Choosing BCC

 

Are They a Good Fit – First and foremost, it is important to be sure your choice is a good fit. Just because he or she is your oldest and dearest friend doesn’t mean they’ll make a great wedding officiant. You want someone reliable, who is comfortable speaking in public.

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Have a Back Up – When choosing an officiant, it is important to have a back up plan. Your first choice of officiant may be unable to perform the ceremony, so you need to have alternates in mind before you start asking friends to officiate at your wedding service.

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Don’t Force the Issue – Some people are simply not comfortable being a wedding officiant. As much as they love you both, they are terrified by the thought of standing in front of a room full of friends and family and performing a wedding ceremony. Don’t force the issue. If your first choice of officiant declines, move to on of your alternates.

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Writing The Ceremony

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Once you have decided on an officiant, you will need to decide who will create the ceremony. You may choose to design and write the ceremony yourselves, or you may put your lay-officiant in charge. If you put your friend in charge, be sure to keep a hand in the proceedings and vet the final ceremony. You don’t want any unpleasant surprises on the big day. Also, you will want to work closely with your wedding officiant as they rehearse their role.

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Day Of Preparations

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With your wedding officiant in place, and the ceremony and service schedule finalized, you will need to attend to some final preparations.

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• The Script – Your wedding officiant will need a script to follow, and this should be written out in large type with plenty of line breaks so it is easy to read and follow. Place the script in an attractive binder. If your wedding officiant is up to date on technology, they might find it easier to read their script from a tablet or iPad.

• Wedding Vows – You may have memorized your wedding vows, but it’s always smart to have a backup. Print out your wedding vows on cards, and have your wedding officiant store them with their own script. When the time comes, they can hand you your vows or have the officiant read them to you as you repeat them to your partner.

• Your Marriage License – Be sure to bring this with you on the day of your wedding, as part of the ceremony will most likely have the officiant, yourselves and your witnesses sign it.

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Having a friend officiate at your wedding can be a wonderful experience for everyone involved. But it does require a bit of extra work and planning on your part. As with all of your wedding plans, start early and allow yourselves plenty of time to explore all the options, and make changes where necessary. Once your wedding officiant and ceremony are in place, simply relax and enjoy the day.

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