Officiating Partnership

Draft Notes (to turn into Course)

Introduction

There are several steps necessary to be given permission to officially ordain marriages. There are a plethora of religious organizations to choose from, and we’re delighted that you’re interested in becoming ordained with namūna. We care deeply about celebrating life’s rites of passages, and helping people bring more mindfulness and reverence to these significant moments in the soul’s passage. As part of our process of becoming a namūna “Guide,” you must successfully complete our brief course Officiating Partnership, either online or in person.

This course will support you in understanding the significance of this responsibility, give you the opportunity to learn about a variety of wisdom traditions and practices around marriage ceremonies to draw from, define your own style and process, and be more successfully equipped to provide your beloveds a ceremony and community to honor their love. After completing the course, you will immediately receive certification.

Part 1: Significance of Ordaining Marriage Ceremonies

A wedding officiant is who leads a couple through their wedding vows and the ritual of the ceremony as a whole. They will also sign the marriage license to make the wedding legally binding. This allows for the issuance of a marriage certificate. For religious weddings, the officiant is often the couple’s priest, pastor, rabbi, imam, or spiritual leader. For more secular or civil ceremonies, the officiant could be a justice of the peace, or close friend.

With the right certifications, almost anyone can officiate a wedding. To perform a legal marriage, you must have power granted to you by the state. It’s possible for a person of any religious denomination to receive this, as well as for people who have no background in a particular faith.

Couples select their officiants based on who they think will be most attuned to their needs and desires for the big day. That being said, officiating a wedding is a great honor. Entering into a committed partnership is a sacred and significant event, and ceremonies are created so there are witnesses in the couple’s community to hold them to their vows, and be a support to them through their joys and hardships.

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Part 2: Marriage Ceremonies from Global Wisdom Traditions

We have compiled a brief history and overview of the world’s major wisdom traditions and belief systems in our Library. You are welcome to peruse the different rituals, ceremonies, and practices offered from these different cultures and beliefs for inspiration. If the couple who asked you to perform their wedding officiation has specific beliefs or requests, it’s important to research those.

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Part 3: Your Unique Style and Process

To become a namūna Guide, we require a brief process that we believe provides enough structure to bring intentionality and thoughtfulness to the ceremony, while still providing you the freedom to add your unique flavor. There are both the ritualistic principles to bring beauty and spirit into the ceremony, as well as the logistical processes that you are responsible for managing to make sure the wedding is legally binding.

Ritual

  • Meet with the couple: understand their history, their love story, their religious preferences, their cultural backgrounds.

  • Support the couple create the structure and commitments in the vows. Help the couples understand the gravity of their vows and their commitments to each other.

  • Design the flow of the ceremony to tell their story, the flow of their vows, and what additional parties will be involved. If desired by the couple — actively engage their families, friends, and community to be included in the ceremony and this process.

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Logistics

  • Research the legal requirements for who can perform weddings in the state or country in which they plan to wed

  • Conduct the ceremony

  • Submit the marriage certificate/license back to the county clerk or recorder office promptly after the wedding

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