All About NY Wedding Officiant

By Rena Hudson


Different states have styles of conducting marriage ceremonies. There are some states that couples get married even without an officiant. In other states they have very strict rules that only allow ordained officiant to lead the ceremonies. The State of New York also has its own unique rules. Therefore before getting married in New York, one should check the rules to understand who are permitted to officiate as NY wedding officiant.

New York Domestic Relations Law under Section 11 gives the various people who are permitted to preside over a valid marriage within the town. It lists the persons who are given authority by the law to perform marriage ceremonies. It also contains a clause that specifies people who are not permitted to perform these ceremonies. In case a marriage is presided over by any untrained person, then it is considered null and void.

Mayor of a village or city is one of the ordained persons to lead a ceremony in the town. A former mayor and the city clerk can perform the ceremony. One of the deputy city clerks of a city with more than a million inhabitants can also perform the ceremony.

Marriage officers appointed by the town or village board or by the city common council are allowed to lead ceremonies town. A village, town or county justice can also perform the ceremony as they are recognized by Law. Ship captains are however, not allowed to conduct marriage ceremonies.

Clergy or minister member is allowed to preside over marriage ceremonies happening within the area. For this to happen, there is need for them to be officially ordained and authority bestowed upon them to conduct ceremonies. He would then proceed and lead the ceremonies as per the stated guidelines of the body governing the church and the state.

In some circumstances, there happens to be a member or even a minister who may not have been authorized by the governing body but are chosen by a known group that is spiritual. His mandate is to take charge of the spiritual affairs for the group and some ceremonies. Such people are known to the State as officiant and could therefore run these ceremonies. They must be chosen by the particular group they lead.

Ceremonies like marriages that take place within the City require the priests to register with the City. It is not a prerequisite for the priest to be a resident of the State of New York. A marriage certificate should be filled and taken back to the clerk of the town or city that had issued the license for marriage. This should happen five days after the marriage.

Once one is through with selecting their NY wedding officiant, they can consider several other things. They may look at the fees he charges, the type of ceremony that they would want, the donations they expect and the sending process of the license to be recorded. One should also ensure that all the legal requirements for a wedding ceremony are in order to avoid unnecessary hitches.




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