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2024

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Best Wedding Officiants in Charlotte, NC

Our Recommended Top 5

We did the research for you!

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Our goal is to connect people with the best local professionals. We scored Charlotte Wedding Officiants on more than 25 variables across five categories, and analyzed the results to give you a hand-picked list of the best.

171Reviewed

104Curated

5Top Picks

Learn about our selection process.

Providers

featured provider = Featured Provider

Charlotte, NC 28227

Expertise.com Rating

Why choose this provider?

Many Rivers Ministries creates custom wedding ceremonies for couples in Charlotte. Established in 2011, this firm works with clients from different ethnic backgrounds, beliefs, and sexuality. Founder Stephanie Heilker is an interfaith minister and marriage counselor who writes ceremonies and officiates them. She asks couples to answer questionnaires and uses their responses to plan weddings that reflect their ideas. Her services cover intimate elopements and grand celebrations. Many Rivers Ministries also assists clients in writing vows and completing marriage documents.

Charlotte, NC 28207

Expertise.com Rating

Why choose this provider?

Creative Celebrations officiates weddings in the Charlotte area. Brides and grooms have access to a Certified Life-Cycle® Celebrant and can custom create a memorable celebration of unity and love. Various packages are available for spiritual, secular, non-denominational, multi-cultural, and same-sex weddings, but the group does not cater to "ordinary marriage ceremonies." Services include in-person consultations, constant communication, managing the rehearsal, coordinating with the venue and other vendors, custom-crafting the couple's love story, researching vows and rituals, overseeing the ceremony, and mailing the marriage license via certified mail. Meredith has been a non-denominational Ordained Minister with the Universal Live Church for over five years, is a member of The National Association of Wedding Professionals, and won a WeddingWire Bride's Choice Award in 2012.

Charlotte, NC 28278

Expertise.com Rating

Why choose this provider?

Reverend Rebecca A. Nagy Ministries has been officiating weddings in Charlotte for almost 20 years. Rev. Nagy has overseen more than 2,700 weddings, and brides and grooms engage the service for traditional, spiritual, religious, elopements, interfaith, or civil ceremonies with personalized details. Various other services including the filing of the marriage certificate, keepsakes, and optional premarital counseling. Couples can see a sample ceremony on the company's website and also read through ideas on meaningful touches such as involving children, an exchange of roses, and the lighting of a unity candle. Rev. Nagy is an award-winning, non-denominational and interfaith officiant as well as a professional author and motivational speaker. The team has won a WeddingWire Couples' Choice Award and The Knot since 2009 including 2018 and a Bow Award and is also a Gold Member on MyWedding.com. Her weddings have been featured on the Today Show, Carolina Bride, and Martha Stewart Weddings.

Stanley, NC 28164

Why choose this provider?

Rev. Dr. Patrick Maloy brings years of officiating experience to weddings in the Stanley area. The officiant has performed over 3,300 weddings and aims to make the ceremony as worry and stress-free as possible, thus the slogan for brides, "Calm blue water!" Ceremonies can be traditional, contemporary Christian, civil, and interfaith, and the goal is always to respect the unique requests and traditions of each couple. Rev. Patrick Maloy is an ordained, non-denomination minister and Doctor of Divinity, previously served as a congregational pastor, and today focuses solely on officiating weddings. Remarriages, renewals, baby dedications, Christenings, and other ceremonies are also available. The team has been featured in Carolina Bride Magazine and has taken home a WeddingWire Couples' Choice Award from 2014 through 2016.

Charlotte, NC 28201

Expertise.com Rating

Why choose this provider?

Reverend Victoria Hutchins officiates weddings in Charlotte. The group caters to all faiths, traditions, and beliefs with uniquely crafted ceremonies that can be religious, spiritual, non-religious, same-sex, interfaith, Spanish-themed, or multi-cultural. Reverend Victoria Hutchins is an ordained non-denominational wedding minister who allows couples unlimited email and phone communication to make sure their wedding day is perfect and also provides premarital counseling if desired. Couples can write their own ceremony or have the minister design one for them, and elopement and short-notice wedding services are also available. Rev. Hutchins also provides blessings for an unborn child, vow renewals, house blessings, commitment ceremonies, and memorial services and is a Hospice chaplain. Rev. Hutchins owns and runs the spiritual retreat center, RiverMist, with her husband.

Compare our Top Wedding Officiants

NameExpertise RatingAddressPromotionsLearn more
Many Rivers Ministries
Charlotte, NC 28227
Creative Celebrations
Charlotte, NC 28207
Reverend Rebecca A. Nagy Ministries
Charlotte, NC 28278
Rev. Dr. Patrick Maloy
Stanley, NC 28164
Reverend Victoria Hutchins
Charlotte, NC 28201

FAQs

  • Introduction

    Planning a wedding is a lot of work. You have numerous tasks and responsibilities. Even if you opt to hire a wedding planner, your input is required for everything. One of the decisions you need to make is who will marry you. Choosing your wedding officiant can be a challenging undertaking.

    If you have a religious background and are a regular member of a church, synagogue or other house of worship, the choice is probably easy. But if not, you may want something less traditional. You can choose a professional or ask a close friend or family member if they would be willing to officiate the ceremony. These FAQs can help you make a decision about your wedding officiant.
  • What is a wedding officiant?

    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.

  • What does a wedding officiant do?

    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.

  • Can you officiate your own wedding?

    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.

  • What do you call a person who officiates a wedding?

    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.

  • Who can officiate a wedding?

    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.

  • Can a notary officiate a wedding?

    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.