Questions to ask before hiring a wedding officiant
Some people wait until the last few months before their wedding to hire a wedding officiant, but this should not be the case. After you have booked your venue & wedding planner – next on the list should be your wedding officiant & DJ, after all the Wedding Officiant & DJ are the vendors that really make or break your event. It’s a good idea to book your wedding officiant at least 6 – 12 months prior to your wedding, to ensure you are getting the perfect wedding officiant for you – and not just settling for whoever is available.
There are certain questions you want to make sure to ask the wedding officiant before hiring:
- Do you use the same script for every couple, or can my ceremony be customized?
(every couple is different, so why shouldn’t the ceremony be different)
- Typically how long are your ceremonies?
(You want to ensure that the ceremony is not too short but certainly not too long. Ideally a ceremony should not be more than 30 mins long, after that point your guest start to wonder and lose interest.)
- How often do you perform ceremonies?
(You don’t want to hire someone with no experience, Your ceremony is a very important day so Experience is necessary)
- Can you incorporate a special ceremony (Unity Candle, Jumping the Broom, Tying the Knot etc….)? If yes, am I responsible for bringing them and setting up?
- If I am interested in doing personal vows, would that be ok?
(I encourage couples to do their own personal vows – it adds something so special to the ceremony. Maybe you still want to do the traditional vows and repeat after the officiant but want to say just a few words to each other. That can work as well).
- What is your typical dress code?
Typically your wedding officiant will wear black – if you have a specific theme/ color that you want them to adhere to, you will need to let them know.
- Where can I find reviews from your previous couples?
- How far in advance do you typically show up before the ceremony begins?
- What happens during the signing of the marriage license? Am I responsible for getting the license back to the court house or will you submit it?