When it comes time to select an officiant for your wedding you may ask yourself, “how the heck do I do this”, which is a great question indeed! Most people think of an officiant as a church pastor, or someone connected to religion. Perhaps you don’t know anyone in that position. Well, then where do you go from there? That’s where these 5 tips come in!

#1 Use a father, friend or someone who is near and dear to you both.

This may not actually be that surprising but someone you know can be your officiant. In fact, I shot a wedding last summer where the groom's father officiated the wedding. It was a truly touching ceremony! But it doesn’t have to be a father, maybe you both share a mutual friend that you're both super close with. Ask them to do it for you (assuming they're not a member of the wedding party). In lieu of a friend or father you could also ask one of your extended family members to be your officiant. Your options are practically limitless! The main thing is to make sure that they get the necessary paperwork in line and sent into your state's local governing authority.

#2 Ask your venue or wedding planner.

Chances are that the venue you choose will have bumped into and maybe even made friendships with at least one officiant over the course of running their business. However, your wedding planner may have even more contacts and the chances of them knowing a religious or civil officiant you could contact is much higher! Basically, don’t be afraid to reach out to those around you. That’s what you pay people like your wedding planner for, their job is to take as much stress off you as possible. In fact, most wedding planners have a list of recommended vendors that they’ll share with you, all you need to do is ask!

#3 Check out your local churches.

Whether you're religious or not, chances are that the first person you're going to think of when considering your officiant is going to be a pastor. Even if you don’t know a pastor or attend a local church, chances are that you can arrange a meeting with one through the church that they are connected to. In fact, most churches are used to having people call and ask about wedding related stuff, whether it’s using the church building or needing an officiant!

#4 Choose some who will help you and make the ceremony enjoyable!

Big surprise, but you’re gonna have to practice (or at least should). Usually at the rehearsal dinner you’ll take a final walk around the venue, double check your prep and practice your processional up the aisle and to each event. However, you should also pick an officiant who is willing to practice the literal ceremony (vows and all) with you. It will make you feel more confident and comfortable on the day of, especially if the officiant isn’t someone you know well! Also know that the officiant sets the mood for the ceremony, so it's important to pick someone with a personality that you both enjoy! It will make it nicer for the pair of you and for your guests.

#5 Whoever you choose, make sure they’re endorsed by the state.

Picture this, you get home from a crazy awesome honeymoon and waiting in your mailbox, email or on your phone is a notice that the officiant you hired to do your wedding wasn’t endorsed by the state, thus your marriage is a fraud! That may sound dramatic (that was the point) but you’d be surprised to know that it does happen. Even if it's an honest mistake, nothing sucks more than wrapping up your wedding to find out that you're not legally married! This is an important one, make sure that your officiant is licensed and endorsed by the state to perform marriages!

In conclusion, there are a lot of options available to you, make sure to explore them to your heart's content. While there is no set standard for an officiant, make sure that you enjoy them, that they align with what you're looking for in your ceremony. Finally, please make sure that they are endorsed by the state and legally allowed to marry you!