Your Officiant

There is much ado about actor Mark Consuelos becoming an ordained minister and officiating at Howard Stern's wedding last week. Did you know that here in Southern California you can have anybody be your officiant? They do not have to become ordained. Most of the counties have what's called a Marriage Commissioner for the Day. Legally they can only marry the one couple on the specific day and they do have to include some specific words into the ceremony. Since you really are marrying each other, their role primarily is just signing the license as a witness.

That is what Mr. Joyeux & I did. My nephew who graduated from college a couple months after our wedding was our officiant. It made our wedding ceremony even more meaningful since the person who married us was someone we loved. We also wanted our own ceremony and we were able to do just that.

In San Diego, where we were married, I just had to file papers and have my nephew sign some things. He didn't even have to show up at the county building. However, in Los Angeles County the Marriage Commissioners have to come in person to the county building and get sworn in. Check your counties requirements and you might solve the. "But who is going to marry us?" question. And yes it is legal!

Happy Reading,

The photo is of my nephew right before our wedding.