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“I Do” Weddings, Ltd., with Rev. Phil Landers performs both religious and nonreligious wedding ceremonies and vow renewals. The complete script is provided beforehand to make sure the words fit each couples’ exact vision. Rev. Phil spends a total of five hours meeting face-to-face with the bride and groom to go over every possible detail. He was voted the best wedding officiant in Chicago, according to The Knot’s Hall of Fame.
Jill Brown of Chicago Choice Ceremonies is a Chicago-based wedding officiant that performs non-denominational and non-religious ceremonies for spiritual, agnostic, and atheist couples. In addition to weddings, Jill Brown performs vow renewals and commitment ceremonies. She does custom ceremonies according to couples’ visions, and also offers non-custom options for those who prefer a simple, short ceremony. Chicago Choice Ceremonies was included in Wedding Wire’s Couples’ Choice Awards 2015 and 2016.
Reverend Daniel L Harris of Chicago Marriage is a wedding officiant serving the greater Chicago area. He has four decades of experience as a minister and has performed over a thousand weddings around Chicago. Reverend Harris offers standard, non-denominational, inter-faith, and traditional ceremonies, but specializes in completely custom ceremonies that are created with the help of the bride and groom. Reverend Daniel L. Harris is a Certified Wedding Professional and was featured in Wedding Wire’s Couples’ Choice Awards 2016.
Reverend Pam of Chicago Pagan Weddings has been officiating wedding ceremonies for over three decades. She is an interfaith officiant who specializes in Scottish Celtic and Norse Handfasting. She also performs full-pagan ritual namings. In addition, she offers the 1920s Pine Manor as a wedding venue, located in Mount Prospect, IL. Pine Manor can accommodate both Sunrise and Midnight ceremonies. In addition, Pam can create a customized experience for each and every bride and groom. Chicago Pagan Weddings has a five-star Yelp rating.
Chicago Wedding Rites provides the wedding officiant services of Dr. Elizabeth-Anne Stewart. The Chicago-based, minister has been performing weddings for over a decade and a has a Ph.D. in theology. She performs traditional ceremonies and elopements, offering completely custom or simple and short ceremonies. Chicago Wedding Rites has been featured in Wedding Wire's Couples' Choice Awards for eight straight and was also The Knot's top pick for eight years straight.
Thomas Witham of Day of Dreams is a Chicago wedding officiant. He performs traditional ceremonies, elopements, vow renewals, and dedications. In addition, Witham offers wedding consultant services and wedding planning services to couples across the nation Witham is ordained as a Humanist Celebrant and lets the bride and groom set the religious tone for the wedding. His weddings have been featured on CBS and Fox. Thomas Witham was also featured in Real Simple.
IL Wedding Officiant provides the services of Reverend Pamela, who has over three decades of experience performing ceremonies. Though based in the Chicago area, Reverend Pamela is licensed to perform weddings in Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan as well. She can perform religious, spiritual, non-religious, interfaith, and multi-cultural ceremonies, creating a personal message for each bride and groom. Reverend Pamela also offers day-of wedding coordination. She has done 150 weddings a year for five years and counting.
Officiants on Demand offers qualified officiants that perform non-denominational, multi-cultural, civil, interfaith, LGBT, spiritual, Christian, and second time around ceremonies. In addition, Officiants on Demand provides custom ceremonies tailored specifically to the bride and groom's vision. The company does weddings, as well as vow renewals and commitment ceremonies. Positive reviews praise Officiants on Demands’ ability to accommodate those getting married on short notice. In addition, couples love the company’s overall professionalism.
Spirited Weddings offers the wedding officiant services of Reverend Bruce Otto, who spent three decades as a non-denominational pastor. Reverend Bruce can perform a short, 5 – 10-minute wedding ceremony, or a 20 – 30-minute ceremony, according to couples' needs. He specializes in spiritual, non-religious ceremonies. Reverend Bruce Otto only takes a limited number of weddings per year, in order to truly focus his undivided attention on each bride and groom. He has performed hundreds of weddings and counting.
Reverend Anne Styx of The Revs for Whatev performs weddings, civil unions, memorial services, ash spreadings, blessings, baptisms, vow renewals, and commitment ceremonies in Chicagoland. In addition to Illinois, she can officiate in Indiana, Michigan, and the Midwest. She can create a ceremony that suits the needs of any couple, from interfaith to secular ceremonies and everything in between. She has performed over 500 ceremonies in her career and counting. The Rev for Whatev was included in Wedding Wire’s Couples’ Choice Awards 2016.
Wedding officiant Jeff Petersen performs weddings in the Chicago Western Suburbs and at the destination venue, Chapel in the Pines Wedding & Banquet Center. He can incorporate any cultural or religious tradition into his ceremonies, and offers a variety of wedding packages to suit any budget. In addition to weddings, Petersen performs vow renewals. He has performed over 600 weddings and counting.
Weddings by Rev. Bill Epperly is a wedding officiant in Chicago, Illinois, doing business since 2013. Rev. Epperly provides pre-marriage counseling and couples coaching to clients. It offers weddings and wedding packages, including traditional religious, interfaith, and contemporary ceremonies. It also offers commitment ceremonies and vow renewal ceremonies, and Rev. Epperly performs naming ceremonies and dedications for infants and babies. Visitations and prayers for the sick, pet blessings, and pet funerals are available.
A wedding officiant, also called marriage officiant, is an individual with the legal authority to perform wedding ceremonies. Local judges and clergy members commonly act as wedding officiants. But, nearly anyone can obtain the necessary certification to become an officiant, although requirements vary from state to state.
The main role of a wedding officiant is to lead and perform the marriage ceremony. They must follow state law to ensure the union becomes official. Wedding officiants draft what they’ll say at the ceremony, often with input from the engaged couple. Some of their associated duties are signing and filing the marriage license.
Officiating your own wedding is referred to as self-solemnizing. This practice is only legal in a few states, including Colorado, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Kansas, Maine, Illinois, California, and Washington, D.C. The rules governing self-solemnizing in these jurisdictions differ. All states legally recognize self-uniting marriages that are properly performed in a state where they're permitted.
A marriage officiant’s title depends on who they are and what they do. For example, clergy members are called reverend, father, minister, rabbi, pastor. Common titles of civil marriage officiants are judge, your honor, magistrate, or mayor. Friends and family members who get temporary officiant status usually have no title.
The individuals who are allowed to officiate a wedding depends on the laws of the state where the ceremony is performed. Typically, most clergy members and certain civil officers can perform marriage ceremonies. Many states also permit other individuals to obtain temporary officiant authorization or to become ordained to perform a marriage.
Public notaries may perform marriage ceremonies in only a few states. They include Florida, Maine, South Carolina, Montana, and Nevada. Of course, a notary may officiate a wedding in other states if the state they’re in allows individuals to become wedding officiants, and the notary follows those guidelines.
