Frequently Asked Questions

Are you a minister?

Yes. All six officiants at Hoosier Officiant are ordained ministers, one through the American Baptist Association and the other five through the Universal Life Church Ministries, which does grant us all the rights and privileges afforded to clergy members of other faiths, including the ability to perform legal wedding ceremonies. However, none of us actually use this ordination for anything other than officiating wedding ceremonies at this time, which is why we prefer to call ourselves Wedding Officiants, rather than ministers. In fact, all six of us have full-time jobs outside of our gig at Hoosier Officiant. Amber is an instructional designer specializing in language education, Amanda and Joshua are both elementary school teachers, Beth is senior director in fundraising, and both Jason and Sam work for IU Health. You can read more about us here.

Do you only officiate weddings in Bloomington?

The majority of the weddings we officiate are located in Bloomington, IN proper; however, we are willing to travel within a 30 mile radius of Bloomington at no additional charge. Weddings held outside this area may be considered for an additional travel charge of $3 per mile. We most commonly officiate ceremonies in Marion, Monroe, Morgan, Brown, Bartholomew, Jackson, Lawrence, Green, and Owen counties.

Can I request the officiant I want?

You can absolutely request a particular officiant. Requested Officiant is one of the options on the scheduling page, and we will make every effort possible to accommodate your request.

What if we want to write our own vows?

Of course! All of our ceremonies include vows. However, many couples choose to write their own personalized vows instead of our prewritten ones. If you would like help writing your own vows, we can help you with that too. For just $35 per person for a 1 hour writing session, Amber can help you put into words everything you want to say to your future spouse.

Is the deposit refundable?

Yes! In the unlikely event that the Couple cancels the wedding ceremony, Hoosier Officiant will refund the 50% deposit if the cancellation is made more than 90 days from the wedding date. However, if the cancellation is made less than 90 days from the wedding date, the Couple forfeits the 50% deposit.

In the unlikely event that the Couple postpones the wedding ceremony, Hoosier Officiant will make every effort to officiate on the postponed date. However, if Hoosier Officiant is not able to officiate on the postponed date due to a conflict, the rules for refunding due to cancellation apply.

What if the officiant needs to cancel?

In the unlikely event that one of us is unable to perform the Couple’s wedding ceremony due to illness, hospitalization, accident, or other unforeseeable causes beyond our control, one of the other officiants will step in to perform the ceremony! That is one of the perks of hiring Hoosier Officiant…there are six of us! It is very unlikely for all six of us to be sick or otherwise unavailable at the same time!

Where do we get our marriage license?

The county clerk’s office. If you are Indiana residents, you can get your license from any county in Indiana. However, if you live out-of-state, you must get your license from the county in which you are getting married. So, for example, if you are getting married in Bloomington, you would need a marriage license from the Monroe County clerk’s office.

*The Wilds is the one exception. They have a Bloomington address but are technically in Brown County!

Read more about our policies in our Payment Terms and Responsibilities.