Officiant quotes

I just have to jump in and defend Kim; I don't think she is saying what officiants do isn't worth the money, but when I looked for the first time I was shocked by the price simply because I didn't know that that was everything they did. Until I looked, I thought it was just 20 minutes, not everything else.

I wasn't trying to offend people Who do it for a living. I've talked to friends who have been married and they said that was high. Maybe that's because they were married in a church? When it comes to making the ceremony more personal, I would think that would be the bride and grooms job. I already know what I want said for the most part. I just need someone to say it and preferably not for 400+ bucks lol

I'm sorry, I just get so sick of hearing this. When you look into churches, you might be shocked at how fast those charges can add up.

There are a lot of terrible officiants out there at every price. The challenge is to find a good one that will do what you want at a price you can live with.

And thank you Breanna. I felt the same way when I looked for MUA's to recommend; I just had no idea what they did, how long it took and how much the materials cost....

Celia, I'm sure florists get tired of hearing their services are not worth the $$ because "flowers just die" (which I could not disagree with more) but I have never seen a florist get on the forum and jump on a bride and frankly I think it is unprofessional. If I were ever quoted the 800 dollars as you say, I would chuckle to myself and politely decline. I do understand the importance of a good officiant and respect the services they provide. But I am a bride on a budget. Luckily, I found one on here that has 75 reviews and 5 stars across the board and is asking half the original price I was quoted. Like I said earlier, not trying to offend anyone. We all have jobs and they all play important roles in the world. Thank you for your advice and input. I really do value it!!

Our pastor's fee is $200. I don't know if his fee is higher for people who aren't members of the church; but a whole we are paying $600. 200 for our pastor, 150 for our worship leader to come in an run our music/mics and then the rest is to the church itself. $400 seemed kind of high to me as well but I suppose it depends on the area as well.

Wow @ that comment earlier.

@Kim I completely understand what you are saying. I got a quote for a minister for $1,000. I was shocked. I'm not having a church wedding nor will he be helping with any pre-martial conferences/musical accompaniment because my fiance and I already had a list of what we. want said and in what order. I am a budget bride and I had to decline because that is more than I am paying for anything other than the venue

Weddings ain't cheap that's for sure lol. I don't want too in depth of a ceremony. I found some readings online. One from the Velveteen Rabbit that I LOVE, an Apache blessing, I also found a Bob Marley quote/poem that i like and another poem, The Invitation, by Oriah Mountain Dreamer and one more Irish blessing. I love them all I don;t know if i want them all to be read or not!

I think 400 is ridiculous and last i checked vendors werent even supposed to be on these forums. I would NEVERRRRR pay 400 let alone 800 that is the most rediculous thing ever to me..

I wrote out our entire cermeony and adams ordianed gpa is just reading it as he is an elder at his church. ill save the 400 for the florist

I've recently been checking into these quotes too in the Charlottesville, Va area. The 3 I've received so far are $650, $450 and $400. They are all interfaith ministers that often do customized ceremonies for the bride and groom. we're getting married outside, not in a church. We're on a tight budget too and I definitely admit, I was shocked at how much they are too! I was expecting a 100-200 donation to a church or something.... Definitely not 650. I guess like someone said, as long as you like them and you're okay with the price then it works out.

That is a fairly reasonable price. I am getting married in my church. For members, it is free, and for non-members it is $1000. It is expensive, but from what I have seen and heard, that is pretty reasonable.

Our Officiant is charging us $400, which is fine, he's a professional and we are happy to have somebody who knows what their doing marrying us. At the end of the day, do what you want and can afford, the most important part is that you get married.

You girls make me feel awful i am paying $700 for my officiant but he gets to know my fiancé and I and customizes our ceremony to the very last minute of it. I didn't really look into the price range for officiants,I went to meet with this particular one and just connected with him so very well, even my fiancé loves him. I too thought it was expensive but after analyzing it I think he is worth every penny.

Vendors are actually very much allowed on these forums. They cannot advertise (no one can), but they are allowed to give advice and opinions. If you don't want their input you can mark your posts so only brides can comment on them.

And in Celia's defense you claimed a quote you got was ridiculous. She explained the work involved in officiating a ceremony so you could understand where those numbers come from. She may have seemed defensive, but . I've seen plenty of MUA, photographers, DJs, and yes florists explain and defend their pricing before as well.

If you don't like a quote you get you can always ask for clarification as to why they are charging what they are and if you still don't like it you can always move on to another vendor which you did. And I'm glad you found someone you like in your price range.

And vendors are allowed here if we don't specifically advertise. I often post my pinterest page of vows and wedding quotes, and anyone is free to use them with no benefit to me. The vendors who come here usually do so with free advice that we hope is helpful.

We're paying $600 for our officiant, who is a family friend. It is more important to us to be married by a family friend than the cost.

My officiant charges $500-$1000 usually. She is a friend, so she is gifting it to us. But, I never will understand why people will pay thousands on everything else, then complain about a few hundred for the person who makes a wedding and wedding. Without the officiant it is just a party. In my opinion, they are one of the most important parts of the wedding and are worth every penny.

We're paying $475 for our officiant, and I think that's fair. We met him, liked him and he had great reviews on the web. To be honest I had no idea how much to budget for the officiant. He is customizing the ceremony for us, and is also bilingual, so will be doing it in French and in English, and that to me is definitely worth the money.

Our pastor married us, and all we had to do was make a donation. We gave $500 because it is our home church and provided us with counceling.

I am paying 900.00 for my officiant. They are going to travel a bit out of their range for us. I feel it is worth the price. You can always go to the courthouse for cheaper.

$400 does seem high to me, but in my area people usually have theirs done at churches and give a less than $200 donation to the church.

We're not getting married at a church. Our venue has an officiant built into the cost of the ceremony. Idk how much of the cost is the officiant. If $400 though is what I had to pay for a very good officiant, I would have. I'd rather have a good one than a cheapo one that can barely speak in public.