Choosing The Right Officiant
by Liz Smith
When you're planning a wedding, there are about a million things that you can choose to have or not to have as part of your special day. Someone to officiate your wedding, however, is not an option. It is one of the few things that you "must" have in order to become man and wife. For a great many couples, choosing an officiant can be a real challenge. So where do you start looking?
If you don't belong to a specific church, or aren't a specific religion, then this decision can be tough. First and foremost, you should find someone that the two of you feel comfortable with. Meet with at least two or three different officiants. Most wedding officiants offer free consultations. You will know fairly soon into the consultation whether or not that particular one "feels" right to you. Make sure the person is flexible and has a sense of humor! Weddings are notorious for "surprises" and you want to make sure you have someone standing up there with you that has the ability to reassure you and put you at ease should one of these "surprises" pop up during your ceremony!
Most of all, make sure you choose an officiant who listens to you what you want from your ceremony and who is available to you for questions and last minute ideas or changes. Most officiants book fairly quickly because, as I mentioned before, they are one of the few things besides the two of you that "must" be a part of your wedding day, so take care of this early in your planning stages.
With all of this in mind, congratulations on your engagement and good luck with your wedding!
