Cost of officiants

I might look for other officiants in your area, because that seems off somehow. (FWIW ours was included in the venue, so we just "tipped" (if I remember correctly $300 or something) so I don't know much about it.)

Strange, I had a great officiant that my fiancee and I hired through Thumbtack and she was extremely reasonable with our wedding and only charged us, $250 for everything, and she even gave us the rough draft of what she was going to say.

I haven't heard of the amount of guests driving the officiant cost up. Ours was 300 plus 50 for a rehearsal.

I don't find the price itself insane (we paid $1000 for our rabbi to officiate our wedding: her normal rate is $2000 per wedding but she is a family friend so she gave us half off). However, the notion that a larger number of guests would mean a higher price seems very strange. The $25 extra for signing the marriage license also seems insane--isn't that considered part of officiating in the first place? This officiant sounds like he/she is trying to nickel and dime you. I would try to find an officiant with a set rate that includes everything, and then the cost might be more reasonable

I would look for other officiants. Also, not sure what area you're in or your religious background, but you could always ask a close friend or family member to marry you! That's what my FH and I are doing and the only thing we're paying for is the fee to get ordained online.

My husband and I had one of our good friends (who I work with) marry us (he is a notary). I live in SC and in my state if you are a notary, you are legally able to marry a couple. Even if the law is not the same in your state, you could always ask one of your friends/family members who is really close to you two to become ordained online

I think it's all about knowing where to look, and to find an officiant that works for you. I found an officiant on Thumbtack that was very understanding, and was extremely helpful, she even gave me the idea to do a sand ceremony, when I told her that I was upset that our venue, wouldn't allow us to do a unity candle. Best part was she was extremely simple in pricing, and just charged me $250 for everything.

Between $150-$300 is pretty typical, not including tip or attendance at the rehearsal dinner.