Officiant Fee

Lady12 Posted: Sep 03, 2009 04:43 PM

Officiant Fee

Approxamtely how much does an officiant charge? I got a quote of $500 from someone I liked, but I find $500 is way to much money for a $20 minute ceremony, is this standard?

WeddingGem Posted: Sep 03, 2009 04:53 PM

Re: Officiant Fee

The average I found was about $375 but you can get people for under $300. (not many though)

sophisticat13 Posted: Sep 03, 2009 04:57 PM

Re: Officiant Fee

The officiant fee isn't just for 20 minutes, it's also for preparing your ceremony tailored to you and your FH, which can take many hours to do. The 20 minute ceremony is only the final product...hence the fee. She/he also fills out and sends in your paperwork so that you can get your marriage license. We paid $550 for ours and she spent a lot of time with us, writing a personalized ceremony and changing it many times to make us happy lol.

elisa112101 Posted: Sep 03, 2009 06:14 PM

Re: Officiant Fee

i had found one for about 300$ and i agree that i think its aot of $$ for a short amount of time! try to get somebody local and see if they can at least waive the 'traveling fee' that a bunch of them charge as well!

WeddingGem Posted: Sep 03, 2009 06:28 PM

Re: Officiant Fee

Posted by elisa112101

i had found one for about 300$ and i agree that i think its aot of $$ for a short amount of time! try to get somebody local and see if they can at least waive the 'traveling fee' that a bunch of them charge as well!

Who did you use?

Also, if you are not looking for a cutomized ceremony, many of the officiants have premade ones that are very nice. You can ask them about this option to see if they will lower their price.

elisa112101 Posted: Sep 03, 2009 06:43 PM

Re: Officiant Fee

i havent even started interviewing people yet!! I really need to start looking into it!

springsandra Posted: Sep 03, 2009 11:42 PM

Re: Officiant Fee

I spoke with 4 different interfaith officiants and every single one quoted me $750. It was tough, but we just ****** it up and paid it. We got married at the RH so there was no separate fee or donation for the space.

That being said, he waited around an awfully long time after the ceremony as if he wanted a tip on top of that. I couldn't stomach a tip on top of $750. Especially since he kinda messed up the ceremony and didn't do what we had agreed upon.

It was still beautiful and I'm happy because it was totally legal and we're married now.

MrsCM Posted: Sep 04, 2009 12:55 AM

Re: Officiant Fee

I think $500 is pretty reasonable, however, you might have better luck if you look for officiants who live closer to your location.

Cassie15 Posted: Sep 04, 2009 04:19 AM

Re: Officiant Fee

Yes, your officiant is overcharging. Typically, officiants charge anywhere from $100-$300. However, $500 is def over the top. My officiant charged me $175 for a 1 hr. ceremony. He's a secular and multi-cultural officiant, if you want his info, FM me.

Julesg1230 Posted: Sep 04, 2009 03:55 PM

Re: Officiant Fee

We paid $550.....Father Joe D'Vincenzo

QUIA Posted: Sep 04, 2009 04:06 PM

Re: Officiant Fee

$300-350 is typical

Lady12 Posted: Sep 04, 2009 04:43 PM

Re: Officiant Fee

Thanks everyone. There seems to be a big range. I really like the one I met with, but I will continue to intervew and compare prices. I need a Spanish speaking officiant, and that is proving more challenging, so I might have to pay a bit more. We'll see!

allegracristina Posted: Sep 04, 2009 04:57 PM

Re: Officiant Fee

Mine was $550 for a half hour ceremony. It was $150 to book him, and $400 day-of.

slyman1101 Posted: Sep 04, 2009 09:32 PM

Re: Officiant Fee

Posted by allegracristina

Mine was $550 for a half hour ceremony. It was $150 to book him, and $400 day-of.

ours was the same- but i think he is worth every penny and more! we both fell in LOVE with him right off the bat- we totally clicked with him and cannot wait to have him perform the ceremony.

JillandJoe Posted: Sep 04, 2009 09:55 PM

Re: Officiant Fee

im paying 375

lisagail55 Posted: Sep 04, 2009 09:59 PM

Re: Officiant Fee

We are having Pastor April and I think she's $475. And I agree with the other girls - this is a personalized ceremony. We met with her, she interviewed us (practically a therapy session, it was wonderful!) and then emailed us a rough draft which we will work on together. When I read the rough draft I almost cried it was so beautiful!

jenturch Posted: Sep 04, 2009 10:16 PM

Re: Officiant Fee

Mine is $400-Minister Keith www.NYWeddings.com Love him!

ETA: I agree it's more than just the 20 minute ceremony. He spent an hour on the phone when I first called, then he met w/FH & I for an hour and a half. He asked us to complete a questionnaire and is customizing the ceremony to meet our needs. I think he is totally worth every penny.