Hawaii

Wedding Officiant Questions

How does one go about finding an officiant? I've tried googling "wedding officiant Honolulu", but haven't had any luck finding a specific website other than actual wedding companies. Also, what do people usually look for when searching for officiants? Are some officiants specific to different branches of religions? Do some people just go to church and ask the minister to officiate their wedding? This is confusing to me, especially because I don't attend church.

As a side note, I've been to a couple weddings (awhile back) where I disliked the style of the officiants, I remember one making corny jokes during the vows... maybe the couple requested him to do that? Therefore, I'm also curious as to whether there is communication between the officiant and bride/groom beforehand in order to establish the desired style that they want the officiant to follow.

Thanks and I look forward to hopefully gaining a better understanding of the process through other brides experiences!

Re: Wedding Officiant Questions

  • edited December 2011
    I'm probably using Kahu Bruce.  He's really popular on these boards, and he has great reviews.  I emailed him last week and I got a response by the next day.
  • edited December 2011
    I can't speak for how to get an officiant (we used my uncle), but I think really clear, open dialogue with whomever you hire is important. If you tell him that you're not a cheesy jokes kinda couple, just let him know and that should be the end of that.
  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_hawaii_wedding-officiant-questions?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:73Discussion:0f25fa92-02ae-4747-9fd1-b988559d511aPost:bff399fd-ce1f-4d61-95dd-cb2a705702fb">Re: Wedding Officiant Questions</a>:
    [QUOTE]I can't speak for how to get an officiant (we used my uncle), but I think really clear, open dialogue with whomever you hire is important. If you tell him that you're not a cheesy jokes kinda couple, just let him know and that should be the end of that.
    Posted by kaesha[/QUOTE]
    This!  My best friend officiated our wedding.  We told her she had creative freedom with the entire ceremony, with the exception of a few things we know we didn't want -- giving the bride away, announcing us as Mr. & Mrs. Lastname, etc.  All officiants should be professional enough to listen to your requests and offer suggestions to adjust.  If they refuse, that's a great sign to consider a different one.  We have heard some experiences on this board where officiants were not open-minded to different / alternative requetss.  Kaha Bruce has been very popular on this board, but there are others as well.  Initiate contact, and ask for an intial conversation, and share your vision.  You'll very quicky find out if you are comfortable with them and whether it's worth digging deeper.  If so, then ask to view video or text samples of some ceremony types to see more of their style.

    Good luck!
    image
  • jtolyjtoly member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We are using myhawaiiwedding.com. They are very nice and get back to me usually within the same day.
    ~jenn~ Photobucket Anniversary
  • edited December 2011
    We used Kahu Bruce thanks to another knottie's recomendation. He was amazing, seriously better than i could have hoped! It wasn't corny at all, I have reviews in my bio. I'm not religious really but the ceremony had spiritual hawaiian touches and they were really fitting/special. He called us a few times before the wedding and we discussed things, we had a meeting before the wedding as well. He knows his stuff. I was worried it would be awkward since i'm not hawaiian but it wasn't, he's legit- definitely worth the money too. 
  • angelia12angelia12 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks for the tips, ladies!
  • edited December 2011
    This might sound silly, but I also tried to see what they looked like & what their voices sounded like. Some posted videos on You Tube, & had photo's on churches websites. There were probably 4 other ministers we considered b/f going w/ Kahu Bruce. He was amazing...& he's very aware of what you want & don't want...asks a lot of good questions & then hones in on you as a couple. Had several conversations b/f the wedding, then met w/ us to get our marriage license & go over ceremony details. He was amazing.
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