How to Choose an Officiant & Why a Friend Might Be Best

How to find a wedding officiant: Who to consider first when having a friend officiate your wedding (or family member!)

 

 

Have you ever spent half the day looking for your car keys only to discover that they were right in front of you the whole time? (Usually under the cable bill that you’ve been trying not to look at all week.) Finding the perfect wedding officiant can be just like that, actually... let us explain.

 

For many couples, the most challenging part of wedding planning is finding the right wedding professionals to help them create their big day. There’s the internet, asking friends for recommendations, and all kinds wedding planning apps and websites. Having so many options can be exciting, but it can also be stressful.

 

Here at American Marriage Ministries, we think wedding planning should be as stressfree as possible, and that includes finding your wedding officiant. Our philosophy is that wedding ceremonies are a celebration and reflection of community and love. As long as that is honored, you’re going to have an awesome wedding, because that’s what makes memories.

 

Which brings us back to those missing car keys...

 

You might not need to scour the internet or browse dozens of wedding pro websites looking for the 'perfect' professional to officiate your wedding: The best wedding officiant could be hiding right in front you the whole time, you just need to know where to look! 

 

That's why we recommend that you first turn to those that you love and respect when choosing an officiant: your friends and relatives!

 

We've included a few candidates below that often make a great friend officiant. Let's take a look! 

 

 

Sometimes you just can't find what you're looking for online...

Ask a friend or relative to officiate your wedding and keep it simple! 

 

 

Ask AMM: "Who should officiate my wedding?" Who to consider first when having a friend officiate your wedding (or family member!)

 

 

• Should my coworker officiate my wedding?

 

Yes, they should totally officiate your wedding. Whether we like it or not, our jobs are a huge part of our lives. Here at AMM, we’ve officiated weddings for each other with great success. In fact, thousands of our ministers got ordained to officiate weddings for coworkers and who knows, the head of marketing might just have what it takes.

 

 

• Can my mom officiate my wedding?

 

Are you kidding?! Of course your mom can and should officiate your wedding! (Or all of your parents together as co-officiants!) The bond between parents and their children is especially important as couples begin a new chapter of their lives together - and start creating their own families. Having a parent officiate can make for a deeply moving and personalized experience for everyone.

 

Heck we even wrote a wedding ceremony script for you to use: Sweet Wedding Script for When a Parent Officiates the Ceremony
 

 

Parents make amazing wedding officiants -- trust us.

 

 

• Should my Dungeon Master officiate my wedding?

 

If you can lead a DnD session, you can probably officiate a pretty amazing wedding ceremony. Creating a ceremony and writing a wedding ceremony script requires much of the same attention to detail as a good campaign, and both officiants and dungeon masters are responsible for creating a compelling story. So, if there are going to be warlocks and barbarians in attendance (or even a dnd wedding theme in the works), perhaps there should be someone officiating who can tie it all together.

 

 

• Should my barista officiate my wedding? 

 

The word 'hero' is thrown around a lot these days, but if anyone deserves this designation, it’s your local barista. That latte they whip up every morning is the only reason you’re functional enough to attract a mate, so why not honor their vital contribution to your upcoming marriage? Plus, if they can keep the line moving and handle grumpy customers and lovelorn locals with a smile, all while remembering your extra shot with oat milk, you know they're going to officiate a great wedding ceremony.

 

 

• Should my professor officiate my wedding?

 

You aren’t the first person to realize what a great idea this is. In fact, AMM was in the news last year when a couple chose their college professor as their wedding officiant! They were featured on CBS to tell their heartwarming story.

 

 

When Melissa Curie and Dotan Schips decided to tie the knot, they asked their former college professor and ordained American Marriage Ministries (AMM) minister Florence Hunt to officiate the ceremony. 

 

 

We could keep listing more people in your life that would make great wedding officiants, but since studies show that people don’t want to read articles over 600 words, we’re going to cut this short.

 

The bottom line is this: Friends and relatives make incredible wedding officiants! And the officiant of your dreams might be standing right in front in you. 

 

If you already know who to choose, go ahead and propose the idea with our "Will You Marry Us?" Gift Box! 

 

Or consider one of these other great ways to ask someone to marry you: 

 

• How to Ask Someone to Officiate Your Wedding - Our Favorite Way to Say 'Will You Marry Us?'

Above: The 'Will You Marry Us?" wedding officiant package comes with every thing you need to pop the question to your would-be wedding officiant, including their ordained minister credentials, minister manual, a step-by-step wedding ceremony planning guide for officiants, and more.

 

 

 

Become a Wedding Officiant Online with American Marriage Ministries!

 

And to all you soon-to-be wedding officiants out there, remember: It doesn’t matter what your job is, or where you come from – you should still get ordained online to become a legal minister so that when someone asks you to officiate their wedding, you can say yes!

 

Get ordained online free with AMM and learn how to become a wedding officiant for friends and relatives! 

|* custom-button, "https://theamm.org/ordination-application", "ONLINE MINISTER ORDINATION APPLICATION" *|

Why AMM? American Marriage Ministries is an inclusive nondenominational internet church that ordains and trains ministers to officiate marriage ceremonies. We are a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit church, and help people from all backgrounds and beliefs become ordained ministers for weddings. Our online ordination is free, accessible, and never expire.

 

Officiating weddings is an incredible honor, and a great way to show your love and support for the people getting married. As a wedding officiant, you will help to create memorable ceremonies and memories that last a lifetime.

AMM Ministers can legally officiate weddings in every state* (it's much harder in Virginia, where we're looking into our options). After getting ordained with AMM, you might need to register your ordination with your local county clerk’s office. Click the links below to get started! 

 

• Become an AMM Minister today!
• Weddings by State: Officiant Registration Requirements

 

Updated August 2024

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You might also like: 

 

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

 

• 5 Great Reasons to Ask a Friend to Officiate Your Wedding
   
• 12 Questions to Ask Your Wedding Officiant Before Signing a Contract

 

Ask the right questions to find the right officiant for your wedding! Click the link above for a list of questions to ask your wedding officiant before the big day.

 

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