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Just Said Yes July 2021

Cost of officiants

Krystal, on October 12, 2020 at 11:39 PM Posted in Wedding Ceremony 0 18

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Is it just me or is the cost for a officiant ridiculous? First they tell you the beginning price then they say 25 for rehearsal, 1$ per mile for travel, 25 for marriage license signing. Then they say and if you have more then 50 guest or more then 2 groomsman the price goes up. How does the number of guests I have or how many are in the wedding party have anything to do with a officiant. What they say don't change and the length of the ceremony is the same but their price gets higher

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18 Comments

Latest activity by Kari, on October 14, 2020 at 4:50 PM

Savvy September 2020
Danielle · on October 13, 2020 at 2:28 AM
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Hmm.. Not sure what area you're in, but we recently got married in San Diego and our officiant as well as the others I researched had set pricing. Most of them had an extra charge for the rehearsal, but didn't charge for travel fees that I recall.
I did find our thru wedding wire.
We paid under $500 and that included rehearsal, creating the ceremony and turning in the paperwork.
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VIP July 2017
Becky · on October 13, 2020 at 7:34 AM
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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.)
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Master April 2021
Mrs. Spring · on October 13, 2020 at 8:02 AM
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Omg, yes, it's expensive. I recommend looking online at thumbtack or possibly use a family friend. Some states such as Colorado and Washington DC allow the couple to marry themselves and sign the legal paperwork without an officiant.
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Savvy October 2021
Haleigh · on October 13, 2020 at 8:12 AM
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It is surprisingly expensive. That’s part of the reason we asked a friend to be ours.
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Expert February 2021
RaylaSan · on October 13, 2020 at 9:43 AM
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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.
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Expert November 2020
Annika · on October 13, 2020 at 10:49 AM
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I haven't heard of the amount of guests driving the officiant cost up. Ours was 300 plus 50 for a rehearsal.
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Just Said Yes July 2021
Krystal · on October 13, 2020 at 11:40 AM
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I also found the notion to be insane when I find the email I recieved I will post it for yall to see
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VIP June 2019
Hanna · on October 13, 2020 at 11:50 AM
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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
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Dedicated April 2021
Lynn · on October 13, 2020 at 12:24 PM
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I found myself be on thumbtack and she is charging me 300.00
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Just Said Yes July 2021
Krystal · on October 13, 2020 at 12:35 PM
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This is just one example of the pricing, and with what you were needing I understand the cost but im just wanting simple and basic
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Just Said Yes July 2021
Krystal · on October 13, 2020 at 12:36 PM
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Just an example
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Master July 2019
Hannah · on October 13, 2020 at 1:06 PM
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Yeah, officiant prices are insane. Every one that I found wanted $500+ for a simple, secular ceremony. My state allows this, so my husband's uncle (who is a great orator and often does presentations as part of his job) got ordained online for free and performed pur ceremony.
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Dedicated November 2020
Olusola · on October 13, 2020 at 11:26 PM
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Same! My reverend is from Thumbtack and $150 for everything including our candle ceremony
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Super October 2022
Michele · on October 13, 2020 at 11:40 PM
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Many wedding vendors nickle and dime you because they know people will pay any price they name without question. Browse Thumbtack.com for your area. There are good vendors who will stick to a set price.
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Devoted January 2022
Shelly · on October 14, 2020 at 9:33 AM
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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.
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Super February 2020
Kaysey · on October 14, 2020 at 12:14 PM
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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
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Expert February 2021
RaylaSan · on October 14, 2020 at 2:55 PM
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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.
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Master May 2020
Kari · on October 14, 2020 at 4:50 PM
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Between $150-$300 is pretty typical, not including tip or attendance at the rehearsal dinner.
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