Officiant Prep · Anywhere in the country

Crafting personalized ceremonies alongside your officiant.

You found the perfect person to marry you, only problem is they’ve never done this before. Now what?

I get them ready. The script, the ordination, and knowing what happens next. You keep the person you wanted up there, and nobody has to stress whether the ceremony will run smoothly.

Ask about prep How it works

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What couples ask

The part nobody says out loud.

Asking a friend, a sister or a favorite uncle to officiate is one of the best decisions couples make. It is also the one they lie awake about, because the person they picked has almost certainly never done this before, and saying so out loud feels unkind.

It’s always the same few things that worry people.

  • What if they freeze?
  • Will my ceremony feel awkward since they’ve never done this before?
  • Will they be able to legally marry us?
  • What are the hypotheticals that can go wrong?

Standing in front of a hundred people and not knowing what comes next is a specific kind of awful, and it has nothing to do with how much they care.

So prep is not a rescue, and it is not a replacement. Your person still marries you. I just make sure that by the time they are standing up there, they know exactly what happens next, in writing, and are prepared for the what ifs that keep you up at night.

Arielle Patno, wedding officiant, at a ceremony

How it works

Seven steps, all of them remote.

Most of the officiants I prep live outside Ohio, so this is built for phone, email and video from the start. Your wedding can be anywhere.

  1. Submit an inquiry below

    Tell me who is officiating, how do you know each other, where and when is your ceremony. I email back pricing, payment information and availability.

  2. Virtual meet and greet

    The two of you, your officiant, and I have a video call, so everyone is working from the same timeline. This one matters more than it sounds: it is the call where the three of you stop guessing what the others are picturing.

  3. Officiant gets ordained

    I walk your officiant through getting ordained for the state they live in, registering in the state the ceremony takes place and marriage license rules for the county you are actually marrying in.

  4. The prep call

    We go through the ceremony piece by piece, processional to pronouncement, and everything in between from readings, traditions, who walks in when, what you want said about the two of you and what you would rather nobody mention.

  5. Script arrives

    Usually within a week. The script comes with cues and reminders in each section from unplugged announcements, times when guests stand or sit, walking away during the kiss, and all the little pieces I’ve found helpful along the way. Then we edit it back and forth until it sounds like you and your vision. Your officiant reads the final version, so nothing on the day is improvised.

  6. The day-of checklist

    What to do from the moment they arrive: what to wear, the mic check, introducing themselves to the on-site coordinator, checking in with the photographer, last minute reminders for the bridal party and parents.

  7. Paperwork is correctly and legally filed

Timing

When to start.

I like to begin your script about six months out. That is comfortable rather than necessary.

In practice, most couples find me the week their friend finally says yes, and that can be anywhere from two years to two weeks before the wedding.

A short timeline does not cost more. I do not price by how stressed you are. If I have the time, I would rather make it work.

Price

Prepare your first time officiant with an industry professional.

$400Anywhere in the country
  • Unlimited phone calls, texts and a video consult
  • A custom script, written for you, alongside your officiant and a copy to keep
  • Getting your officiant ordained, in whichever state they live
  • The marriage license paperwork, specific to your ceremony state and county
  • A day-of checklist for your officiant so nothing big or little is overlooked

In Northeast Ohio, where I can be there in person

Prep + one hour rehearsalfrom $600
Prep + day of legalizationfrom $500
Prep + one hour rehearsal + day of legalizationfrom $700

Those three include travel in Geauga and Cuyahoga. Farther counties add a travel fee, which you can see on the ceremonies page. Prep on its own has no travel in it at all, which is why it is the same price in Cleveland and in Corvallis.

Prep is paid in full before the first call. Everything after that is included, however many texts it takes.

Ask about prep

Honestly

When this isn’t the right thing.

If nobody has agreed to be your officiant, don’t buy prep. Hire an officiant. If you would like that to be me in Northeast Ohio, the ceremony packages are on the main page. Prep only makes sense once someone has agreed to stand up there and officiate your wedding.

And if your person said yes but seems to be hoping you will let them off the hook, that is worth one honest conversation before you spend anything on prep.

Questions

What couples actually ask me.

Is it legal for a family member or friend to marry us?

In most of the country, yes, once they are ordained. The catch is that the rules are set state by state and sometimes county by county. A few places want the officiant registered with the county before the ceremony, and a small number are strict about online ordinations.

Having an officiant legally registered and recognized prior to your ceremony is priority number one. Almost everything else about a ceremony can be fixed the week of. This one cannot.

How does our friend get ordained?

I am ordained through Universal Life Church Ministries, and registered through the Secretary of State in Ohio. I walk your officiant through which route suits the state they live in, and what paperwork to keep a copy of. This is mainly done online. Some counties ask to see the credential and plenty never do, but the copy costs nothing to have.

Does our officiant have to live in the state where we’re getting married?

No. Most of the officiants I prep live somewhere else entirely, which is the ordinary case and not a complication.

What matters is the county where the ceremony happens, because that is whose license rules you follow. That is the county I look up.

Who signs and files the marriage license?

Your officiant signs it, and it has to get back to the county office inside the window that county gives you. We go over exactly what goes on which line beforehand.

In Ohio, couples apply in the county where they live, or if they are from out of state, in the county where the ceremony takes place, and the license expires after 60 days. Other states set their own windows.

What does our officiant actually say up there?

Whatever the couple, their officiant, and I decide together. I write the initial draft of the script: the welcome, how the two of you got here, any readings or traditions, the vows, the rings, the pronouncement.

Then the script is shared with the three of you to decide what works and what doesn’t together. Even if there is an “off-the-cuff” moment in the script, it’s already pre-approved by the couple.

What if they lose their place?

This is exactly what the script is for. There is a page in their hand and they will not be improvising. Your officiant can stop, breathe, find their line and keep going, and the room will love them for it. We also talk through the small things that trip people up during a ceremony.

Can we still write our own vows?

Yes, and they stay yours. I build the script around them, and neither I nor your officiant needs to read them beforehand unless you want us to.

How long should the ceremony be?

Ten to thirty minutes, depending on how much you want in it. Twenty is a comfortable middle. Nobody has ever told me afterwards that they wished it had been longer.

Inquire

Let’s connect!

Tell me about you and your officiant, a few details on the ceremony and that is plenty to start.

Optional, and it comes straight to me.