Wedding Vows & Ceremony Discussions

How to ordain a friend/family member?

Has anyone had a friend or family member officiate their ceremony? My fiancé and I are looking into this option for the friend who introduced us. I'd welcome any advice or sites other people used.

Thanks! Catherine

Re: How to ordain a friend/family member?

  • This will depend on the laws of your state. 
  • Has anyone had a friend or family member officiate their ceremony? My fiancé and I are looking into this option for the friend who introduced us. I'd welcome any advice or sites other people used.

    Thanks! Catherine
    First, if you haven't, you should check to make sure an online ordination is legal where you're getting married. Some areas require a minister to have a congregation to legally officiate or simply don't recognize the certificates, or whatever.

    That said, @adk19 got ordained to officiate a ceremony, I believe. Perhaps she can share the site she used.
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  • Obviously check your states laws, but There are a few websites that ordain people for fairly cheap. Universal Life Church is what our friend is using. 
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  • Second PPS about checking to make sure of your state's laws regarding online ordination. A friend of ours got ordained through Universal Life Ministries to perform our wedding.
    ~*~*~*~*~

  • My husband got ordained online with Universal Life so he could perform the ceremony for his best friend and her partner. 
    What did you think would happen if you walked up to a group of internet strangers and told them to get shoehorned by their lady doc?~StageManager14
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  • 2nd, 3rd or 4th Universal Life Church.. My brother used it to officiate our wedding, but my state also required a 1-day license that needed to be applied for ahead of time. I researched the heck out of my state laws because I wanted to make sure it was legal, I would advise you to do the same.
  • Has anyone had a friend or family member officiate their ceremony? My fiancé and I are looking into this option for the friend who introduced us. I'd welcome any advice or sites other people used.

    Thanks! Catherine
    First, if you haven't, you should check to make sure an online ordination is legal where you're getting married. Some areas require a minister to have a congregation to legally officiate or simply don't recognize the certificates, or whatever.

    That said, @adk19 got ordained to officiate a ceremony, I believe. Perhaps she can share the site she used.
    Ditto everyone else.  I'm ordained through Universal Life Church.  The wedding I officiated in the US Virgin Islands did not require any additional paperwork.  My sister and her groom took my certificate to get their marriage license.  Done.  If I were asked to do a wedding here in Chicago, I'm pretty sure I'd need some kind of dispensation from Cook County.  So, I could do it, but I'd have to jump through some additional hoops.
  • This is not to knock those of you who can officiate because you got an on-line certificate, but is it really called "ordained"? To me that seems disrespectful to people who have gone through years of seminary/divinity school or what have you and are ordained through a church. "Certified" or "licensed" would make more sense to me. Sorry but it is a pet peeve.
  • This is not to knock those of you who can officiate because you got an on-line certificate, but is it really called "ordained"? To me that seems disrespectful to people who have gone through years of seminary/divinity school or what have you and are ordained through a church. "Certified" or "licensed" would make more sense to me. Sorry but it is a pet peeve.
    My certificate says, "This is to certify [me] That the Bearer Herof Has Been Ordained on this day, the 3rd of January, in the year, 2013 and is officially recognized as a member of the monastery and has all rights and privileges to perform all duties of the ministry."  The word 'ordained' is on there in a fancy cursive font.  Yes, I've been ordained by the Universal Life Church.
  • Ordination does not actually require formal schooling in all traditions. Looks like mostly only Protestant denominations, really.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordination
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  • Ordination does not actually require formal schooling in all traditions. Looks like mostly only Protestant denominations, really.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordination
    ... and Catholics ;)

  • This is not to knock those of you who can officiate because you got an on-line certificate, but is it really called "ordained"? To me that seems disrespectful to people who have gone through years of seminary/divinity school or what have you and are ordained through a church. "Certified" or "licensed" would make more sense to me. Sorry but it is a pet peeve.

    It is really called ordained. You are ordained through, typically, the Unicersal Life Church, a denomination that chooses to make the requirements for ordination minimal, as is their right. 
  • Got it, thanks for the explanation, all. I've never heard of the Universal Life Church but it does certainly have the right to set its own requirements for ordination.
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