Is it legal to have a friend officiate your wedding in PA?

Hire a pro officiant. That way you know it's legal and done right.

Hire a pro

Another vote for hire a pro. They're paid well for what they do for a reason.

PA is weird. It's a commonwealth, and each county has its own stuff going on. I only go to a few counties (I am not ordained online) that I've thoroughly investigated and had a conversation with the clerk.

Hire a pro. You'll be better in all ways.

Ok assuming I do not want to hire a pro... anyone have experience with this?

@Eva - You've been advised to consult an attorney. You don't want to hire a pro but you'd rather jump through endless hoops to have someone who has never officiated a wedding, do yours? You'd possibly spend as much investigating with an attorney as you would on a high-end pro. Friendors are rarely a good idea and you're finding out one of the very reasons why. Wouldn't you hate to be married by this friend and then find out it's not legal? Not worth the risk, IMO.

I live about an hour away from Lancaster and wanted to have a friend do it too. But PA wouldn't allow it so we hired someone to do it. PA apparently has werid rules about who is marrying you and will you lots of problems if not by a professional. I did a lot of research on it before but we are happy that we have the person we do and cannot wait to see what she comes up with for the ceremony. Edited: PA will tell you it is not legal and challenge the marriage. The best bet is to find someone how can do it and is legal in PA. Sorry PA has werid laws with this one.

I know when I researched for PA, someone ordained online cannot marry a couple unless they have a congregation. (or something like that)

Unless you just want to be legally married at the courthouse when you receive that marriage license, you will need to hire a pro.

@eva Look up self uniting marriage licenses. Do lots of research. Call the Register of Wills again. If you have any doubts, hire a pro.

Your friend can still speak at the wedding if you're attached to having him be involved, but please take our advice about hiring a pro. You're already facing issues. It's a red flag. Remember, it's technically the only vendor you need to get married. Don't mess with it. Wish you luck.

Like Celia said, PA is weird. FH's cousin recently did the self-uniting thing. Not sure of the requirements, but you'd need to research it heavily.

I understand the initial urge to have someone close to you marry you, but considering this is the ONE thing you need to have a legally binding marriage, I don't see why you'd risk it.

Have your friend do a reading but hire someone pro. It'll be less than hiring an attorney.

"How can I kill my grandmother?"

"That's probably not a good idea"

"How can I kill my grandmother?"

"That might not be legal"

"But I really want to kill my grandmother. You didn't answer my question."

I am in Lancaster and I believe you will need to hire a pro. I have heard that the self uniting license is not recognized by some other states so you will really need to do some research.

@Celia FTW

ETA: Are you really less than 2 months out with no concrete officiant plans? You left almost no wiggle room for potential errors.

And never take legal advice from anyone online. Including me. Except for NJ.