Planning Guides

What Couples Actually Want from a Wedding Officiant

Most couples spend about forty-five minutes thinking about the officiant. They spend weeks on flowers. Here is why those twelve minutes are the only ones that can't be redone.

Planning Guides · July 2, 2026 · 1 min read

The first one was free.

That's how it works when you're a pastor. Someone in the congregation asks, you say yes, you show up with your robe and your notes and your prayers. You don't invoice them. The idea wouldn't occur to you. I did this for nineteen years.

Most couples spend about forty-five minutes thinking about the officiant. They spend weeks on the flowers. But those twelve minutes at the front of the room are the only ones that can't be redone.

Read the full essay at Southern Legends →

— Matt Headley is the founder of The Aisle and available for weddings, vow renewals, and memorial services across Alabama. Reach him at matt@theaisle.app.