Ceremony with pastor via Skype?

nlbumann

My son is getting married in 8 weeks.  His fiancés grandfather is a pastor but lives in California (we're in Iowa)  His (and her grandmother's) health is declining and they will not be able to make the trip here for the wedding.  Was considering the possibility of using Skype to 'stream' the wedding.  This would also open up the possibility of him being able to actually officiate the wedding.  Does anyone have any experience with doing that?  They are both nervous about trusting the technology.  We do have a friend who is a pastor who could stand by if a glitch occurred.  Looking for helpful guidance!  Any thoughts?

doeydo

Skype is not always reliable.  Also, is the pastor familiar with computers and Skype etc?  I don't mean to be rude but my grandparents would be completely lost. 

Ven&Radio

I think it would be a very nice gesture to stream the ceremony to VIPs who are unable to attend.  However, I would be concerned with the legality of the officiant not being physically present.  I would check with your city clerk before moving forward with this plan.

QueerFemme

Ven&Radio said:

I think it would be a very nice gesture to stream the ceremony to VIPs who are unable to attend.  However, I would be concerned with the legality of the officiant not being physically present.  I would check with your city clerk before moving forward with this plan.

This -  Also, chances are, he cannot perform the ceremony if he isn't licensed or legally allowed to perform ceremonies in that state.   In most states, you normally have to be ordained for that state, or registered with the county as an officiant to perform ceremonies.  So, even if you could do the skype thing, I don't think the ceremony would be legally binding. 

Also,  I am sure having him perform the ceremony via skype would be special for him and for the couple, but most likely none of the other guests would be able to see/hear what was going on, unless you had it blasted on a huge screen with a good sound system.