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Dedicated August 2020

Zoom wedding help! (ny)

Michelle, on May 21, 2020 at 9:44 AM Posted in New York Planning 0 1

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Hey guys!
So with COVID-19 among us my fiancé and I made the decision to push back our reception to next year. However, we do plan to keep our original date to have a small intimate ceremony with our immediate families.

Our officiant wants to charge us $200 just for the zoom wedding, which I think is completely unfair. This is on top of his $600 charge for the original ceremony, which we are going to add to our reception next year.
So my fiancé and I thought it would mean even more if we had my best friend officiate the wedding for us. Since he’s known me for quite some time and has gotten to know my fiancé.
My point here is does anyone know the process to becoming an officiant?! HELP! Please.

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Latest activity by Lynnie, on May 21, 2020 at 11:47 AM

WeddingWire Administrator October 2016
Lynnie · on May 21, 2020 at 11:47 AM
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Hi Michelle! I don't think $200 is unreasonable since they will now be performing two ceremonies for you! In addition to their time and service for the virtual ceremony, they may have also incurred additional business costs to be able to perform these functions remotely (paying for a zoom subscription, upgrading bandwidth of home internet, potentially purchasing additional lighting, sound, or video equipment) - not to mention practicing for a now virtual service and keeping up to date on local government closures and restrictions!

If you'd still like your best friend to officiate that should be feasible but it will definitely take a little more work! They'll need to find and take an online ordination course (some are free but may still require payment for official documents like ordination credentials), and make sure that the church meets New York's legal definition of a church to ensure the ordination is legitimate. And if your ceremony will take place in the city of New York they have to register with the City Clerk ( NYC Marriage Officiant Registration). It seems less strict outside of NYC, but definitely check with your county clerk's office!
The Knot has a really good overview and guide you can check out - but I've heard mixed things about getting ordained through ULC in NY should I'd double check on that locally:
Asking a Friend or Family Member to Officiate Your Ceremony? Start Here
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