So you and your other half have thought long and hard about who is going to officiate your wedding…. and you have excitedly landed on a friend or family member who is near and dear to your heart. First off… YAY!!!!!! [Insert confetti and a happy dance] I know from personal experience how hard of a decision this can be, so there needs to be a bit of celebration in that decision alone. Though most of the time the people we pick that are friends or family are not officiants for a living, and that comes with it’s own potential hiccups… So here are a few common mistakes made (and I mean almost 100% of the time) when someone who isn’t a regular wedding officiant leads your ceremony.
.jpg)
FORGETTING TO TELL THE GUESTS TO BE SEATED
I can almost bank on this one happening every time.
The moment of anticipation rolls in…. the beautiful Bride walks down the aisle…. all eyes on her and that magical, heartwarming moment when the couple locks eyes, followed by a loving Father giving away his little girl……………….. Then the Officiant starts speaking and before you realize it you are 5 minutes in and all 150 guests are still standing. This is usually when I whisper to Mom to sit down, letting her know that the rest of the guests will follow suit but someone has to start it or nobody will.
To avoid this make sure to discuss it with your Officiant, and maybe even have them write it down on their notes they are reading from during the ceremony. Leading a wedding can be stressful for even the most cool and collected of people if you haven’t done it before, since there are no do-overs and most people aren’t used to having a large group staring at them for 20 minutes while they speak and lead a series of events.
HAVE A PLAN FOR THE FIRST KISS
This one may seem silly, but I’ve seen some really silly things happen. Sometimes the Officiants don’t think about the fact that the first kiss is going to be photographed until its literally happening in front of them and they panic for whatever reason….. making strange faces like they are trying to avoid a baseball headed straight for their face…. trying to quickly walk away…. I even had someone squat behind the couple once HAHA!
EXIT STRATEGY AND POST INFORMATION
So you tied the knot, kissed and walked back down the aisle into the next chapter of your life together…. but what are your guests doing? Are you having a receiving line, excusing to cocktail hour, or taking family photos? Make sure you create a plan with your officiant (and possibly Ushers) so your guests know what to do next. Sometimes this means a quick announcement right before the ceremony takes place or immediately following the recessional, having a note in the program about what is happening next, or having the Ushers relay the information as they excuse rows.
TAKE A PHOTO
You chose the person because they are special to you, so don’t forget to have your Photographer take a photo of the two of you with your officiant!
For all those in the midst of planning, I hope this was helpful!
