In our sixth and final installment on tips to consider when hiring your wedding officiant, we thought it might be nice to give you a list of questions to ask as you start looking for the perfect person to create your ceremony.
Of course, we have to recap the five things you’ll want to consider. First, hire a professional wedding officiant. Second, hire someone who focuses the wedding ceremony on you and your relationship. Third, hire someone who is creative. Fourth, hire an officiant with vision. Fifth, hire someone who makes you comfortable, with whom you ‘click.’
Seems easy enough, right? But how do you make those tips a reality? Well, try asking these questions in the interview process:
- What are your credentials? What gives you the ability to perform weddings? (This will help you suss out a professionally trained officiant.)
- How long have you been marrying people?
- Why do you marry couples? (Look for an answer that goes a little deeper than “It’s fun!” Do they talk about what the ceremony means? Or their philosophy about weddings and marriage?)
- How many weddings have you done? (Do the numbers make sense? Remember, there are 52 weeks in a year, and most couples marry on Saturday. Do the math.)
- Can you explain the process? (Does the person explain not just the day’s logistics, but the nuts and bolts of the actual ceremony?)
- What are your fees? (Is the fee structure transparent? Does it include travel? Rehearsal? Does it match what their website states?)
- What are some things that you’ve seen or done that make for a great ceremony? (Are they actually creative, or do they just say they are?)
- Do you have a contract? What does it say? How do you want to get paid? (Do they deftly cover the basics?)
- What are things that you’ve seen go awry at weddings, and how did you handle those things? What are your backup plans?
- What do you need from us?
We love answering these questions for our couples! If you’d like to chat about your ceremony, please fill out a little bit of information on our contact form, and we’ll get back to you ASAP.
Sarah has been crafting custom weddings for couples of all kinds since 1999. Sarah is a Ravenclaw, and loves mythology, historical fiction, hot tea, and cycling of all sorts. She is an ordained minister who believes in coloring outside the lines. Sarah has been married to her best friend, Joe, since 1994. Together, their greatest treasures are their two children and the marriage they’ve worked hard to cultivate.