How much does a Maine wedding officiant cost? Photo by Kevin Lanceplaine
Do you want the answer to how much a Maine wedding officiant costs? Well, like a lot of other things, the answer is: it depends. Sorry, I know that’s so annoying, but, like many other things you’re trying to define in your wedding budget, when it comes to wedding officiants, the cost depends on a number of variables.
Because there is a wide range of experience and services offered by the community of Maine wedding officiants, you need to know what kind of officiant you’re looking for before we can talk about cost. In this blog post I’m going to offer you a few things to consider while contemplating who should perform your wedding ceremony. These ideas will likely determine how much you pay for your officiant.
1. Your Wedding Ceremony
Have you and your honey discussed what kind of a wedding ceremony you want? And I’m not just talking about whether you want a religious or secular ceremony. What I’m really asking you is how important is the ceremony to your wedding?
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Some folks don’t really care what the officiant says as long as it’s legal.
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For some folks, they just want a big party with all their friends and family and being the center of attention in front of all of their guests sounds like torture.
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Some folks want a super short (less than 15 minute) ceremony and to just get on with it.
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Other couples feel like the ceremony *is* the whole point of the wedding and they want it to be long enough to be significant but not so long that it’s boring.
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Other couples want to be involved in writing the ceremony and don’t want there to be any surprises on wedding day.
Once you decide on what kind of a ceremony you want then you can start looking for the right officiant.
2. The Wedding Officiant
Now that you know what kind of ceremony you want, you can start looking for your professional wedding officiant. I wrote a blog post about 10 things to consider before choosing your officiant, you should read it. Use Google to search for “Maine wedding officiants” or “wedding officiants in Maine” to get you started. We have a wonderfully diverse community of wedding officiants, because Maine is one of only three states that allows notaries public to perform wedding ceremonies. That means Maine offers hundreds of wedding officiants that come with a wide range of prices.
3. Wedding Officiant Fees
Price range: $75 – $1,500+
I’m not kidding, that’s how wide a range you get from wedding officiants in Maine. See what I mean about “it all depends?” Because we have so many wedding officiants here in Maine, you’ll find this wide a range of prices. The officiants charging $75 or $100 probably aren’t doing this to earn a living, don’t have much experience, or don’t offer any customization, so that could be a great option if you just want to make it legal.
On the other hand, if you are looking for an officiant who will craft a completely custom wedding ceremony based on the two of YOU; your love story, your values, your family traditions, etc., there are a few officiants who provide this service. We help you plan the entire ceremony from pre-processional to signing the marriage license afterwards. We manage your rehearsal and work closely with all of your vendors to ensure a seamless experience. Some of us (definitely me) manage all the details of the ceremony so that you two can be relaxed and fully present during this significant moment in your lives. We “hold the space” in which your ceremony can unfold, welcoming the community of support that surrounds you into the proceedings, paying special attention to pacing and volume and breath.
Professional officiants in Maine like this charge the most and are totally worth it, IMO. Crafting a completely custom ceremony and supporting a couple through this process takes an incredible amount of energy, time, love, creativity, and experience. And, most likely, someone who devotes this much attention and intention into your wedding is earning their living by being a professional officiant, I know I am.
4. Finding the Right Officiant
Now you know what kind of a ceremony you want, what kind of an officiant you’re looking for and about how much you’ll need to budget for this professional vendor. Before you reach out to your short list of officiants, read this post about 5 things to ask your wedding officiant when meeting them for the first time and the ultimate guide to finding the right officiant. Cheers to finding just the right officiant for your Maine wedding!
