Why Hire A Professional Wedding Officiant
by Rev. Jayne Warbinton she/her
"Your wedding is not the time you want to take chances. Hiring a professional officiant means that you will have a professional who knows how to speak in public and has the experience to ensure the ceremony will go smoothly, even if you are too nervous to remember a word.”
Professional Wedding Officiant/Minister:
Are you looking for a very unique wedding or you are not affiliated with a congregation? A professional wedding officiant brings experience gained from doing many weddings. They are knowledgeable about various ceremonies you can use in the service. You can count on a professional wedding officiant to have a working knowledge of various cultural and faith traditions which can be incorporated into your wedding ceremony. A professional wedding officiant can handle the unexpected things that happen at weddings—because they are not unexpected to them. Professional wedding officiants are not torn in their attentions—they do not have the obligations to other pastoral care and business meetings that congregation based ministers have. Therefore you get more direct and focused attention to your ceremony.
Retaining your officiant early in your planning process and getting your wedding ceremony written will remove one layer of stress from your planning. You can move forward knowing that the most important part of your wedding day is in competent professional hands.
A professional wedding officiant offers you more choices of the type of wedding you can have.
What type of wedding do you want?
Religious
Do you want a ceremony which reflects your strong religious beliefs? Is your relationship founded on a shared faith and religious background? If so, you probably will want your ceremony to include important scriptures and prayers. There may also be other liturgical elements you want included in the ceremony. Your officiant can help you be sure to have those properly included.
Spiritual
Are you a part of the growing portion of the population describing themselves as “spiritual but not religious”? You have very personal beliefs but don’t subscribe to any one faith tradition or organized church. You can work with your officiant to have a very spiritual service without the scriptures or other liturgical pieces. Your beliefs will be the ones your wedding is based upon.
Secular/Humanist
Is your wedding one based solely on your relationship with one another? You want a romantic wedding focused on the love you share with each other. Each element in your wedding can be dedicated to the commitment you make to share your lives without including any religious or spiritual background. Your ceremony can reflect the values you bring into your marriage on which you base your relationship. Love, commitment, devotion, caring and support are common human values which can be the basis of your ceremony.
Multi-cultural
Do you come from different cultural backgrounds? You can include aspects of each culture into the ceremony in loving and respectful ways. Consider what is important to you and discuss it with your officiant.
Theme
Is there a common interest you want to include as a theme in the ceremony? You are both movie buffs and want to include love quotes from your favorite movie. Maybe you are having a rustic country theme and want that included in the ceremony, including how the officiant dresses. Perhaps a Dr. Who based ceremony, including the vows spoken at the wedding is more what you want. Let your officiant know and work with them to have your ceremony exactly as you want.
Multi-Faith
If you come from different faith backgrounds yet want to honor both, a ceremony can be created that makes sure each faith is represented in respectful ways. The rituals, readings, values and traditions of each faith can be seamlessly woven together. Each faith will receive equal emphasis, no one will feel that their belief system is treated as an afterthought.
Ultimately, this is your wedding ceremony and a professional officiant is going to understand and respect that, and work with you to ensure you get exactly what you want.
Rev. Jayne Warbinton she/her, Professional Wedding Officiant, LGBTQ+ certified - Equality Institute, Certified Unboring Officiant, IAPWO - member. Specializes in non-denominational, same-sex, interfaith, multicultural, pagan wedding ceremonies.
My Number 1 priority is "customer satisfaction" and I always give 110% to every client that engages my services. I love being creative and enjoy designing a service that reflects the individuality and desires to complement their special day. Working together to create your unique, personal ceremony will assure you of "Your Wedding, Your Way."
