ISO Theme Officiant

I also look forward to your BAM! I was like { } close to a Wonderland themed wedding, no lie.

If you have found female officiants, couldn't you just ask her to wear medieval robes as well and say she is one of the female characters in the book? Just because Gandalf officiated Arwen and Aaragorn doesn't mean you also need a Gandalf. As long as her outfit fits the general theme, does it matter if she is male or female?

Honestly, a professional officiant will do the job x100 times better. How are you searching/ what area are you in?

ETA: I don't recommend the finding someone untrained. Please be careful. The officiant is so so so important.

I don't think anyone is laughing at your wedding, I think we are laughing because that is crazy specific, and it's an unrealistic request. PP's are right, you would be better off finding an officiant willing to wear a costume. Or maybe post this in a LOTR forum? Maybe other fans know someone who fits the description.

OP i'm with you, i don't think it's right to just totally laugh at your dreams. that being said, we do see a lot of ridiculous trolling around here and its people first instincts to react that way.

i was going to suggest what @brewer said. if the look is the most important thing to you, look for impersonators or cosplay artists. you'd probably have to pay for them to come out to your wedding, hotel, etc, if they're not local. but i'll repeat what i said before, i think the actual ceremony should be more important than how it looks. but, if you find someone that loves LOTR just as much as you do, than they might resonate with you way more.

http://www.orlandocosplay.com/forums/

I think focusing on this could negatively affect your ceremony. I’d want a professional so that the ceremony flows and the legal paperwork is done correctly.

Also, Florida has strict lays with officiants. Not just anyone can become ordained, there’s extra steps involved.

I love LOTR so I get wanting to incorporate it. I would just recommend being careful with the extent to which you incorporate it. The wedding should be about you and your SO, and themes can sometimes resemble children's parties. Having your officiant resemble Gandolph is kinda going overboard in my opinion. I would really recommend thinking about this a little more, talking with your SO, and trying to get a consensus from your guests as to their opinions. I feel like there are other ways to incorporate your interests in a beautiful way without being overkill.

So... you say you want to be sure he officiates well but also say you are willing to pay for someone who looks the part to get their license. Which is it? It sounds like you are willing to pay someone on the street that "fits the general bill" to officiate your ceremony rather than someone who actually knows what they are doing.

I mean in all seriousness, put an ad on Craigslist for searching for Gandalf look-a-like, pay for their license, and be done with it.

In the meantime, I will gladly take my "BORING" wedding.

Is there someone close to you who can do it and would be willing? You would have to research in your state who can marry you and the rules but we considered having my brother do it and in AZ it was pretty straight forward.

I don't want you to think I'm knocking your vision but I don't think the appearance of your officiant should be *so* important.

They are the person who is actually marrying you. They need to have a connection with you. You want them to be experienced and well spoken. Honestly, if you want someone with a certain look making an appearance to present the rings or lead a unity ceremony, I'd suggest contacting a modeling/acting agency.

Personally, if I were an officiant, I'd dismiss any couple sending me an inquiry asking my height, build, hair color, gender, and willingness to dress like a character. An officiant is a serious business and it's offensive to their work to hire them just based on experience.

ETA: im not an officiant. Sorry I made that unclear

I am a huge LOTR fan -- I completely understand a desire to have the look and ethereal feel of the movies and books in your wedding. However, hiring a Gandalf looking guy who is not a true officiant could be disastrous. Could you find a female officiant (or male) who'd be willing to don robes and take on an Elven appearance? This might even aesthetically meet your vision better -- very lovely. Then hire a Gandalf to fill another, less vital role.

OP please dont let these negative comments get to you. People can me extreamly mean when they are behind a computer. To laugh at someones idea for their wedding is just wrong. I was actually shocked when i saw that people literally posted "lol" just because its not somthing you would do does not mean its ok to laugh or tell someone they will have a "shitty ceramony". That being said i hope you find what you are looking for although i do agree with PP who said it might be easier to have Gandalf in the pictures and have an officiant that can look like an elf. Good luck!!

To be clear, I am not laughing at your theme. I am trying to highlight legit issues of having an actor preside over a legal ceremony.

I would try to incorporate Gandalf in another way like some PPs have said.

I love LOTR and am looking forward to your BAM though!

Can you post a picture of your dress? I love the medieval look!

As for the officiant, I wouldn't get too hung up on that detail. You can always still have him/her dress in a way that fits the theme. Just saying since if you keep your search criterion to this sole one you might start running out of time.

Hold up. Did you come to Davids bridal for your wedding dress and was it vera?

I think this sound awesome! I am seriously interested in seeing your pictures!!

I'm not sure if you mentioned which resources you used to find an officiant, but may I suggest Thumbtack? Idk what the general consensus is on it, but you're able to include specific things that you're looking for. I do hope you're able to find someone that fits the part, as I can understand having a vision and want to follow through- but if you really are willing to pay for someone to obtain their license-please please have a trial? Or something? I would just hate for you to find a visually perfect officiant- who botches up the delivery

Don't listen to the rude comments. My future husband and I both love LOTR as well. Our tradition is that we watch it as a movie marathon every Valentines Day. I can picture your vision in my head, and I think it will be beautiful. I hope you post pics.

My suggestion is to get a real officiant for legal reasons, regardless of look. Maybe hire a Gandalf as well for pictures? Good luck!

I can tell you what the general consensus is on TT; it's beginners and people who will pay to bid on your wedding because that's the only way they can fill their calendars.

I don't know that anyone is being rude, just questioning the logic behind hiring an officiant based on their looks rather than their expertise. If you said you wanted to hire some other stereotypical 'look' for your officiant, I wonder what the response would be?

I guess I missed the post about being adamantly against a woman officiant too. Nice.

Misplaced priorities all around.