Today, we will talk about officiants, and how to pick the best one for your Disney World Wedding. Now, we know that planning a destination celebration will prove to be challenging as you are likely to be orchestrating the whole thing remotely, and this seems just another thing on your decision list, but trust us – based on our experience, choosing the right professional is vital.
Not only will the officiant precede your whole event but they will also conduct the most important part of your big day. As we are talking about the person who will actually bind you in marriage, we will go over 9 tips that will help you find the right one for you as a couple. Furthermore, we will share with you our recommended professional who we have been completely enchanted by – Katherine Imundi; and her answers to our officiant-related questions.
Can you have your own officiant at a Disney wedding?
Absolutely! You can pick anyone that you’d like officiant your wedding, just know it might not be official. To be recognized by the state of Florida they will have to meet some criteria and be one of the following:
” (1)All regularly ordained ministers of the gospel or elders in communion with some church, or other ordained clergy, and all judicial officers, including retired judicial officers, clerks of the circuit courts, and notaries public of this state may solemnize the rights of matrimonial contract, under the regulations prescribed by law. Nothing in this section shall make invalid a marriage which was solemnized by any member of the clergy, or as otherwise provided by law prior to July 1, 1978. “
So yes, your friend, cousin or whomever can become an ordained clergy member online, but take a second to think this through. While it sounds fun, and a thoughtful part of your ceremony, are they going to take the time to be serious, and delivery a powerful ceremony? Weddings can be costly, so you want your officiant to deliver and keep the focus on the couple.
Can Mickey Mouse officiate a wedding?
How awesome would it be if Mickey Mouse could officiate your wedding or even be your best mouse! That would be the ultimate way to start your marriage blessed by Mickey himself. We do have some sad news for all those fans that are interested in that:
Unfortunately Mickey Mouse can not officiate your wedding or be an active part of your wedding party. However, he and others can make appearances at your wedding. If you want a character to appear at your Disney Fairytale Wedding, budget approximately $2500-$7000 depending on who, and how many characters you’d like to appear.
Don’t worry, our recommended officiant can help focus on your special day, and uniting you in love.
Religious, secular, or both?
Depending on your preferences search for a Disney officiant that is properly ordained to perform and conduct a ceremony of your liking. Most professionals are able to tailor your special day completely to your liking but it is vital to search for what fits your story. Do you plan to have a civil wedding? A religious one? Maybe a romantic fairytale vibe with a subtle mention of your faith? Come to terms with your partner and proceed to the next step.
Research
Searching and choosing remotely can be daunting but luckily we have the technology, right? Scout for a potential officiant in Orlando and start researching. You will have several options but you will later filter them out on the basis of our points below. First, we would like to say that we have been in your shoes and we know how all of the Disney World wedding planning tasks can be nerve-wracking so we decided to cut to the chase and share our experience and our special day when it comes to the best Disney officiant.
Can we say how we have been completely in love with Katherine Imundi – our officiant? When you meet a person, even on the phone, you can immediately tell whether they love what they are doing or not. Well, Katherine radiates happiness, passion for love, and her kind nature to help couples tie the knot is so heartwarming. We adored her British accent which adds a special flair to any celebration, particularly a Disney World wedding. She was so kind, and thoughtful in her approach, made sure to listen to every wish we had, gave her personal touch, and went above and beyond to make the ceremony truly amazing!
Meet the candidates
Disney World weddings require some phone talks and some more chatting and video calls to make sure your destination celebration will be pulled off seamlessly. Schedule a phone or video call and start evaluating the officiants. You will find that certain personalities are more aligned with yours. This is maybe a seal the deal moment because when we met with Katherine, we just knew she was the one! In the interview we did with her, we asked what made her fall in love with this job and we loved her answer:
“A friend of mine who is also an officiant said that I have an awesome personality and love people from all backgrounds and would make a fabulous Wedding Officiant especially as I have a British accent so I took the journey of becoming a wedding officiant and I haven’t looked back…It is my passion and I could not imagine myself doing anything else but joining couples in their happily ever after.”
Experience and Stage Presence
The experience will play a great role in two major aspects – the ability to curate a ceremony that would be customized to your unique love story and how much of a confident speaker they are. Katherine has 6+ years of experience in officiating weddings so she is kind of an MVP in the industry!
The second is extremely important as what you will have left from your big day are the visual memories. That means your Disney officiant will be captured on both photos or video so you wouldn’t want them to be constantly reading from their book and feel insecure. Furthermore, having a confident speaker will soothe and relax you as you speak your vows and say the iconic “I do”. So watch several videos of the potential officiants and see how they make you feel and how powerful their stage presence is. For example, Katherine made us feel calm, wonderful, and really happy to be having our ceremony! She was so invested in the content she was saying with the most amazing stage presence.
Personalized Ceremony
Some of the top officiants have various methods to customize the ceremony so when you select, have in mind that the best professionals will have various ways to elevate the whole process.
We loved our experience with Katherine as she had a well-curated AMAZING Ceremony Planning Kit that offered us many opportunities to mix and match and fit our own style! Plus, there is a full guide on readings, how to choose and include yours, a whole guide on writing your own vows, unity ceremony ideas like the sand ceremony, unity candle, etc. It is basically a long list of elements that can be incorporated to personalize everything. Katherine gives you all her information and you get to tailor your own day. It is easy and it is meaningful to you as a couple!
We wanted to include a unity ritual in our day, so with her guidance, we decided to do the Bell Rose Dome Unity Ceremony. We opted for it through Katherine and we think is the most wonderful thing we did, felt like being Belle! This lovely ritual features a large glass dome with a rose inside whose first petal is fallen. We had 2 of the colored ribbons to tie the rose stem. Each ribbon color has its own meaning:
- Red: Passion, strength, lust, fertility;
- Gold: Energy, wealth, intelligence, longevity;
- Blue: Tranquility, patience, devotion, sincerity, safe journey & Strength;
- Yellow: Charm, confidence, joy, and balance.
Get to know them on a personal basis
Of course, the previous steps are the key to finding the best officiant in Orlando but when you get to know someone more, then you can tell whether they are the right fit. After all, we are speaking about the person that you will remember for the rest of your lives. That being said, we are happy that we made a perfect choice because we consider ourselves lucky to have met Katherine!
Inquire about their services
You would want someone that is professional and ready to offer you various ceremony kits and show a willingness to personalize the whole experience. Furthermore, you will need to inquire about the cost of their services to see whether your budget allows it. These are some of the other basics that will determine the outcome.
Look out for amateur officiants, book a long-term experienced professional!
The law states that a family member or a friend can get ordained but many people continue to pursue this “career” without being properly educated. In fact, they misuse their role. Look for officiants that are really ordained. It is best to ask them several questions like how they got involved in officiating weddings. You will get a feel whether it is someone professional or someone who got online to make money in the industry. An expert will also be able to solve any issue that may arise so the event flows seamlessly. That is why we cannot recommend Katherine more as she is recommended by Disney World, The Knot, and countless couples throughout her 6+ years of experience!
Katherine also notes that hiring a professional can do even more for your big day than you may realize:
“When a couple is looking to choose a wedding officiant, they should go for a professional long-term experienced in the field, has a lot of Officiant come up with issues on the day and they can resolve them very quickly without any problems arising and therefore the wedding ceremony runs smoothly.”
If you feel that you have found the right Wedding Officiant, then book early in the process!
You may not realize this fact but great officiants get booked very VERY quickly. Katherine notes that if you feel that you have found the right person to conduct your ceremony, don’t think too long because you might miss the chance:
“I wish couples understood how important it is that they have the right wedding officiant because their wedding officiant will not only put their ceremony together but they will be part of the history in photographs, I understand that the wedding has a lot of components…flowers colors, dresses, etc. but family and friends that come to the wedding are coming to be part of the ceremony to watch and listen as they both say I do. So I wish the emphasis of the ceremony and the wedding officiant they choose would be more prominent and important at the start as most great officiants get booked up so quickly they may not have the opportunity to choose their preferred officiant.”
I’d like to thank Katherine for taking time to answer a few questions so we could help others as they start on their path to find the right officiant for their own fairytale wedding. She was delighted, and passion with her goal to help other couples with this special event.
Interested in booking Katherine Imundi for your magical Disney World wedding? Reach out to us and we will help you realize your dream! You can also find her through her contact info:
Cell: 4076190173
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.imarrycouples.com/
The Knot: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/i-marry-couples-clermont-fl-1025638
