Loved one officiating my wedding

If he's ACTUALLY ordained, there shouldn't be a problem? I live in WA, though. They might be a little more liberal with that sort of thing over here.

That aside, I do agree with Kate--you'll never regret hiring a professional. So many of our friends, however charismatic they may be...are just not good at the ins and outs of officiating a wedding (unless they are, in fact, a pastor at a church).

Monroe County, Florida, or Maryland? Super strict laws for Florida. Please contact your county clerk's office to discuss what you need to do.

Here's for Maryland:

http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmStatutesText.aspx?article=gfl§ion=2-406&ext=html&session=2017RS&tab=subject5

It's really easy to look this stuff up online. I don't know what state you are in either.

Search" who can officiate a wedding in ______"

You just need to research your specific county you're getting married in. Getting ordained doesn't always mean the state will honor it. If you're not positive your friend will be legally able to marry you, call the clerks office and ask.

Are you in PA?? If so, I believe the only counties that do not recognize universal life are Bucks & York. Check with your county clerks office to be sure. FH was just looking into this. We're from Luzerne county & his niece is marrying us.

A friend of mines got ordained to marry us as well you just have to check and see what the state guidelines are. In DC & VA you have to register with the courthouse and have a certification and in MD you just need to have your certification from an official site.

In Delaware anyone can marry you, basically.

When it comes to all the rules from WW, I think I would be outcasted if everyone knew all the things I'm doing that ppl didn't agree with. With that being said, it is important to us that FHs aunt officiate our wedding. There's a meaning behind it which we stand behind. FHs family has multiple ppl that don't agree with it at all. We dont care. Lol! But every state is different. So just search your state and even countys and check at the probate office to ensure it will be legal. As long as all your bases are covered you can get whom ever you want to officiate! Yay!!! I love personalization so I'm definitely on your team

Another thing I just thought of, in SC a notary can marry you. No certificate required as long as the notary is up to date

Hey! Thanks for all the info! I totally forgot to post I am in Pennsylvania. I just got nercous because I read if you call the courthouse they can't legally tell you if that person can or can't marry you based on their ordination. So I was like, how can i find out...lol

If you're in PA, you need to check the individual county. Each county can have its own rules on who/who isn't allowed to marry a couple.

I believe Montgomery county allows this, but I know for certain Lancaster county does not. Call Monroe County officials when you get a chance.

ETA: grammar

I would imagine it would be fine as long as they are actually ordained. Good luck!

My Godmother is an ordained minister in NY. She had to fill out paperwork in order to have permission to perform our ceremony in VA. She officiated at my sister's wedding a few years ago. I know that it means the world to her to officiate for me. My Godparents never had children of their own, so they consider me to be their daughter. It will make it special because she can make it very personal. (We did a 4 hour session of pre-marital counseling over the summer with her so she got to know my FH and I as a couple quite well).

I officiated a friend's wedding this summer in KY. I called the county clerk to make sure my online ordination was acceptable (after I had researched it extensively, I just wanted to triple check), and I didn't have any problems. Just make sure that you two are up to date on all the paperwork and file it correctly, and on time. You should be able to call the county clerk and ask what constitutes an ordained minister, they can tell you that (but they probably can't tell you about your specific situation).

PA is a Quaker state, if you get the self uniting license it doesn't matter who marries you. In fact, you don't need an officiant at all if you get that particular license.

It's pretty difficult to have a friend marry you in PA. I would maybe hire an officiant and ask your friend to be apart of the ceremony in some way, such as leading a prayer (if you're inclined) or doing a reading. Maybe even leading a unity ceremony such as the tree planting or sand ceremony or something (if you check with a registered officiant and its okay and wouldn't invalidate anything)

My friend just used ULC in May. She's in Philadelphia and they got married in Hershey by their friend that officiated. No problems. I'm also in Montgomery county and my friend just got officiated through ULC as well!

We had a family friend officiate (don't regret it at all). In Va the way the laws sounds in some counties make it seem like no one can officiant in that county unless they live there. It just takes a few phone calls. All he had to do was get the county judge in the county he lives into sign off and than he was able to officiate in any county.

@Tallah is right about Delaware - we're pretty laid back here in the First State. So long as the officiant is "ordained," that's good enough.

The husband's brother is a bit of a frustrated actor, is very comfortable speaking in public, and loves his niece, the bride. So we've asked him to perform the ceremony. Neither the bride nor groom wanted any type of religious ceremony, so the uncle was very honored to be asked.