How to become a wedding officiant and make money

Looking for a good way to earn money? Here’s how to become a wedding officiant and earn extra cash while celebrating love and commitment.

If you’re the type of person who likes to connect with people but doesn’t love the rigors of a nine-to-five gig, wedding planning can be a great way to raise a little cash while getting all those feel-good endorphins that come from sharing a couple’s special day . Unlike many jobs in the wedding industry, the officiant job is also fairly recession-proof because people will always need an officiant to tie the knot.

Whether you’re looking to build a full-time professional wedding business or simply supplement your gig economy income, wedding planning is relatively easy to get started. And it’s one of the few work-from-home jobs where you get bonuses. cake form.

How I became a marriage clerk

My journey into the world of wedding ceremony started with a request from a good friend. She recently became engaged, but found that securing a non-denominational minister who met her needs was more difficult than expected. Then she remembered that years ago I had signed up as one of the ministers of the Church of Universal Life, an online service that allows anyone to register for online ordination.

After looking up the official requirements in my state, I printed out my ordination certificate and headed down to my district clerk’s office. With a bit of paperwork, my contact information was saved in the County Clerk’s Online Directory of Wedding Officials. They briefly walked me through the process of filling out the marriage license, gave me my official registration number and sent me on my way.

With the registration process behind me, I started writing the script for my friend’s wedding ceremony. One dream ceremony later, my friends were happily hitched and I was a seasoned wedding officiant.

Building my personal ministry

Like many ULC ministers, I really had a chance to hone my skills as a minister in 2015 when same-sex marriage was legalized. I’ve known several couples who waited years for things to be official and couldn’t wait even a second, including a couple who once traveled all the way to Massachusetts to tie the knot.

Knowing how much being married to my husband since 2001 meant to me, and eager to share that joy with others, I took to social media and spread the word that I would marry any couple that wanted to get hitched this summer. People took to me and I quickly began to develop a reputation as a non-denominational minister with a knack for helping couples turn their wedding day visions into reality by creating beautifully worded ceremony scenarios. I also learned that in my state, many couples with non-mainstream faiths or unique personal aesthetics had difficulty finding someone legally authorized to marry them who would also perform their preferred type of ceremony.

After that summer passed, I decided to continue to handle weddings on the side with a focus on providing affordable, heartfelt ceremonies and assisting with complex requests. Using my writing skills, I adapt the language of each ceremony so that each couple has a ceremony as beautiful as their relationship. As part of my personal service, I’ve also pledged to marry anyone who needs me for whatever they can afford to pay—I’ve even accepted a six-pack of sodas for my teenage children.

While this may sound like a bad deal, it wasn’t. Soon, people started tagging me on Facebook whenever there was a demand for flexible, professional officials willing to think—and officiate—outside the box.

Work as a wedding officiant

One of the things I love most about the wedding officiant business is the opportunity to connect with clients who are specifically looking for someone like me. There is a great deal of flexibility in how an officer chooses to conduct his business. Because I focus on personalized wedding ceremonies, I usually start by communicating with the couple to better understand their personalities and what they are looking for well in advance of the wedding.

In my home state it is up to the couple to pick up their marriage license. But I consider it part of my ministerial duties to ensure that they remember their two required witnesses on the day of the ceremony. As we sign their marriage license, I take a moment to walk them through the step-by-step instructions and remind them to return the signed license by the required date when they get off their wedding glow.

How Much Does a Wedding Officiant Make?

I have set my officiating fee based on the complexity, time commitment and travel distance associated with the couple’s requirements, which can vary greatly from one ceremony to the next. I have married many couples who just want to meet me in a park or at their home for a five minute ceremony with their family members and other loved ones present.

On the other hand, I have married couples with elaborate ceremony requests. One was a complex theater production that required several rehearsals. Second, an interracial couple asked me if I would use my Martha Stewart skills to handcraft a ceremonial broom for their broom jumping ceremony. I performed hand fasts, solemn religious rites and ceremonies that looked like they belonged in a Guns ‘N Roses video. And I did them all great.

According to Wedding Wire, the typical rate for a wedding minister can range from around $100 to $650 or more, with the average officiant charging around $300. The amount you charge can also vary depending on the average cost of wedding receptions where you live and whether you offer any type of special service.

We start as a wedding minister

Laws regarding matrimonial law may vary from state to state. American Marriage Ministries (AMM), another site that provides online ordination for ministerial licensure, has a long list of resources on marriage laws by state where you can find out the rules where you live.

According to the AMM, online ordination is legal in every US state, although some states require officials to register proof of your ordination with the appropriate state’s marriage bureau. It is also worth noting that these bylaws may change over time. Although my state required ministers to register and use a license number for years, registration with the county clerk is no longer required in Oklahoma.

Once you’re official, it’s time to decide on a niche and start stocking up on wedding ceremonies and ceremonies to pull from. Here are some great places to start:

• Books full of sample wedding ceremonies
• Reading poetry
• Scenes from movies
• Lesson
• Classical literature
• Lyrics of songs

You’ll also want to consider creating a wedding day contract to protect yourself legally. All that’s left to do now is create a social media presence and start building your connections. Sharing beautiful wedding photos and reviews and building relationships with other wedding businesses can also go a long way in building your wedding officiant business.

Become a Wedding Officiant: A Fun and Easy Home Business

Being a wedding officiant is an easy job if you love working with people, can stand in front of a crowd, and can keep your cool when the emotions of your wedding day are high. It is also one of the few home businesses that you start with little or no money.