Being a wedding officiant means you must juggle several responsibilities. And when you are a registered wedding officiant in NYC like me, you are accountable to ensure that a marriage is performed as per the state regulations and that all the wishes of the wedding couple are fulfilled effortlessly. Every time you go to a marriage ceremony as an officiant, you are the leader at the ceremony, no matter how short your appearance may be there.
Irrespective of the wedding venue – church, garden, or that perfect cruise – you will require an ordained wedding minister to officiate the wedding. So, isn’t it better to know a few good qualities of a registered wedding officiant NYC coming from the one, who has been officiating numerous weddings for 20 years? I am Captain Arnold, the ordained Chaplin to officiate any inter-faith marriage in NYC and I list down five essential qualities of a competent wedding officiant for you.
Know Qualities of a Good Wedding Officiant NYC
Know if the officiant is legit
Nowadays you find too many individuals who have been ordained online to officiate a wedding. But in New York, these types of officiants are controversial. A marriage officiant can be anybody in NYC right from the members of the clergy, judges, justices of the peace, and some notary publics. Even mayors can perform the ceremony in some states. However, the prerequisite is that they should be registered with the City Clerk’s Office of the City of New York. So, the legitimacy of your marriage officiant is the first thing you and your partner should be worried about. Ensure that the officiant is registered with the City Clerk’s Office if you are planning to get married in NYC.
A good officiant is on the same page as you
It is important that you, your partner, and your wedding officiant share a common vision of arranging a fantastic and unforgettable wedding experience. Make sure your officiant is comfortable with all the arrangements you make for the ceremony. After all, a good officiant is one who sets the right tone for the event in accordance with your vision. He should bring out the emotion of the wedding party as desired by the wedding couple.
He should be able to add elements of personalization
Your wedding is a heartfelt and intimate moment for you, and you want to share this joy of togetherness with all your guests. You also want this moment to be emotional and evoke tears and laughter in equal measures. So, it is critical to ensure that your wedding officiant can deliver personal feelings in all the readings and messages.
Most often, a good wedding officiant will take time to know you and your story. He will collect the bits and pieces carefully from you to write appropriate messages to truly reflect how you complement your partner. With his experience, he might be able to give you the right advice on how to write a genuine vow to exchange at the time of the marriage ceremony.
My personal style is not to approve generic readings. I always ask the couples to leave out the pretty poems that are heavy on sentiments and minuscule in substance. A coupe should pick readings that reflect the authentic meaning about them, the reading that may stick a chord with the audience. And this will what make a marriage ceremony a truly unforgettable experience for the bride and groom and their guests.
He should stick to the schedule
Irrespective of the kind of marriage you are doing – civil, religious, or inter-faith – you naturally have to go through a lot of rituals or sacraments. Sticking to the schedule will help the wedding couple to navigate effortlessly, otherwise, they keep running from one process to another randomly ruining the moments they want to cherish. A competent and experienced wedding officiant knows very well how to stick to the schedule and maintain punctuality. But to maintain punctuality, you need to plan it in advance. A marriage officiant must be a part of pre-marriage rehearsals to get familiar with the layout. He should provide proper guidance to the wedding party in such a manner that everyone feels prepared and part of the ceremony.
I prefer to write a wedding program for each ceremony. The wedding program outlines the events of the ceremony alongside a brief introduction to your bridal party. It introduces your guests to special ethnic and/or religious customs as well as certain symbolic acts that you may wish to introduce during the ceremony. The program should also let you say thanks to family and friends and pay tribute to those loved ones that cannot be with you on this special day.
Your wedding officiant should be able to fill out all paperwork
Apart from officiating a wedding ceremony, the major responsibility of a marriage officiant is to manage the paperwork. He should have sufficient experience to handle complex documentation. The marriage officiant is responsible for signing the marriage license. He should take possession of the license duly signed by the bride and groom and two witnesses present at the ceremony. A registered wedding officiant NYC should complete the paperwork on his part and return it to the issuing Register of Deeds office within 10 days. I ensure the married couple gets their legit license in the stipulated time without delay.