Blog | Magical Ceremonies

Why You Should Hire a Professional Wedding Officiant:

Congratulations! You’re engaged and it’s a very exciting time in your life. You’re moving forward with making plans for your dream wedding day and one big thing to think about is your ceremony, and who will you want to marry you? The biggest reason you might want to ask a friend or family member to officiate your wedding ceremony is because they know you, are close to you, and it may make the ceremony special and meaningful. While I have seen this idea work here and there, there is a lot that a professional and experienced officiant does that a friend or family member would not know. Sometimes, they get cold feet shortly before the wedding which can also add a lot of extra stress. Thinking of this and of couples I’ve worked with, I’m sharing the list below of the 10 most important reasons why you would want to work with a professional officiant:

#10 – Warm and Welcoming: With a kind demeanor and a warm and welcoming manner, your professional officiant will set the tone for your whole wedding day. They will engage your family and guests by the way they make eye contact, the tone of their voice and their experience performing wedding ceremonies, making everyone feel a part of what’s happening and not just watching from a distance.

#9 – Bring Ease and Calm: Your wedding day will be filled with wonderful activity and all kinds of things that seem to be happening all at once – a little chaotic, even. You might get a little overwhelmed and not everyone is comfortable being the center of attention, which can add more stress. Even so, your wedding day will be very exciting and the most special day you’ll share as a couple. What your officiant will do for you is bring a calm and centering energy. You’ll want someone who can help keep you relaxed, reassured and in the moment. A professional officiant will be able to create a loving, caring space for you, and you’ll be able to immerse your selves in the ceremony and take in those intimate moments, creating a memory of a lifetime!

#8 – Your Day is About You, Not Your Officiant: This is an awkward one to talk about, but a friend or family member who is performing the ceremony, (this does happen) may often interject with humor or stories that include themselves. While they might be engaging and entertaining during the toast at the reception, the ceremony is not really the right time to tell those stories or anecdotes – not to mention, taking focus away from the couple during the ceremony. A professional officiant understands that we will be a visible part of your wedding ceremony and at the same time, we will not make it about us at all. We’re able to be part of the ceremony, but keep it all about you and your special moments together.

#7 – Taking Care of the Legal Part: You want your marriage to be “solemnized” or legal and binding, right? A professional wedding officiant is authorized by not only their ordination, but by the state, and we know what needs to be done to ensure your ceremony is legal. Asking a friend or family member to take on this kind of responsibility and obligation can be a bit stressful for them. They may be unsure of how to write a wedding ceremony, certain language that is required along with the opening remarks, readings and vows and of course what to do with the Marriage License. A professional officiant will guide you through how and when to obtain your license, ensuring the license is properly filled out, signed and returned to the town clerk’s office on time, and even offer information on the name change process after you receive your Marriage Certificate.

#6 – Understands Family Dynamics – We’re on Your Side: Although your family is happy and excited that you’re tying the knot, when it comes to the wedding ceremony, they want to see certain traditions or things happen the way it was on their wedding day (or not). Sometimes they have ideas of what is a “right” or “wrong” way of doing things – or ideas that don’t line up with what you and your fiancé are planning. Know that we’re on your side! A professional officiant is able to handle those unique family dynamics and field questions asking about your ceremony content ahead of the big day – this has actually happened to me at rehearsals, on the day of, and I even had a mom join in during a script review meeting! So, as a professional officiant, we don’t mind taking the pressure off of you, and we’re able to convey your wishes while offering support and understanding. At the same time we will reassure you and your family that you’re ceremony will be beautiful because it’s the ceremony you desire and have asked for; all without giving the content away before it actually happens!

#5 – Ideas to Customize Your Ceremony: Over the years – actually 7 years for me, a professional officiant will have built a large collection of special readings, poems, unique vow options, creative unity elements, meaningful ring exchanges, ways to honor parents and many other beautiful ways to customize and personalize your ceremony. We keep a large collection of ideas and ways to make your day special and memorable with unity elements like hand fasting, unity candles, unity sand and even roses – many times we’re able to write brand new elements into your ceremony that are designed just for you, your traditions, customs, values and beliefs.

#4 – Dependable: Once again, I’ve seen posts on social media and been contacted by couples who originally had a friend or family member that was supposed to perform the wedding ceremony, but something happened and they either got cold feet, nervous or backed out and couldn’t do it for another reason. This creates a lot of added stress for a couple, especially if it happens close to the big day! A professional wedding officiant will NEVER back out on you at the last minute, and if they do, it’s because they have a major emergency and even then, they will have been prepared with a back-up plan so you’re not left worrying about who will marry you. Being a professional officiant means, being there early, being responsive, answering emails, texts and calls as quickly as possible, and being dependable – you put your trust in us, and we have a serious job to do!

#3 – We Think Quick on Our Feet: As a professional officiant, we’re ready for whatever comes our way on your big day. We’ve had last minute changes in the bridal party, someone who can’t make it to rehearsal, torrential down pours, extreme heat, mics that cut out during the ceremony, late limo buses – a best man who needed his trousers repaired (yes, I had a sewing kit with me) – and much more. They do say there will something that goes wrong on the big day, so you want someone who can anticipate these things, think and act fast and be ready to assist where they can. We prepare for the worst, anticipate the best and quickly adapt to what happens with confidence – we’ve done this before!

#2 – Knows and Works With Your Vendor Team: Most likely, your professional officiant will know many of your chosen vendor team, from the venue coordinator to the photographer, florist, DJ and musicians – even the event planner and coordinator. We take the time to connect and communicate with your vendors to collaborate with them and ensure your wedding ceremony is smooth, seamless and happens just as it was planned. I can’t tell you enough how important communication is with you and your chosen vendors. A professional officiant will also work with you to create rehearsal plan that you can share with your coordinator, and attend rehearsal so that all members of the bridal party are comfortable and confident in their roles on your wedding day. If you don’t have a coordinator, a professional officiant will know what to do to lead rehearsal and reassure you and your bridal party that your ceremony will be beautiful and stress free.

#1 – Experience: THE most important reason to hire a professional wedding officiant is because we have gained years of experience. Our experience with creative writing to bring your ceremony vision to life; performing ceremonies at all kinds of venues and working with countless couples, gives you the reassurance that your family and guests will be engaged and in the moment with you during your ceremony and throughout your wedding day. Our experience working with couples and guiding them through the process of creating their ceremony and getting married means we are a trusted resource for information, support and more. We know exactly what we need to do to help the photographer get that “kiss” shot, coordinate the music to your ceremony, when to ask guests to rise and to be seated (a mistake many novices make). Our public speaking skills will keep your family and guests engaged and we even know when to offer a tissue, take a moment to pause and offer comfort, when to laugh and go off the “script” for just a moment, and then come right back to it – what we do can’t be fully appreciated without truly being there during one of our ceremonies – but, we do know you understand the value of what we do as a professional wedding officiant, and that we will do so much more!

If you are interested in including us as your chosen officiant team, please contact us at meceremonies@gmail.com or call us at (585) 775-5092– we would love to make your wedding ceremony special, memorable and magical!

*Magical Ceremonies is a woman owned and operated small business located in Rochester, NY.