Wedding Officiant

Find a wedding officiant near Middletown, CT

Find a wedding officiant near Middletown, CT

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Top 10 Wedding Officiants near Middletown, CT

Q & A

Answers to commonly asked questions from the experts on Thumbtack.

Do wedding officiants offer remote or virtual services?

Reach out to wedding officiants in your area, and ask them if they can offer a remote or virtual ceremony. Some officiants may be willing to meet in person while maintaining 6 feet of distance, while others may prefer to conduct the entire service over the phone or a video call service such as Skype or Zoom.

Familiarize yourself with the social distancing rules in your community, city and state, and move forward only if both you and the officiant are comfortable with the arrangement. 

What does it mean to officiate a wedding?

To officiate a wedding is to oversee the official union of two people in marriage. A wedding officiant is vested with the power to legitimize your union in the eyes of the court. An officiant also sets the tone for your ceremony, leading the couple through their vows and shaping the experience with the words they choose and the pace they set. An officiant may be based in a religious faith, may be an interfaith officiant, may be a secular officiant, or may be a friend or family member who has received ordination online.

You can have a traditional wedding officiated, or you can also have an officiant oversee a commitment ceremony, a vow renewal or an elopement. Once the wedding is complete, the officiant will ask you to sign the wedding certificate, and will then submit the document to the court on your behalf. This makes your marriage legal. Wedding officiants work with you no matter how simple or elaborate you would like your ceremony to be. The more involved wedding officiants are in the planning and customization of the ceremony, the more they will typically charge.

Who performs a wedding ceremony?

Anyone who is authorized by the court or a credible online source has the power to perform a wedding ceremony. Traditionally, wedding officiants were ordained members of a religious organization or civil officiants authorized by the court to legally marry two people. With the increasing customization and personalization of weddings, many couples are asking a friend or family member to become ordained and act as their wedding officiant. Wedding officiants can represent a wide range of backgrounds including Christian, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, nondenominational, interfaith or nonreligious. There is no legally required structure for a wedding ceremony, so couples can customize the language of the ceremony and their vows in any way they desire (though members of some religions may have specific requirements). To legally validate the marriage, the couple and the wedding officiant must sign a marriage certificate after the ceremony verifying the date and names of those involved. The wedding officiant should then submit the certificate to the court, which will in turn mail an official marriage certificate to the newly married couple.

How much does it cost to officiate a wedding?

The national average cost to hire a wedding officiant is $150-$200. Wedding officiant rates are affected by the date of the ceremony, the time of day, and how far the officiant has to travel. Some officiants may charge extra for additional ceremonies like unity candles or sand ceremonies, as well as the cost of the supplies. Many wedding officiants have higher rates for larger weddings and lower rates for smaller, more intimate ceremonies. Personalizing the ceremony means a lot to some couples. Wedding officiants may have flat rates for standard ceremony templates, perhaps $100-$125, and charge more for a more customized experience, such as $150-$200. This allows the couple to collaborate with the wedding officiant as they are building a unique ceremony script. At the pre-wedding meeting, the officiant will ask whether the couple plans to write their own vows and how much input they have about the rest of the wording and flow of the ceremony. Additional planning meetings and extra communication can add up to a higher overall cost. If your venue has parking or other fees, you may need to pay on behalf of the officiant. Often wedding officiants can rent sound systems and wireless mics if you have an outdoor wedding location or venue that is not wired. These extras will also increase the overall cost.

Reviews for Middletown wedding officiants
Haley K.
Cheryl was a perfect officiant for our wedding! She was early for our event, extremely professional, and the ceremony was short and sweet! She was easy to work with via email as we planned our wedding from across the country. Thanks Cheryl!
Connecticut JP WeddingsConnecticut JP Weddings
Dennis C.
We don’t even know where to begin to let everyone know what an absolutely perfect experience it was working with Dave for our wedding.  So, we will simply start at the beginning. Back in June, we began looking for a wedding officiant in Thumbtack for our wedding in August.  After creating a profile and selecting officiants that seemed to be a good match, Dave was one of the first – if not the first – to reach out to us.  His message was extremely warm, inviting, thorough, and sincere.  As we exchanged messages, it became clear that he was enjoying a family vacation but made the time to connect because he simply loves being able to bring people together who want to spend their lives together.  But recognizing the importance of family time, we elected to reconnect a week or so later. True to his word, Dave reached out to us as soon as he was home from vacation, and we set up an in-person meeting for later that week.  Not surprisingly, Dave was prompt, professional, engaging, and 100% interested in helping us develop a one-of-a-kind ceremony that was perfect for us (a very small gathering of just us and our 6 children), including a beautiful sand ceremony to ensure that our children would have special roles during our big day. Throughout the entire planning process, communication with Dave was easy, he is extremely professional yet an absolute hoot, and his attention to detail – including choosing his tie specifically to match our wedding colors – is second to none.  We were able to easily edit the text of our ceremony, and the finished product was perfect for us. Fast forward to our wedding day at beautiful Crystal Lake in Middletown, CT, and Dave was his typical early self.  He is so composed and easygoing, all 8 of us were quickly at ease and ready to move on to the task at hand.  The only hiccup to the day (which included perfect weather) was our professional photographer getting a bit lost and arriving a little late.  We were apologetic, yet Dave’s simple response was, “This is the only place I need to be today”, reassuring us and making us feel as if our wedding was the most important wedding ceremony he would ever perform.  Folks, being able to make a couple feel that important when someone performs hundreds of them – that is a gift. The ceremony went off without a hitch, it was beautiful, emotional, and very our own, and our children were made to feel special and a big part of it.  It may sound corny, but when Dave pronounced us husband and wife, it truly was a magical moment, as we kissed and then embraced our children – and Dave, who was truly not just the officiant, but part of our extended family at that moment. If you’re looking for your perfect wedding ceremony, do not hesitate – contact Dave today.  We will forever remember our perfect day at Crystal Lake.  Thank you, Dave!
Love, Honor, and CherishLove, Honor, and Cherish
Thumbtack Customer
I cannot imagine a more perfect officiant for our wedding day than Reverend Poole! My husband is Catholic and I was raised Protestant, but religion doesn’t factor much into our relationship and we were at a bit of a crossroads when it came to finding someone to marry us. I’m so glad we found Reverend Poole on Thumbtack! From the moment I first contacted Reverend Poole until the day he married us, he was a pleasure to work with—so responsive, straightforward, and patient with my many emails and questions. And he even took the time to meet with us on a Saturday morning a few months before our wedding! As for the ceremony itself, Revered Poole was very laid back and relaxed, just the type of person we envisioned. He was extremely accommodating when we asked that the ceremony be a bit more spiritual, and even added a few of his own touches, which we greatly appreciated. Reverend Poole was truly awesome. My favorite part about the ceremony (and a moment so many of our guests told me they loved) was when he cracked a joke (about my husband having to read his vows after I had many people in tears). The delivery was great and it was the PERFECT moment to lighten the mood and make everyone chuckle. You could literally hear a collective, thankful breath being taken afterwards! As an added bonus, Reverend Poole ended up giving a blessing which was such a nice touch that we greatly appreciated! I cannot say enough good things about Reverend Poole and highly, highly recommend him. I'm so happy he married us!
David PooleDavid Poole
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