First of all, CONGRATULATIONS! Now what? This sheet is some basic guidelines on planning for someone to officiate your nuptials that I have put together to help with the Process.

I am not a wedding planner but have planned a few. For myself, friends and family.

So, I am happy to bounce things back and forth. You certainly can hire a wedding planner, and they can plan every detail for you, but you can also achieve the wedding of your dreams on your own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1- Decided how big a wedding you want

 

- Elopement – intimate and personal – a lot of people choose to do this and

just share in the moment together and then have a party with friends and family celebrating their new marriage.

 

 

- Small weddings – typically a small wedding is no more than 20 people and the ceremony can be in a church, a backyard, at a park, in a restaurant, at a beach, et cetera. The main thing to remember is this is intimate, and you want to limit your guests to the absolute- We must share our day with these people.

(Think parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles or best friends)

 

 

- Medium weddings- typically you would choose a larger setting for a medium wedding, and you would want to keep your guests 75 and under. Ask yourselves- do we really want to share our special day with this person? Remember it is your day, and it is up to you to decide every detail, including who you really want at your wedding. The larger wedding you have, the larger the venue you will need. Which means costs go up and the intimacy can get lost in the process.

 

 

- Large weddings – Large weddings are when you have a large guest list that you just cannot trim down to cut anyone out of attendance. They are the most time-consuming to plan and I highly recommend that if this is the route you are choosing, that you consult a wedding planner to help you both plan out the details. I recommend this to help keep you on budget and help keep your stress levels down. Planning a large wedding is hard work and why wedding planners exist!

 

 

 

 

 

 

2- Decide where you want to get married.

This will depend on the size of your wedding- you may have to book a venue months or even years in advance. Yes, I said it could be years! So, this is why I say it can be stressful and sometimes a wedding planner is the best option.

- If you have chosen an elopement or a small wedding and want to use a park, a restaurant, a pier, a beach, et cetera. Your next step is to find out if you need to pay a fee, rent a space, or get a permit to have your nuptials in the place you chose. Yes, even with an elopement!

 

 

Most parks are run by the cities they are in, and a lot mandate a day permit.

I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH TO FIND OUT IF THERE IS A FEE OR

PERMIT NEEDED!

 

I am going to quickly mention some personal thoughts on a destination wedding. The idea seems exotic and a memory of a lifetime. However, these weddings come with stresses that a couple may not think about. While you are super excited about your big day and family and friends want to celebrate you, remember these people also must take personal time to go to a destination wedding and this can be very difficult and costly for your guests. I suggest couples relish celebrating their new married life with honeymoons instead of destination weddings but again this is my opinion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3- Choosing an officiant

You have a plethora of options with choosing an officiant, if you choose a church wedding, some churches mandate their religious leader perform the ceremony and mandate their pre-marital counseling.

 

(please refer to my wedding info sheet for more information on pre-marital counseling)

 

Note: fees may be charged with whomever you choose, this is a normal process.

If you decide that you want flexibility in choosing an officiant, then this is where someone like me comes into play. Personally, I am open to all faiths and beliefs and welcome anyone. If you found your person, then I am happy you found them amongst the crowd of many and would be honored to share in your special day.