Getting Officiating With It

Getting an officiant was one of those things that Brian and I knew was pretty important but it was also one of those things that wasn't that important.....so of course it was the one thing we put off until about 2 months before the wedding.  Then we realized "holy guacamole, we're getting married!"  Luckily Brian's sister is pretty kick-ass awesome.

She and Brian have always had an extremely close relationship.  One of Brian's mom's favorite stories is how every morning, when Jenny was in 2nd grade, and Brian was in kindergarten, she would ask his teacher if Brian was doing ok and if he needed any supplies.  That's the kind of sister she was - always supporting him and we love her for that.

It was an extreme honor for us to have her perform the ceremony for us.  It was genuine and heartfelt and it meant so much to us to have the words coming from someone who means so much to us.

In Massachusetts, you can receive a one-day marriage designation to perform the ceremony.  It costs $25 and takes a few weeks to process.  You do not have to be resident of Massachusetts to either be the officiant or the couple getting married.  To download the form, click here.

Brian and I also filled out our Marriage Intention Form in Boston.  Sadly, no pics.  But if you've ever seen Boston City Hall, you'll know why it's perhaps better there are no pictures.  It takes 3 days to obtain the marriage license and $50.  Both people must be there in person.  City Hall in Boston is THE definition of bureaucracy.  We filled out our initial form, had to go to another window around the corner, but the people at both windows sit literally 5 feet from each other, get the form stamped so that we could pay at ANOTHER window to get a receipt, and returned to the first window to hand back the stamped paper with the receipt.  Gotta love local government.  :)

P.S. Boston City Hall looks like this.  The inside looks as depressing (if not more) as the outside.