AMERICAN WEDDINGS BLOG
Stay up to date with the latest wedding ceremony trends, script writing inspiration, tips and advice for first-time officiants, and news that matters to couples and wedding ministers.
Stay up to date with the latest wedding ceremony trends, script writing inspiration, tips and advice for first-time officiants, and news that matters to couples and wedding ministers.
Published Wednesday, Jun. 9th, 2021
It’s true: As a marriage officiant, you don’t just hear exciting stories… you help make them! ‘Crazy shit’ is a little sensationalized, but what we mean by it is that you’ll see people in their most honest, vulnerable, adventurous, and stressed moments.
You’ll also see them in their happiest.
In fact, few jobs give you the same close-up view of the human experience that working as a wedding minister and officiant will. Sure, bartenders, cops, nurses, and kindergarten teachers all have some crazy stories to tell (and we want all the details…). But there’s something truly unique about working as a wedding officiant.
As an officiant, you’re helping two people and their (sometimes dysfunctional) families meld their lives together, legally, in what is often a high pressure, very public, and expensive setting. Even the most level-headed folks can get nervous on their wedding day. Add in a few unexpected guests, a dash of unpredictable weather, a dollop of heightened emotions (and an open bar), and there’s bound to be some excitement!
Of course, we say all of this with a smile, because honestly, most of your stories as a wedding officiant will have happy endings. Even weddings that do take an unexpected detour can be wonderful experiences. After all, you’re helping people get married! You’ll meet incredible and inspiring couples, from all walks of life, and with all kinds of love stories.
Officiating is one of the most rewarding, joyful, heartfelt careers around -- and you’ll have the rewarding, joyful stories to match.
But you’ll also have a handful of stories that are hilarious, mildly disastrous, and destined to end up in your memoir! Sounds like fun, right?
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It’s free, easy, legal in every state, and only takes about a minute.
What do officiants wear? It depends… Read how one officiant led a naturist wedding in a nudist community, but stayed true to her own personal wedding style.
Illustrations by Jessica Levey
AMM Minister Patricia Burgess helps a couple exchange pygmy goats instead of wedding rings to make their ceremony the perfect custom fit!
AMM Minister Mathew Anderson performs a wedding high above the New River Gorge in an adventure wedding ceremony the couple will never forget. If you’re a new officiant and want to explore destination and adventure weddings, read on for inspiration!
AMM Minister Mathew Anderson and his adventurous couple
AMM Minister Samuel Heath is an LGBTQ+ wedding officiant who believes love is a calling & all people have a right to marry.
AMM Minister Samuel Heath
An officiant’s quick thinking and sense of humor saves the day when a groom’s anxiety makes him vomit during the wedding ceremony!
Pastor Nancy Kerr of Kansas City drove to Tampa to marry 15 couples this Super Bowl Sunday, in a group wedding honoring the KC Chiefs & No. 15 Patrick Mahomes.
Pastor Nancy Kerr and her mobile wedding van
AMM Ministers share why they got ordained online and how solemnizing weddings has changed their lives.
Reverend Timothy Hooker of Cleveland, Tennessee
Become a Wedding Officiant with Our Free Online Ordination!