Been asked to solemnize a friend's wedding? Want to become a professional wedding officiant? Engaged couples turn to people they can trust to help them celebrate such a special event. Naturally, you want to understand what's involved and help make the big day as meaningful as possible. So how do you become a wedding officiant? In this quick guide, we'll explain online ordination plus other things you need to know about wedding celebrations.
How To Become a Wedding Officiant Online
Some states allow self-solemnized marriages: Colorado, Pennsylvania, and California, to name a few. But in most states, weddings must be officiated by either religious clergy or civil officials such as judges, mayors, or magistrates. Unless you happen to be in the latter category, you'll probably need to become an ordained minister to solemnize marriages in your jurisdiction. Fortunately, you can take this important first step with help from the Universal Life Church.
Religious freedom and expression are two core values of the Universal Life Church. That's why the ULC offers free online ordination to people aged 18 and older. You can become a wedding officiant online by completing the ULC's ordination request form. It just takes a few simple steps:
- Fill in your name, email address, country, and province.
- Choose a password for your online ULC account.
- Type the password in again in the "Password Confirm" field.
Be sure to tick the "I certify that I am 18 years of age or older" checkbox, then click the "Get Ordained Instantly" button to submit your request. Within a few minutes, you should receive a confirmation email from the ULC. If you don't see it in your inbox, check your spam folder. Keep this email for future reference.
ULC Wedding Training Resources
Now that you know the answer to the question, "How do I become a wedding officiant?", it's time to learn how to deliver the best experience possible. The Universal Life Church has lots of resources to help newly ordained ministers, including an Officiant Training Center. You'll find essential information on several important topics:
- Developing a ceremony script
- Officiating the ceremony
- Filling out a marriage license
- Making sure the wedding is legal
The training center also contains a comprehensive guide to state marriage laws. You'll want to review these first so you can know what's legally required for weddings in your jurisdiction. This section also explains officiant requirements — registering with state and local authorities, deadlines for turning in marriage certificates, and so forth.
Officiating Your First Wedding
Prepping for your first wedding starts well in advance. After you've agreed to officiate, you should sit down with the couple for a pre-wedding consultation. During this meeting, learn some key details about the wedding. What is the couple's vision? What traditions do they wish to include? What sort of ceremony script do they have in mind? Be sure to take notes during this consultation.
You'll collaborate with the couple throughout the planning process, so the three of you should also map out a timeline with benchmark dates for the ceremony script, rehearsals, and so on. Using email or cloud-based platforms such as Google Docs can help you develop the script plus share ideas.
A Worthwhile Calling
When a couple gets married, they're tying their lives together in front of their closest friends and family. Significant events like these are meant to be shared, so it's no surprise that more couples are asking their friends to perform their weddings. Some people decide to officiate weddings as a way to serve others. No matter why you're becoming a wedding officiant, the ULC offers both the ordination process and the tools to help you succeed.