We get it. There is a certain joy when a friend or family member stands before you and your beloved. In front of your loved ones. And you declare for the world that you want to marry each other. Naturally, there is a joy for the officiant-family member, too.
The Justice of the Peace Association polled its members and asked what it was like for them, when they officiated their children, parents, friends or other family members.
Not one of our officiants regretted their choice to officiate for their loved ones.
- 67% said they were proud and honored to be respected and trusted to fulfill the role.
- 22% reported being emotional with many tears of joy!
- 11% said they were elated, their happiness not contained.
Most JPs reported marrying a friend, 28% married their child or children and one officiant married their parent/s! No siblings were married, but half reported marrying other relatives.
Of note, 94% of our survey respondents said that they were already a professional officiant when they performed the ceremony. Meaning, their loved ones still chose to go with a pro, not a lay person. This is important, because getting married, while a demonstration of love, is also a legal act. And up to 90% of lay officiants make errors that jeopardize the marriage’s legality.
Regular readers of our blog may recall that we encourage couples to have their friend or family member “on stage” performing the public ceremony. But still hire a professional officiant to witness the affirmation and file the legal paperwork. This way you get the best of all worlds! Find your professional officiant on findaJP.com. There you can search by state, read profiles and find your connection!
Related Articles
- Why asking a friend or family member to marry you jeopardizes the validity of your marriage
- The difference between a legal marriage and the wedding ceremony
- Read Writing a Ceremony with Meaning
- Check out FindaJP’s YouTube channel to see our funny video about amateur officiants
Loretta Jay is the Managing Member of the Justice of the Peace Association. This is the membership organization for professional marriage officiants. All officiants’ profiles are searchable at findaJP.com, the place where Couples who Click can find their perfect JP.