Choosing A Wedding Officiant That Is Right For You

As you plan your wedding, picking the right officiant is an uphill task. It is something that most couples forget about until the last minute of their wedding planning. And in most instances, you might not have an idea of where to start.

Unlike your wedding outfit or flower arrangements, you might have forgotten spending time focusing on this important person in your ceremony; the wedding officiant. Now is the right time to start thinking about it.

Your plan could be that you want to have a wedding that reflects who you are. You might work hard to pick the décor, food, flowers and the music which present who you are at the reception. You have to let the ceremony also reflect your personality by choosing the right officiant, who will make your wedding be so you.

The wedding officiant is the person who is going to share your love story and thus an important person. They are going to represent you at the wedding featuring heavily in your wedding video and thus, they must be a person whom you love what they do and say.

The following are tips for finding the wedding officiant that is right for you.

• Do your homework: When looking around for the right wedding officiant, you need to work hard. Tap into your network by reaching out to newly married friends or even go ahead and join wedding forums in your local area where you ask for recommendations online.

Once you have a list of some of the officiants who look promising, check their profiles online. Read their reviews and ask them if they can give you samples of their previous work.

• Meet in person: By meeting them face to face, it will enable you to know your officiant well. If it is impossible, you can try to reach them out on video call or Skype. You don’t want to spend a lot of time corresponding only through text. When you meet them in person, it allows you to know them better. You will have an opportunity to ask them all those burning questions and find out if they are the perfect fit for the both of you.
• They have to know you: As much as the meeting you arrange with the officiant is to know them better, they should also know you well. The officiant has to know both of you as a couple before officiating your wedding.

They need to know your love story told by both of you, know what you want to happen at your wedding. This will allow them to know which tone is right to use at the wedding ceremony.

• Check out on your options: The officiant whom you settle for should have several options when it comes to your wedding plans. They should not perform your ceremony the same way they have done in past weddings; yours has to be a unique event, tailored to meet your specific personal likings.

The wedding has to represent the unique you. The officiant has to be flexible and open to changes and give you various options of readings, vows, and ring exchanges to pick from.

• You should be aware of what they are going to say: You should not experience any surprises as you stand at the end of the aisle. You have to be in the know regarding what will be said on your wedding day.

Every phrase and word that is said should be something that you are comfortable with. The officiant has to share everything with you so that you know what will happen, word by word.

• Make your requests: If there is anything you as a couple doesn’t want on your wedding day, or something you surely want to be said, the officiant has to know everything about it. You have to communicate these requests early so that the officiant can accommodate them as they plan their day.

When you meet the officiant on your first meeting, make them know most if not all your requests so that they know what you are looking out for and what you don’t want.

• Trust your instinct: After all is said and done, you would wish to listen to yourself and trust your judgment. Are you confident that whoever you have to settle for as an officiant is going to handle the job well? Are they going to conduct your dream wedding the way you want it done? Are you going along well with them?

If you feel that something is not adding up and you don’t feel connected with the officiant, then they are not the right one for you. You don’t want to have any regrets or apprehensions during your wedding day.

The above tips are there to help you ensure that you get it right in choosing an officiant who will make your dream wedding come true.  If you follow them, chances are that you will not have any regrets.