Your Wedding Minister Makes The Difference

I love to read other blogs and I have a Google Alert for "wedding minister" so I receive all blogs that have that term in them. One I came across the other day had an article by Dr. David Trumble, wedding minister. I have seen several artcles by him in the past and I understand that he has published some books on weddings although I have not read them. This recent article is about choosing a wedding officiant. I thought he made some excellent points so I thought I would copy and paste it here for you giving him due credit, of course. (It was difficult but I managed to resist changing the male gender pronouns to female pronouns!)

Your Wedding Minister Makes The Difference
by Dr. David Trumble
http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=2235331
submitted 2009-11-19

What makes the right wedding minister for your wedding? What qualifications do you want in your wedding minister?

Not all ministers are equal. Some are obnoxious, demanding, and insensitive. Some are rigidly bound by their traditions. Others are truly helpful, understanding, and professional. Like any other profession, ministers are people with varying skills, preferences, and priorities.

Many couples do not really care who officiates their ceremony for them. They accept the first minister available. One might ask, does it really make a difference who officiates?

Is your wedding minister legally authorized to perform weddings? Double check. Your wedding minister should be authorized by your state and ordained or authorized by an appropriate religious or social agency.

Wedding ministers represent not only civil authorities, but their own particular religious traditions. You will want to be sure that your wedding minister fits your own views of marriage and family. You may not agree with your wedding minister in every detail of life, but it is important that his expressions concerning your wedding reflect your own values. What religious background have you shared, or do you prefer? Look for a wedding minister from that tradition. If you prefer Baptist, look for a Baptist minister. If you connect with Methodist, Presbyterian, or other tradition, look for an appropriate wedding minister.

Do you want a minister who comes to your wedding with his own pre-written ceremony? This can really simplify things for the bride and groom, but limits the amount of creativity and personalization.

Other wedding ministers are much more open to working with the wedding couple. Having a minister who encourages your creativity can help make your ceremony far more personal and unique.

Your whole wedding depends on your wedding minister. His words express the theme and content of the wedding ceremony, but he does much more. He manages the flow of the ceremony, guides the participants, and facilitates every aspect of the ceremony.

In a perfect world, the marriage and family values are communicated by your wedding minister in ways that are both meaningful and helpful. He is responsible to society and his religious traditions, but he should also express the values to which you are committing yourselves. Use him as a resource to help you understand your commitments. Look to him for guidance and encouragement.

If you want a beautiful formal wedding, you will want a wedding minister with the professionalism and dignity to make it happen for you. If you want a more relaxed or informal wedding, you will want a wedding minister who helps people relax, perhaps adds a touch of informality or humor, and generally helps people feel good about themselves without rigid formality.

Ultimately, you are in charge. You choose the wedding minister that will help you achieve your dream wedding. He manages the legalities, the traditions, and the coordination; but he does so in cooperation with the wedding couple. Together you can achieve the kind of wedding you really want with as much personalization as you wish.