Need a wedding officiant for August!

unicorntrees

We just set a date just about a month ago. In the haze of finding and settling on a venue, I sort of forgot about needing someone to actually marry us, haha! 

I don't really know how this part works. We're not getting married in a church, and my FI and I aren't particularly religious, so from what I understand we should get a Justice of the Peace. Is that my only option? 

Our date is for this August. I believe that is short notice for some, so I do need to find one sooner rather than later. Does anyone have any recommendations for an officiant? Oh, and our marriage location is Boxborough, if that helps. Any help is greatly appreciated!

nlindsay17

     You could also have a close friend or family member officiate. You fill out some paperwork, have another person write a letter about them and pay twenty five dollars. They get licensed to perform the wedding for that day. Just another option.

kam3711

If you go to MJPA.org you can search by town for an officiant. Sometimes it helps finding a local one so you don't have to pay as mcuh for their travel and time.

kt8301

I highly recommend Rev. Paula Taylor from Heart & Soul Ceremonies (link). 

We were married outdoors at Codman Estate (Lincoln, MA -- no travel fee from RI).  She will work with you to customize the ceremony to your liking and you can make it as religious or NOT as you want!

IMO, I think it would be really great to have a friend / family member marry you, but wanted a seasoned person to officiate, so it would be as smooth as possible.  She made us feel very comfortable and was very kind & sweet.  Good luck!I

laura0862

We are using Dan Griffiths and we got great reviews from our venue. This is his website: http://dangriffiths.me/

unicorntrees

Thank you everyone for all of your suggestions!

We thought about having a family member marry us, but the person we would pick lives out of state. Do any of you know if there are any special restrictions or anything for getting an out of state person licensed in MA?

We're not entirely sure which option we will do, but I will definitely look into a JOP just in case.

bhammel

I highly recommend Amanda Brown.  Here is her website.

http://www.amandabrowncelebrant.com/

I know she is typically very busy, but its a worth a shot to check!  Good luck!

Neileo27

We are having a family friend marry us and they are getting a the special one day license.

I'm not sure how it works if the person is not from MA, I wouldn't think it would matter, but if that is the option you are thinking about you should check out the logistics at the Mass Gov website.