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2024

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Best Wedding Officiants in Raleigh, NC

Our Recommended Top 11

We did the research for you!

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

106Reviewed

68Curated

11Top Picks

Learn about our selection process.

Providers

featured provider = Featured Provider

Holly Springs, NC 27540

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
4.9 (78)
Facebook
5.0 (4)
Yelp
4.5 (3)

Why choose this provider?

Gwen Downs is a wedding celebrant who helps couples in Raleigh and the Triangle Area have an exciting and entertaining wedding ceremony. She engages guests and tells the couple's love story, so that they could feel thrilled and proud of the experience of an unboring wedding. Additionally, Gwen performs custom weddings at large venues, elopement ceremonies at her Holly Springs location, and micro-wedding ceremonies at parks, backyards, and restaurants. She also serves various religious affiliations, interfaith, spiritual-but-not-religious, and LGBTQ+ couples.

5200 Tallowtree Dr., Raleigh, NC 27613

Expertise.com Rating

Why choose this provider?

Oak City Ceremonies provides wedding officiant services to couples in Raleigh and surrounding areas. It assists clients in navigating the wedding process, including handling legal documents and incorporating important details into ceremonies to create an authentic experience. One of its ordained ministers, Rebecca Wiglama, specializes in writing custom, personalized ceremonies as original as clients' love stories. It also serves elopements, bilingual and Spanish ceremonies, and non-religious weddings. Oak City Ceremonies contributes a part of its profits to VOW for Girls yearly.

Durham, NC 27702
Website

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Facebook
5.0 (31)
Yelp
5.0 (6)

Why choose this provider?

Randy Taylor Weddings provides officiant and day of wedding planning services in North Carolina. The company specializes in personalized wedding ceremonies, but can provide its services at all weddings no matter the size or faith traditions of the couple. Randy Taylor Weddings is part of the International Association of Wedding Officiants. Positive reviews appreciate the team's professionalism, creativity, and attention to detail.

Durham, NC 27713

Expertise.com Rating

Why choose this provider?

Heidi Gressner is an ordained Church of Christ minister based in the Raleigh-Durham area. She officiates weddings and commitment ceremonies of all types, accommodating all faith traditions. She specializes in custom ceremonies that identify each couples’ vision. When not officiating weddings, she serves as a hospital chaplain at the University of North Carolina Hospitals. She is a certified wedding professional and was included in Wedding Wire’s Couples’ Choice Awards 2015 and 2016.

Raleigh, NC 27604

Why choose this provider?

Reverend Tricia Sabol is an ordained non-denominational, interfaith minister who is part of the Light and Energy Workers Association. She has years of officiating experience and serves Raleigh and Cary, NC. She specializes in personal, spiritual wedding ceremonies, but also performs traditional, non-traditional, non-denominational, and civil wedding ceremonies. In addition to being a wedding officiant, Sabol is a Second Degree Reiki practitioner, and a licensed Holistic Massage practitioner.

Raleigh, NC 27612

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Yelp
5.0 (3)

Why choose this provider?

Reverend Kayelily Middleton is a seminary ordained interfaith minister with a Masters of Divinity in Spiritual Psychology who performs wedding officiant services in the Raleigh area. She prides herself on really getting to know the couple she will have the pleasure to marry, and promises that at the end of the process she will feel like a true friend. Middleton was mentioned in The Knot’s Best of Weddings Hall of Fame, and WeddingWire’s Couples’ Choice Award every year from 2008-2016. She has also maintained a 5-star rating on WeddingWire with over 270 reviews.

Raleigh, NC 27609

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (48)
Facebook
5.0 (19)

Why choose this provider?

Last Minute Wedding Officiant is run by licensed and ordained non-denominational wedding pastor Francois Youakim, who performs wedding services in North Carolina. He promises to give ceremonies a personal touch and to guide couples through the process of planning a ceremony as painlessly as possible. He offers three levels of wedding packages that should suit any budget. In addition, his services were mentioned in Wedding Wire’s Couples’ Choice Awards 2015 and 2016.

Raleigh, NC 27604

Why choose this provider?

Reverend Su Windsong provides wedding officiant services in the greater Raleigh area. She is an ordained New Age Wiccan minister who offers both wedding ceremony officiating and readings. New Age weddings are her specialty, but the reverend can perform her services for those of different faith traditions as well. She has participated in 125 wedding ceremonies and counting.

Raleigh, NC 27604

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
4.6 (25)
Facebook
5.0 (8)

Why choose this provider?

Heart 2 Heart Ceremonies provides the services of ordained interfaith minister Samantha Heart, who will customize wedding ceremonies to fit any religious or cultural tradition. Based in Raleigh, Heart has been ordained for over two decades. She strives to capture the perfect moment for each bride and groom. Heart 2 Heart offers a number of wedding packages to suit any budget.

Raleigh, NC 27604

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (1)

Why choose this provider?

Reverend Mary Mooney is a non-denominational, interfaith minister officiating weddings in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and surrounding areas. She has been an ordained minister for nearly two decades and is a full-time stress counselor. She specializes in weddings, renewing of vows, and counseling. She has officiated at a number of weddings spanning a variety of faith traditions, such as Christian, Jewish, Native American, Buddhist, Hindu, and Celtic. Because of this varied experience, she is at ease performing interfaith ceremonies or spiritual, non-religious ceremonies. Her offerings include customizable weddings and six standard wedding packages.

Raleigh, NC 27603

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Facebook
5.0 (48)

Why choose this provider?

Personal Weddings of North Carolina provides the wedding officiant services of Reverend Kevin Holland, who is fully ordained and licensed to perform weddings in all 50 United States. Based in Raleigh, he does weddings in North Carolina and beyond, performing Christian, non-denominational, interfaith, and non-religious ceremonies. His fees are all-inclusive and he promises no "hidden" charges. He stresses the importance of getting to know each couple on a personal level before performing their ceremony. Personal Weddings of North Carolina was featured in Wedding Wire's Couples' Choice Awards 2016 and in Thumbtack's Best of 2016.

Compare our Top Wedding Officiants

NameExpertise RatingAddressPromotionsLearn more
Gwen Downs, Wedding Celebrant
Holly Springs, NC 27540
Oak City Ceremonies
5200 Tallowtree Dr., Raleigh, NC 27613
Randy Taylor Weddings
Durham, NC 27702
Weddings by Heidi
Durham, NC 27713
Reverend Tricia Sabol
Raleigh, NC 27604
Raleigh Wedding Minister Officiant
Raleigh, NC 27612
Last Minute Wedding Officiant
Raleigh, NC 27609
Weddings by Windsong
Raleigh, NC 27604
Heart 2 Heart Ceremonies
Raleigh, NC 27604
Reverend Mary Mooney
Raleigh, NC 27604
Personal Weddings of North Carolina
Raleigh, NC 27603

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.