When do you pay your officiant?

We paid our officiant half before and the remaining was due the day of. Unfortunately our officiant fell violently ill and was in the hospital for a prolonged period of time leading up to and well past our wedding. Her friend somehow found in her books her schedule and lined up someone else for us. We sent her get well cards, emails, etc. never heard back from her. I'm honestly not sure what her outcome ever was. She did have some medical issues.

Usually the remainder of the fee is given by the best man to the officiant on the wedding day. I would be a little leary of wanting the payment to be paid so far ahead. If you pay in cash you have no recourse if you do not have a contract.

Our pastor married us, and did not require payment, but we gave him 150 in a thank you card the day of.

i would ask if you can give another 50 now, and then the rest on the rehersal or day of just because its still a ways off.

it does seem alittle sketchy tho.

do you have a contract with him/her?

Yeah that does seem weird. I had to pay $100 deposit the the balance isn't due until MUCH closer to the actual wedding day. I'm thinking it was due 7 days prior.

We paid our officiant half on our first meeting and the remainder will be paid the day of the wedding.

That seems really early. We put down a 10% deposit one year out, and can pay our officiant the balance any time leading up to the wedding. I would be concerned about paying cash this far in advance, as the other ladies have said. Maybe I am too cynical, but I have had vendors bail without so much as saying a word to us (well...just one!). Even if it's an officiant, it can't hurt to look out for yourself. Good luck!

I paid half at deposit when we booked her 2 years ago & the remainder was due 2 weeks before... but she accepts all methods of payment CC, Cash, or Check.. It seems really fishy to me, i would see if he has a references where did you find him??

We paid a $50 deposit and the rest is due two weeks before the wedding. So I would definetly ask him why he wants you to pay so early. It sounds a little shady to me personally.

I was actually matched with him here on WW.....I think I'm going to contact some previous brides that used his services.

https://www.weddingwire.com/reviews/rev-giovanni-weddings-sun-city/1b6ba4024e004e92.html

I've already emailed him stating that I was under the assumption that balance was due the day of....I'm still waiting on his reply.

Considering the officiant is generally the least costly I wonder why payment is required so soon. Don't drop a dime until you hear a feasible reason why he needs to be paid so far in advance.

I would just tell him ur concerns. Just tell him that I will pay you another $50.00 or so. I don't see his reasoning for wanting full payment so soon. I do agree that its way too soon to be paid in full I mean if he backs out you will lose your $$. (not saying that he would but u never no....) Good luck hun!

I'm sure you can pay him up to two weeks before the actual wedding day. That's standard. Half as deposit upon contract and the rest near the wedding date. We found our officiant late and for us, it was more convenient to pay her in full and we trusted her.

Yeah our officiant didn't even require a deposit... we just signed a contract with him saying everything is due the day of and should be attached to the marriage certificate. We will probably pay him by check a few weeks before so its one less thing I have to worry about the day of... but yeah I wouldn't pay in full until right before the wedding.

My husband is an officiant and we usually get a $50 deposit with the balance due at the rehearsal, in cash....they can pay by check or money order two weeks before. So far, we've only been stiffed once, and that was by a couple who came to the house with their witnesses and he did the ceremony, filed out the paperwork and THEN they said they had no money.....never again!

As a wedding officiant I offer this prospective,- You should have a "Date Reservation Agreement" that spells out in detail what he /she will be doing for your ceremony. There should always be a deposit,non-refundable (there will always be curcumstantance where this is not inforced) This guarntees that this date is reserved for you. It should tell you what this person is going to provide.

1 month prior you should have a draft of the ceremony. 2nd deposit should be paid @ this time. 1week prior to the wedding date, final payment should be made.

It's embarrassing to have to ask for payment the day of. Everyone is caught up in the excitment of the moment.and yes, checks can bounce.

Most officiants will only book 1 event per day. Some will invest @ least 10 hours, writing & customizing your ceremony(unless you "pick one") There is the rehearsal the day before.

Your ceremony is the most important part of the day, it's the start of your lives together,the celebration afterwards.

As a wedding planner, on many occasions, I have handed the balance owed to the officiant on the day-of. Also, I have worked with brides who paid the officiant the remaining prior to the wedding. In most church weddings, where there is a fee to use the church, the officiants fee is included in the rental of the church, however, it is still accepted (and often times expected) to give the officiant a honorium of $100-$300. I agree with Rev. Katherine D. There should be a "Date Reservation Agreement" along with a deposit to reserve the date.

Sylvia

http://www.40-40-40.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQvWkErYAfQ

As an Officiant, I collect a $100 non-refundable deposit when they book me for their ceremony. The balance is due either at their rehearsal (should they be holding one) or directly before their ceremony on their wedding day. The deposit, however and be transferred to another date, should unique circumstances arise. I would be concerned if any vendor wants the fee paid all up-front, especially so far out from the wedding date.

Hello- I require $25.00 deposit to hold date and then the balance is paid the day of ceremony once the license has been completed.What is being asked of you doesn't quite seem right- did you sign an agreement? I know we have on there stated our payment requirements.

I'm an officiant in Denver CO. I usually ask for a deposit to reserve the date and work on the ceremony, and for the balance to be paid before the ceremony starts. That could be far in advance or the day of. About half my couples pay the full amount so they don't have to worry about it later. I do recommend to everyone that they not leave payment of vendors to the last minute. It takes you out of the flow of your day to stop and write checks or run credit cards. You can write checks ahead and give them to the best man to give to vendors. But make sure the vendors don't have to chase someone down to get paid. It's very inconsiderate.

I have been very fortunate. Some couples chose to pay me in full in advance but it is most common to pay me before the ceremony begins.