What is a Wedding Officiant?

Los Angeles Wedding Officiant,
Chris Robinson, at a beach wedding.
wedding officiant Chris Robinson, at a beach wedding.

When people ask me what I do, I tell them I am a wedding officiant. I usually get that quizzical look and then the question: “Uh, what is a wedding efficient?” “No, no. A wedding oh-fish-ee-ant,” I say, enunciating. Almost everyone I have said “wedding officiant” to doesn’t know that my profession exists. You can call me whatever you want – – wedding minister, wedding clergy, wedding official, marriage officiant, wedding officiate, ceremony officiant, humanist officiant, celebrant, that guy who marries people, officiant dude- – anything. That’s okay. It’s more important that you know what I can do for you. I can help you get married in Southern California, easily. In addition, I can issue you a marriage license. I save you time and hassle and can accommodate any type of wedding ceremony or wedding requests. I’m here to help.

Below are some official definitions, or officiant definitions you might say:

From A Glossary of Terms :
This is the cleric or secular official that carries out the ceremony.  For non religious weddings, he or she might be a justice of the peace, magistrate or even the Captain of a ship (when onboard).

Officiant

From Wikipedia:
An officiant is someone who officiates at (i.e. leads) a service or ceremony, such as marriage, burial, or namegiving/baptism. Officiants may be ordained by any denomination as members of their clergy, or by secular/Humanist or Interfaith/Interspiritual religious bodies. Officiants differ from Chaplains in that Officiants serve the unaffiliated public at large, while Chaplains are usually employed by an institution such as the military, a hospital or other health care facility, etc. The term “Officiant” also includes Justices of the Peace, celebrants, notaries, and other people empowered by law to perform legally-binding private ceremonies.

Officiant

Marriage Officiant
Marriage officiant is a civil officer who performs acts of marriage or civil union. Their main responsibility is to receive and witness the consent of the intended spouses and to ensure the legal formalities, and hence the validity of the marriage or civil union, observed.

Click here to find a Marriage Officiant in Los Angeles.