What are the Official Duties of a Registered Wedding Officiant in NYC?

 We were enjoying a dinner party at a wedding ceremony. Over the beer and some laughter, somebody urged us to complete the sentence, “A wedding cannot be performed without -----------?” While each one of us was getting ready with our version of responses, someone from behind blurted, “A wedding officiant!” 

 Our responses such as “Groom”, “Bride”, “Bridesmaids”, “Wedding Gown”, “Champagne”, blah…blah…blah, all froze halfway between the lips when we heard the alternate response. We looked at one another amused then toward the poker-faced gentleman who had completed the sentence for us. We couldn’t help but laugh out harder with his rapt response. Few of us continued laughing even after the ceremony was over. This laughter was not because the answer was crazy, but for the fact that it was a perfectly correct and sane response. In fact, no marriage is complete without a registered wedding officiant, at least in NYC. 

Every marriage needs a marriage license, and every marriage license is required to be signed by a wedding officiant. A marriage officiant can be anybody in NYC right from the members of the clergy, judges, justices of the peace, and some notary publics. Even mayors can perform the ceremony in some states. However, the prerequisite is that they should be registered with the City Clerk’s Office of the City of New York.

Let us understand the basic responsibility of a wedding officiant. 

 

Wedding officiants make a wedding official by fulfilling the obligations set forth by the marriage laws in the state where the ceremony is being held. They also need to sign the marriage license to legalize the marriage.

 

• Complete the marriage license

To have the legal rights and privileges of marriage, every couple needs a marriage license. It is issued by the state they live in. The marriage license must be completed by the individuals officially designated by the state. Completing this marriage license by signing on it is the basic responsibility of a wedding officiant.

 

• Civil Ceremonies and Legal Intent 

Each state has set rules of how a couple is going to legally “marry”. One of such rules is organizing a wedding ceremony. The extent of the ceremony or how small or big it should be is the choice of the couple, but a wedding officiant aids in organizing such events irrespective of their size or extent. If a couple chooses a religious ceremony, a religious leader can be an officiant and perform the wedding as a religious ceremony. In a civil ceremony, a judge can be an officiant, and he may just ask you if you are sure you want to enter the marriage and on your simple consent, he can pronounce you and your partner as a legally married couple. The crux is whatever kind of ceremony you choose, your wedding officiant will perform the ceremony according to it.  

 

• Planning the wedding ceremony 

Since the wedding couple chooses the type of ceremony they want to organize, the officiant must also be part of the wedding planning process so he can prepare the proceedings accordingly. A wedding officiant can assist the couple in personalizing the wedding ceremony or adding unique elements to the event. Registered marriage officiants like Captain Arnold can arrange spectacular and affordable wedding ceremonies on land, at sea, and in the air.

 

• Leading the wedding rehearsal 

Usually, if your officiant is a minister and you are getting married in a church, he will lead your wedding rehearsal. This is done in the same method everywhere. Non-religious officiants will also do things in the pretty same way, the only difference would be that they will use their wedding ceremony script as a guide.     

 

So, basically, a wedding officiant is the central figure in any wedding ceremony who performs the marriage and gives it legal validity. For 40 years, Captain Arnold is the only active U.S. Coast Guard Licensed Captain as well as an ordained chaplain registered with the City Clerk’s Office of the City of New York. He is proficient in organizing personalized wedding ceremonies in a grand way. For more details, contact Nautical Wedding Bells- the best Wedding Officiant in New York.