2024
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LicensingUser ReviewsMystery Shopping CallsOur goal is to connect people with the best local professionals. We scored San Diego Wedding Officiants on more than 25 variables across five categories, and analyzed the results to give you a hand-picked list of the best.
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(34)Both Reverend Christopher Tuttle and Chaplain Mary Cyr-Tuttle of Vows From the Heart can officiate wedding ceremonies spanning all faiths and cultural backgrounds. They do weddings in San Diego and Temecula Wine Country. They also serve clients looking for elopement services. The experienced duo was a 2016 San Diego A-List finalists in the category of Best Wedding Officiant.
Socal Vows offers two experienced wedding officiants with over two decades of combined experience. Ken Hudson and Ken Hoelscher perform weddings in the San Diego area and beyond. Whether the wedding is local, or abroad, clients will be in good hands with the two Kens, who have performed over 400 weddings and counting. Ken Hudson is the lead pastor at Carmel Mountain Church, while Ken Hoelscher has been a public communicator for over two decades. As well as weddings, which the team performs for all couples, regardless of cultural or religious traditions, the team offers vow renewals and pre-marital counseling. Socal Vows has been featured in Wedding Wire’s Couples' Choice Awards for four years straight.
Robert Stevens is a non-denominational officiant and part of the Universal Life Church. He performs weddings for those of all faith and cultural traditions in the San Diego area. He can also recommend vendors that can take care of couples' various wedding needs. Positive reviews praise Stevens truly personal ceremonies and personable character.
(20)Just Imagine Weddings is an officiant of ceremonies in San Diego and the surrounding area. Ordained minister Gayle Feallock has over a decade of experience in the wedding industry, including experience as a wedding planner. In addition to wedding ceremonies, the company can perform baby blessings, memorial services, reiki healings, and home and business clearings. Just Imagine was featured in Wedding Wire’s Couples’ Choice Awards 2016.
(223)Ceremonies by Bethel has been celebrating nonreligious and nontraditional couples since 2009. Most of its couples come from interfaith, interracial, or intercultural backgrounds and want their ceremony to focus on their relationship and what makes them who they are. Bethel celebrates couples in weddings, elopements, and renewals of vows throughout San Diego and Temecula, California. The business has been the winner of The Knot’s Best of Weddings since 2011 and Wedding Wire’s Couples’ Choice Awards since 2010.
Ceremonies De Vie provides the services of ordained non-denominational minister Joann Lane, who has over a decade of experience. She officiates weddings in San Diego/Orange/Wine County and can perform spiritual, religious, interfaith, and non-denominational ceremonies. Besides traditional wedding ceremonies, she also performs elopements and renewals of vows. She promises to work with specific budgets and unique tastes.
(45)(1)Pastor Chad Richards owns and operates The Socal Wedding Officiant, a company which provides a fully licensed and qualified officiant for wedding ceremonies in Southern California, primarily in San Diego and the surrounding area. Pastor Richards won the 2017 Couples’ Choice Awards for his high quality and customer service from WeddingWire, a website dedicated to helping customers arrange their weddings. Couples receive uniquely customized services to suit their individual personalities while also providing an environment that showcases their love. The company offers potential clients snapshots of successfully performed ceremonies so they get an idea of what a potential service could look like. Pastor Richards will work with clients to write unique wedding vows and a ceremonial speech which suits their spiritual needs.
Reverend Deborah Young has over two decades of experience in San Diego Weddings. She has performed numerous ceremonies as an ordained non-denominational wedding minister. In addition, she has 30 years of public speaking experience. The reverend can perform non-denominational, spiritual, romantic, and non-religious ceremonies in addition to baby blessings, memorial services, and coming of age ceremonies. She promises a custom ceremony and dependable service.
Non-denominational Reverend Silvett of A Wedding of Your Choice has been performing weddings in the San Diego Area for over two decades. She has officiated at various venues, including a hot air balloon, and can provide a civil or religious ceremony. She will travel to the couples’ ideal location and can put couples in touch with quality entertainment choices.
Intimate Ceremonies San Diego helps couples create beautiful, unique commitment and wedding ceremonies as a non-denominational officiant. Reverend Kristin has been an officiant for more than 5 years and charges $350 for a package that includes ceremony preparation, officiant services, and delivery of signed marriage license to the San Diego County Clerk. Intimate Ceremonies offers therapeutic couples yoga to help strengthen their trust, love, compassion, and honesty. They also provide a pre-marriage education program designed to enhance communication skills and strengthen the relationship using proven techniques developed by the Marriage Foundation. Reverend Kristin has earned five-star overall client ratings on The Knot, Wedding Wire, Google, Facebook, and Yelp. Reviews say she is kind, flexible, and accommodating.
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.
