{"id":79404,"date":"2021-04-11T09:00:48","date_gmt":"2021-04-11T13:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/?p=79404"},"modified":"2025-12-11T06:05:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T11:05:50","slug":"how-to-have-a-friend-or-family-member-officiate-your-wedding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/how-to-have-a-friend-or-family-member-officiate-your-wedding","title":{"rendered":"How to Have a Friend or Family Member Officiate Your Wedding?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you begin to plan your wedding, you may think that it is a fun idea to have a friend or close family member officiate your wedding. Now, depending on where you live in Canada, this may be possible, however, if you live in Ontario, one must be legally allowed to officiate weddings. In order for that to happen, this individual must be:\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p> <ul> <li aria-level=\"1\"><b>A Judge or Justice of the Peace<\/b><\/li> <li aria-level=\"1\"><b>A City clerk employee who is able to conduct city hall weddings\u00a0<\/b><\/li> <li aria-level=\"1\"><b>A priest, rabbi, or other clergy members in good standing to officiate weddings\u00a0<\/b><\/li> <\/ul> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">None of the above? You may need to opt for an alternative solution. Here are some ways that your friend or family member can participate and you will still be legally married.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>  <p><b>Option #1: Have two ceremonies:\u00a0<\/b><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you really want to have a friend officiate your wedding, you can opt to have a legal ceremony first and then your full ceremony with your friend on your wedding day. The only things you will need for this ceremony are a marriage license and two witnesses.<\/span><\/p> <div class=\"post-images\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/LindsieGrey0031.jpg\"class=\"link-image link-image_wide\" rel=\"gallery\"><img alt=\"ultimate last minute wedding planning checklist, 1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"full-size-image alignnone wp-image-80794 size-full\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA5OTAgNjYwIiB3aWR0aD0iOTkwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjY2MCIgZGF0YS11PSJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy5ldmVudHNvdXJjZS5jYSUyRmJsb2clMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjElMkYwMyUyRkxpbmRzaWVHcmV5MDAzMS5qcGciIGRhdGEtdz0iOTkwIiBkYXRhLWg9IjY2MCIgZGF0YS1iaXA9IiI+PC9zdmc+\" data-spai=\"1\" width=\"990\" height=\"660\"  \/><\/a><\/div> <p><span class=\"caption\">Photo Courtesy of <a class=\"listing-mentionable listing-mentionable-disabled listing-mentionable-disabled\" href=\"#\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\" data-listing=\"6620\">Lindsie Grey<\/a><\/span><\/p> <p><b>Option #2: Have an officiant oversee the proceedings:\u00a0<\/b><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/officiants\">officiants<\/a> will allow your friend or family member to \u2018officiate\u2019 the wedding with their oversight. They will need to step in for the legal part of the ceremony, but the more sentimental parts can be conducted by your friend or family member.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><b>Option #3: Have your friend become ordained:\u00a0<\/b><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While it is tricky and fairly costly\u2013 it is possible for laypeople to become ordained as clergy in Ontario. The Humanist Association offers non-denominational officiant training for those wishing to become ordained. However, the training is costly and time-consuming\u2013 taking over a year to complete. Consider this option carefully.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><h3 class=\"related-posts-title toc_show\">You May Also Be Interested In<\/h3><ul class=\"display-posts-listing\"><li class=\"listing-item\"><a class=\"image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/wedding-captions-for-instagram\"><img alt=\"ultimate last minute wedding planning checklist, 2\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA0MjUgNDI1IiB3aWR0aD0iNDI1IiBoZWlnaHQ9IjQyNSIgZGF0YS11PSJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy5ldmVudHNvdXJjZS5jYSUyRmJsb2clMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjYlMkYwMiUyRkVTLUhlYWRlcnMtV2VkZGluZy1DYXB0aW9ucy1mb3ItSW5zdGFncmFtLWNvbXAtNDI1eDQyNS5qcGciIGRhdGEtdz0iNDI1IiBkYXRhLWg9IjQyNSIgZGF0YS1iaXA9IiI+PC9zdmc+\" data-spai=\"1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image\" srcset=\" \" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 768px) 642px, (min-width: 576px) 510px, calc(100vw - 30px)\" decoding=\"async\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/wedding-captions-for-instagram\">Wedding Captions for Instagram: 150+ Ideas Organized by Photo Type<\/a><\/li><li class=\"listing-item\"><a class=\"image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/how-to-choose-your-bridal-party\"><img alt=\"ultimate last minute wedding planning checklist, 3\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA0MjUgNDI1IiB3aWR0aD0iNDI1IiBoZWlnaHQ9IjQyNSIgZGF0YS11PSJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy5ldmVudHNvdXJjZS5jYSUyRmJsb2clMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjYlMkYwMSUyRkVTLUhlYWRlcnMtQnJpZGFsLVBhcnR5LTQyNXg0MjUucG5nIiBkYXRhLXc9IjQyNSIgZGF0YS1oPSI0MjUiIGRhdGEtYmlwPSIiPjwvc3ZnPg==\" data-spai=\"1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image\" srcset=\" \" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 768px) 642px, (min-width: 576px) 510px, calc(100vw - 30px)\" decoding=\"async\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/how-to-choose-your-bridal-party\">How to Choose Your Bridal Party: A Wedding Planning Guide<\/a><\/li><li class=\"listing-item\"><a class=\"image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/ultimate-last-minute-wedding-planning-checklist\"><img alt=\"ultimate last minute wedding planning checklist, 4\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA0MjUgNDI1IiB3aWR0aD0iNDI1IiBoZWlnaHQ9IjQyNSIgZGF0YS11PSJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy5ldmVudHNvdXJjZS5jYSUyRmJsb2clMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjUlMkYxMSUyRkVTLUFydGljbGUtSGVhZGVycy13ZWRkaW5nLWNoZWNrbGlzdC00MjV4NDI1LnBuZyIgZGF0YS13PSI0MjUiIGRhdGEtaD0iNDI1IiBkYXRhLWJpcD0iIj48L3N2Zz4=\" data-spai=\"1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image\" srcset=\" \" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 768px) 642px, (min-width: 576px) 510px, calc(100vw - 30px)\" decoding=\"async\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/ultimate-last-minute-wedding-planning-checklist\">The Ultimate Last-Minute Wedding Planning Checklist<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your friend says yes\u2013 celebrate! Your ceremony will be unique and incredibly meaningful. However, since they are relatively inexperienced\u2013 do them a favour by setting them up for success:\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <ul> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Write a ceremony script that includes important points and any legal requirements needed for a wedding ceremony.\u00a0<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Give them a dress code: a black business suit works well to make sure they look good without overpowering you or your wedding party.\u00a0<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Provide a microphone<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Practice.\u00a0<\/span><\/li> <\/ul> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember, that having a friend or close family member officiate your wedding seems like a really great idea, but can be costly and time-consuming. So, don\u2019t be offended if your friend says \u2018thanks, but respectfully, no\u2019. You can still find a meaningful way to involve them in your day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As you begin to plan your wedding, you may think that it is a fun idea to have a friend or close family member officiate your wedding. Now, depending on where you live in Canada, this may be possible, however, if you live in Ontario, one must be legally allowed to officiate weddings. In order [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":81875,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[136],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-79404","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tips-tricks"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\r\n<title>How to Have a Friend or Family Member Officiate Your Wedding?<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As you begin to plan your wedding, you may think that it is a fun idea to have a friend or close family member officiate your wedding.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Have a Friend or Family Member Officiate Your Wedding?\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As you begin to plan your wedding, you may think that it is a fun idea to have a friend or close family member officiate your wedding.\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/how-to-have-a-friend-or-family-member-officiate-your-wedding\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Toronto &amp; 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