Officiating weddings for friends? Don't make this easy mistake #Ceremony Advice#officiant Posted Dec 28 2020 Offbeat Editors Photo by Federico Villaseñor from this wedding Related Post How to officiate a wedding – complete with 10 wedding scripts! So you've been asked to officiate a friend's wedding. Congratulations! Even if you're someone used to exciting things happening all over the universe, someone like,... Read more Are you that friend who officiates all your friends' weddings? You're the one who's not afraid of public speaking, who knows how to hold the space for ceremony with both a lighthearted smile and a firm hand? You're the friend officiant who knows how to jike with the guests, but also can be sacred and serious face when needed? Maybe you did theater in college, or you're a lawyer, or you're just good at this sort of thing. Whatever: you're the friend officiant. Over the years, we've shared all sorts of advice for how to officiate a friend's wedding, but if you're someone who friend officiates multiple weddings, here's one mistake you DON'T want to make. This was shared by an Offbeat Bride named Bobie Jo: Just make sure you UPDATE the script from last time!!!! My bestie was my officiant, and she used the same script she read at her brother's wedding… During my wedding, she used her brother's wife's name instead of mine!!!! Good thing I still think it’s hilarious and didn’t push her off the dock we were on… So, this is a simple reminder to everyone who's friend officiating more than one wedding: do a quick document find-and-replace for the the names of your previous couple, and confirm that you've swapped in the new couples' names! It only takes a minute, and it'll save you from some major embarrassment on the day-of! Need more tips for officiating a friend's wedding? We gotchoo! Related Post Wedding Ceremony 101: How to write a wedding ceremony from scratch This is basically the best post ever written about how to build a wedding ceremony from the ground up. While there's a bit of ritual theory, but mostly it's expert… Read More Related Post How do you have a wedding ceremony without a Bible? We're ALL for Christian couples having religious ceremonies, but find it disrespectful for non-Christians to smile and nod through a religious service they don't actually believe in. So, how do… Read More PREVIOUS How to feel patient about getting engaged NEXT Ceremony script: This bride and groom wrote each other's vows! Show/Hide comments [ 1 ] I've always co-written ceremony scripts with the couples I've married, so luckily this has never been a problem. However, I did screw up the marriage certificates for the first two friend weddings I officiated. I put the date of the ceremony where I was supposed to put the date that the license was granted. Doh! Luckily, both couples were understanding. Since then, I've always asked the couple to give me the certificate at the rehearsal. That way, I can fill it in ahead of time, when I'm able to focus. All that's left for the wedding itself is everybody's signatures. Reply Join the conversation Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Sign me up for your offbeat awesomeness newsletter! No-drama comment policy Part of what makes the Offbeat Empire different is our commitment to civil, constructive commenting. Make sure you're familiar with our no-drama comment policy. Biz owners & wedding bloggers Please just use your real name in your comment, not your business name or blog title. Our comments are not the place to pimp your website. If you want to promote your stuff on Offbeat Bride, join us as an advertiser instead.
I've always co-written ceremony scripts with the couples I've married, so luckily this has never been a problem. However, I did screw up the marriage certificates for the first two friend weddings I officiated. I put the date of the ceremony where I was supposed to put the date that the license was granted. Doh! Luckily, both couples were understanding. Since then, I've always asked the couple to give me the certificate at the rehearsal. That way, I can fill it in ahead of time, when I'm able to focus. All that's left for the wedding itself is everybody's signatures. Reply