why I loved having a friend-officiated wedding
Throughout the planning process, we focused on making choices to make our wedding feel as personal as possible, so having one of our best friends officiate our wedding was a no-brainer. Here are a few reasons I absolutely loved having a friend officiate our wedding:
Allows for beautiful, personal anecdotes from a loved one who knows us well and can truly speak on your love from experience.
Allows for full customization of the ceremony script and creates an opportunity for a special wedding planning moment — I’ll never forget the summer evenings we spent on the porch, drinking beers and working on script ideas.
Helped alleviate stress and nerves during the ceremony — I was a little nervous to read my vows and to be in front of a lot of people in a high pressure situation. Once I was up there between Ryan and Gabe, it felt like it was just the three of us in an empty room. I felt so comfortable and all the nerves melted away.
Makes the ceremony photos so much more personal. The thought of having someone I barely knew in the photos was a big sticking point for me personally!
They know your name! This one’s specific, but my mother-in-law, Kendall, was called “Wendell” for about half of her wedding ceremony by a hired officiant, so I had to throw that in there haha.
If your partner, religion and/or culture allow for this and you’re open to the idea - I’d highly recommend! It was one of my favorite parts of our wedding. If you’re curious on how to have a friend or family member ordained, I don’t want to give too much advice since it varies by state but if you’re in California, Gabe, our friend and officiant, used Universal Life Church and said it was extremely simple!
I’m so grateful to Gabe for agreeing to be a part and for all of the work he put into it to make it absolutely perfect. It was the perfect balance of sincere, emotional, light-hearted, personal and funny. There was something so especially touching about having someone we love guide us through this special moment and it holds a special place in my heart!
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writing our ceremony script on the front porch in the summer with beers and popcorn. such a special memory! (not pictured is Ryan who is taking the photo)
