Announcements

In the early spring of 2025, the Justice of the Peace Association launched a survey to quantify what some members reported: many same-sex couples rushed to marry after Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election. Following are the findings of our survey.

Increase in Same-Sex Weddings

• 31% of officiants reported an increase in the number of inquiries or bookings for LGBTQ+ weddings
• 61% reported no noticeable change in the number of weddings
• 56% of respondents said that same-sex couples reported the political or social climate influenced their decision to marry.
• Since the election, only 14% of officiants changed the way they officiate or promote same-sex weddings

It makes sense that all marriage officiants didn’t observe this trend. One of the wonderful things about findaJP.com is the ability for couples to search different officiants, read their profiles, see testimonials and photos, and determine who is the perfect person to lead their ceremony.  So naturally there are some officiants who are more sympatico with gay and lesbian couples, and they will get more of those contacts. Likewise, some couples are more apt to establish an affinity with their officiant, and consequently may share their anxieties. Other officiants do a quick, down-and-dirty ceremony and may not create an opportunity to build a trusting connection. Therefore, they are less likely to hear about couples’ worries.

About the Survey-Takers

• Understandably, 80% of the officiants who took the survey are JPs or notaries public (in Maine, Florida or South Carolina) since JPus is an organization for civil officiants. In addition, 42% are ordained on-line to perform marriages and 4% are religious officiants with a congregation. Note: Survey respondents were permitted to check more than one category, so the total is greater than 100%.
• The respondents are an experienced bunch! Most (78%) of the officiants have been performing marriage ceremonies for more than 10 years. Another 17% for six – 10 years. Only five percent have been doing weddings for one to five years, and none for less than one year.
• Almost all (86%) of the officiants are from the northeast. The remaining 14% are from the midwest and east coast.

Related Links

• Using inclusive terminology in your ceremony
• JPus is an ally and advocate to protect marriage equality
• See the details of how JPus sought to change Connecticut’s terminology on its marriage licenses.
• Make sure your JP Profile lets couples know that LBGTQ couples are welcome

The Christian Science Monitor is preparing an article about trends in same-sex marriages since the 2024 election, and they’re seeking the officiant perspective. The Justice of the Peace Association created a brief survey to gather your observations on any changes you’ve noticed in wedding trends over the past several months.

Your responses will help provide valuable insight for this important story. Thank you for sharing your experiences!

Take Survey Here

One of the nice things about being a part of a professional membership association is the connectedness with fellow JPs and notaries. We share stories. We hear about the good – and the not-so-good. We learn and we grow and we benefit. One such story is the officiant who performs a ceremony for their family member. As an example, perhaps you’ve noticed the photo to the right, which is also on this website’s homepage slider. This is our co-founder, Saul Haffner, officiating at his granddaughter Abby’s wedding to Mike. This opportunity gave Saul so much joy, and Abby treasures the memory.

When Saul did Abby’s wedding, he was already a pro. Alternatively, sometimes the officiant is a newbie. They are either so overcome with the love that they get hooked and continue performing weddings for others. Or, was it a once-was-enough, been there, done that?

Take the Survey

We’d like to quantify these subjective stories. Whether or not you’ve performed a wedding for a friend or family member, please complete our survey.

Take Survey

Updated September 27, 2022

During the summer of 2022, JPus surveyed the pros who perform weddings and asked, How long do you think a marriage ceremony should be? With the information gleaned from the survey, we developed two resources. First, we developed a member support article with professional guidance to support professional officiants. Then, we also shared findings in a blog article for couples on findaJP.com. The blog article also has selected officiant comments from the survey.

Related Links

• Check out the member support article for marriage officiants
• Read the blog article about survey length with selected comments from the survey
• See the Code of Ethics that JPus members abide by
• Learn more about membership with the Justice of the Peace Association