding Ideas

 

• Last Minute Wedding: Officiating a Ceremony on Short Notice, or Same Day!
   
• 6 Ways a Last Minute Wedding Can Save You Money
   
• Need a simple wedding officiant script? We’ve got dozens to choose from!
   

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