Officiant?

[hthip]

What do you look for in an officiant? I''m not religious, but FI is Catholic. We plan on having an outdoor ceremony.

 

[Gypsy]

Honestly? I looked for sober, entertaining and affordable. Didn''t find it. Asked FI''s uncle to offciate. Very happy we did, it will be a very special personalized ceremony.

 

[surfgirl]

I interviewed officiants until I found the right one for us. I looked online and then I found someone who just felt right. When I spoke to her I knew she was right for us. I think the officiant can make or break the ceremony so it was really important for us to have someone who we could relate to.

 

[Sparkalicious]

hthip - I''m in a similar situation. My fi is not Catholic and I am.

Since I wanted to get married in the Catholic church and he understood, respected and agreed with that, we wanted to find a priest who was more modern, so to speak.

We wanted someone with a keen sense of humor so that our ceremony will not be completely dry and boring. A little personality always enhances the day, doesn''t it? We were alsso seeking someone who was traditionally "judgemental". The priest we lucked upon finding at the church where we are getting married is hilarious, if not just a tad crazy, and completely open to marrying Catholics to non-Catholics. He doesn''t at all pressure my fiance to have the same religious beliefs and in that same vein, does not hold him to the same religious responsibilities.

From what I have seen in my area, there are former Catholic priests and/or non-denominational ministers alike with engaging personalities, who are more than happy to marry couples in outside ceremonies. If you try googling wedding officiants in your area, you may find several candidates you can interview and see if they are the right fit.

What may also help is obtaining referrals from either preferred vendor lists at your venue or with your wedding planner or photographer, ceremony site etc.

Good luck with your search. I hope that you find the perfect officiant for your special day!

 

[hthip]

Thanks for all your input. Hopefully, I''ll find an officiant that can marry Catholic to non-Catholic like yours Sparkalicious. It would satisfy the FMIL.

How much do they cost?

 

[navrn]

I know a great one in the LA area if you happen to be getting married in CA.

 

[Junkenpo]

I''m Catholic and my fiance is not, and although understanding of my faith, he has no interest of converting.

We''re getting married at our local Catholic Church and we didn''t really have a choice of which priest married us. (There are 2: Pastor & associate pastor. We were told the associate pastor was available for the date we wanted.) Because our Church is a "popular" Church to be married at, they ask that interested engaged couples contact the Church a minimum of 4 months in advance of the desired wedding date.

We had to do an Engaged Encounter that the Church holds, and had to get a dispensation from the Bishop because our marriage will be "extraordinary" (ie, "mixed"), as well as having DF and I sign a statement saying we''re both free to marry and agree to raise any children we have (God willing) as Catholic.

The priest marrying us is not US-born and has a thick accent and a sense of humor that doesn''t always culturally translate well. I''m positve it''ll make for an interesting ceremony.

 

[Sparkalicious]

Date: 7/10/2008 2:54:29 AM
Author: hthip
Thanks for all your input. Hopefully, I''ll find an officiant that can marry Catholic to non-Catholic like yours Sparkalicious. It would satisfy the FMIL.

How much do they cost?

Hi hthip - sorry for the delay in responding.

In theory, they don''t cost anything, however, the church does charge to have a wedding. I was surprised to learn this but it seems to be par for the course nowadays. How much churches charge varies by location, as with most things. At the gorgeous Cathedral downtown, it is more than the standard local church.
I found that the prices in Seattle hovered anywhere from $1,000 - $2,500 or so to actually get married in a Catholic church.

Since your ceremony will be outdoors, I''m not sure what the going rate for officiants is, however, if you google "whatever you city is" wedding officiants - you should be able to find a list of those available in your area. Another idea might be to try local venues. If venues or other wedding vendors in your area offer a preferred vendor list, check it out to see if it lists officiants that they recommend.

I hope this helps and that you find an officiant who will do a fantastic job on your big day.

 

[miraclesrule]

I feel like Gypsy does. It''s very hard to get the right combination of sober, entertaining and affordable especially if you don''t regularly attend or are involved with a faith based organization.

I have always enjoyed the weddings I attended where the officiant knows the couple and can add their own "spice" and still perform a serious ceremony.

My daughter asked a close friend to officiate who she met through her work and who just celebrated her 40th wedding anniversary. It was with great relief that her friend felt honored to be asked and accepted with pleasure.

It''s still a little unnerving for brides not to know exactly what is going to be said at their wedding and how it will be said. I can understand, because I have been to a lot of weddings where I sat there saying....OMG, I wouldn''t ever want that to be said...and I know the bride and groom were thinking the same thing.

 

[mimzy]

Date: 7/9/2008 11:39:33 PM
Author: Sparkalicious
From what I have seen in my area, there are former Catholic priests and/or non-denominational ministers alike with engaging personalities, who are more than happy to marry couples in outside ceremonies. If you try googling wedding officiants in your area, you may find several candidates you can interview and see if they are the right fit.

i''ve never heard of a catholic priest that will marry someone outdoors. the only way i can think of this working out would be if the priest was a former priest and the couple had already filled out the paperwork to have it recognized by the church beforehand....but even that is a huge stretch!!