A wedding officiant is the leader of the wedding ceremony. They work with the couple to prepare materials for the ceremony and perform the marriage on the day-of.
Who can be an officiant at a wedding?
Usually the state laws licensing provide any recognized member of the clergy (such as a Priest, Minister, Rabbi, Imam, Cantor, Ethical Culture Leader, etc.), or a judge, a court clerk, and justices of the peace have authority to perform a marriage.
What do you call someone who officiates a wedding?
A celebrant, in general, is someone who performs either religious or secular ceremonies for marriage (and other rites). A celebrant can be an ordained clergy member, professional secular officiant or legal official, such as a judge.
Can a judge officiate a wedding?
The State license and registration is required because marriage is a contract between the spouses and the state. State or Federal judges, active or retired, can perform weddings. Retired judges who do weddings may accept gifts or payment from the couple. Active judges can’t get paid or accept gifts.
General Requirements for Becoming a Wedding Officiant
Important Facts about Wedding Officiants
| Median Salary (2018) | R 740390.68(clergy) R 2023946.10 (judges) R 581098.62 (court clerks) |
| Required Education | Ordination (for clergy), law school and licensure (for judges) |
| Work Environment | Varies by ceremony – indoor/outdoor, courthouse, place of worship |
| Similar Occupations | Event planners, arbitrators, paralegals |
Below is How to Become A Wedding Officiant In South Africa
Check Your Local Laws
Because you will be fulfilling the legal duty of certifying a marriage license as a wedding officiant, you need to familiarize yourself with the local laws anywhere you will be performing a wedding ceremony
Check the wedding officiant laws by state, and also research at the county and city level to see what the different rules and regulations are for marriage officiants.
In some states, practically anyone can perform a wedding ceremony – in others, it can be next to impossible to get legal authorization to perform marriages unless you are the minister at a church with an active congregation.
Get Ordained
While it is possible (and even easy) in some jurisdictions to perform legal marriages without ordination by a religious organization, we highly recommend getting ordained if you are planning on becoming a professional wedding officiant.
Religious ordination gives you the most possible options for performing the rite of marriage in different states and counties, and eliminates many of the headaches of obtaining legal authorization to perform marriages in states where the marriage laws are particularly tough.
Set Up Your Business
If you’re just starting out as a wedding officiant, you’ll need to first decide whether you want to set up your own officiant business or work for an established officiant company.
Each has their own advantages – if you have a full-time job and only want to perform weddings on the weekends for extra money, then working for someone else may be the best fit for you. In addition to being exciting and rewarding, starting and running a small business can be difficult and time-consuming.
Join The Officiant Association
If you’re serious about building a sustainable career as a professional wedding officiant, then joining the International Association of Professional Wedding Officiants (IAPWO) may be the single smartest decision you can make.
The IAPWO offers educational content, networking opportunities, and member discounts for many products and services your business needs, as well as producing an annual wedding officiant conference.
Who can officiate a marriage in South Africa?
Officially, in South Africa, one has to be married by a legal authority. Known as a marriage officer or civil union officer (they also call themselves wedding officiators), they can be ministers, judges or anyone who has been legally bestowed with the duty.
How much does a wedding officiant cost South Africa?
THE MARRIAGE OFFICIANT
Your marriage officiant will cost you about R3 500 and they will arrive at the ceremony venue half hour before and will do the actual wedding registry on your behalf.
What is the quickest way to get married in South Africa?
The quickest way to get married in South Africa is to find a Marriage Officer, make an appointment and let them take care of the rest. A Marriage Officer can come to your home or venue or you may go to the Marriage Officer. The cheapest way to get married is at Home Affairs. They will do it for free.
What is the fastest way to get an unabridged marriage certificate in South Africa?
Additional abridged or unabridged copies of a marriage certificate can be obtained by:
Completing Form BI-130 in black ink and submitting it to the nearest office of the Department of Home Affairs or to the nearest South African embassy, mission or consulate abroad.
Paying the prescribed fee.
How much does a wedding cost for 100 guests in South Africa?
Costs vary greatly depending on the size and location of the wedding. According to professional wedding planners, Great Occasions, the average cost of wedding in South Africa is between R70,000 – R80,000 for 80 to 100 people.
How much does a wedding photographer cost in South Africa?
One of the common questions people often ask me is this, “What does a wedding photographer cost?” You can expect to pay anything from around R1 000 to R30 000+ for a wedding photographer in South Africa
What documents are needed to get married in South Africa?
What documents are required for getting married in South Africa?
A copy of your ID.
Two witnesses & their IDs or passport (if they are a foreign nationals)
Your IDs or passport (if you are a foreign national)
Divorce order, if applicable.
Death certificate, if applicable, in cases of a deceased spouse.
How long does it take to get a South African unabridged marriage certificate?
approximately 6 to 8 weeks
An application for an unabridged certificate takes approximately 6 to 8 weeks to process. The unabridged certificate (also known as a full marriage certificate) contains more detailed information that’s sometimes required by government and financial institutions.
Can you marry a dead person in South Africa?
Any provincial or local division of the Supreme Court of South Africa making an order that the death of any married person shall be presumed, may, when making that order or at any time thereafter, on the application of such person’s spouse, make an order that the marriage in question shall be deemed