American Weddings Blog

Working closely with your wedding officiant is a must, but a lot of couples don’t quite know how to navigate or coordinate their timeline with their wedding officiant’s. We’re here to give you some pointers so that you know what to expect, and how to get a head start on your ceremony planning.

What Your Officiant is Responsible For:

•  Working with you up until the wedding to craft your ceremony.

• Being present and performing your ceremony on your wedding day (and rehearsal, ideally).

• Assisting with the signing and filing of the completed marriage license.

First, Consider This

What type of ceremony do you want? Religious, Non-denominational, or Civil?...(continued)

Asked to Officiate

Originally written by expert and professional wedding officiant Bethel Nathan (who has performed nearly one thousand ceremonies), AMM recently acquired and updated this workbook - making it the most comprehensive, detailed, and helpful book of its kind on the market. Asked to Officiate will:...(continued)

Here at American Marriage Ministries, we are frequently asked questions regarding timelines of ordination and performing marriage.

Like, How long does it take to get ordained? How long will it take to complete officiant registration in New York City? When will my paperwork and credentials arrive? When should I meet with the couple? When should I start practicing and rehearsing the ceremony? (Hint: Several of these are answered in our FAQs.)

We realize that many folks are asked to officiate at the last minute (which is totally awesome/fine, and we're still here to help you in a time crunch!) - but in order to deliver the best ceremony possible, this is what an ideal officiant timeline should look like:

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When creating a wedding ceremony, one of the big questions that first-time officiants ask is, "What pieces or parts are absolutely necessary in a wedding ceremony, and what else can be added to make the ceremony special?" 

The answer to this question could be, “whatever the couple wants.” But that still doesn’t give you a starting point, and it’s likely the first time the couple has considered this matter, too. Good ceremonies are like Christmas trees. You start with the bare branches -- those are the required parts -- and you add ornaments that tailor the couple’s ceremony.

...(continued)