having a friend as officiant

Your friend can get ordained online.

My bro got ordained through themonastery.org

It's free, and you pretty much just fill out some papers and they send you your certification paperwork.

You should investigate the legal requirements for your county, though. They may require more than just being ordained. Just call your local courthouse, they'll be able to help.

We're doing this, but the guy we're having doing it is already a preacher and licensed to legally marry couples. But I second McMurphy, people get ordained online all the time, FH has a friend that is ordained and can legally marry people all because he did it for one wedding.

You cant just have a friend do it. They have to at least be a notary. Do you have any friends that are notaries? Or like Kittens said, they can become ordained.

I was going to use my friend, but honestly sh*t happens and if for whatever reason, she did not show up --we would not be able to get legally married nor would we have anyone to do the ceremony so I am finding professional person. Not only for that reason, but also because they have done it more so they know what to say, they wont mess up or draw a blank during the ceremony and they can help you with vows and personalizing your ceremony and all that jazz.

My Future step momma is going to be our officiant...

Is this legal in all states? I know you can become ordained online, but I'm finding conflicting information about the legality of this in Nevada. Who would I contact? The marriage licence bureau?

It completely depends on the state. Some states allow anyone to marry you if they fill out a form for the day- Alaska is one of those. Other states allow you to get authorization by taking a class or getting "deputized" for a day- California is like that, but not every county. The best thing to do is check with the county recorder where you want to get married.

Im already legally married but Im having my friend officiate but since im married he doesnt have to do anything legal.

This page has all the info you need.

http://www.insidervlv.com/ministersnevada.html

Well, our mutual friend is marrying us, but he had already married a couple before and is ordained in our church to wed people. Very convenient!

I can see the downside of using your friend is just that he doesn't know the process like a professional would. I think it will still work fine though!

Yeah its very easy to get a one day qualification my best guy friend was going to do ours. But my fiances childhood friend is already an ordained minister so we're using him. And thats so true you can get certified online. When I first met with my venue coordinator she gave me a site and sure enough I went on there and got certified. Not sure how legit that is, sorta scary its so easy

My great aunt who is an ordained minister was supposed to marry us but wont be able to she told me if there was someone we wanted to do it they would just have to go down the the court house and fill out paper work to become a minister for the day

Do not use someone ordained online, if you are getting married in Nevada. As explained in this article, Nevada is one of the states in which using an officiant ordained online will invalidate your marriage.

Honestly, I do not recommend anyone using someone ordained online as an officiant in any state. In some states, it definitely invalidates the marriage. In others, the law is unclear, so you might find out later on that your marriage was invalid. In either case, you will not find out about the problem at the time of your marriage. Instead, you will find out only if the status of your marriage is later contested--e.g., on divorce, death, or bankruptcy--at which time it will be too late to correct the issue.

(cont.)

In some states (e.g., Massachusetts), there is a procedure for getting someone qualified as a one-day officiant. In others (e.g., Pennsylvania), there is a procedure for a "self-uniting" ceremony that does not require an officiant at all. Or if you live in one of the few states that still recognizes common-law marriage, a ceremony even with a prohibited officiant may be the basis for a claim of common-law marriage. In all other circumstances, using an officiant ordained online is a big risk. When you are paying thousands of dollars for a wedding, why would you risk ending up not legally married at the end of it?

I am doing this. In MA, someone can get a 1-day officiant license. You have to fill out an application to the Govenor's office explaining why they want this and need to get a reference etc. If approved, they can perform the ceremony. It's completely legal and recognized by the state.

My brother is our officiant we sent in paperwork for him to be approved to do our ceremony.

We are getting married in Vermont. They issue "Temporary Officiants" certificates for a fee of about $100. As long as the officiant has the license filed within a specified time period, it is totally legal and recognized in PA. The owner of the inn, is a dear friend, he will become a "temporary officiant" to marry us.

I would also heed 2D's advice and find out if this marriage will be recognized in your state/county.

I find it rather distressing that there are so many web sites popping up that say they can "Ordain" you for $20 - HOW CAN THIS BE LEGAL?

Getting married IS a serious step in your life. I think that at THE VERY LEAST there should be a test, license, or SOMETHING that indicates you are qualified to Officiate!

As someone who has been involved with all types of volunteer & church related matters from teaching Sunday School to 2nd graders through Grief Counseling - I feel that it demeans my experience & my career as a full time Reverend.

I am a Certified Wedding Minister and also have a Masters Degree in Divinity, but, I will not be able to do my job if "Bubba" can pay $20 to become "ordained".

It is kind of sad because being a Reverend used to really mean something.

BTW- Even if I was not a Reverend, I would still think that having your friend marry you is potentially jeopardizing the friendship because what if something goes wrong?

PEACE-

Reverend K

Listen to 2d bride- she's right. I looked up Nevada's laws, and they don't allow "just anyone" to marry you. They also don't recognize online ordinations.

Only 3 or 4 states allow a Notary Public to officiate (FL is one of them).

Hire a pro who is legit and experienced.

Huh. Not sure how my non-religious DS and I managed to so offend Reverend K by having a friend officiate.

Because our wedding was in Virginia, and their procedure to become an officiant is a pain and a half, we just went to the courthouse and got legally married a couple of days beforehand. Then the mutual friend who introduced us officiated our ceremony...and he may not have a Master's in God, but he cares about us and did a lovely job.