How do you know an Officiant is Legit?

What makes you think they may not be legit?

I take it that are not part of a church? Do they have reviews from previous couples? Can you find their name/business listed other places on the internet, review sites/wedding vendor sites/the yellow pages?

The rules are different per state regarding who can legally marry you. In some states the rules are pretty lenient, so I suppose then almost anyone who wanted to could advertise as an officiant.

I found him on Craigslist. I searched for him on Facebook and he seems to be legit. But he's not on wedding sites, etc.

Where do you live?

I'm in Virginia

What helped me find our officiant was

http://www.thumbtack.com/ you fill out what type you are looking for then within the first two days you get a bunch of quotes of people who match up. There are reviews and such as well on their profiles hope this helps. :]

@ Nina - thanks! I just posted a request!

Glad to help that was the last thing I booked. For the fact I didn't have any idea on how to find a good legit one. Our wedding is 5/10/14 and literally just booked our like two weeks ago! (thank goodness!)

Officiants have to pay to send you quotes on Thumbtack, just so you know. Most of my colleagues won't do it.

The legality is one thing; whether they are any good is another. Look here and look at www.aawo.com

Many vendors don't pay to advertise on sites, or pay for leads such as on thumbtack or decidio. Many of us pay to make sure our websites come up on top.

Laws vary by state. Most states require "ordination" by a "church" (even for secular/non-religious officiants). In some states, notary publics can be officiants. Here in California, it is up to the couple to "verify" that their officiant is duly authorized; officiants don't have to "register" with the state. Ask your potential officiants if they have a certificate, or what does the state require of them. You can always call or check with the clerk's office that will issue your marriage certificate. They will tell you for sure.

Thanks for the advice you guys. I've already received 2 quotes on thumbtack and they are surprisingly budget-friendly!

Ask friends and family for referrals. Ask your venue for referrals.

Yes, ask your other vendors for recommendations. I get referrals from other pros in the biz.

Glad to hear you got some quotes

I got married in VA and my officiant had a card/license type thing showing she was official.

My county also has a list of civil celebrants on their website so you could try checking if yours does, if you don't care about it being a religious officiant (a civil celebrant/JOP can still talk about God or whatever, but are not necessarily a minister/pastor/etc).

I'm in VA and researched what it would take for a friend to do our wedding. They have to be ordained, a judge, or church leader ( may be missing a category). To get ordained you basically go online and pay a fee and you are legit.

If you can't find reviews I would ask him/her for references and meet first to make sure they are a fit.