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Announcement Topic: Survey

Fees – Survey Results

What do you charge to perform a marriage ceremony? 

That was the question posed by the Justice of the Peace Association in its anonymous survey of marriage officiants.

Most respondents have been officiating for more than eight years, and 82% are members of JPus. All of the almost 100 people who completed the survey live in New England.
The Justice of the Peace Association encourages a range of fees, depending on the circumstances of the ceremony. One third of respondents charge $100 for their low-end. On the other hand, three people indicated that $500 is their lowest rate.  Eleven percent of respondents said sometimes they do not charge anything at all. We hope that this is the friends and family rate, or that these individuals are not members of JPus. This is because the JPus Code of Ethics requires that members charge a fee that reflects their time and expertise.

Low Range

High Range

The high end of fees runs the gamut*. Most officiants charge between $250-$500, with 15% charging more than $750. The least experienced officiants were the seven people who said they have been doing weddings for one to three years, but they were not the only ones who undervalued their services.
* In Massachusetts, state law dictates the fees a JP may charge to perform a marriage ceremony: $100 in town and $150 out of town. But, JPs may bill couples for additional services (custom vows, consultation, etc.) Twelve people from Massachusetts responded to the survey.

Related Links

Survey: Friends and Family

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

Survey – Sustainable Ceremonies

How are you protecting the environment? Please answer our survey about the steps you take so your marriage ceremonies are more sustainable. We’ll then share the results in a member support article so all members can help reduce our carbon footprint.

 

Related Links

  • Read our blog article for couples about the steps they can take for a more sustainable wedding ceremony.
  • JPus advocates for issues that affect marriage officiants.
  • Learn more about the Justice of the Peace Association.

Survey – Ceremony Length

Updated September 27, 2022

Determining how long a wedding ceremony should beDuring 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

Survey – Officiant Qualifications & Appointments

Each state has a different process to appoint marriage officiants. We frequently hear about problems in Connecticut. There, justice of the peace appointments are political – even though there is nothing political about the role. The resulting problems are multifold, as evidenced by the many complaints reported to JPus from our members. In response, JPus is working with legislators and the Secretary of the State’s office and interviewing stakeholders. The plan is to formulate the research into a white paper to enact legislative change.

A related matter is qualifications – especially when comparing professionals with amateurs officiants.  At JPus, we oftentimes hear from members who suggest that training should be required before someone performs a wedding. Survey results are now available.

Related Links

 

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