Community› Local Wedding Boards› New York-Hudson Valley
New York-Hudson Valley
New Discussion

officiant help!

vbates1vbates1
First Comment
in New York-Hudson Valley
hi, 
i basically need help with everything to do with this topic, haha! my wedding is in october and i basically have no idea what to do about this...
i never went to church regularly growing up, and though my fiance's family is very involved in their church he is not particularly. 
all i have to go on are websites and i feel like i might as well pick a name out of the yellow pages at this point. our ceremony is important to us, we're looking for someone who would perform a generally christian ceremony, however would work with us to personalize and say our own vows.
when i'm looking at "officiants" i'm finding that they are running around $500 which seems pretty expensive to me...does anyone know if a justice of the peace generally runs cheaper?

if anyone has any suggestions or help on this topic i would GREATLY appreciate it!!
Report Reply to Post

Re: officiant help!

  • Bat937Bat937
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I believe a JOP is cheaper but you won't get a christian ceremony out of it.
    Basically what we did was pull names off websites, call and talk to them and then meet them in person.  We found a great officiant.

    I don't know if my officiant is still doing weddings but you can inquire.
    Rev. Robert Engel Jr.  remessiah@hvc.rr.com
    Report Reply
  • TerriandJoeTerriandJoe
    First Comment
    edited December 2011

    Everything Bat said is correct

    A JOP will be cheaper, but you won't get the Christian ceremony you desire.

    Check out:
    http://www.hudsonvalleyweddings.com/goods/clergy.htm

    Rev David James and Fr. Rich Hasselbeck get mentioned on here a lot!

    Also, Rev Stuart at http://www.hudsonvalleyceremonies.com/
     has recently been getting good recs.

    Remember, the reason behind the reception is because you are celebrating the marriage ceremony that just took place. Makes the ceremony kind of important!

    Good luck! Hope you and FI find someone that you like, is affordable and shares the same vision of what you want for your ceremony to be!



    Visit HudsonValley.Weddings.com Visit The Nest! A start of a bio Anniversary
    Report Reply
  • ssagessage member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We used Father Rich...but he was in that price range.

    However, he was 100% worth it to me
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker Anniversary
    Report Reply
  • circelli84circelli84
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    After reading several possitive reviews on this blog, We met with Father Rich last night. He seems great!
    Report Reply
  • Maryd68Maryd68
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-york-hudson-valley_officiant-4?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:113Discussion:b76d81e1-1d7f-4eae-b96d-014094952304Post:f88a94a6-58d6-455b-a434-386bab68f0c3">Re: officiant help!</a>:
    [QUOTE]After reading several possitive reviews on this blog, We met with Father Rich last night. He seems great!
    Posted by circelli84[/QUOTE]

    <div>what is his website</div>
    Report Reply
  • circelli84circelli84
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    http://www.fatherrich.com/ He was really nice and informative. I think if talk to him about budget constraints he might work with you. But we were quoted 600 as a fee. This was actually what the church asked for as a donation fee. Hope that helps!
    Report Reply
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards