Can anyone officiate a wedding?
Yes, in 47 of our 50 states. Online ordinations are widely recognized, with Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Tennessee being notable strongholds. Check local legislation. Some states require you to present your ordination card, so be sure to check with your county. What about other countries? At the time of this writing, online ordinations have been recognized in Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
Many couples now have their ceremonies officiated by a close friend or family member, assuming their ceremony will not be religious. Perhaps you’ve seen the ads in the back of a Rolling Stone magazine offering online or mail-order ordinations? There are many famous wedding officiants out there.
Many times the ceremony is officiated by someone who barely knows the couple, whether it be a clergyman or a justice of the peace, so the words are often generic and unconvincing. Officiating a wedding is no small thing. Hopefully, you’ll be comfortable speaking in front of a crowd and able to live up to the importance of the occasion. My advice is to be careful with sarcasm during the ceremony and anything that might offend.
You may be wondering how you should dress to officiate at a wedding. Men should normally wear a suit. I always ask the couple what colors their flowers, dresses and ties are, so I can coordinate with my tie and suit combo.
An officiant should probably be wearing something that a fairly conservative guest might be wearing. Nothing hot pink or anything that shows too much skin. You don’t want to divert attention from the bride. A dark dress accented with tasteful jewelry is a great choice. If the groomsmen are wearing tuxedos, match their style and dress for a charity gala. If it’s a morning or early afternoon ceremony and the groomsmen aren’t wearing a jacket or tie, dress up too. If your appearance is markedly different from that of the couple and their wedding party, it will distract from the couple’s attention and could damage their confidence and stage presence.
Officiating at a wedding ceremony as a personal friend of the couple can be a wonderfully memorable experience. You can help make their big day even more special.
Order online and become a wedding officiant at any of these three sites, The Universal Life Church, American Marriage Ministries, or GetOrdained.org.
You may not have to purchase your ordination card after you ordinate. Call your county clerk’s office to see if your municipality requires you to file anything. Many counties don’t, so you can save a few bucks by not buying the card that says you’re an ordained minister.
Some of these online churches offer ceremony material, but the material is standard and scarce. Contemporary material for the wedding ceremony is hard to come by, and that’s how I feel I’m making a difference.