I know this is a very regional based question, but I am trying to find a general ballpark number. I posted this on my local board (seeking area officiants) and only got two recommendations - both were more expensive than I was anticipating. The one that comes highly recommended is way more expensive than anyone else ($600)- and kind of revels in that fact. It almost seems like she's got a monopoly on the area.
We aren't doing a religious ceremony of any kind. We'd basically need to have a few (most likely phone based) consultations, them to be present at the rehearsal and then to perform the (roughly 20 minute) ceremony.
FIs brother is a lawyer in PA (state we're getting married in) so we're hoping to ask him if he knows of any judges that would be willing to perform our ceremony. I'm thinking that $200 would be a better price for an officiant (plus they will get invited to the RD and the reception).
Am I naive in thinking this is more reasonable? Am I missing something? Is this one of those moments where I should just up the budget for this vendor because it's probably worth it? Granted, we still plan to ask FIs brother about a judge and we'll see what happens with that.