Uncle will officiate wedding :)

My best friends dad is going to marry us, he's done many weddings before and it will be great having someone I know to make things less nerve racking. We plan on getting him a gift card to one of his favorite restaurants!

My brother is doing ours! I wouldn't have it any other way! Your uncle knows you as a couple so it's very special.

You pick the script and review it with him before the rehearsal dinner congratulations!!

I've been to weddings where the "friend" or "uncle" or whoever officiated. It was awkward for guests who didn't know the officiant. The stories told were cringe-y. The close friend or relative was a distraction from what should be the focal point; you and your FH.

It's totally up to you, but I 100% agree that you should hire a professional. If anything were to go wrong, you might resent your uncle for it every time you think about your wedding. Not something I'd want to chance.

But I'm also a bride to be who hates outdoor weddings and most things non-traditional....

My uncle will be marrying us. However, he's a professional who's done this for many years. He married my parents and both of his children, as well as other distant family members.

I highly recommend letting a pro do it if your uncle is not. I went to a wedding recently where the officiant was a friend of the couple who got licensed just for their wedding. It was horrible- he kept stumbling over his words and read the script the entire time without looking up. Nerves get to people who haven't done this before.

This sounds so excellent, in theory. We wanted one of our friends to get ordained and do our ceremony (one of those people that just has such a wonderful calm way about them) but professionals are called professionals for a reason. I encourage you to look into one.

If any of you would have been listening. Her uncle IS a minster.

Yay!! That's awesome!! I'm having a friend officiate ours and he refuses payment as well. I'll be getting him a really nice gift to give at the rehearsal dinner.

You've said your uncle is a minister, has he done weddings before?

My Godmother offered to marry FH and I and we very excitedly accepted. However, she's done weddings before, so has her husband and she knows many pros so I'm not concerned about her experience.

This is a very serious thing though, since you're set on it just make sure you do your homework on what's required for legality.

As for gifts, make it personal. My Godmother loves donating money in our names to charities or purchasing products from local artists and such. So for her, I decided to donate in her name to her favorite charity, and have a special corsage made with her favorite flowers and include a card and gift card.

I think it's lovely when the officiant is a friend or family member. My husband's friend from college was our officiant and he did an amazing job. We wrote the whole ceremony for him and he was welcome to add his input but it was not a lot of work for him and he was truly honored to marry us. A lot of people told us that they loved our personal ceremony and that it was the best wedding they'd been to. Was everything completely polished and professional? No, but we wanted it to be personal and heartfelt and it was. I've been to weddings with professional officiants and it can be awkward when it's obvious that the person doesn't know the couple at all. Your uncle will be great. You asked him for a reason. As for a gift, we took our officiant and his wife out to a nice dinner. You could give him tickets to a sporting event maybe? What are his interests?

I second @A.L.'s suggestion of having your uncle do a reading (or a toast during the reception!). While its always an awesome thought to have someone close to you bind ya'll in love, I wouldn't want that kind of stress on someone important to me on my big day. I'd much rather have them looking on and basking in the event rather than trying to make sure they get the words right.

I need a bingo card, please.

Hi y'all. My uncle is minsiter, ex-military/truck driver. No, he hasn't done a wedding before. We'll be his first. I know...it's a lot and going to be some work. I'm going to do my research and he is too. We talked about that...a lot of things (like how we are as a couple etc...what's spiritually appropriate for us.). We're not religious/non-church goers. He knows that. I just really want this to happen. It's a great thing and would mean so much to us and my family. There aren't a lot of weddings that have taken place in my family...for one reason or another. I've been waiting a very long time for this to happen. I'm still in shock that I'm engaged! I've gone through a lot physically and emotionally where I felt it was never going to happen for me. The small, perosnal things with family and friends are just super important to us. I'm 35 and my FH will be 39 this year. I've always wanted to be married. He's actually never wanted to or dreamed of doing so. And now that we've found each other, he wants that. Everyone is over the moon about celebrating with us.

To ensure that all is legal and his anxiety is at a low, we may get married on base/via the Chaplin (FH is in the military) before our ceremony. Idk, what do y'all think? Lol, I'm sorry...I'm a serious talker/texter...

If you get marry at the base, your "ceremony" should be listed on the invite as vow renewal.

Agree with A&L. I would avoid the first wedding and just do it all at once in front of family and friends.

A&L; send me a card please.

Alexis ignore any negative posts and people hounding that this is a bad idea. I have been to weddings with professional officiants and ones with a family/friend officiant. The professional is not always good and the family/friend is not always horrible. You can research to ensure he is properly ordained and you can read hundreds of articles on the timeline and wording of the ceremony to plan what works best for you and your FH.

Since it does require some planning offer to pay for his lodging (if applicable), he will probably decline but its the effort that counts. My opinion is that a GC or other sentimental gift is a good way to thank him. You can also choose to express to that him that performing the ceremony is the best gift you could have received from him.

Maybe have him say something at the reception and hire a professional for the ceremony

I have been to 5 weddings in the last 2 years and none of them were done by a hired officiant. They were all done by friends of the couple, my FH having done 2 of them himself and they were all wonderful. Nothing again hiring a professional, but just know that a "non-pro" can officiate. Yes its all about the right person for the job, and making sure all the legalities are in place, but at least here in Seattle it's more common than not to have a friend or relative officiate; but I also have a skewed sample since work in an entertainment industry so everyone is a great speaker, can put together a great speech/ceremony, and all have had to deal with crowds and issues that could arise.

To answer the question you asked, I think that a small personal gift, maybe even a gift card to a nice restaurant you know he likes?

UO, my uncle is marrying us as well. However, he is a judge and has performed many a weddings. He gave us the option to use the clear cut courthouse ceremony or take bits and pieces from it and make it our own. We are doing the latter. He was extremely honored when we asked. He did my cousins last year and it was beautiful. To be honest, I would rather have someone I know up there. It would have been the priest that baptized me many moons ago, however, we are not getting married in the Catholic Church. So my uncle gets to do the honors. We plan on doing gift cards to a nice restaurant for him and my aunt. I asked my cousin what they got him and he told me "a very nice thank you letter". Haha.

My officiant is a friend but he is also a professional officiant. He volunteered to be the officiant at my wedding. I would not have accepted if he didn't have experience though. You want to make sure the wedding is legal.