A wedding is a joyous celebration of love between two people who want to commit to a life together. As the minister who presides over the ceremony, you can be an integral part of their special day. You help the service go smoothly and shower them with words they will likely remember forever. To start your career as a wedding officiant, you need to know how to become ordained online, what to do when you meet with couples, and how to perform a wedding ceremony.

Steps for Ordination

The first thing you need to do when you decide you want to marry happy couples is secure your ordination. Many ministers are ordained through their religious affiliations by attending seminary or a similar training program. The Universal Life Church believes that anyone who desires to be a wedding officiant should have the opportunity, regardless of religious beliefs or affiliations. Therefore, you can become ordained for free by following a few simple steps.

Start by filling out the ordination request form online. Be sure to use your legal name and verify that you are at least 18 years of age. Once your request is received, you should receive an email confirming that you are ordained. It's that simple! The ordination itself is free, but there are many tools for sale that can help you get started as an officiant. 

Details of Consultation

When you agree to marry a couple, you are making a commitment to help create a ceremony that is meaningful for them and their loved ones. To do the job well, you need to meet with them at least once before the rehearsal. They will probably have many questions for you, but you should be prepared to ask some of your own:

• How did you meet, and when did you know you were meant to be married?
• What are your favorite things about your partner?
• What role, if any, will your families play in the ceremony?
• Who else is involved in the ceremony?
• Are there special rituals you want to include?
• What do you want to remember from your wedding day?

This list of questions should get the conversation started nicely and give you a good idea of what the general tone of the ceremony should be. All you need to do from there is work out what you, the couple and the other participants will say during the service.

Structure of Ceremony

Once you become ordained online with the ULC, you will have an online account with access to many resources on how to plan and perform a wedding. You can learn the practical steps you need to take to ensure that the union is legal in the state where it occurs. The site also offers instructions on how to complete a marriage license, which is the official document required by the county, province or state.

Another handy feature of the online training options is a collection of sample wedding scripts. You can peruse traditional ceremonies as well as other variations that differ in tone or levity, all from the comfort of your home or office. The wedding script generator helps you create a custom ceremony outline for the couple with whom you are working. All these tools are designed to ensure that their wedding ceremony is what they always dreamed it could be.

You don't have to have a seminary degree to officiate weddings. All you have to do to get started is fill out the simple form on the website. When you become ordained to marry online through the ULC, you have the credentials and resources you need to perform ceremonies in almost every state.