Want to Become a Wedding Officiant With Integrity, Confidence & Great Professional Boundaries? 

Learn how to officiate weddings that honor every couple (while staying true to yourself too!) with this unique officiant training guide 

 

As a wedding officiant, you don’t just roll up on the wedding day looking fabulous. You also guide couples through their ceremony, coordinate with other vendors, stay current on local marriage license laws, mediate family conflicts – and more. But most officiant training materials don't teach you how to navigate these real-world challenges with intention – which is why we're thrilled to announce a new type of training guide: Ceremonies with Integrity: A Guide to Ethical and Inclusive Wedding Officiating.

 

Written by seasoned celebrant Lori Prashker-Thomas, CPWO, this guide will teach you how to listen to couples with an open mind, set strong professional boundaries with clients and vendors, understand modern wedding officiant etiquette, manage and market your business, and officiate personalized weddings with honesty, authenticity, and intention. 

 

 

Introducing an easy-to-use guide to wedding officiant best practices, from how to listen to couples with care and compassion, to building solid administrative practices for a business that keeps growing. Written by a seasoned wedding officiant for professional officiants who want to connect with modern wedding clients & improve their craft.

 

 

It also includes insights and personal stories collected over years of officiating weddings for couples from all backgrounds and faiths: “I like to joke that I spent years working on this book,” Prashker-Thomas says, “and it is true. The ideas, stories, and lessons have been forming in my journal for a long time…I’ve carried these ideas with me through countless ceremonies and conversations. And when AMM put out the call for new book proposals, I knew immediately that if I was going to partner with anyone on this project, it had to be them.” 

 

(And we’re thrilled she did! Order your copy from the AMM Store today by clicking the link below.)

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(Above: Ceremonies with Integrity: A Guide to Ethical and Inclusive Wedding Officaiting, written by Celebrant Lori Prashker-Thomas, CPWO)

 

 

Why do you need this officiant training guide?

Even seasoned wedding officiants find themselves in sticky situations sometimes: getting ghosted or left on read by another wedding vendor; juggling last-minute changes on the wedding day; holding space for a couple’s big feelings; and holding firm boundaries when clients push back on set services and fees. How you handle these situations says a lot about your character and your commitment to your craft. It can also predict how successful you’ll be in your first year, or first decade, of business as a professional officiant. 

 

Unfortunately, most first-time officiants are left to learn these skills on their own, because the typical training materials don’t take the time to dig into the daily complexities of officiating. But this guide does just that, allowing you to serve clients with confidence and compassion, right from the start. 

As author Prashker-Thomas explains: 

 

“I wrote Ceremonies with Integrity because, after years of officiating, I saw how deeply a ceremony can impact people when it is created with honesty, compassion, and respect. I also noticed how often marriers and couples felt unheard, judged, or pushed into traditions that did not reflect who they are.” 

 

Among the personal stories that Prashker-Thomas shares in the book, one demonstrates how she learned to handle this common situation with care over time (from her chapter "Communication and Collaboration," "Building Trust with Couples"): 

 

“I remember one couple who had initially hired another officiant for their ceremony, but felt that person wasn’t truly listening to them," she writes. "While I made sure to acknowledge their frustrations, I also refrained from speaking negatively about the previous vendor. It’s just not professional to ever badmouth other professionals in the industry, but restraint also shows wisdom since each officiant and vendor has their own style and approach.”

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The role of the wedding officiant has changed in recent years too – with more emphasis on inclusivity, personalizing the ceremony, and honoring diverse couples. Modern wedding officiant etiquette makes room for you to be yourself - so that couples can be themselves, too. This book can help you adapt and grow to meet the needs of modern wedding clients, and teach you how to build an ethical wedding business that lasts. 

 

“[Writing this] book became necessary when marriers / couples kept asking [me] if their ceremony could be true to who they are,” Prashker-Thomas says, “and when other officiants came to me because they needed guidance on how to deal with sensitive moments in a kind and respectful manner.” 

 

Modern wedding officiant etiquette integrates authenticity, honesty, collaboration, and care. It’s about collaborating with your couples and other vendors, treating everyone with respect and understanding, and building ethical building practices that honor every couple – and yourself. As the needs of modern wedding clients change, officiants must change and grow alongside them them.  This book will help get you there! (Above: Celebrant Lori performs a lovely outdoor wedding for two happy grooms.)

 

Each chapter in Ceremonies with Integrity covers important topics for wedding officiants, like creating inclusivity in wedding ceremonies, communicating and collaborating with clients and other vendors, handling challenges with grace and professionalism, legal and administrative best practices for professional wedding officiants – and more. Take a look! 

 

Included in this Guide Book: What You'll Find Inside
 

• Chapter 1: Understanding Your Role as an Officiant
• Chapter 2: The Foundation of Ethical Officiating
• Chapter 3: Inclusivity in Wedding Ceremonies
• Chapter 4: Crafting Personalized and Meaningful Ceremonies
• Chapter 5: Communication and Collaboration
• Chapter 6: Handling Challenges with Grace
• Chapter 7: The Business of Officiating
• Chapter 8: Legal and Administrative Best Practices
• Chapter 9: Continuous Growth as an Officiant
• Chapter 10: Inspiring Moments from the Field
• Conclusion: Celebrating the Impact of Ethical and Inclusive Officiating

 

“You’ll be doing more than just reading a script,” Prashker-Thomas writes in Chapter Two, “you’re a trusted guide and steward of one of life’s most sacred moments. You’ll learn your own boundaries and to respect those of others, which is how we safeguard the emotional and ceremonial significance of the event. By prioritizing ethics, professionalism, and empathy, officiants foster a wedding experience that is not only legally sound but deeply meaningful.”

 

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Lori Prashker-Thomas, CPWO

Celebrant, Business Owner, Author

 

Lori isn't just an event professional -- she's a storyteller of love. As the creative force behind Ceremonies by Lori, she transforms wedding ceremonies into unforgettable experiences. With a passion for curating celebrations that reflect the unique essence of each couple, Lori has become a trusted name in the event industry. Her keen eye for detail and commitment to personalization have made her a go-to expert for those seeking a touch of magic in their wedding ceremonies.

 

Lori became ordained in 2011 and continued her education to become an ordained “Rabbi” in June 2013 with the American Marriage Ministries. She is also a Certified Professional Wedding Officiant through IAPWO.

 

Lori is based in Kingston, Pennsylvania, and now serves all of Pennsylvania, New England, North Carolina, and Indiana with her team of officiants. 

Lori has also participated as a featured educator with AMM's Officiant Accelerator seminars, in collaboration with The International Association of Professional Wedding Officiants (IAPWO).

 

Connect with Lori: 

Facebook, Instagram, Website

 

 

Read more about Lori on AMM's American Weddings Blog:

 

• Pro Wedding Officiants Give Advice on What to Charge & When to Raise Your Rates

• Officiant Accelerator is in DC on March 13th! Meet the Speakers for This Exciting Event
• Want to Start a Wedding Chapel? Advice From Professional Officiants
• A Photographer’s Path to Becoming a Wedding Officiant & Advocate
• Original Wedding Ceremony Scripts by Lori Prashker-Thomas

 

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