OFFICIATING A WEDDING AS AN AMM ORDAINED MINISTER

WHAT TO SAY WHEN OFFICIATING A WEDDING

It is easy to become a wedding officiant online. The real work begins with preparing for the wedding ceremony. Our officiant training covers all aspects of being a wedding officiant, from writing the wedding ceremony script, to conducting the ceremony, to completing the marriage license. Check out the links below to get started.

WEDDING CEREMONY BASICS

• An Introduction to Officiating Wedding Ceremonies
• The Parts of a Wedding Ceremony
• A Wedding Ceremony Template

WRITING A WEDDING CEREMONY

• How to Write a Wedding Ceremony Script
• Tips for Personalizing a Wedding Ceremony
• How to Prepare for Officiating a Wedding Ceremony

MARRIAGE LICENSE DUTIES

• An Introduction to the Marriage License
• How an Officiant Should Handle a Marriage License
• How to Fill Out a Marriage License

SCRIPTS FOR OFFICIATING A WEDDING

Every good wedding ceremony starts with a well written wedding ceremony script. That's why we've compiled a library of tried-and-true ceremony scripts to get you started. If you're officiating a wedding script, then this is for you.

Our library of ceremony scripts has something for everyone, from religious to atheist, and everything in between. Take some time to review the scripts, find one that suits your needs, and use it as a template for your own personalized script.

• Simple Non Religious Wedding Ceremony With Rings Exchange
• Christian Wedding Ceremony Script With Recognition Of Children
• Civil Wedding Ceremony With Thesis Of Natural Community Script
• Family Oriented Ceremony Script
• Minimalist Ceremony Script
• Christian Ceremony Script With Salt Covenant

Planning a wedding ceremony is complicated. Get organized. Registering your wedding only takes a few seconds and lets you:

• Create and share customized wedding scripts.
• Get ready to officiate with quizzes and training tools.
• Keep a record of weddings you have officiated and share your experiences and pictures with other ministers.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUTOFFICIATING A WEDDING FOR A FRIEND

Does the script for officiating a wedding have any legal wording requirements?

In general, there are few required words for a legal wedding ceremony, however the exact wording requirements vary by state. As a rule of thumb, including the declaration of intent, where the couple state that they are knowingly engaging in the contract of marriage is a good idea. Check out our officiant training for more information.

When officiating a wedding for a friend, what do I need to do to make sure the marriage is legal?

In order for any wedding that you officiate to be legal, you must ensure that:

a) you are ordained or legally allowed to officiate weddings
b) that you are registered with your local government if required, and
c) that you follow any prescribed formats (such as the declaration of intent). Check out our minister training features for more details.

After officiating a wedding, what else do I need to do to make sure the marriage license is properly returned?

There are local requirements such as who returns the marriage license, who signs the documents, and how they are handled that you need to be aware of and observe. Find out about your local requirements in our minister training section.

OFFICIATING A WEDDING BY STATE

Each State has its own laws on whether a wedding officiant needs to register with the local government before performing marriage. Below are the States and Territories requiring wedding officiants to register with a government office before officiating a wedding.

Arkansas
Delaware
Hawaii
Louisiana
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Nevada
New Hampshire
New York
Ohio
Puerto Rico
Vermont
Virginia
Washington DC
West Virginia