Basically the role of the officiant is to sign the marriage certificate and submit to the Marriage Bureau/ or Orphan's court. It depends on the county.

I am ordained, and when looking for the same answer, this is what I heard first hand from the court.

Some religions have specific protocol, but a wedding officiant can perform a ceremony however the couple choose, be it secular or more religious. Personally I like custom weddings. They are more fun then some of the traditional services I've attended.

In Pennsylvania you can get a self uniting ceremony (known as a Quaker wedding). This wouldn't require an officiant an would just require two witnesses. In that case you can have whatever ceremony you want. You can request these special wedding licenses at City Hall.

Unfortunately, the answer to your question is a little murky. First, there is no governmental authority with which you need to register. However, the Pensylvania Marriage Law requires that the officiant be clergy of a "regularly established church or congregation." As a result, some counties have refused to accept marriages performed by clergy who are not deemed to be bona fide.

In 2008, the ACLU of Pennsylvania sucessfully litigated several of these cases, obtaining lower court rulings that, to perform a marriage, clergy need not regularly preach in a church or have a congregation. However, because none of those cases were appealed, there is no controlling legal authority in Pennsylvania. As a result, some counties persist in refusing to recognize marriages if they are not performed by traditional clergy.

I understand that Philadelphia is very lenient in this area and that it will accept marriages performed by clergy of Internet churches, such as the Universal Life Church. However, it is possible that, somewhere down the line, a court may deem marriages of this type invalid.

I just performed a friends wedding this weekend, in New Jersey, the laws differ from state to state, first thing you do is contact the county clerks office and find out what you need to do in order to become a registered officant in the state of Pennsylvania, you may or may not have to register. Once you have gathered that information, your friend can go the the website www.ulc.org, this is the Universal Life Church and become ordained as a minister. (this part is free) then there are a variety of documents which you may or may not need, including a certificate imprinted with the seal of the ULC, stating their full name and date of ordination, they can also purchase a "letter of good standing" from them. These documents should be proof that your friend is the valid and legal representative of a religious organization and can perform marriages and sign the required documents. Look in to the laws, I think I read somewhere that one does not require an officiant in order to wed in PA, you can "marry" yourselves and that will take care of the legal part and your friend can perform the ceremonial vows.

Congratulations and Good LUCK!!!

You are looking at two separate items: the officiant and the marriage license. Contact your local registrar recorder/county clerk (or call the court house and ask how to buy a license). Best to get that legal stuff out of the way first.
Then, ask them who is authorized to officiate the ceremony. You are actually asking who is authorized to sign the marriage license.
Some couples get legally married before they have the wedding ceremony so that anyone can perform the ceremony without worrying about the marriage license.
Most states will recognize clergy ordained by the Universal Life Church (http://www.ulc.org). It's free. I believe only four or five states have extra hoops to jump through for the officiant.

To figure out what you want the ceremony to be, go to www.WeddingCeremonyChoices.com. Tons of Vows, I do, ring exchange, poetry, scripture, readings, rituals, etc. to choose from and it's all free. Even some music donated for free download.

All blessings, Rev. Clint Hufft
www.ReverendClint.com

You have to be ordained minister. Look in your community for non-denominational churches and see what it takes to become certified.Like the Unitarian Church on 22nd and Chestnut St You can also be a captain of a boat or a notary to perform marriages.

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