Officiant at Rehearsal?

We opted to not have ours at rehearsal and save money

Mine will be there because ultimately they run the ceremony! You need to make sure they know the order of things!

We're inviting ours and his spouse to the rehearsal and dinner.

We got married in the church. Our officiant had to be there. Besides, we signed all the official paperwork the night before so we didn't have to worry about doing it the day of. I can't imagine having the rehearsal without our officiant. That being said, I also can't imagine my wedding without my DOC, who totally saved the day in so many ways. What a toss up.

I rarely do a rehearsal. They are mostly not necessary if we're organized ahead of time (processional order, cue sheet, color coded, copies for musicians/dj, photographer, venue staff). It is walking and standing; no one pays attention anyway, no one remembers anything the next day, and it's much more productive for you and your BP/SO's to have a relaxing night together.

Almost every officiant I know charges for a rehearsal, and many can't do them if they're on a Friday or Saturday. More than two days ahead? It's ancient history to your BP.

Spend the money on a DOC.

And seriously, I would never do the official paperwork the day before. Unless you actually got married that day, it's not the day of your wedding. What if something happens overnight? A fire? Your signing officiant goes MIA? Your witnesses can't attend? Or if something (like a hurricane) makes it impossible for you to get married on that day or in that place?

No way. We do it before the ceremony, but on the day of, right before.

Bag the rehearsal, hire a DOC.

I definitely want them at our rehearsal. I was MOH in a wedding this summer and I know it answered a lot of questions for the bride and her dad about where they stand, when he should sit, what cues to look for, etc. Even with a DOC you might know when you are supposed to walk but not everything during the ceremony. I've been to weddings where everyone looked confused and didn't know what to do and I think a lot of that had to do with the officiant.

That can all be done the same day. And some of it really does depend on how good the officiant is....

Hehe our DOC is our officiant, so she'll be there! But I think a DOC is definitely worth it hands down. The officiant doesn't need to be there to know which bridesmaid is walking with which groomsman. It might be comforting if they offer to come but to pay extra for them to be at the rehearsal won't really be necessary. Every person I've talked to said that having a DOC (whether included with the venue or not) is totally worth every penny.

At first our officiant said he wouldn't be able to come to our rehearsal in the church because he'd be away at his wife's family reunion. Luckily the week of he let us know his wife was too pregnant to travel that far and he could do the rehearsal. It was a huge relief. If you haven't been to very many weddings this time will clarify a lot of things for not only you but your whole wedding party. I just really wanted everyone to feel confident knowing what they would be doing the next day. It paid off because all the readers knew their cues, our mother's knew when to light the candles, everyone knew where to stand, etc. Plus if the officiant is there your wedding party will be more likely to take everything seriously, whereas if you're just trying to run the show and tell people what to do. You know? Good luck.

You can really do it yourself: on paper figure out where everyone is standing. When you rehearse, have everyone stand in their final place - where they will end up - first. Then, have them all go back in walk in.

Your officiant will likely give you a copy of the parts of the ceremony. Just take the titles of the parts of the ceremony (not the actual words the officiant will say), and write in "Bride hands MOH her bouquet" so MOH will be expecting that. Same with rings; think ahead who will have them, write it down, so those people will know their parts. Etc.

Make sure everyone knows how the recessional will go, as well.

And - you should not sign everything the night before. California law states that the officiant must review the license prior to the ceremony or it's a misdemeanor! But at the same time, if the officiant says that they officiated, and the witnesses sign that they witnessed it, and it hasn't happened..that's not good because it's not true. Parts can be filled out (name, addresses, etc) but not the official signing part.

Google "wedding processional order" and you should find some information.

Best wishes to you!

Based on our experience, there really wouldn't have been a point in doing the rehearsal without the officiant. We really appreciated the rehearsal and it helped to ease our nerves. Also, the officiant was only $25 for the rehearsal so it was pretty much negligible- the rates are set here by the province. If I were to do it again I would still do a rehearsal- I found a lot of value in it, but I guess that varies by person.

I have not chosen an officiant yet (hoping a friend will be available), but the professionals I have talked with charge an extra $50 to be at the rehearsal and I let them all know I would want them at the rehearsal dinner which is the day before-a Friday-and none of them felt that would be a problem.

My price includes both so I get him for both. I am not though, inviting him to the rehersal dinner as this is just some guy I found off the internet from our government website and he does weddings for a living.

In Florida, I have to see that the license is effective by the wedding date (3 day waiting period for residents) and I can't sign the marriage certificate until after the ceremony has taken place.

Because most of my ceremonies are elopements or destination weddings, I write their ceremonies in such a way that I'm directing them all the way (turn and face each other, repeat after me, pour your sand into this container, etc.).

Even if we do a rehearsal, the arch and chairs aren't there then, so everything looks different the next day anyway.

Thanks for your input everyone. We decided against hiring her for the rehearsal and instead use the money towards a DOC.

Ours will be there as both are included in his fee. I'm happy to have him there.

If it's officiant at the rehearsal vs DOC, I vote DOC.

We did have our officiant at our rehearsal, and I don't regret it because it helped ease my anxiety A LOT and we had some special parts of our ceremony, so we found it really useful, It's not NECESSARY, though. You can successfully do a rehearsal on your own.

Ours will be there. Not only is he a family friend, but he will be officiating in a church that isn't his so I want to make sure he's comfortable with everything. Everyone will be there anyway the day before, so it makes sense to just run through things really quick.

Ours is not available. He has a wedding in another town the evening before.

I think you'll be happy with the hiring of a DOC

An hour of on site, before hand, is plenty of time for an experienced officiant to get a grip on things, and the order of service, music cues, etc should be on paper WAY before that.

The license literally takes five minutes to sign; in some states, the witnesses and/or couple don't even sign it. Don't risk doing it the day before and do NOT give it to your officiant before the day. If something happens to them, you have a REAL problem; no license.