Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with officiant

Goin' to the chapel won't work here...

i less than three nsima — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:13:14 -0800

Recommendations for a licensed wedding officiant for Maryland in the DC area? I will be getting married this October, and I need to find a wedding offciant that can marry me and my fiancee.

Neither of us is religious, but we also don't want anyone really eccentric, either. Cheap is always a plus, too. Any and all recommendations would be great!

With This Blank, I Thee Blank

scrump — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 12:34:57 -0800

I'm officiating my younger sister's wedding, and want to find out what they want out of their ceremony. My youngest sister wants me to officiate her wedding.

I live in California, and she and her fiancee live in Fairfax, Virginia. I won't be able to talk to them in person until December at the earliest, and I'd like to send them a questionnaire that they can fill out separately that will give me some guidance on their preferences, and what they want out of their ceremony.

What kinds of questions should I ask, and how should I word them to get the most useful answers?

Help me officiate friends wedding

healthyliving — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 21:56:40 -0800

Recommendations and creative ideas for being the officiant at your friends wedding? My friend, whom I've known for 14 years, has asked me to officiate at her wedding in a few months. I am absolutely honored and want to do a fantastic job. They've left it up to me to create though they will have the final say. I need some suggestions based on the clues written below, as google hasn't provided me with what I want.

The couple
- are non religious though would probably consider themselves spiritual
- are of puerto rican, english, and german descent ( & a little scottish and welsh)
- want meaningful/unique, not like something you hear at every wedding
- are open to nontraditional vows
- would like audience participation if possible

I believe that part of the reason they want me to officiate is because my wedding has been the favorite ceremony they've been to. This is what they loved about it and may want to include, or want a spin off of some sort...

- Calling in the four directions, above, and below with what each direction represented while drumming
- The audience sang a song to us (4 short verses on back of the program)
- We acknowledged our ancestors and specifically gave reasons about what we appreciated about our parents
- Wrote our own vows
- Did a celtic hand fasting
- Asked everybody to take deep breaths

I'm looking for rec's for sites, books, vows, quotes, rituals, what you did, ideas, questions that may stimulate creative responses within them that would help me write something, etc.

Other details - There will be about 200 people, and I'll have a mic attached to me. It's outside.

Thank you, thank you!

Who can legally perform a marriage in Los Angeles County?

oncogenesis — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 14:23:04 -0800

Who can legally perform a marriage in Los Angeles County? After 6+ years of unwedded bliss and living in sin, my baby momma and I have decided to get married. (Q: Are you in love? A: Off the record, yes. But officially, I did it for the money!)

We would like a friend to perform a civil ceremony. Los Angeles County has a program that "allows individuals to be deputized for a day to perform a wedding ceremony". However, one must apply for this 2 months in advance. Time is of the esssence for us, so this option is out.

This is where it gets interesting: California Family Code Section 400 states that a marriage may be "solemnized" by a "priest, minister, or rabbi of any religious denomination", among others. But the law further states that absolutely no proof of the officiants religious affiliation is necessary. Given the First Amendment, this is how it should be. So it seems that basically anyone could marry us. Just make up a "church" and declare youself a priest.

But then why does Section 400 go on to list all manner of judges and bureaucrats as legal "solemnizers"? Why bother to call them out? And moreso, why does the county offer the "deputizing" program if it is not strictly necessary? (Profit?)

Bottom line: Is it necessary to be "certified" in some way to perform a a marriage in Los Angeles County?

Bonus question: Doe anyone know of an organization that ordains Discordian priests? (Yeah, yeah, I know that "every single man, woman, and child on this Earth" is a Discordian pope, but sometimes it's nice to have an official looking piece of paper.)

Wedding arrangements in Chicago

gleuschk — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 04:28:48 -0800

The wonderful, fantastic, exhilarating news is that we're getting married in Chicago in June. The less-good news is that we live in different cities, neither of which is anywhere near Chicago. So we could use a little help putting together the pieces, like florists, photographers, DJs, and oh yeah someone to actually do the marrying. And we've like got four months to do it in. We've got a date (mid-June) and a venue (in the northern suburbs). We could really use help with finding an officiant, and hiring a florist, a photographer, and DJ. We've got a few tentative leads on the last categories, but the first is pretty mystifying. Any help is welcome, especially specific recommendations.

Help Me Get Married in Alameda County

hwickline — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 08:17:28 -0800

Can anyone help me find a civil wedding ceremony officiant for my wedding in Alameda County, CA? We're getting married in Berkeley this June, and I want a representative of local government (marriage commissioner, judge, etc.) to perform the ceremony. Alameda County only provides officials for weddings on county property during business hours (even though San Francisco and Sacramento counties will send officiants offsite to your weekend ceremony).

I have to believe though, that some marriage commissioners in Alameda County might like to make a little extra money by performing weddings on the weekends. I just can’t figure out how to contact them.

I realize that getting a secular humanist officiant is an option, or having a friend do it, but honestly I'm not wild about either option. This is all a lot more complicated than I would have thought, and I'd love to hear from folks who've dealt with the same, or a similar, problem.

Question number 11693

malphigian — Thu, 11 Nov 2004 12:25:37 -0800

Process for finding a wedding officiant? [more]