Wedding Resources

How much does it cost to have someone perfom a wedding ceremony?

I was just wondering how much it would be to have a justice of the peace, minister, etc. perform a wedding ceremony...I know it varies, but I really have NO CLUE so just a ballpark figure....thanks!

Public Comments

1. It depends. Some churches request a donation, a friend of mine is giving a $300 donation to the church for the minister. Contact the location where you are getting married and ask them for their recommendation. They usually have several ministers or justice of the peace they work with regularly.
2. The church fee can be upwards of $500, depending on the church, your location, etc. If you hire a JOP and do the ceremony at the site of the reception, I believe they generally only charge about $50.
3. You should give him between $75 and $100. this is a pretty "normal" fee
4. It varies. A lot of ministers don't charge for their own parishoners. A justice of the peace typically doesn't cost anything more than the marriage license you have to have anyway -- it's their full-time job. If you're wanting to go very inexpensive without the lack of familiarity, look into asking a friend or loved one become "ordained" online, so he or she can perform your marriage. EDIT: The Justice of the Peace is paid little or nothing by the couple if the ceremony is done at the courthouse.
5. Depending on the state, ANYBODY can do it. I live in California. My husband and I were just married in September, and we had a friend of the family register to marry us. He did it for free, obviously, and i think it only costs about $40 to register (again, depending where you live). The person just needs to go ahead of time, and they request the specific day and the person gets a license only for that day. I believe its called "deputy commissioner of marriage?" Im pretty sure thats it, but I hope that helps!
6. You should be able to get one for $300.
7. It totally depends on the type of wedding. If you are having a big ceremony that requires the officiant/jp/minister to attend a rehearsal etc, it costs a little more.
8. 2,000 to 3,000 dollars for everything!
9. Officiating a wedding ceremony ranges in price from FREE to $500. Sometimes a church minister will perform a wedding ceremony for FREE for a member of his church and sometimes the Mayor of a town/city will perform a FREE wedding ceremony (if his/her work schedules permit). Answered by: A Certified wedding specialist / A Professional bridal consultant / A Wedding ceremony officiant
10. It depends on where you live and the regulations in your area ... in Fairfax County, VA the minister can't charge more than $50-$60 for services, but can charge mileage fees and extra if the couple wants that person at the rehearsal. My bride for June is paying $110, which isn't a lot at all. You're county website should have all of that information.
11. In RI, our justice of peace charges anywhere from $100-$150
12. As a minister, I tell the groom to pay me what he thinks his bride is worth. The correct answer to that is "Nobody has that much money!"