You may remember my post about finding an officiant, here. Well I am so relieved and happy to say that we now have ours! And better yet, he is my uncle (well, he's my dad's cousin to be exact, but same diff). If you are interested in having a family member or friend be your officiant, below, you will find what worked for me!
1. Talk to your fiance about who you both would want.
From the beginning of thinking about finding our officiant, my fiance and I really liked the idea of having someone we know. We wanted someone whose marriage, family, and values we admired. It was important to us that the person was outgoing, comfortable speaking in front of a group, and had a great sense of humor. It was also a good chance to start imagining the ceremony we envision having. Things like readings, music, incorporating a special ceremony, etc.
2. Look into the legalities.
Sources: top, above left, above right
I found this site with rules by state. Once you select the state, there is some helpful info and a list of clerk's offices in that state. We found it to be a great quick reference. We also called the office in the county where our wedding will take place and asked them some questions. For example, can our officiant be someone who was ordained online (Universal Life Church, anyone?)? And, can we waive the 3-day waiting period between getting the license and using it since we are coming from out of town? I highly recommend giving your clerks office a call.
3. Pop the question.
Sources: top, above left, above right
The hardest part for me was asking, because I didn't want my uncle to feel pressured into saying yes. When I approached it, I made it clear that while we would love for him to be our officiant, we completely understood if he didn't want to do it for any reason. Thankfully he said yes!
Are you thinking of asking a friend or family member to officiate your wedding?