How Does a Wedding Officiate Spend a Workday?

The day might begin by meeting with prospective couples

Choosing the right individual to officiate their wedding is a major concern for some couples. Unless the couple are members of a particular congregation and are having their minister, rabbi, or pastor perform the service, they are choosing an officiant that may be a stranger to them. In these cases, the officiant schedules a meeting with the bride, groom, and possibly their relatives to discuss whether the couple's interests, beliefs, and desires are in line with the officiate's style.

If the meeting is successful, the officiate can begin to interview the couple about traditions and other aspects of the upcoming ceremony.

Then, they research and take notes

Being a good wedding officiant means keeping abreast of both established traditions and new wedding trends. A wedding officiant might read the latest wedding magazines, keep track of wedding websites and blogs, and keep a database of passages, quotes, vows, and songs that can be used in future ceremonies. Inspiration can come from many sources and traditions, so a good wedding officiant will not only do research, but keep their eyes open just as they live their daily lives.

Next, they may keep in touch with their ordaining body

The legal ins and outs of officiating a wedding varies from state to state, legal body to legal body, and from church to church. Depending on the ordination of the wedding officiate (whether religious or secular,) they may have to keep track of changing regulations or required paperwork to ensure weddings they perform are legitimate.

Networking is an essential part of a workday

Networking with other wedding professionals is also a large part of a good officiant's day - to generate leads and to stay visible in the community. As with any other business, word-of-mouth is the best way to find more customers, so an officiate might spend time at in-person networking events for wedding professionals, or become active in online communities and forums for brides-to-be (for example) in order to make personal contacts.

They will also spend other time doing clerical and marketing work

Most states require wedding officiants to not only file wedding notifications officially, but to keep accurate records of weddings performed. Officiants that make money from the wedding duties also must follow the business licensure and tax regulations for both state and federal levels, so good bookkeeping is a must.
Also, if this is a business, an officiant will spend time working on generating and following up new leads for potential couples. These leads can come from their network, or from personal referrals, but many wedding officiants spend time marketing themselves to wider audiences. They may have a website, which takes daily time to update (once built,) listings in wedding vendor guides, or wedding shows.

Finally, they may end the day by attending a rehearsal or performing a wedding

After all the meetings, preparation, and paperwork, the wedding officiate may actually officiate a wedding. A typical day may end by attending a wedding rehearsal (usually held the day or two before the actual ceremony) with the bride, groom, family, and wedding party present. The rehearsal is the last opportunity for the officiant to get feedback from the couple before the big day.

Once the big day arrives, the officiant will don any ceremonial or special clothing they wear to perform a ceremony and ensure they arrive at the wedding location at least 30 minutes before the ceremony. Then, the show "goes live," and the officiant will perform the ceremont as rehearsed.

After the ceremony, the officiant will sign the wedding license and any other required paperwork.

But before they leave, they'll collect their fee

The fees officiants charge for their services vary depending on their experience, affiliation, and the location of the ceremony - with additional fees for customization of the ceremony or the vows. Some officiants charge an hourly rate, while others negotiate a flat fee - all of which is agreed upon by the couple and family prior to the ceremony. Traditionally, the best man or father of the bride will pay the officiant in cash (plus a tip) by handing them an envelope at the end of the ceremony.

Comments

Maureen318 said

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on 12/23/2008 Great Article! As a wedding officiant, I've found that few couples have a true idea of what goes on behind the scenes. This piece is very informative on educating couples as to the value they are getting for their payment when they hire a professional wedding officiant. Also, don't forget the time spent actually writing a custom ceremony--which is generally personalized for the customer so they don't receive a mere cookie-cutter ceremony.

Please see my similar article here: http://www.memorableceremonies.com/officiant_fee.html