So You Are Officiating a Wedding, Huh?
An easy guide to successfully being a nuptials emcee.
Long story short, I officiated my first wedding this past summer. I am a researcher by day, so I am known for doing a relatively deep dive on topics of interest. Since I was going to do the digging, I thought I would share the gems I found in my research into wedding officiating.
Step one. Get official. Ironically, the easiest part of legitimately officiating a wedding is getting ordained. I chose American Marriage Ministries. It took about 5–10 minutes to fill out the necessary information online. What’s actually a bit more difficult is determining if you need to register with the court in your city/state of the ceremony because wedding laws vary across the country.
Step two. Do your research. To cut to the chase there are 3 things you want to look up specifically; format (including legal requirements), questions you should ask the bride and groom (i.e. cell phone reminders, photo announcements, family shout-outs, readings), and any preferred ceremony scripts (no need to re-invent the wheel).
Step three. Choose your words. If you want some help putting together your script, there are many wedding officiant websites where you can purchase wedding ceremonies to fit every religious culture, style, and preference. Some are generic, some customized by request. Decide what best suits you and the wedding party for the ceremony then customize as necessary. I was able to use my notes from the research to write my own script. Make sure to add your personal touch. They probably asked you for a reason.
Step four: Make sure that your wedding party is ready for what’s ahead. Now that you have done your research, let the wedding party know your tentative plan, estimated time frame, and ask any lingering questions. They will likely have important information for you regarding the agenda, logistics, and tech for the ceremony.
Step five. Prepare the way you perform best. Full script. ad-lib. In either case, I suggest notes. I decided to take my time building the script, then the day before the wedding I read the script out loud three times. No need for overkill. That way, when I got to the ceremony I mostly glanced at my iPad versus steadily reading off the screen.
Finally, have fun! This is a celebration of love. Take moments to look at the wedding party, the guests, and the beauty of it all.
In conclusion, I hope you found this guide to officiating wedding ceremonies as simple and straightforward as possible. I would like to thank you for reading, now go out there and be the best wedding emcee ever!
