By Kim Fusaro, Glamour
Who else has been to a wedding with an bad officiant? Someone who CLEARLY doesn't know the bride and groom and is just there to make a buck and then move on to the next ceremony? Since the whole point of the wedding is the getting married part, it's important to consider who'll be doing the marrying -- and to ensure that the marriage will be legal. Here are three things to think about before you choose the person who'll be standing up there with you.
1) Make sure he's legally allowed to marry you. If you choose someone who marries people as part of his job description -- priest, rabbi, justice of the peace--you're probably in the clear. But if you're considering having a friend do the deed, make sure an Internet minister is legit in the state where you'll be exchanging vows. (I can tell you from experience that you CAN'T legally get married in Connecticut by someone who's been ordained online. Oops.)
2) Ask if she's OK with nontraditional readings. Maybe you want to get married by a priest -- but you don't want your wedding to be all Corintheans this and Genesis that. Double-check that your officiant is OK letting your guests do readings from The Velveteen Rabbit or your favorite Bruno Mars song.
3) Reach out to your recently married friends. I don't have a lot of friends who would call themselves religious -- but I DO have a lot of friends who have gotten married within the past five years. If you're struggling to find an officiant, ask your friends who they used -- and ask them who they considered but didn't choose, so you don't wind up interviewing the same duds.
Who do you want to marry you? Have you ever seen a wedding with a bad officiant?
I have. SO awkward!
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This is a flattering picture of approximately no one, but hey, there's an officiant in it. Courtesy of Kim Fusaro