American Weddings Blog

Here’s why it matters where you get ordained, and what your responsibilities are as a wedding minister.

Asking a friend or family member to officiate has become as common as picking bridesmaids. But even with millions of Americans getting ordained to perform weddings, most folk don’t really know what ordination means. Too often, they say “yes” without realizing what they are signing up for. 

Let’s talk about what ordination really is, and what your responsibilities are as a wedding minister. But before we get into the details, I want to remind you that we’ve made getting ordained free and easy for a reason – it’s a rewarding and transformative experience that lets you celebrate love and build community. That’s what matters in life, and as they say, the best things in life are free. 

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Have you been asked to officiate, and even though you’re excited, you’re not sure where to start?

Or – are you embarking on a new passion or career path in performing weddings, and looking for an all-in-one inclusive guide?

Fear not! Asked to Officiate – one of our most popular resources – is here to help.

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Every wedding planner has a story about the minister showing up late – or not at all. And every couple worries about their officiant backing out at the last minute, getting sick, or not finding the venue. Sh*t happens, and quite often it’s not even the officiant's fault - but at the end of the day, it’s always smart to have a backup plan.

That’s why every wedding planner should get ordained.

At this year’s Wedding MBA conference in Las Vegas, Renee Dalo, Owner and Lead Planner at Moxie Bright Events told a panel of professional wedding planners that “every wedding planner should be ordained.” With a background in theater production, Renee knows a thing or two about putting on a show - and making sure everybody knows their lines. ...(continued)

Officiating demands a substantial amount of your personal time, effort, thought, consideration - and almost always, love.

So it’s only fair when a new officiant wonders, “How much should I charge for my services?”

The answer in short is this: Officiant fees vary drastically across the country, so you will have to do a bit of research to determine this magical number.

If you are considering performing ceremonies in a professional capacity, you will want to start by looking into what others are charging locally, and proceeding from there.

We recommend doing an online search along the lines of, “Wedding Officiant in [City Name]”. You can also use vendor searches for your area - like looking up Officiants in Wedding Wire's Vendor Search based on location.

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Bonnie Sanchez wasn’t a fan of her government job. She wasn’t happy. First of all, she didn’t like sitting in her office all day, and the tedium was wearing her down. But even more, she wanted a job that held meaning, where she could make a difference in people’s lives.

That’s when Bonnie learned about becoming a wedding officiant. 

We’ve all been to weddings before, and perhaps you’ve wondered, “what is a wedding officiant, and how does somebody get into a profession like that?” 

Maybe it was a particularly memorable wedding and you wanted to be a part of something like it. Or maybe it was a boring one and you thought to yourself, “I could do it better.”

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