Who can legally officiate your wedding ceremony in Massachusetts?
TL;DR – ALMOST ANYONE! (WITH THE RIGHT PAPERWORK)
You’ve found your person, you’ve decided to do the forever thing, and you’ve started booking your vendors – Great!
In a slew of wedding decisions, make sure you don’t forget your officiant. In addition to actually legally solemnizing your marriage ceremony, your officiant sets the tone for your wedding. It’s often the first element of the day your guests experience, so ask yourselves how you want your guests to feel.*
If you’ve booked a Dearly Studio ceremony package, your booking already comes with an officiant who is well-versed and comfortable both crafting and delivering micro wedding ceremonies (oops, it’s me!) That said, you’re not required to use the services provided, and plenty of couples opt to BYO officiant, which brings us back to…
Who can legally officiate your wedding?
In-state Justices of the Peace
In-state clergy members in good standing – please note, to MA no longer recognizes online ordination sites like Universal Life Church. If you’re opting to have a friend or family member officiate for you, you’ll need to have them fill out a One Day Designation form (more on that in a second)
Out of state clergy or Justices of the Peace who have filed a “non-resident, out-of-state clergy petition.”
Anyone who’s applied for and received a One Day Designation. If you’d like a loved one to solemnize your marriage, this is the easiest option. It costs about $20, is generally nice and quick to receive, and all you’ll need to do is return their One Day Designation paperwork with your signed license.
Officiating my best friend’s wedding last fall.
*Some briefs couples have given me recently as a Justice of the Peace who writes custom ceremonies:
“We want it to feel sacred to us, but not spiritual.”
“We want our ceremony to feel joyous above all else.”
And one of my personal favorites, “ We want it to be equal parts silly and romantic.”
