Are you interested in a career that is fun and rewarding? Did you have fun performing the wedding of a friend or family member? Then a career as a wedding officiant is the best choice for you, research how to become a wedding officiant and go for it. A wedding officiant is a legally recognized person to lead a wedding ceremony.
As an officiant, you sign in marriage license to attest that the two individuals are legally allowed to get married. Wedding officiants are the emcee of the marriage. A wedding officiant can be a person assigned by a religious organization to perform the marriage ceremony on behalf of the organization.
Wedding Officiant Job Description
Wedding officiants are licensed to marry two individuals in their state legally. Depending on state law, only certain individuals are authorized to lead marriages. Clergy members, ministers, judges, or court clerks are the most common wedding officiants.
Wedding officiants ordained by their religious organizations lead the wedding ceremonies. They guide the couples on the road to marriage. They provide pre-marital counseling and perform the wedding ceremony and sign in the marriage license. Wedding officiants help couples design, write, and perform the right marriage ceremony.
How to Become a Wedding Officiant in Steps
You need to become ordained before performing any marriage ceremony. Becoming ordained has become easier than ever before.
Step 1: Learn the Law
A wedding officiant fulfills the legal duties of certifying a marriage license. You can visit the website of the Secretary of the State to see which laws apply. Get in touch with a county, clerk, or town hall that issues marriage licenses. Get to know your county laws. As the officiant of a wedding, you should ensure that the couple getting married understands what marriage license means.
Step 2: Get Ordained
You should select a religious organization to get ordained. Being ordained is to be appointed as a clergy member in a religious organization. In case you are not affiliated with any religion, you can choose interfaith organizations.
You can get ordained for free online in much religious organization. Before you choose this route to become ordained, check if your state will recognize online ordinations.
Step 3: Performing the Wedding Ceremony.
The first thing to do as a wedding officiant is to sit down with the couple who are to get married and understand what kind of ceremony they wish to have. As a wedding officiant, you should plan the wedding with the couple so that all the three of you are on the same page.
Some couple prefers religious ceremony while others prefer a secular ceremony without any religious elements. You need to give a short speech about the couple, for which it is important to know the couple. You need to know details like how and where they have met, their favorite activities, and their profession. You may share some fun and unique experiences between them too.
Step 4: Create your business and register
To make it a business, you should register your business name and register it with your county clerk office or state government as per the state law. People prefer to use their name as a part of the business services, for instance, Blessy Wedding Officiants.
Step 5: Collaborate with other wedding professionals
You can help your clients by giving them a one-stop-shop for all their wedding needs. Collaborate with photographers, videographers, florist, caterer, and other professionals hired for a wedding. This way, you can market yourself and gain more exposure.
Wedding Officiant Requirements
Every state has different laws and requirements on who can become a wedding officiant. A very common requirement is to get ordained in any religious organization, and a state license is required. Some states require wedding officiants to be the residents of the state. In contrast, some states allow non-residential officiants to perform the wedding as long as they are legally entitled to perform marriage ceremonies.
Wedding Officiant Certifications
Organizations like “The Officiant Academy” offer a course on becoming a marriage officiant. The course named “Marriage Officiant 101: Basic Training for Ceremonial Ministers”. This course equips an individual aspiring to become a wedding officiant.
It covers the whole process involved in becoming a wedding officiant right from getting ordained to performing a marriage ceremony and license procedure. Once you have completed the course, you get a certificate that you are recognized as a “Certified Wedding Officiant.”
Pay Scale of a Wedding Officiant
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics(1), the median salary of a wedding officiant is $ 48,990 (clergy member),$133,920 ( judges) AND $38,450 (court clerks). Rates charged by officiants(2) may differ with the season. Spring and summer rates are higher than in the fall and winter.
Bottom Line
Wedding officiants are authorized to officiate marriage ceremonies. As a wedding officiant, you should keep the couple whose marriage you are to solemnize in a comfort zone. Before taking up a career as a wedding officiant, make sure to meet the wedding officiant requirements.
