How To Officiate A Wedding In Washington: Officiant Pathway

You may be surprised to hear this, but wedding officiants in Washington are not required to register with any government office prior to performing marriage. The Washington State Government has no laws requiring officiant registration or office dedicated to the registration of wedding officiants.

Washington does have a law (Revised Code of Washington § 26.04.050) that specifies who can solemnize marriage. This includes all ministers, including online ordained ministers of American Marriage Ministries. However, there are no laws, offices, or procedures requiring officiants to register with any government office.

Simply put, once you are an online ordained minister of American Marriage Ministries you immediately have the legal ability to officiate weddings anywhere in Washington. If you have been asked to officiate a wedding in Washington, Get ordained with AMM today!

Ordination with AMM is fast, free, and simple. To learn more about getting ordained in Washington with AMM, check out our Get Ordained in Washington page.

Keep Records of Your Ministry Credentials

Though there are no officiant registration requirements in Washington, you must be an ordained minister to be able to legally perform marriage. Local regulations in Washington stipulate that wedding officiants under the designation of "Minister" be ordained by a religious organization, such as American Marriage Ministries.

While you are not required to register with any Washington government office as a wedding officiant, it is a good idea to keep personal records of your official Ministry Credentials. Proof of your ordination is essential in the event that the couple, government officials, or the wedding venue request to see proof of your ordination.

We recommend that you order your Washington Minister Ordination Package to receive your official ministry credentials. Your package includes your official Ordination Certificate and Letter of Good Standing.

Your Letter of Good Standing is signed by a church officer, dated, and notarized. Your Minister Ordination Package also includes your AMM Minister's Manual, a valuable resource for officiant training information.

Part of the proceeds from your order will go towards our charitable activities. So along with receiving your AMM ministry credentials, you are also helping to support a good cause.

Start Preparing for the Wedding Ceremony

Your next step is to learn how to officiate a wedding ceremony. If you have no experience, you are in good hands. Our Washington Wedding Officiant Preparation Guide covers all aspects of how to prepare for a wedding ceremony.

You will learn everything from the format for a wedding ceremony, the names of the ceremony parts, how to write a wedding ceremony, and more.

PREPARE FOR THE WASHINGTON WEDDING CEREMONY

Use Our AMM Wedding Helper

If the process of planning, scripting, and performing a wedding is daunting, then you need our Wedding Helper suite of tools.

We have distilled years of experience into an easy-to-use platform with training materials, quizzes, a personalized ceremony script generator, and tips to prepare you for performing marriage, all accessible through your minister profile.

That's only the beginning. After the wedding, you can share your wedding on the AMM Wedding Wall with our nationwide network of ministers.