Destination Wedding Officiant: Finding the Right Fit for Your Vision

There are a lot of people who are very important to making a wedding succeed. You need the engaged couple, of course, as well as the wedding party. But perhaps the next most important person to have at any wedding is the officiant. Especially for a destination wedding, choosing the right traveling wedding officiant is essential to making sure your ceremony is perfect. 

This article will help demonstrate the different ways that you can find a destination wedding officiant, whether it be someone local to your destination wedding location or a close friend from home. 

Finding an Officiant for Wedding Travels

One of the primary ways to find an officiant for your destination wedding is to find someone who is already in the destination country. This way, you can get married by a professional who already has a wedding officiant license and does not have to worry about traveling out of the country. There are a few different ways to find an officiant who lives in your destination country. 

One way to successfully find a destination wedding officiant is by checking your destination wedding package. Depending on the type of wedding package you purchase, a professional wedding officiant may have already been hired to be a part of your wedding. If your package does not include an officiant, you can always chat with your resort or wedding planner to see if you can make any connections that way. 

The other great way to find a wedding officiant is simply to do some research yourself. If you are looking for a religious ceremony, you could try contacting churches and religious groups close to the wedding resort or doing some online research to find people who travel to officiate destination weddings professionally. No matter which route you take, it will not be difficult to find a licensed officiant who can help you say “I do”. 

Inviting a Traveling Wedding Officiant 

The other option you may be considering for your destination wedding officiant is asking someone who you know from home. If you have a close friend, family member, or even a religious figure in your life who you really want to officiate your wedding, you can always ask! People usually feel very honored and touched to be asked to officiate a wedding, and many will say yes. 

Remember, though, that not every person you ask will say yes right away. Destination weddings can occasionally clash with peoples’ work schedules or personal lives, and sometimes the financial aspect of it can be tricky. If your first choice is unable to come, be understanding and go with your second pick – someone else you know will do a fantastic job.  

The most important thing that any officiant for wedding celebrations can be is properly licensed. With destination weddings, obtaining licensing can occasionally be a slightly tricky process, but it is usually a very simple process. If your preferred officiant is already licensed to marry people, it likely won’t be an issue. 

How to Obtain a Wedding Officiant License

So, how does one become a destination wedding officiant? It all has to do with getting an officiant license, which is what allows you to legally marry people. If you are not licensed or ordained, then the marriage will not be considered legitimate. 

If you are getting licensed for the first time, make sure you do so with plenty of time to spare. The licensing process can take a lot of time, and can sometimes vary from state to state. The best way to be able to perform ceremonies across the country is to do your research and find a solid organization that is recognized in all fifty states. 

Now, if you are a traveling wedding officiant who will be going to a destination wedding that is not happening in the United States, this can be a slightly different matter. It is important to make sure that the marriage will be legitimate when everyone returns to the United States. This might require some added research on licensing in both the U.S. and the destination wedding country. 

Other Means of Getting Married 

If you were hoping to have one of your close friends become a licensed destination wedding officiant for your destination wedding, but you happened to run into trouble obtaining the license, there is no need to worry! There are other ways of performing your wedding ceremony in your destination wedding location without having a brand-new licensed officiant. 

One of the best and easiest ways that you can still celebrate your wedding ceremony at your destination wedding location is to sign all of your paperwork before you leave the United States. This way, you are traveling to your wedding resort as a legally married couple already. The symbolic, special moment of the wedding ceremony itself has not yet happened. 

This means that you don’t have to worry about any of the bureaucratic red tape of the destination wedding country. You might not even have to have an officiant with a wedding officiant license. The entire ceremony can go off without a hitch, and you don’t have to worry about any legal issues!

Plan Your Dream Wedding With Destify 

A destination wedding officiant is one of the most important people to have by your side on your wedding day. But one of the other most important figures you can have on your team is your wedding planner. Sometimes, you may need help looking for the right officiant, and you can get all the help and support you need from your wedding planner. 

At Destify, we create meaningful memories for couples on their destination wedding journeys. Our team of expert wedding planners can help you with every step of your process. From choosing the perfect destination to finding the right officiant for wedding ceremonies, Destify can make your dream wedding come to life. 

Work with our team of experts at Destify today and get started on your perfect path to I Do.