We’re in the home stretch of 2024, so it might be time to consider having an end of the year wedding. In Los Angeles, at least, it’s still warm and sunny though in the mornings I awake to a blanket of light fog in the sky that brings a strong but fleeting chill. Although the ...Click Here to Read More...
Category: Wedding Ideas and Info
Wedding ideas and wedding advice from the most popular wedding officiant in Southern California. The Officiant Guy has performed so many wedding ceremonies that he can offer wedding ideas on any kind of wedding.
How to Have a Bilingual Wedding Ceremony
Having a bilingual wedding ceremony is one of the coolest things you can do on your wedding day. Language is the most important medium of expression that we as human beings have. To use the language or languages that you feel the most connected to on your wedding day is a beautiful display of love ...Click Here to Read More...
How to Incorporate Star Wars into a Wedding | Themed Wedding Ideas
Wedding Ideas Theme weddings may sound a bit silly but I have been a part of numerous Southern California weddings that were a lot more fun than I expected. At each of those unique weddings, the wedding couple decided to celebrate their union with a theme that represented something that the couple enjoyed or that ...Click Here to Read More...
How do I find a wedding officiant near me?
This is a question that many couples ask who aren’t necessarily attached to a church or a pastor. Many couples I speak to would prefer to have a civil wedding (meaning non religious wedding) than a religious one. Or, for some couples, their priest or clergy are either booked or not willing to perform a wedding outside of their church. And being that we are in California, there isn’t a justice of the peace that you can go to. So what do you do? ...Click Here to Read More...
Elopements, Destination Weddings and Private Wedding Ceremonies
I officiate many destination weddings for couples who come from all over the United States and from all over the world. One of the major reasons couples like to get married her in California is that we have a unique marriage license called a California Confidential Marriage License…Most of the destination weddings that I perform take place on a beach, and there are many beaches in Southern California to choose from. ...Click Here to Read More...
Private Wedding Ceremonies and Elopements in Southern California
Couples will often travel from around the USA and from all over the world to get married in a California destination wedding because they don’t want anyone to know about their wedding or they want to keep their personal information private. I get it. I suggest it. The bonus is that they travel to sunny Southern California for a beautiful wedding in an incredible place. ...Click Here to Read More...
Civil Ceremony Officiant Southern California
A civil ceremony is something I’m known for. Even though technically, I’m a wedding minister and specially authorized marriage license issuer, I’m also an attorney and am pretty well-versed in the laws and regulations of the County and the State in regards to marriage and marriage licenses. So even though there is no such thing in California as a justice of the peace, I’m about as close as you can get to one. ...Click Here to Read More...
When You Forgot to Get a Marriage License Before Your Wedding
You forgot to get a marriage license? Don’t panic. Marriage is, technically, a legal contract. And so a wedding ceremony has some requirements. The most important legal requirement is that you need get a marriage license before your wedding ceremony takes place. That’s just the law and a legal detail that needs to be fulfilled ...Click Here to Read More...
Is a Prenuptial Agreement a Good Idea?
As an officiant, I am often asked about prenuptial agreements, whether they are a good idea or if I can create one for my clients. As an attorney, I can tell you that any contract is a good idea since it’s laying out the rules in advance of any possible future disagreement. However, I am ...Click Here to Read More...
How to Have a Wedding Without a Ceremony in California
I am often asked by couples that want to be married, “How can we have a wedding without a ceremony in California?” or “Look, we just want to be married but we don’t want a wedding ceremony.” And it’s a simple response, ...Click Here to Read More...
Top 7 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Ask a Friend to Officiate Wedding Ceremony
Are you totally sure you want your friend to officiate your wedding? It happened again. I got a frantic email recently from a friend who was asked by his friend to officiate their wedding ceremony. He was freaking out and didn’t know what to do. He didn’t really want to “work” the wedding, but he didn’t ...Click Here to Read More...
The Downside of Destination Weddings Overseas
I often marry couples who plan to have that cool destination wedding in another country right before or after their faux wedding ceremony because there’s a big downside to destination weddings overseas. Let me explain why. ...Click Here to Read More...
The Difference Between Officiants, Counselors, Wedding Planners and Coordinators
I get many calls from brides and grooms every week who are confused as to what my role as a wedding officiant is. The wedding industry has many different people who work in different capacities. In this blog post, I hope to clarify what the difference is between officiants, counselors, wedding planners and wedding coordinators ...Click Here to Read More...
Fun at a Wedding Money Dance
One of the funnest parts of my job as a busy Los Angeles wedding officiant is that I get to meet people from all over the world and learn about their wedding traditions. I recently had the privilege to marry a couple with Armenian heritage and, after their ceremony, they celebrated with the “money dance”. ...Click Here to Read More...
Fun “Great Gatsby” Themed Wedding
Yesterday I had the honor of being the wedding officiant at the marriage ceremony of Ana and John at a fun venue near the Los Angeles Airport called the Proud Bird. The Proud Bird has an airplane theme and several old military jets decorate the parking lot and the lawns surrounding the restaurant. Ana ...Click Here to Read More...
This Wedding Officiant Reads Some Beautiful Words
As a Los Angeles wedding officiant I get to meet people from all over the world on one of the happiest days of their life. Last weekend I had the pleasure to officiate an intimate private wedding for a young British couple who decided to elope while they were visiting Los Angeles. At the conclusion of their wedding ceremony they asked me to read a passage from “The House at Pooh Corner” by A.A. Milne. ...Click Here to Read More...
Ideas for Wedding Favors
If you are getting married, I’m sure that you are looking for ideas for wedding favors. Many wedding couple’s give their guests a gift or a memento of their wedding. Some are very hip and useful. Some are kitschy and cheesy. Some are just plain weird. I’ve seen a fascinating variety of wedding souvenirs. I ...Click Here to Read More...
Be Prepared
Simply Bridal has some great tips for your wedding ceremony day so you and your bridesmaids and groomsmen will not be caught unprepared at your wedding ceremony. Some of their suggestions, like water, are very appropriate for summer weddings and outdoor marriage ceremonies, especially if you are getting married in Southern California during the summer. Ironically, one of their suggestions, alcohol, often causes the need for some of the others (eye drops, painkillers, spot remover, breath mints). Most do not apply if a couple has opted for marriage in the nude which I have encountered a few times as a wedding officiant. ...Click Here to Read More...
Officiant: What Is It And How Do You Pronounce It?
An officiant is one of the number of individuals who can legally perform a marriage ceremony for a wedding couple. The legal term for the performing of a marriage ceremony is “solemnization”. Thus, an officiant can “solemnize”your marriage. ...Click Here to Read More...
Wedding Etiquette from a Wedding Officiant Who Has Seen Everything
Being a wedding officiant in Los Angeles for many years I have seen it all, and I mean ALL. At a recent wedding where I was the wedding officiant, the groom and I were standing at the altar as the wedding procession began. We were told by the “sound guy” that the microphone was turned ...Click Here to Read More...
Wedding Dogs
It is a great wedding idea for many couples to include their children in their wedding ceremonies. But for dog lovers, their “children” are their dogs. And so, of course, this kind of wedding couple will tend to include them in the wedding. I’ve officiating many weddings where the wedding dogs are either a best man, a greeter, a ring bearer or just plain hanging out. It’s very sweet and humorous to see a dog in a tuxedo. ...Click Here to Read More...
Wedding Tips to Beat the Summer Heat
It’s that time of year here in Southern California when the temperatures are very high and yet, the most popular time for weddings is summer. The temperature has reached in the hundreds which can be incredibly uncomfortable for many wedding guests (I should know as I wear a suit and tie when I am a wedding minister). Here are some summer wedding tips to help your wedding guests beat the heat: ...Click Here to Read More...
Wedding Flowers and Rose Petals
Brides and grooms or their wedding coordinators often have specific plans to decorate the wedding venue. Often those plans include an array of flowers and a sprinkling of flower petals on the bridal path and around the altar. ...Click Here to Read More...
Unity Wedding Ceremonies
Many bridal couples choose to include a symbolic unity ceremony on their wedding day. Whether you prefer a unity candle ceremony or a unity sand ceremony, the sentiment is the same. Both wedding ceremonies offer a symbolic way to celebrate the joining of the groom and the bride into new and inseparable marital community. ...Click Here to Read More...
Wedding Cupcakes for Beach Weddings
At a recent Malibu wedding that would have been a beach wedding had the weather behaved, the bride and groom, a couple of beach lovers, took a whimsical approach and made wedding cupcakes for their guests. This is a wedding cake trend that is lots of fun and very casual. I love the nicknames that they chose for the wedding cupcakes. Here’s to a long and happy life for “Gidget” and “Moondoggie”. ...Click Here to Read More...