UNITED MARRIAGE
MINISTERS
A Ministry You Can Trust !
MINISTERS
A Ministry You Can Trust !
How to Perform A Wedding
How to Perform a Wedding
for a Friend or Family Member
The following page is full of important information that you should know before you perform a wedding. If you need help planning the wedding ceremony, we suggest you consider our Wedding Ceremony Planner. Over 1,000 new wedding officiants have been delighted and thankful for this little planner.
Obtain our INSTANT DOWNLOAD
How to Create Your Own Wedding Ceremony in 12 Easy Steps!
The Only Ceremony Planner You Will Ever Need
The following page is full of important information that you should know before you perform a wedding. If you need help planning the wedding ceremony, we suggest you consider our Wedding Ceremony Planner. Over 1,000 new wedding officiants have been delighted and thankful for this little planner.
Obtain our INSTANT DOWNLOAD How to Create Your Own Wedding Ceremony in 12 Easy Steps!
The Only Ceremony Planner You Will Ever Need
The Following Information Offers Important Guidance for the First Time Wedding Officiant
United Marriage Ministers is happy to support you in your desire to get ordained to perform a wedding for a special person in your life. Performing such a task is an act of ministry on your part--one that should not be taken lightly. You have been honored to have been asked to minister in this way and we want to support you by providing you with your online ordination. As an ordained minister, you are facilitating a commitment between two individuals who are making vows and promises to each other in addition to entering a legal contract.
Along with obtaining your ordination credential, it is your responsibility to do the following:
1. Legal Requirements for Ordination:
You must make sure that your ordination credential meets the requirements of the state and county in which the ceremony is to be performed. Because you are facilitating a legal contract between the couple, you are ultimately responsible for meeting these requirements. You can check the state statute by viewing Marriage Officiant Laws.
You must make sure that your ordination credential meets the requirements of the state and county in which the ceremony is to be performed. Because you are facilitating a legal contract between the couple, you are ultimately responsible for meeting these requirements. You can check the state statute by viewing Marriage Officiant Laws.
2. Ethical Requirements:
As an ordained minister, you must remember that when you perform a wedding for a friend or family member, it is a serious commitment. The couple is looking to you for support through the affirmation of their love for each other by the performance of this ceremony. When you get ordained, you should take your role seriously.
3. Marriage License Requirements:
- As the ordained officiant of a wedding, it is your responsibility to complete the marriage license in an accurate and timely manner. Your couple is responsible for obtaining their marriage license and submitting it to you prior to the performance of the ceremony.
- We do not recommend you sign the license until the marriage has been performed.
- Check the marriage license for accuracy--ie, that names are spelled correctly, birth dates are accurate, etc. If you have received the license in advance, there will be plenty of time to have these things corrected before the ceremony.
- We do not recommend that you allow the couple to submit the completed and signed license to the county. You will ultimately be held responsible for the submittal and it is advisable that you be the one to do so to be assured of its proper submittal. Instructions on how to complete and submit the license are usually included with the marriage license packet that your couple will bring to you. If not, call the county to get directions on how to fulfill this requirement.
- If the county does not provide an extra copy of the license for your records, make a xerox and keep it in a safe place.
- If the county does not provide an extra copy of the license for the couple's records, make an xerox and give it to the couple to keep in a safe place.
- Inform the couple that it is their responsibility to apply to the county for a notarized "legal" copy of their marriage license once you have submitted the signed license back to the county.
4. The Performance of the Wedding
As an ordained minister, it is your responsibility to show up on time and to perform the ceremony to the best of your ability. Remember that primarily you have been chosen by the couple because they honor you and that you are important to them and their lives together. This is probably more important to them than having an expert perform their wedding. As such, be yourself.
If your couple has already prepared their ceremony, then make sure you are comfortable with all aspects of it. If not, discuss it with your couple. Then practice, practice, practice. However, ordained ministers who memorize the ceremony tend to be too mechanical. Just be yourself.
Finally, have fun. As you get ordained to perform a wedding, we hope you have found our site helpful and a source of information. Please be sure to let us know if we can be of any further service to you and we hope you enjoy your ordination.