Yes, in 47 of our 50 states. Online ordinations are widely recognized, with Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Tennessee being notable holdouts. Check your local law. Some states require your ordination credential to be filed, so be sure to check with your county. What about other countries? At the time of this writing, online ordinations have been recognized in Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand and the UK.

Many couples are now having their ceremonies officiated by a close friend or family member, assuming their ceremony will be nonreligious. Maybe you’ve seen the ads in the back of a Rolling Stone magazine offering online or mail-in ordinations? There are plenty of celebrity wedding officiants out there.

Many times the ceremony is officiated by someone who barely knows the couple, whether clergyman or justice of the peace, and so the words are often generic and lame. Officiating a wedding is no small thing. Hopefully you’re comfortable speaking in front of a crowd, and will be able to rise to the importance of the occasion. My advice is to be careful with sarcasm during the ceremony and anything that might offend.

You may be wondering how you should dress to officiate a wedding. Men should normally be wearing a suit. I always ask the couple what their colors flowers, dresses and ties are, so I can coordinate with my tie/suit combo.

A female officiant should probably wear something a fairly conservative guest might be wearing. No hot pink or anything that shows too much skin. You don’t want to take attention away from the bride. A dark dress, accented with tasteful jewelry is a great choice. If the groomsmen are wearing tuxedos, match their vibe and dress for a charity gala. If it’s a morning or early afternoon ceremony and the groomsmen aren’t wearing jackets or ties, dress down too. If you’re appearance is markedly different from the couple and their bridal party, you’ll distract from the couple and potentially hurt your confidence and stage presence.

Officiating a wedding ceremony as a personal friend of the couple’s can be a wonderfully memorable experience. You can help make their big day even more special.

Get ordained online and become a wedding officiant at any one of these three sites, The Universal Life Church, American Marriage Ministries, or GetOrdained.org.

You might not have to buy your ordination credential after becoming ordained. Call your county clerk’s office to see if your municipality requires you to file anything. Many counties do not, so you can save a few bucks by not buying the card that says you’re an ordained minister.

Most people who get ordained online have no idea how to officiate a wedding and this outline and process is an excellent guide.

The main elements of a contemporary ceremony are:
1) Welcoming Guests (thank everyone for coming and let them know how important they are)
2) Opening Commentary (speak to the couple about their relationship and marriage)
3) Reading #1 (can come from anywhere)
4) Imagery (unity candle, blending sand, letter box, champagne toast, etc)
5) Reading #2
6) Exchange of Vows (only around 10-15% of couples write their own)
7) Exchange of Rings (find a tradition that’s meaningful to the couple)
8) Reading #3
9) Pronouncement (send them off smiling!)

There’s no right or wrong way to officiate a wedding, but this outline works well and naturally flows from one part of the ceremony into the next.

Couples are welcome to add or remove readings to play with their ceremonies length, and sometimes have more than one piece of imagery. Interfaith Jewish and Christian couples often light the unity candle and also stomp the glass at the very end of their ceremony. Couples have even jumped the broom (African tradition) and then both stomped on a glass as their guests yelled, “Mozel Tov!” It can be great fun.

If the ceremony is not a religious ritual, there’s no right or wrong way. Weddings don’t have to be somber or follow any ancient format. If the couple wants their dog to escort their rings down the aisle, let them! If they’d like one of their grandpas to be their flower girl, awesome! People love it and it makes for great photos. If they’d like to have friends or family members come up to read during their ceremony, that’s okay too.

The fewer rules officiants have, the more fun couples have. I dressed up as Julius Cesar and wore a laurel and toga for one wedding and have been asked to dress like Elvis. You got it! Those are amazing life experiences to put on a resume and life is short so I try not to take myself too seriously. I encourage you to do the same. Have fun!

Very few people get to officiate a wedding so enjoy it. I do it for a living because it’s so rewarding. Where else can someone consistently get ‘high fives’ and be told how great they are each day at work?

Doing a great job is a sober high for me and I truly hope you have the same experience.

A wedding plan is something that encompasses everything you wish to happen in your wedding event and it avoids all those things that you don’t want to happen. A marriage ceremony or wedding event requires to consider a thousand of things. From deciding the color theme of the wedding, to accommodation arrangement for guests and relatives, to decoration of the event venue, to arrange refreshment, food as well as beverage for inviting guests & contacts, a wedding event includes numerous tasks.

Some of the grooms take pleasure to make arrangements of their own and smart ones hire professionals to make arrangements that they can enjoy the ceremonial activities to the fullest. Experts or agencies that offer professional services to organize events such as wedding, engagement or corporate gathering, eliminates all the hassle that occur during a wedding event.

An event manager knows well what actually requires making an event successful, also, they are equipped with the appropriate tools and manpower to organize an event smoothly. Apart from this, they are aware with all the probable issues that might occur during a wedding, and they come up with an expert solution for every existing issue instantly.

Hiring experts or a professional wedding event management agency is just not enough to ensure success of an event. You have to check out the proceedings your own. In order to ensure that things are going well or not, you can prepare a checklist of the tasks which are going to be done. Thus, you would be cleared that you are not missing anything. As you find that tasks are getting done, mark them progressively.

Remain close and connected with the event management professionals to get updated with what’s going on and what is required to be done. Moreover, you need to prepare a list of guests, relatives and contacts, you wish to invite on this special day of your life, to make certain that no significant person is left.

Have a conversation with the caterer on estimated budget. Tell him frankly about your financial capacity and insist him the get the things done within your budget. Suggest him the whole sellers, who can provide uncooked food material and other essential things at reasonable rates. Do the same concerning decorator, photographer, and videographer.

Find a travel agency that can deliver affordable travelling packages in bulk that you can ensure that all the outsider guests can reach to their destination after the event with no hassle. Considering these tips and precautions, one can efficiently plan his/her wedding event, ensuring that he or she is going to enjoy this cherished day to the maximum.

You have seen just the place for your dream wedding. No, it’s nowhere close to home but who cares? You just have to be married there.

You have dreamed of getting married on the beach at a tropical destination but you live in a city nowhere near a beach.

The solution? A destination wedding. While many think this means a wedding where you and a selection of friends and family hop on a plane to a tropical island, there are also destination weddings that happen closer to home, just not at home.

Getting married elsewhere may mean that tropical beach, but it may also mean an apple orchard hours from home, a quaint town nestled in the mountains, a historic location that you just fell in love with. Whatever the ‘destination’ there are a few things to remember before booking.

If you are planning to get married in the country that you live in, that’s one less thing to worry about. If, however your ideal place is outside of the country there will be paperwork and licenses that have to be obtained. Most places known for their weddings will have a pre-packaged deal that will be stress free and simple, they’ve done it before and they’ve perfected what they need to do.

If, however your dream wedding is in a place not known for weddings, you’ll have to do a lot of the legwork and planning on your own. (or with a professional planner of course)

Going out of town to get married is a lot more simple, you take who you want to be part of your big day and you save money on a huge reception since you only have a selection of friends and family in attendance. You can spend more time with your guests since there won’t be as many, and you will find the whole thing just a bit more relaxed than a large wedding with a large reception and everyone you have ever known in attendance.

If, however you have close friends and family who can’t travel or you just can’t leave out certain people no matter the numbers, then choosing a destination closer to home may be your ideal way to go. No one says it has to be a church and traditional, but having something within an hour of home helps everyone get there with not much hassle. Beach? Mountains? Historical site? Garden at home? Whatever you choose it’ll be beautiful.

It can be a very simple or very complex task to choose the bridesmaids. Would you like to know how to get it right? Today I will talk about some keys. I think they will be beneficial for you to do right things. Take note of what is good for you.

Before you choose your bridesmaids, you should consider it well. It is not something you can improvise. Of course, they will play an important role on the wedding day, especially, they will support you and do something helpful for you through the preparations. When you choose your gorgeous lace wedding dresses, your bridesmaids will company you and give you some guidance. They will also give their advice to choose bridal shoes, or provide some creative ideas until you find a wonderful bridal bouquet. So it is not so easy to find the ideal bridesmaids, How to deal with it? Please see the following advice.

1. Be trendy

Its origin goes back to ancient Rome, when the bridesmaids accompanied the bride to the place of the wedding. Their main function was to protect her during the trip, reason why they dressed in similar costumes is the objective of confusing to possible kidnappers. In the Anglo-Saxon weddings, they were called flower girls, because they threw petals at the bride’s step to wish her good luck.

2. What functions do they play?

Before deciding them between candidates, you have to think about the functions that your bridesmaids will perform: this way you will know who to choose. Not everyone serves, as they should work as a team, be patient and always be at your disposal. Remember that the role of the maid of honor is not just to precede you on your way to the altar or to put on the tail of your dress. In the same way that you have spent time thinking about original wedding details or have consulted several catalogs until you find those perfect wedding shoes, you also have to make an effort to find the ideal bridesmaids. These will be your main tasks:

Before the wedding:

Traditionally, bridesmaids should help you with all the wedding preparations and support you unconditionally so you won’t feel too nervous. They will advise you on the choice of your bridal look, the bouquet… And they will also help you look for ideas for wedding details, to think about the music for the banquet, to decide on the bridal cake or even to look at hairstyles for loose hair. And, of course, they will organize an unforgettable party.

The wedding day:

They have to help you from the first thing in the morning, taking care of you and make sure that you are perfect. They will also accompany you to the church, ensuring that your nice ball gown wedding dress and the tail are always where they should be.

3. Who should I choose?

Traditionally the bridesmaids are single and young. They must also be willing and able to solve any problem that may happen. It is advisable that all of you live in the same city or nearby to organize fun meetings or informal meals to go and organize everything with peace of mind. Think that you should choose funny, organized, responsible and interested girls in your well-being.

Wedding favors often go unnoticed during those elaborate dreamy weddings. These small tokens are the key towards making your guests happier and giving them something to remember the day by. Here is everything you need to know to thank you, guests, for the devotional presence on your special occasion.

1) Get Creative
Instead of those regular old style monogrammed cards, prefer something that comes off as really cool and practical. Personalize your wedding favors with Clam Shell Gold Plastic, White Baskets, Favor Bags etc.

2) Pick something meaningful
Choose those wedding favors that speak volumes for your personalities. Long gone are the old school for-the-sake-of-giving tokens. Let your guests know what you really feel about yourself!

3) Order Extra – just in case
Always remember to order a bit more than the stipulated amount of wedding favors. Who knows you might get a surprise visit or two! So, keep a handful of your tokens right at the brink of giving away just in case the situation demands.

4) Presentation matters
Long gone are the days when you simply hand out your wedding tokens to the respective guests and they make way for their homes satisfactorily. Nowadays, the presentation is all that matters. Even if it just a simple token, make sure you wrap it up beautifully. It simply shows that you care!

5) Plan the giveaway
Most often times the wedding favors are handed out when the guests prepare to leave. However, one can always get creative with the giveaway. Given the fact that the manner of your gift can impact the receiver’s memories of you, plan something amazing, won’t you? After all, it is your very own special occasion worth cherishing for a lifetime!

When it comes to the wedding, there is nothing more ecstatic than a box full of chocolates endorsed in delicate perfection. If you are one of those seeks to make this special occasion far more than memorable, it is time you go ahead with your smashing hit with your very own exclusive chocolate wedding favors.

For one, you can stick with gifting scrumptious treats of chocolate truffles beautifully engaged in customized chocolate favor boxes, designed especially for the occasion. The very essence of chocolate wedding favors is going to leave your guests a feeling of great happiness and sweet love, to remember your day by. If these are not already enough, you can try and plan out your very own personalized chocolate favor boxes, to fit in these truffles with utmost ease and perfection – the picture of splendid delicacy!

If you are not planning to hand out these favors as part of the table seating, we would recommend you to put them in a place where they are accessible for your guests to indulge in. The most amazing part of this special gourmet is that these chocolate wedding favors can easily pass on as excellent treats, even after the special day is well gone. Putting in a more honest manner, we rarely believe anybody would even pass up with the mouth-watering gourmet as it is.

Although wedding favors may seem rarely of special importance, we would like to remind you that choosing chocolate wedding favors ultimately reflects your style and sets the whole jovial atmosphere in any party in general.

People are different and they express their differences in many ways, as is evident in their choice of wedding cars, for example.

Some like something traditional from the times of the vintage and classic car periods while others prefer a themed car from, say, the James Bond movies, or a very modern car that spells ”today”.

It depends on a few factors. Personality is often a good indicator of the type of car a bride, her groom and family may favour. Another is budget since not everybody can hire an expensive car for the wedding day. Whatever one’s motivation, the vehicle is most likely as important to most couples as the venue for the wedding or even the honeymoon destination.

And therefore the wedding car is important. Most people will only marry once and will therefore want to remember a lot of the detail. If your budget is very limited you may simply wash and clean your own car, or that of a friend, and use it on the big day. However, most people make sure they include a rented car in their wedding budget.

This allows them a few choices in terms of the car they want for the day, such as the rate at which it is hired, as well as the model of the car. Depending on one’s tastes and own ideas there will always be a choice of wedding cars.

Some may make it a fun experience and try and find a Kombi with hippie flowers painted all over, or an old Beetle from yesteryear, even a bus that seats many guests. The bus idea is popular for those who do not want to drive to and from the reception and rather enjoy the party while on the bus itself.

Then you get those who feel they want a real smart, classy and stylish car such as a vintage Ford, Rolls Royce or other car from the 1920’s or 1930’s. Others, still, may want a car from the 50’s or 60’s when movie stars made the coupe and sports cars popular.

Wedding cars will always have their own following depending on who the couple is. To find the car of one’s choice may not be that easy. That is why many people start looking the moment they are putting together ideas for the wedding itself. They know there are issues to deal with such as availability and budget.

They also understand that wedding cars may be more difficult to come by during summer months and weekends. To find one, the answer – if you don’t know someone who owns the car of your choice – is to contact a firm that specialises in finding and letting these wedding cars. There are a number of companies that make it their business to find couples the car of their choice.

They normally don’t own these cars but they rent them out on behalf of their owners. If you deal with a well-established firm with a good, widely respected name, you are very likely to find the car you want on your wedding day. Make sure you ask around to find out who to deal with, since no-one wants to be disappointed on their wedding day if they find that their car is not available.

Good companies know how to ensure that all arrangements surrounding hired wedding cars go smoothly, from finding the car, arranging payment and delivering it clean and beautiful to the client on the wedding day.

Some companies have been in business for many years and offer a great variety, whereas others may be smaller because they prefer to specialise in specific cars for people’s big day. Whatever your preference, make sure you never leave looking for the ideal car too late. You may not find the one that you are looking for.