If you and your fiancé are newly engaged, chances are you haven’t thought that much about the wedding ceremony. (For many, it’s a lot more fun to go dress shopping than write vows.) But nailing down important aspects like who is actually going to conduct the ceremony, and how, should take precedence over other things on your wedding to-do list. To avoid misunderstandings with the officiant, it’s a wise idea to start the planning process right from the beginning by asking important questions and getting information so that you all are on the same page.
Choose an Officiant Early
It may be tempting to push this to-do list item down, but consider the fact that you can’t get married without an officiant. You can get married without your dream bouquet or cake, however. The key here is to prioritize. Pastors, ministers, and close friends and family all have busy lives, so you want to make sure you get on their calendar early. Consider who would make the ceremony special for you and your spouse-to-be. One extra benefit of doing this early is that you can consider also doing some marriage counseling sessions, if your officiant offers them. Everyone can benefit from having the conversations that marriage counseling prompts, whether you think you have issues to talk through or not. (An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.) Ask for a Sample Script They’ve Used Before
Rather than building the entire ceremony from scratch, a quicker option is to a...