I’ve seen the question
come up on many wedding forums: when should I hire the wedding officiant? It’s
a good question to be thinking about since without an officiant there really
can be no wedding. Even if your officiant is a friend or relative or the clergy
at your church, you need to start thinking about hiring them or confirming them
pretty early on in your planning process. Here are my thoughts on when you
should hire your wedding officiant.
• Before you hire your officiant you should have the date secured. I suggest
you book your officiant as far in advance as possible since many of us take a
limited number of weddings each season and book up quickly. Many couples book
me a year in advance.
• It would be a good idea to have a wedding venue confirmed as well, that way
your officiant can calculate any travel fees that might applicable.
• I also suggest hiring your wedding officiant well in advance of the wedding
(at least six months) if you're having them craft a customized ceremony. This
planning process takes a while and you don't want to have to rush it. It will
take multiple emails, Skype sessions and/or meetings to create the right
ceremony for you and your sweetie.