5 Checks to Know if Your Officiant is Right for You

1. Language: Always speak to the Officiant before booking with them to ensure their voice is audible for the guests. This may be done over the phone, but using Skype, Facetime or meeting in person in often the best.

2. Tone: Know what type of tone you want your ceremony to be – sentimental and sweet, funny and light, serious and thoughtful? Once you’ve identified and agreed on what tone you want your ceremony to take, ask your Officiant if they can provide an example of when they have set that tone in a ceremony.

3. The Ceremony: Couples should ask an Officiant if they will let them customize their ceremony. Many civil or religious Officiants will be quite sticky about their routines or doctrine. Will the Officiant stick to their agreed upon ceremony or go off script, and how important is that to you? Going off script makes the ceremony more authentic, but if you’ve put work into your ceremony you may want to stick to the words you chose.

4. Attire: What do they typically wear? This is often best revealed through photos of past weddings to determine how professionally they dress. Some colours will be offensive to some cultures, or you simply want the Officiant to look good in your photos. If wearing certain colours is important to you, ask if they will accommodate that request.

5. Personality: When you consider how many people hate public speaking and that this is the key job of an Officiant, you should understand that Officiants are not a shy bunch! Some will have personalities that are so grand, they steal the show, which might appeal to you or it might be too overwhelming.