CHOOSING THE PERFECT OFFICIANT
Photography Credit: Stephen Ludwig
Many couples start the planning process excited to work out the details of their dream venue and fabulous flowers, but they don’t realize how much they will end up caring about the ceremony. If you find yourself in this exact pickle, I suggest you start by finding the perfect officiant!
The first thing you are going to want to determine is if you want to hire a professional or have a friend or family member perform your ceremony! With the right fit, either can be a great choice. Let me walk you through some of the things to consider...
Photographer Credit: Kelly Tunney
Professional
One of the best things about working with a pro is that they often have a template or script that they work from. For the most part, this is a blessing because having to create your ceremony from scratch can be a lot of work. With that being said, you will always want to review that template or script before you hire. You will also want to see how flexible they are when it comes to making changes or incorporating your ideas.
Another advantage to hiring a professional, is that if you plan to include cultural or religious elements into the ceremony, they will likely already be well versed in how to do them properly. I find this especially helpful when couples wish to include Hawaiian culture into their ceremony.
The downside to hiring a professional is that unless you take the time to get to know them, there will forever be a semi stranger in many of your ceremony photos. Not only that, but they will not have the same insight as a friend or family member will when it comes to personalizing your ceremony.
In the end though, not having to reinvent the wheel and figure out all the paperwork stuff is quite worth it if you find the right officiant for the job!
Photographer Credit: Sarah Jual
Friend or Family Member
Having born witness to 100+ ceremonies over the years, we’ve helped many friends and family members navigate officiating our client’s weddings. Believe it or not, it is incredibly easy to get ordained in the State of Hawaii. A little online paperwork and you can have anyone you wish perform your ceremony.
With that being said, we’ve seen some amazing officiants and we’ve seen some just “ok” officiants. The two biggest things to consider when choosing the right person is if they are 1. proactive and 2. are they good at speaking in public.
When you choose a non-professional, that means that you have to create your ceremony from scratch. A conversation you will want to have is if they will do the work to create the ceremony or will you write the script and they will perform it? Either is totally fine, but keep in mind how much other planning work you have in the lead up to your wedding day and how much you want it to be a surprise. Ultimately, despite the extra work, if you choose to have a friend or family member perform your ceremony, you know it will be extra sentimental!
Hopefuly this breakdown will help you make the best choice for your officiant! If you are looking for more information on writing your own ceremony, be sure to check out this blog post. If you need some help writing your vows, this blog post will help you get off to a great start!
Best of luck and happy planning!
