Featuring the Finest Wedding Services
on California’s Central Coast
— Since 1991

Choosing An Officiant

officiant pic Michelle Warren

Selecting the person who will preside over the most important and life-changing ceremony you’ll ever experience can be quite a job. Just how do you choose?

We won’t try to give you pat answers to this very important question, but maybe this extra information will help you decide what you need in an officiant. They’re not all the same, after all.

First of all, an officiant who is licensed by the State of California to perform marriage ceremonies might be an individual who is an active pastor in a church or synagogue, or it might be an individual who is not connected with a specific church, synagogue or religion.

The only thing that really distinguishes most officiant who do services outside of their own religious affiliations or buildings is just that: They do services that might not be held in the building of their own denomination.

Some officiants do secular ceremonies, without mention of any religious doctrine or of any Supreme Being. Others, though they work at parks and beaches, might discourage the removing of religious references: It’s up to you to decide, when you talk with them, if you like the way they describe their ceremonies.

If you might be depending on your officiant to provide any premarital counseling, you will want to ask about his or her credentials for that function. While it is natural for an individual who works with couples to have a caring, interested attitude, this might not be all that is needed for any real counseling. You might need someone with professional training.

officiant pic Barbara Koenig, copyright Bella-Caste Photography

As far as your marriage license goes, many officiant are now licensed, themselves, to issue marriage licenses to you. Also, remember that in California, you can get your license in any county, and it will be valid Statewide. (It just has to be recorded in the County where you marry.) If either of you are under 18, you will need a special license; ask about it of your officiant or the County Clerk-Recorder where you get your license. To get the license, you will need a current official photo ID and one other form of identification.