Officiants that won't have calls unless you sign a contract or pay a deposit

This is really weird to me too. Both times I’ve been married all the officiants we inquired with allowed for a consultation before signing the contract or paying a deposit. I would absolutely let them know that without a consultation you wouldn’t feel comfortable hiring them and then move on in your search.

This seems odd to me. I wouldn't book any vendor without a consultation first to make sure they are a good fit. I would let them know you don't feel comfortable signing a contract or paying a deposit without meeting them first. If they still insist on not meeting without a contract signed, I would keep looking for other options.

That is really odd! I would see that as a red flag honestly. I HIGHLY recommend not putting in the deposit with them if that's the case. Keep doing your research! I'm sure you will find one in your area that will consult with you FIRST before making any sort of payment.

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I am glad I am not alone in thinking this! Reaching out to vendors is a new experience for me so I wasn't sure if this was standard, I hoped not. I need to be 100% confident that the person who marries us is a good fit and being unable to speak to me raises tons of red flags

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We are definitely not going to do any of that haha. We have already received responses back with officiants that seem more than happy to speak with us so that's a relief

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I totally agree. Honestly at this point, it has put such a bad feeling in my gut that I am going to move on from the two vendors who requested this without attempting to ask again for a call. There are other officiants that were extremely friendly and more than happy to schedule calls with us.

We hired the first officiant we talked to but not a single vendor we booked made us sign first. They all either emailed back and forth or did phone calls and video chats first

That is so strange. Most all of the officiants I have seen online have a place to contact for more information or schedule a meeting before you book them. Any vendor, including venues, that requires you to book first before you do anything (interview them to see if it’s a good fit, get catering tastings, etc) Is a huge red flag. They know you can’t back out for any reason without losing all your money.


Do a search for officiants in your area. Go down the list until you meet someone you click with. If they don’t talk to you without booking first, scratch them off the list and move on. Take a look at Eventective.com, Yelp.com and a general Google search for your area.

I think it's reasonable to have you fill out an "application" first, but certainly not a legally binding agreement or payment for services. Getting a little info about you ahead of time certainly saves them time, so that makes sense.

But yea, don't sign a contract or put down money for a vendor you've never had a conversation with.