Choosing an Officiant

date posted: June 29, 2014

Deciding who will officiate your wedding ceremony is both an important and personal decision. If you regularly attend a specific church or synagogue, your choices might be the family minister, the minister of the church where your ceremony is being held, a spiritual leader, such as a deacon or rabbi, or a non-denominational officiant. Additionally, couples now have a choice of a woman or a man, for many non-denominational sects allow either. It’s really about who you feel most comfortable with.

What You Need to Know:

If your nuptial includes two different religions and you prefer to blend the two faiths, you may want a non-denominational officiant.

See the WEDDINGvortex guide, and ask friends, family, and couples of weddings you’ve attended for suggestions.

Call or email a few choices you feel will be a good fit.

Be sure both of you see eye-to-eye on the type of ceremony you wish to have.

Know your preferences and what you want to eliminate or include in the ceremony.

Brainstorm an outline of any cultural traditions you may want to include in the ceremony.

What to Ask:

Can we write our own vows?

How many weddings have you performed? Do you have a list of references?

Will you be comfortable including unique requests, such as including children or other family members within the ceremony?

Would you welcome family members or friends to do a reading?

Is there an extra cost for you to attend the rehearsal?

Do you charge for travel outside of a certain distance?

Is there an extra cost for a certain day of the week?

What is the typical length of time of the ceremony? If longer than usual, how much is the extra cost?

When do we sign a contract and give our deposit or total fee?

Plan Ahead:

Apply for your marriage license 1-4 weeks prior to your wedding day.

Know your state/county rules for length of residency and what to bring when applying for your marriage license.

Bring your marriage license to the ceremony for your officiant and witnesses to sign.

Give the license to your officiant to send to the Register of Deeds in the county you are being married; your license will be processed and become your Certificate of Marriage.

Local Officiants:

Rev. Diane Epstein
Kingston, 914-466-0090, hudsonvalleyinterfaithminister.com
As an Interfaith Minister, She welcomes, respects and embraces all paths—from the traditional to the unconventional, the secular to the spiritual. It is her great pleasure to help you customize a ceremony to fit your unique needs, creating a personal, heartfelt wedding.

Rev. Jude Smith
Rhinebeck, 845-337-6996, hudsonvalleyweddings.org
Rev. Jude Smith is a non-denominational interfaith minister. In that role, she sees the commonality of the world’s spiritual and wisdom traditions. A teacher at heart, her passion is to lead others along their own spiritual paths.

Peter Sonnenberg
Hudson Valley/NYC, 914-522-9118
Peter is a non-denominational/interfaith officiant providing customized wedding ceremonies that reflect the couple’s personalities, beliefs, and passions. His specialty is combining cultural and/or faith traditions, as well as incorporating unique and distinctive ritual elements to create a truly personalized and meaningful ceremony. As a spiritual director of a Westechester Holistic Healing Center, Peter has been in the field of the healing arts for over 25 years.

Other Notables:
Rev. Jim Rooney, Beacon — revjimrooney.com

Rev. Louis Zeppone — hudsonvalleylgbtqceremonies.com

Rev. Victoria Becker, Boiceville — weddingsinthecatskills.com

Reverend Debra, OliveBridge — hudsonvalleyceremonies.com

Carrie Wykoff, Rosendale — eventsthatmatter.net