3 Weird Ways to Get Ordained to Perform a Wedding
Gone are the days when marriages could only be performed by a priest in a church or an official in city hall. Now just about any Joe Schmo can perform a marriage ceremony, if they click a few buttons online. And while the new Wild West of wedding officiants can leave brides and grooms wonder whether their union is actually legal, it can also open the doors for some fun marriages and ministers.
So if you're looking to get licensed to perform a wedding ceremony, here are the three weirdest places to get ordained (sadly, Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption is no longer one of them):
1. Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
Yes, the religion that brought you spaghetti strainers on your head in driver's license photos can make you a Pastafarian Minister, a distinction that allows you to preside over social ceremonies such as marriages and baptisms, give last rites, cast out false prophets, and even perform exorcisms. It's the one-stop shop of ordination.
3. The Church of the Latter-Day Dude
I'll let Dudeism.com explain:
Show the world that you've got what it takes to take it easy. As an ordained Dudeist Priest, you can minister over religious ceremonies in most U.S. States (laws vary, so check with your local County Clerk first), and assorted other countries. Preside over a wedding, funeral, or any kind of celebration with pride and authority. Or just kick back and enjoy the knowledge that you're an ordained minister at one of the most easygoing religions in the world.
Even for those unfamiliar with the antihero of "The Big Lebowski," this is where to go to get ordained if you like to call yourself The Dude, His Dudeness, or uh Duder, or El Duderino, if you're not into the whole brevity thing.
2. International Church of Cannabis
While it is unclear whether you can actually be ordained as an "Elevationist," membership is open to the public, they can host your wedding ceremony in Denver, Colorado, and they'll even sell you a "High Priest" t-shirt, complete with a white square on the collar. Totally righteous.
Related Resources:
- Do You Toke This Blunt? Legal Risks of Weed at Your Wedding (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
- Naked Wedding in San Francisco Gets Nude-lyweds Cited by Cops (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
- Newlyweds Stole Reception Food 3 Hours Before Guests Arrived (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
- Bride Bites New Husband Twice, Arrested 13 Hours After Wedding (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
