Best Wedding Officiants 2022
Jeddah Vailakis
Jeddah Vailakis, based in New York City, weds couples throughout the boroughs and the surrounding areas. Ms. Vailakis began officiating ceremonies in 2002 when her then-mentor asked her to take on a wedding with over 350 guests. Ms. Vailakis revels in telling stories about how couples met and fell in love, and, on the day of the ceremony, she specializes in helping couples relax and be actually present for the experience.
Ceremony of a Lifetime - Tullis McCall
Ceremony of a Lifetime - Tullis McCall is a New York wedding celebrant, who is available for weddings big and small, customized to the couple's specifications. Ms. McCall sees her role as collaborating with the couple to design the perfect ceremony, and additionally, to ease nerves on the big day. In 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, Ms. McCall received "Couples' Choice Awards" from the rating website WeddingWire.
Weddings by Larissa
Weddings by Larissa is a Queens Villa business handling ceremonies in New York City and other nearby cities. A certified Life-Cycle Wedding Celebrant, Larissa is available for services throughout the New York City tri-state area, and she has worked with numerous same-sex couples. She has received the "Couples' Choice" honor from WeddingWire, and, as a writer, excels at the speechwriting that goes into successfully officiating wedding ceremonies.
Rev. Annie Lawrence
Rev. Annie Lawrence is a wedding officiant in New York, available throughout the city and the surrounding areas. Since beginning her career as an ordained Interfaith Minister, she has officiated more than 1,000 ceremonies, including traditional ceremonies as well as such alternative varieties as civil, spiritual, secular, and humanist. She has married couples all across the U.S. and, indeed, has officiated weddings across the world, in the U.K., Australia, Canada, Germany, France, and Sweden.
Wedding Solution
Wedding Solution is a New York wedding officiant service operating mainly in Manhattan but also delivering its services throughout the city as well as its suburbs. Packages begin at $1,200, which includes helping couples obtain a marriage license, as well as guiding them through any requisite paperwork and customizing the ceremony to their exact specifications.
Alice Soloway Weddings
Alice Soloway Weddings is a Brooklyn-based wedding officiant and celebrant with over 10 years of experience serving couples in NYC, Westchester, and the Hudson Valley. Alice Soloway is a native New Yorker and Certified Life Cycle Celebrant, trained by the Celebrant Foundation and Institute. Ms. Soloway can coordinate and write the script for many forms of weddings, from simple ceremonies and elopements to lavish and unique occasions. Services also include script design consultations for weddings officiated by friends or family.
Officiant NYC
Officiant NYC is a New York team of wedding officiants that has overseen the weddings of more than 700 couples. Each member of the staff is an ordained interfaith minister. Officiants Kim Worley, Suanne Bonan, Mirelle Eid, Caitlin Northcote, Sarah Smart, Rebecca Sands, and Annette Polovin come from a variety of professional backgrounds, from acting and public speaking to faith-based community service.
One Heart Ceremonies
One Heart Ceremonies, in New York, is a team of ordained wedding officiators, interfaith ministers, and ceremony consultants. The business, which has one office in NYC and another in Rockland, operates throughout the Tri-State Region, across the U.S., and all over the world. Every single year from 2011 to 2016, One Heart Ceremonies has won the"Best of Weddings Award" from The Knot and the "Couples' Choice Award" from WeddingWire. Each of the company's two officiants has more than a quarter-century of experience.
Illuminating Ceremonies
As the owner and operator of Illuminating Ceremonies, in New York City, Christopher Shelley serves as a wedding officiant and life-cycle celebrant for marrying couples in and around the city. In addition to being available statewide, Mr. Shelley is licensed to perform ceremonies in New Jersey, Ohio, and Kentucky, among other states. He became a Certified Life-Cycle Celebrant in 2012, at the conclusion of his studies at the Celebrant Foundation & Institute. Mr. Shelly excels at writing and public speaking, making him a strong choice for clients looking to customize their wedding ceremony.
Wedding Your Way New York
Wedding Your Way New York is a New York City-based wedding network of wedding officiants, providing affordable and customizable ceremonies throughout the area. The team consists of several Humanist Celebrants, all authorized by the Humanist Society to oversee weddings in any of the five boroughs. Since 1996, the staff has provided traditional, contemporary, and multicultural options, and it prides itself on inclusivity, offering its services to same-sex couples.
Weddings by Sarah Ritchie
Weddings by Sarah Ritchie, in New York City, provides officiating services to marrying couples throughout the boroughs, and beyond. Because she comes from a writing background, Ms. Ritchie excels particularly at crafting memorable ceremonies, customized according to the couple's needs and their individual story. Ms. Ritchie is a non-denominational minister with multiple certifications from the Celebrant Foundation & Institute, where she serves as a faculty member.
Clergy on Call Ministries
Clergy on Call Ministries, in New York City, is a local officiant service led by Pastor Bill Britton. Mr. Britton, who became an ordained minister in the eighties, after that served for two decades as a full-time pastor. Then he received a Master's in Divinity and another in Theology from the Western Seminary in Portland. Mr. Britton conducts non-denominational Christian weddings and funerals. He is also available to oversee non-religious services.
Engle Heart
Engle Heart, based in New York City, is a small business owned and lead by Rev. Mary-Rose Engle. Ms. Engle serves as a wedding officiant as well as a spiritual counselor for local couples. Ms. Engle has won numerous "Couples' Choice Awards" from WeddingWire and "Best of Weddings" honors from The Knot. She is listed as a preferred vendor on Gay Weddings, indicating a history of inclusivity.
Common Ground Ceremonies
Common Ground Ceremonies is the wedding officiant service independently owned and operated by Reverend Samora Smith, a licensed officiant. Ms. Smith has won numerous "Best of Weddings" honors from The Knot and multiple "Couples' Choice Awards" from the rating website WeddingWire. In 2008, after training at the locally-based New Seminary of Interfaith Studies, she became an ordained Interfaith Minister.
New York Marriages
New York Marriages is a Huntington-based network of licensed wedding officiants. The team has presided over weddings big and small, of varying faiths (including secular), traditional and not. The team at New York Marriages can officiate ceremonies at venues throughout New York City, and, if clients would like, they can even perform the ceremony at home.
Our Wedding Officiant, NYC
Our Wedding Officiant, NYC is based in New York City and run by Peter Boruchowitz, a registered wedding officiant, an ordained clergyman, and a secular celebrant. Because of these multiple certifications, Mr. Boruchowitz is available for a broad array of ceremonies, no matter the faith of the couple being wed. As a Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner, Mr. Boruchowitz specializes in putting his clients at ease, a skill that comes in handy at weddings.
Eloping is Fun
Located in Brooklyn, New York City, Eloping Is Fun is a wedding officiant company serving couples who want to elope within NYC. Typical locations include the Brooklyn Bridge, Grand Central Station, and the Roosevelt Island tram. Packages include Get Married Anywhere, which is popular with couples who want photos in a few locations. It includes three hours of photography and a written ceremony. A standard one location package and videography is also available.
Pronto Wedding, L.L.C.
Pronto Wedding, LLC, is a wedding officiant and professional videography business serving couples in New York City. It serves all wedding types, including civil unions, commitment ceremonies, elopements, and vow renewals. It aims to simplify the process of acquiring a wedding officiant or videographer with its online booking platform. It also helps couples finalize all the necessary marriage documentation by sending their marriage licenses via FedEx. Pronto Wedding, LLC, was founded by an ordained minister, Stavros Siskas, in 2020.
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New York Wedding Officiant
New York Wedding Officiant - Maksim Kondratenko is a licensed wedding officiant in New York City. Maksim has been performing over 500 wedding ceremonies in surrounding New York metros such as Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens, and the Bronx for over three years. He helps couples obtain a marriage license by guiding them through online applications. He also allows couples to choose a venue for their wedding ceremonies. In addition to his officiating services, Maksim provides virtual wedding ceremonies via Zoom and Facetime.
Expert Answers To Common Questions:
- Introduction
- What is a wedding officiant?
- What does a wedding officiant do?
- Can you officiate your own wedding?
- What do you call a person who officiates a wedding?
- Who can officiate a wedding?
- Can a notary officiate a wedding?
- How do you ask someone to officiate your wedding?
- What does the officiant say at a wedding?
- How much does a wedding officiant cost?
- How does someone become a wedding officiant?
- How long does it take to become a wedding officiant?
- What do you need to be a wedding officiant?
- How do I get my wedding officiant license?
- What should I wear to officiate a wedding?
- How much do wedding officiants make?
- Q: Introduction
- A: 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.
- Q: What is a wedding officiant?
- A: 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.
- Q: What does a wedding officiant do?
- A: 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.
- Q: Can you officiate your own wedding?
- A: 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.
- Q: What do you call a person who officiates a wedding?
- A: 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.
- Q: Who can officiate a wedding?
- A: 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.
- Q: Can a notary officiate a wedding?
- A: 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.
- Q: How do you ask someone to officiate your wedding?
- A: If a couple wants a family member or close friend to officiate their wedding, there are a few creative ways to ask. Many companies that provide credentials for marriage officiants also sell “Will You Marry Us?” gift packages to help couples ask the person they’ve chosen if they'll officiate.
- Q: What does the officiant say at a wedding?
- A: The couple must make a declaration of intent, saying they’re legally committing to one another and want to enter a marriage contract. Also, the officiant has to verbally signify the couple is legally wed. Other than that, the officiant has great flexibility in what to say.
- Q: How much does a wedding officiant cost?
- A: Wedding officiant fees vary greatly. Some factors in determining cost include location, profession, experience, and relationship to the couple. There’s typically no charge with a personal officiant, although the couple may offer to pay for their certification. Professional officiants cost an average of $400 to $800, while newbies charge about $100 to $250.
- Q: How does someone become a wedding officiant?
- A: Start with a visit or a call to your county courthouse. Ask the clerk if your state permits private individuals to become wedding officiants. If so, ask if you can be ordained online. Search for an online service. Pay and complete the form to be ordained. You may need to attend a class.
- Q: How long does it take to become a wedding officiant?
- A: Online services to become ordained as a wedding officiant are usually quick and uncomplicated. Most only take about five to 10 minutes to complete the application. However, the hard copies of the necessary credentials may not arrive for about one to two weeks.
- Q: What do you need to be a wedding officiant?
- A: Clergy members and civil officers who can perform wedding ceremonies by state law must meet the qualifications for their professions. Private wedding officiants who get ordained solely to perform ceremonies typically don’t need more than a credit card and online access. But, check with your state laws to learn what’s required.
- Q: How do I get my wedding officiant license?
- A: It’s not necessary to have a license to become a wedding officiant in every state. However, states that allow private individuals to become officiants usually require that they be ordained. Many jurisdictions let you complete this process online, but be sure to review the applicable state and county statutes before getting ordained.
- Q: What should I wear to officiate a wedding?
- A: It’s best to discuss clothing options with the couple you’re marrying. Ask if they have a preference and follow their lead. If they have no input, choose an outfit that’s suitable for the type of ceremony, whether it be formal, casual, trendy, or something else.
- Q: How much do wedding officiants make?
- A: Individuals who perform weddings professionally make an average of $400 to $800 per ceremony, plus mileage fees. They may also charge a fee to participate in the wedding rehearsal. Other optional services, like personalized ceremonies and custom embellishments, may incur additional costs. It’s also customary to tip the officiant.