Officiant recommendations?

Micqs

Hello!  I am getting married obviously in central PA (close to Gettysburg).  My fiance and I are in the process of finding an officiant.  The Knot has only listed three.  Do you have have advice or can you refer us or recommend someone?  The officiant we spoke to was extremely nice; we have till Tuesday to decide and sign the contract.  I don't know how much officiants generally are but she charges 625.00 with an added fee for the rehearsal dinner if we have one.  The other officiants also charge close to that amount.  Is this how much they typically are?

Shutterbug101108

Highly recommend Dave DiRaddo of wedding dayz.net.  He caters his ceremonies to his couples and really keeps your guests interested in your ceremony! 

clg1213

I was exchanging emails (and one voice message from him) Dave and he seemed great.  Pricing varies by what you need, but I think there are options in the 300 range or even below.  Sadly, he can't do our wedding b/c it conflicts with his regular services since it is Sun AM

Micqs

Ah, our wedding is a Sunday.  I spoke to another officiant, Sandy Queen from Weddingsbysandy. She was a little bit more reasonably priced.  Offers pretty much the same thing, personalized ceremony, tailors to personalities, etc.  Thank you for your suggestion and input!  If anyone has any others, I'd appreciate it!  Trying to make a decision by the end of this week! 

brehbein

Try Robb Green. He does not charge a set amout, just a donation.

cheapbrideincentpa

Did you know that you can self-unite in Pa and not have to pay an officiant at all?  We were both raised catholic, however don't have any strong desire to marry in a catholic church. We are in the very early stages of planning, and because we are on a limited budget (more a personal choice- I can't see spending all the money on a few hours), we decided to self-unite and have a friend serve as an MC of sorts. We will do the traditional vows, father walking me down the isle- ect, but I can't see paying someone over $100 for 20 minuets worth of work, unless they have an M.D. after their name.

Oh and I have heard that in Pa judges are required by law to marry citizens and are NOT allowed to charge a fee for doing so. Mayors can also preform the ceremonies. 

corito09

We are using Christian Light Ministries out of Oley, PA.  I know that's a bit of a drive from Gettysburg, but they don't charge a travel fee :-)  Our specific officiant is Jonathan Yoder (who actually lives close to Lancaster, which is closer to Gettysburg).  He is fabulous!  We're paying about $500, but we get a lot.  Included is rehearsal, a completely customizable ceremony, all ceremony music (noone else I looked into does this & our DJ wanted $100 for it), ceremony programs (nothing super fancy, but lots of options), and no travel fees!  It sounds like a lot, but with them, you're getting a lot more than with other officiants :-)  Worth checking out.

KLR081013

I'll second for Robb Green....he did my sister's wedding and was fantastic.  He offers a standard ceremony, or you can add/delete things from it as you see fit. He doesn't do a rehearsal, but he's extremely personable, is reliable (has married almost 3,000 couples), and he doesn't charge a dime, although for the travel and time (he's from Jefferson, PA, so not too far from Gettysburg) it's etiquette-ly correct to give him something (my dad gave him $100 or $125 for my sister's ceremony in Lancaster.)

clg1213

Does Green have a webpage?  Didn't find much when I did a quick search (some good reviews but limited detail) and I didn't see contact info.  I have one possibility we're waiting on but I'd like to email Green if that falls through. 

brehbein

Robb Green's email is marryingmayor@hotmail.com

Good luck with everything

clg1213

Talked to Green and have him set to officiate.  Thanks all for the help.  Love that he remarked on the high prices some folks charge and how much of a problem he has with that approach.  We have an amount in mind that we think will be appropriate.

ksb200

troxella

I would double check on the self-uniting. I am a pastor and perform weddings, so I am very careful about state laws, and the PA state law is that it is a judge or someone who preaches on a regular basis at a consistent place. So in PA you can't have someone get certified online to marry individuals--I would think self-uniting could get you in trouble legally with the license if it was looked into.

daria24

troxella said:

I would double check on the self-uniting. I am a pastor and perform weddings, so I am very careful about state laws, and the PA state law is that it is a judge or someone who preaches on a regular basis at a consistent place. So in PA you can't have someone get certified online to marry individuals--I would think self-uniting could get you in trouble legally with the license if it was looked into.

This is incorrect. I got married with a self-uniting license, as do hundreds of others in the state. It is a different license than the 'typical' officiant one. The legal recognition if self-united couples in the area pre-dates the United States itself. It's roots are in the Quaker religion, which does not designate clergy or religious leaders. In counties with large Quaker populations, the Clerk's office is very familiar with this type of license.

You are correct however that the legality of online ordained ministers is ambiguous, and the general recommendation is not to use an online minister.

GreggysMom

Local Mayors work well in the area. I like the fact that ours didn't charge an arm/leg and donates to a local charity/school/agency.