If you are not getting married by your clergy-person or an officiant that you already know, you will find yourself in the position of interviewing potential officiants...just like you interview potential DJs, florists, and photographers. Here are ideas on how to select the officiant that will agen sbobet make your ceremony be just the way you want it to be.
Wedding officiants you are considering should offer a free no-obligation meeting to talk about your ceremony. You should both be at the interview, and you should expect that it will take about an hour. Come prepared with questions. Confer with each other before the interview so you have common expectations about the ceremony you want.
Here are some questions to ask a potential wedding officiant:
- Are you legally qualified to perform a marriage in the location of the ceremony?
- How do you create my personalized ceremony? What is the process?
- What is your fee? What does it include...or not include? What is in your contract?
- How much freedom does a couple have to do what they want in the ceremony?
- What interested you in doing this work? What do you like about being a wedding officiant? How long have you been doing this work?
- How many weddings to you do in a year? Do you do more than one a day?
- Can I see a sample of your work...video or written document?
- Can I check out your work with one or more of your past clients?
- Do you have back-up if you are sick or otherwise unable to be at the wedding?
When the officiant you are interviewing asks you about your ceremony, here are some things you can be prepared to talk about that will be helpful:
- Where the ceremony will take place and a description of the ceremony space
- How many quests will be at the ceremony
- Who is in the wedding party (how many people, any children)
- Your plans for music for the procession and recession
- Ceremony traditions that you like; traditions you do not like
- Your thoughts on marriage vows - write your own or do something traditional
- How long you want the ceremony to last
- Any considerations you want to make regarding parents' expectations
- Any ethnic or religious traditions you want to include in the ceremony
- Ideas from other wedding ceremonies that you like
You may only have this one opportunity for "face time" with your officiant before your wedding day. Make the most of it by sticking to the agenda which is talking about your ceremony.
After the interview, ask yourself: Am I comfortable with this person? Is this the person I want to perform my wedding ceremony in front of all my family and friends? Does this officiant seem to understand what we want? Would this officiant be flexible, helpful, and creative?
If you liked how the interview went and you want to hire the officiant, ask what the next steps are. It will probably be signing a contract and making a deposit to reserve agen sbobet your date on your officiant's calendar. Ask for a timeline of the officiant's ceremony preparation activities.
If you decide to hire an officiant, do take the time to let any other officiants that you interviewed know that you selected someone else. It is helpful for an officiant to know you made a decision.
Julie Laudicina has been through dozens of interviews with couples who are searching for just the right wedding officiant. So some of this article is based on the lessons learned both from successful interviews as well as frustrating interviews.
