Traditionally a registered wedding officiant NYC has legal rights to conduct a marriage ceremony. But it is not an alien concept for a friend or a family member to perform a wedding ceremony. The new generations have been definitely inspired by “Friends” where they have seen friends officiating the marriages of their loved ones. Your friends and family can give a personal touch to your wedding.
Today many non-denominational religious organizations like Universal Life Church ordain candidates online. You don’t require a lot of training like in traditional religious organizations to become a member of the clergy. It is free to become ordained and can be done entirely online nowadays. But is it legit?
Who can be a wedding officiant in New York?
According to Section 11 of the state Domestic Relations law of New York, the Governors, state legislators, mayors, judges, and clergy members are the legal wedding officiants. An average person cannot be a wedding officiant in the state of New York. So, can your friends or family members become clergy person?
A clergyperson or minister is one “who has been officially ordained and granted authority to perform marriage ceremonies from a governing church body,” or someone “who is not authorized by a governing body but who has been chosen by a spiritual group to preside over their spiritual affairs.”
The court’s opinion
The Appellate Division of the state Supreme Court’s Second Department in 1989 presided over the Ranieri v. Ranieri case in Brooklyn. In this case, the couple was married by a close friend ordained by ULC in 1986. One spouse requested to void the marriage as the officiant was illegitimate. The court obliged and granted them separation.
The Third Department held the Ranieri case after 25 years and “took a more liberal approach and basically said that as long as a religious organization abides by its own rules and regulations it’s not really proper for courts to question its selection of ministers.”
The Third Department officially hasn’t ruled that Universal Life ministers are qualified to perform marriages. They have also ruled that marriages performed by them are not void of a matter of law.
Registered wedding officiant NYC is a better option
Having a registered wedding officiant NYC by your side whom you can trust is a better option than an ordained friend or family member. A professional wedding officiant has an upper hand for his wide experience, knowledge of wedding ceremonies and traditions, and reliability. A professional officiant will be able to advise you on the proper length for a ceremony, potential logistical challenges, and wedding traditions to be incorporated into the ceremony. Above all, he can navigate through complex circumstances, which is not possible for an amateur wedding officiant.
Therefore, friends and family after getting ordained online are though eligible for officiating a marriage ceremony but they still stand on shaky ground. People are still hesitant to take that friendly route when it comes to getting their marriage legitimatized. If you are looking for a suitable registered wedding officiant NYC, Captain Arnold is the most eligible wedding officiant for you. He is an ordained chaplain and the only captain registered with the City Clerk’s Office of the City of New York. For more details, contact the experts at Nautical Wedding Bells.