How To Be A Wedding Minister - Universal Life Church
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Wedding Ceremony Tips For Officiants Universal Life Church
This article shares with you my best advice on how to perform a wedding service, from the consultation to the wedding itself. You will find helpful suggestions and useful tips to help you in being the best ceremony minister you can be. Be it your first ceremony or your 20th, it’s always good to seek out ways to get better.
Within this paper I want to clarify the essential things involved in the ceremony of a couple's marriage (conducting weddings) so that a smooth and beautiful ceremony can be performed by the officiant, for the wedding couple.
Every state has its own rules about who will officiate wedding ceremonies within its borders. If you're unsure, call the local county recorder's office where the wedding ceremony will happen and inform them that you're a newly ordained minister and would like to find out if you will need to register or follow any additional procedures before performing a ceremony within that state. The clerk will probably be able to tell you. If they appear to not know, it’s likely a state in which you don’t need to register. Please review the marriage laws for the state to double-check.
THE CONSULTATION
Whenever I attend a consultation, I bring with me my entire ceremony binder. I do this for two reasons: Firstly, if I have my binder, then I've got all the information at my fingertips to show the couple.
Secondly, I have photos inside the binder, which I put here and there throughout the binder, so the couples see the various photos of me together with many couples. This lets them know that I am indeed a practiced professional and they can also see what I wear.
The manner I do the initial interview is that first I explain to the couple over the phone a little about the way I conduct the ceremony. I give them the details about how the ceremony will be broken down into parts and that they are always allowed to decide on which parts they like, make the ceremony as quick or long, spiritual or non-religious, amusing or serious as they want, and therefore are also encouraged to tailor it to please themselves. I also provide them a free copy of my workbook, The Ultimate Wedding and Ceremony Workbook for the 'Planning-Impaired' to assist them design their ceremony. Every one of the ceremony parts are listed in the back of the book for them to pick from and there is a list of processional examples to help the couple to decide on that aspect of the wedding ceremony. The pages can be torn out.
I personally find it easier to have the couple make the decision for themselves which words are to be said at their ceremony. I have often been asked whether the couple wrote the ceremony words themselves, because the words so accurately expressed who they seemed to be as a couple. Also, by supplying the couple with a copy of the aforementioned workbook, I am additionally supplying them volumes of planning assistance along with the ability to make any changes necessary to the ceremony themselves. This saves me a whole lot of work as well as puts back the control into the hands of the bride and groom.
Having the book has made my life much more simple because now I just explain the ceremony parts, give the couple the workbook and allow them to develop the most perfect words that most suits them.
When I meet with the couple, I go through my binder, explain each one of the wedding parts, write the particulars of their wedding on the pre-printed worksheet and then secure the deposit. (This, naturally, only happens once I have answered any questions and if they have decided. A deposit lets me know for sure that if the wedding is canceled, or if they are not really serious, my meeting time was not wasted, and the workbook was compensated for. The deposit also guarantees the couple the time-slot of their wedding is available for them.
THE BIG EVENT
For the ceremony itself, I make sure to maintain the groom’s head turned towards me right up until the bride is at the beginning of the aisle runner to begin walking. The groom’s not permitted to see her until then. When I gesture that the guests to stand up, blocking the groom's view we all get to enjoy the look on the groom’s face the first time he gazes upon his bride in her gown for the first time.
I encourage the nervous couple to turn to and face one another as well as hold hands for the duration of the service. One extremely essential thing you must do is: Remember to tell the guests to please be seated after the service has begun. Or at least gesture for them to take a seat.
Sign the wedding license either right before or right after the service then make sure have the Best Man and Maid of Honor put their signatures on as well. Place it back within the big white envelope and be sure the bride’s mother, one of the attendants, or at the very least 2 additional people who are part of the wedding party know the place you left it. You can put it in the mail yourself, naturally, if the paperwork is already filled out on their end, but the paperwork is rarely prepared, so I give the paperwork back to them to file.
Your title is 'minister' and I usually put ‘non-denom’ for the my denomination. This will make it less-complicated and so far, nobody has ever before had any questions about it. Unbelievably essential: No Cross-Outs! What you put is what has to to stay there, otherwise, you have to bear the cost of a replacement one.
I previously would bring my own camera to each wedding I did to ensure I’d received a photo of me with the bride and groom, but after you've a reasonable number of snapshots, it’s not as important. Do make it a point to get in a picture together with the couple during at the starting of photo session.
By far the most essential thing of all though, is to have fun officiating the wedding. Show them your pearly whites when you’re performing the service and share in the joy of the happy couple on their best time!
Rev Amy Long has written an outstanding discourse on how to perform wedding ceremonies. The Universal Life Church Seminary offers a lot of free training and free mini-courses, as well as free ordination, so you can officiate weddings, start a church, or follow your calling.
For other articles on courses offered through the Universal Life Church, you can check out these other articles and videos on various courses, which provide training: Spiritual Development, Spiritual Growth, Neuro-linguistic Programming, Buddhism Course, Split Between The ULCs - Video, Kind Words From The ULC - Video, Funeral Training - Video, Spiritual Awareness Course, Is This A Cult?, Religious Philosophy What Is True Spirituality?, Releasing Anger. [1]
