how to become a legal wedding officiant in philadelphia?

Yes, things can go wrong with the license.

The county courthouse called me one time to get a correct address for the couple because when the courthouse mailed the certified copy of the license to them, it was returned -- no forwarding order on file. Fortunately, I had a better address than what the couple had given them. Because the license does not have my biz name on it (only my name), I got the call on my home phone.

Last year, even though the couple was from out-of-state, a new clerk put the 3-day hold on the license (by mistake). The couple left the next day for a week-long cruise. I went to the courthouse Monday morning to try to fix the mistake. They wouldn't talk with me because I was not the bride. When the couple got back from the cruise, and before they could fly home, I had to meet them at the courthouse Monday morning to get a new license issued -- with the original issue date and corrected effective date. The couple had to postpone their flight by a day (and pay a fee to do that), rent a car, and rent a motel -- because of the courthouse clerk's mistake. If I had been one of their relatives and officiating, I would have been back home and not able to fix the problem. The couple would have had to have another legal marriage there.

Yeah, I've had those calls..."we're at the airport and we forgot to bring our copy of the license; can you scan it to our cell phones?"

or more frequently, "My cousin was going to do our wedding but he freaked out and now we can't find anyone. And it's next week."

@Rosemary sorry I was at work, but I also wanted to add that the reason they knew he was legal was because he had already filed with the state (besides just paying the online fee to become ordained). For example if you were to go to my state's list of ministers with a valid license, he is on that list (among all of the professionals). Had he not been, then there still would've been more paperwork to do in order to make it legal per our state's requirements.

To the other ladies. Once again, I did not mean to offend, I am not saying you are not good at your job or anything of that nature, and apologize for coming off that way. I promise we did our research - I have a degree in the biological sciences with special attention to research so I'm kind of obsessed with knowing every in and out of a situation. We met with professionals and just didn't mesh with any of them. Out of the four we met, two were also ordained online. Also, a lot of the people in our area don't let you write your own vows, something very important to us. I am not and never was a "party girl," so there's really no opportunity for a tmi moment. The worst he could do is tell a childhood story, but seeing as it is an intimate ceremony with only our closest friends and relatives, they most likely have heard those stories a million times. I am a sucker for detail - my ceremony will not be "cut and pasted from the internet." Lastly, I currently live with my brother, so there's no issue with him not being around if something goes wrong.

I understand your advice and why you're being adamant with your recommendations, but again, it just doesn't apply to our personal situation. Honestly, this thread is the only place we've received any sort of flack for going with a non-pro - even the clerk thought it was a nice sentiment.