In considering an officiant for your wedding ceremony, you are choosing who will be part of a key life milestone and help set the tone for your wedding day.
Your wedding day brings you and your beloved together, heart to heart, and all eyes are on you as you share vows of love and connection. In this once-in-a-lifetime moment, after all the planning, organizing, and stress, the two of you now see one another as never before and are able to witness how your love is materializing into a new expression. No pressure, right? Well, there may be some nervousness, but it can be greatly reduced if you are mindful about choosing your wedding officiant.
Choosing the Right Wedding Officiant for You
While there’s no right or wrong way to choose, there’s a way that best supports how you desire to celebrate the true beauty of your relationship. The journey of how you came together as a couple is the starting seed of your wedding story, and it takes a bit of finesse to bring that story out as an active part of the wedding ceremony in a meaningful way.
To help you choose the best person for the role, here are some things to consider:
- Is the religious or spiritual aspect of the ceremony important to you?
- If you and your fiancé have different religious backgrounds or perspectives, how do you honor both traditions in your ceremony?
- Can your officiant personalize your ceremony in a meaningful way?
- Do you want a ceremony that is serious or light-hearted, or both? Can your officiant include some humor into your wedding?
- Do you want to share some of your personal story in the wedding ceremony? For example, how you met, where your first kiss took place or a favorite date night spot?
- Do you want an officiant who can help you stay calm, clear and grounded in the present moment, enabling you to remain mindful and heartful of what you are stepping into?
- Do you want your officiant to instruct you during the ceremony, or would you prefer having someone who is flexible and accommodates your wishes and ideas?
- What is the officiant’s background and how experienced is he or she?
- Does the wedding officiant truly respect the sanctity of marriage as well as your own love story and the promises you are making to each other as a couple?
- Can he or she bring a deeper meaning to every aspect of your ceremony? For example, if you use candles to symbolize your new journey, do those candles have special meaning for each of your families? Or, if you blend sand, would you like to include soil that is taken from land that has is personal for you, such as your childhood garden or a favorite family vacation beach?
First and foremost, it’s important that you choose a wedding officiant with whom you can make a personal connection. Having a good relationship can provide you a sense of comfort and support on a day that is full of emotional ups and downs.
Your wedding day is an amazing day when you and your fiancé are honoring your love story and celebrating it in front of the special people in your life. Choose a wedding officiant who respects your desires, holds a clear space for you to express your love and brings the right balance of guidance and expertise to your experience.
If I can be of help to you with your wedding, don’t hesitate to get in touch. It would be my honor to serve as your wedding officiant.
Rev. Scott Awbrey is a licensed officiant and ordained, nondenominational minister and has performed hundreds of ceremonies over the past 25 years.