10 Best Long Island Wedding Officiants Near Huntington NY
Long Island wedding officiant marrying a couple at an outdoor ceremony. © Dan Wagner 2023
The best Long Island wedding officiants are good listeners, confident speakers, and never hog the spotlight. It’s a great idea to view a wedding officiant’s video before hiring them. Also, think twice before sharing any dating anecdotes or other personal information you don’t want the world to hear with your Long Island wedding officiant. Even though I’ve never seen it happen, I’ve heard on occasion than an officiant can get a little carried away in the spirit of the moment and overshare. Then again, some couples and wedding guests welcome the added frivolity.
Really cool Celtic hand-fasting wedding ceremony video performed by a wedding officiant.
This 10 Best Long Island Wedding Officiants list will help you spend your wedding officiant budget wisely. As with anything desirable in life, brides and grooms owe it to themselves to compare the pros and cons of wedding officiants, photographers, and other important wedding vendors. So, to maximize the usefulness of my Long Island Wedding Blog, I’ve decided to create a series of blog articles designed to make your vendor comparison searches easier, faster, and more informative. Being somewhat of a shopaholic myself, I’m an expert at separating the wheat from the chaff—in other words this blog can help you avoid the worst fate known to mankind—buyer’s remorse!
This list features wedding officiants close to Huntington, NY, because most of the Long Island weddings I photograph are within an hour drive from my Huntington office. I figure it’s easier to work with wedding vendors closest to where you’re getting married and having your reception. Please feel free to let me know if I haven’t included your favorite wedding officiant, so I can add them to this list. By the way, please don’t judge the Long Island wedding officiants shown below by this webpage—view their website links, and contact them to learn more. Also, the photos next to the wedding officiant’s info are screenshots from the officiant’s website and/or Instagram. Thank you!
Use the wedding officiants’s email addresses for information and pricing requests!
Note: Any best list is subjective. Just because I haven’t included a Long Island wedding officiant on this list, doesn’t mean they’re not one of the best. A few of the wedding officiants on this 10 best list provide contact forms instead of an email address. If you decide to use them, make sure you get their email address so you have an easier way to reach them on the days leading up to your wedding, and on the day of your wedding.
Long Island wedding officiant marrying a couple at an outdoor ceremony. © Dan Wagner 2023
When Would I Need a Secular Long Island Wedding Officiant?
You need a secular wedding officiant if you’re planning a non-religious wedding. In the United States, secular officiants may be wedding celebrants, justices of the peace, judges, some government officials, and others.
In general, a wedding officiant often refers to a non-denominational officiant and sometimes non-religious officiant who has no affiliation with a church. Couples who do not regularly attend a church or church service may opt for this wedding service because of its flexibility.
When Would I Need a Non-Secular Long Island Wedding Officiant?
You need a non-secular wedding officiant if you’re planning on having a non-denominational wedding. This type of wedding ceremony can include religious references.
A religious minister, priest, reverend, and others may officiate a wedding. However, they might be restricted in what they can or will do, due to their religious affiliation with their specific church.
Non-conservative rabbis and others may also perform non-secular weddings. Like ministers, there might be certain restrictions.
10 Best Long Island Wedding Officiants
“Recipient of The Knot’s Best of Weddings Award and Wedding Wire’s Couples’ Choice Award for multiple years, Danielle Giannone is rated as one of the best wedding officiants on Long Island and in NYC, and is ranked in top 5% of wedding professionals nationwide. She is the first and only full time Certified Life-Cycle Celebrant based on Long Island, specializing in weddings, vow renewals, mother-to-be blessings, baby welcomings, and house warmings.”
“Michele LaRosa, is a non-denominational minister who happily officiates marriages for loving couples regardless of religious beliefs. With more than ten years of experience, I am honored to have the opportunity to get to know you and help bring your vision for your special day to life. Let’s chat and see how I can help make your marriage ceremony a meaningful and memorable experience for you and your partner.”
5 Long Island Wedding Officiant Symbolic Rituals and Ceremonies
Unity Candle-Lighting Ceremony—To represent the merging of the two families, the mothers of the bride and groom use two smaller candles to simultaneously light a single larger candle. This is one of the most popular unity ceremonies.
Sand Blending Ceremony—To signify the couple’s union, the officiant invites the groom to pour some of his colored sand into an empty glass container. The officiant then invites the bride to do the same with a different colored sand. Next, the bride and groom pour their colored sands into the container at the same time.
Ring-Warming Ritual—Seldom seen (by me at least), the unifying Irish ring-warming ritual is when the rings are passed around the wedding ceremony guests to be “warmed up” prior to the exchanging of the wedding vows.
Stone Ritual—This is one ritual I’d love to see! The Scottish stone ritual is when the bride and groom say their wedding vows while placing their hands on an Oathing Stone. This ritual derives from an ancient Celtic custom known as “setting the oath in stone.” How cool is that?
Handf-Fasting or Hand-Binding Ritual—During the hand-fasting ritual, the bride and groom take their vows while their hands are tide together. This is how the term “tying the knot” originated.
You can find a huge variety of unity ceremony products and ideas on Etsy.
“It is totally understandable that brides and grooms and their families are on limited budgets; that is why I make it my business to carefully craft your ceremony until it is a “perfect fit” both financially and emotionally. I vow to provide you with an incomparable ceremony at an affordable price.”—Denny Drap
Legal filing of Your License
“After your ceremony is over, I complete paperwork with witnesses. The filing of your license is done through certified mail and I do provide you with the tracking number.”
New York City Marriage License Information
“Getting married in New York City and New York State is relatively easy. You both must apply in person for your license to any town or city clerk in the state and the license must be signed by both applicants in the presence of that town or city clerk. This license is valid for 60 days; active military for 180 days. For further information and to start your online application (valid for 21 days) please visit HERE. New York State Marriage License Information”
Park Permit Information
“If you have your wedding in a public park with more than 20 people you will need a permit. Because it takes more than 30 days to receive the permit, you will need to plan for this in advance. You can obtain your permit at: https://nyceventpermits.nyc.gov/Parks/ When you log onto this site, it will also give you information about photography permits.”
Multi denominational Long Island Wedding Officiants
“The Officiants at Church of Ancient Ways are a team of seasoned professionals and are spot-on when it comes to details and organization. We’re creative and well-versed in everything from ‘Short and Sweet’ to Traditional, from Fusion to Pop-Culture, Art, Literature and everything in between.”
“Church of Ancient Ways was given 501c3 non-profit status by the Federal Government in 1997 as an Interfaith Religious Organization. All of our wedding officiants are 100% legally empowered to perform marriages on Long Island, in New York State and beyond. We do not employ officiants who are ordained online or through ULC.”
7 Important Long Island Wedding Officiant Questions
Are you available for our wedding date?
Are you legally authorized to marry couples on Long Island?
Do you offer free consultations?
How much do you charge, and what’s included in your wedding officiant fees?
What services and packages do you offer? What symbolic rituals do you perform?
What do you need from us in terms of resources, information, and involvement?
How many wedding ceremonies will you officiate on our wedding day? Will you have ample travel time before our ceremony?
“Today more and more couples are designing their own wedding ceremonies instead of using the traditional religious venues of the past. Sometimes that freedom can bring a lot of confusion as to how to actually get a ceremony designed and completed. I can lead you to the ceremony you want by meeting with you beforehand and guiding you through the process. No matter what you want, me and my team will make sure your wedding day ceremony is planned out perfectly and performed flawlessly.” —JIm Hill
How Much Will My Wedding Officiant Cost?
According to The Knot, the average wedding officiant cost in the US is $240. Whereas the Wedding Wire states this cost to be $300.
Places of worship often ask for specific fees in the form of a donation. Non-members of the place of worship might be asked to pay more. Be sure to ask if the wedding officiant donation fee is tax deductible.
In some cases, the officiant may need to charge travel fees.
Marriage license and officiant handling fees range between $35 and $100.
A tip for your Long Island wedding officiant may cost an additional $50 to $100.
How Can I Save Money on My Long Island Wedding Officiant Cost?
You can save a lot of money on your Long Island wedding officiant fees if you have a friend or family member who’s ordained in New York to officiate at your wedding. The Universal Life Church has a website with everything you need to know about becoming a Long Island wedding officiant.
“Our responsibilities as your wedding officiant are to give our couples the assurance and the complete confidence of knowing they’re in very good hands, so they will have the utmost confidence and feel relieved when their special day comes.” — Keith and Altanya Burgess Packages & Pricing
How Can I Create My Own Long Island Wedding Script?
Great question. You can work with your wedding officiant, go rogue and freestyle it with your spouse, or you can use this fun wedding script generator as a starting point.
2020: Long Islanders Voted Rabbi Rachel Rembrandt Best Officiant!
“Rabbi Rachel Rembrandt officiates at Jewish life cycle events in Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island.
I have been privileged to officiate at weddings of a variety of styles, including LGBTQ+ and interfaith (for which my only stipulation is that I do not co-officiate with a non-Jewish clergy). I also officiate for renewal of vows and destination weddings. My approach to working with couples includes 3-4 sessions, either in person or through Skype, in an effort to not only get to know each person and your story but also to engage with you to help make your vision of a wedding become a reality.”—Rabbi Rachel Rembrandt
What Should I Look for When Hiring a Long Island Wedding Officiant?
Do they have a good website? Why? Because wedding officiant’s and other wedding vendors shouldn’t have a disorganized website—that’s just good common sense.
Check out your wedding officiants Instagram and other social media. This will help you get an idea of how many, and what kind of weddings they’ve officiated at recently.
Really a number one question—is your prospective wedding officiant a good listener? Do you have a good rapport? Are they empathetic, competent, and do they have a plan that will deliver success while averting lesser outcomes?
Do you know anyone they’ve worked with? Reviews are fine and dandy, but nothing compares with watching a wedding officiant in action, or knowing someone they’ve worked with.
It’s not necessary that your wedding officiant try to be your best friend, or be a suck-up—someone who cares about what they do, and is good at it, will always hold themselves to a high standard. That’s what I would look for in a wedding officiant, or in anyone else I intended to do business with.
“Hello, I’m an Ordained Interfaith Minister of Spiritual Counseling and Healing, and a licensed Clinical Social Worker and therapist. My associates and I specialize in heart-centered and personalized wedding ceremonies that reflect your love, beliefs and life. One thing couples love most about the services we offer is our attention to the precious details that make you a unique!”—Reverend Debra A. Viola, A.K.A. Rev Deb
“Every ceremony I create is unique. That’s because every couple I marry have different wants, needs, and visions. As a result, I’ve become an expert at blending cultures, religious and non-religious backgrounds. I accomplish this by including different elements such as readings, remembrances, blessings, children's and family portions, symbolic ceremonies, and even shout-outs for pets! You name it-I’m up for it!. The plain truth is, I love to marry people. And I'd love to marry you!”—Caroline
New York State Marriage License Information
What are the Responsibilities of the Officiant Performing My Wedding Ceremony?
“After the religious service or ceremony, it is time for official record-keeping. It’s the officiant's responsibility to ensure that the officiant and witness portions of the license are properly completed and accurate. It’s the couple’s responsibility to present their marriage license to the officiant and the witnesses. The officiant's job is to look over the license, confirm that the information is accurate, and complete the officiant's section. Once completed, the officiant must return the original license to the town or city clerk where the license was purchased (usually by mail). Many clerks will supply a self-addressed envelope for this purpose. In New York, completed marriage licenses must be returned within five days of the ceremony. Once the town or city where the license was purchased takes delivery of an accurate and finalized marriage license, a copy of the marriage license is delivered to the NYSDOH to be recorded and filed.”
Town of Huntington, NY Marriage License Information
New York State Marriage License Information
“The day of your wedding or commitment ceremony is a memory that lasts forever. By simply saying a few words and signing a document in the presence of your family and friends, a miracle happens. Two lives are brought together and a new family begins. Marriage is the only life ceremony that requires specific language. By law, I am required to recite only 29 words to officially wed a couple. If you wish to pay tribute to a specific faith tradition or include certain customs, we’ll do that. If your desire is to have something non-traditional, there are no limitations to where your dreams can take us. I will carefully take you through every phase of the ceremony, from details in the script to suggestions regarding your vows, and from getting your marriage license to your first kiss as a united couple.” —Rev. Louis Oliveri
Simple Tips for Long Island Wedding Officiant Photography
As a Long Island wedding photographer, I can state from experience that it’s always good to provide wedding officiants and fellow wedding vendors with courtesy photos that help them promote their business. Doing so helps not only your wedding photography business, but the bride and groom’s wedding interests as well. How? Well, it provides a tiny bit of added focus and pride in what the wedding vendor is doing in the moment. Call it positive wedding energy!
Ask the wedding officiant if they have a short wish list of photos they would like. The most important wedding officiant photo of all—a shot of the wedding officiant with the bride and groom!
All a wedding officiant has to do, Is sympathetically understand, address, and fix one crucial issue on your wedding day to justify their fees. And who knows, by the day of your wedding you may have just found a new best friend—your wedding officiant!
Stay tuned for more Long Island wedding photography blog articles!
“Dan Wagner was the best money spent on our wedding. He was nice, professional and did a great job. He took great candid photos—which I love. Not only did we get every picture he took, but the photos were full size and without any writing on them, and they arrived just a few days after we came back home from our honeymoon. We got to choose many pictures for our album. Because everything was digital, he e-mailed me exactly what the layout of the album would be before it was printed, and I was able to make changes. Our album was the nicest I have seen, and everyone who has seen it wishes they had hired him.”
—Genevieve and William
Every Bride and Groom Deserve Beautiful Wedding Photos!
Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences about the best Long Island wedding officiants in the comment box below. Have a wonderful wedding, and many thanks for visiting my Long Island wedding photographer blog!
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Wedding License Info. Long Island New York County Clerk Offices
Suffolk County Clerks Office 631-852-2000
Babylon Town Clerk Office 631-957-3005
Brookhaven Town Clerk Office 631-451-9101
East Hampton Town Clerk Office 631-324-4142
Huntington Town Clerk Office 631-351-3206
Islip Town Clerk Office 631-224-5498
Riverhead Town Clerk Office 631-727-3200
Shelter Island Town Clerk Office 631-749-1166
Smithtown Town Clerk Office 631-360-7620
Southampton Town Clerk Office 631-287-5740
Southold Town Clerk Office 631-765-1800
Nassau County Clerks Office 516-571-2660
Glen Cove City Clerk Office 516-676-3345
Hempstead Town Clerk Office 516-489-5000
North Hempstead Town Clerk Office 516-869-6311
Long Beach City Clerk Office 516-431-1000
Oyster Bay Town Clerk Offices
Town Hall North- Oyster Bay 516-624-6335
Town Hall South- Massapequa 516-797-7966