What Wedding Ceremony Samples and Elements Are Available on Officiant Eric's Website?

Updated

Officiant Eric's site offers a library of ceremony samples and individual ritual elements you can read through and adapt for your own wedding. The key condition to know up front: the site states, "I am not taking on new clients," so treat these materials as a self-service resource for planning your ceremony or briefing another officiant rather than a booking page.

What the sample library covers

The samples are organized as building blocks rather than complete fixed scripts. You can mix sections to match your beliefs, heritage, and tone. The site groups them roughly as follows.

Core ceremony structure

These are the sections that make up the backbone of most ceremonies:

  • Opening Words and Introduction
  • Declaration of Consent ("I Do's")
  • Introduction to the Exchange of Vows
  • Exchange of Wedding Vows
  • Introduction to the Exchange of Rings
  • Exchange of Wedding Rings
  • Blessing of the Rings
  • Pronouncement of Marriage
  • Bride and Groom Thank You
  • Blessing of the Marriage

Sections marked in bold on the site are the ones that appear in traditional wedding ceremonies, which helps you see at a glance what a conventional order looks like versus what is optional.

Readings, prayers, and blessings

  • Prayers and Blessings
  • Blessing to the Four Directions
  • Readings, Poems
  • Seven Blessings
  • Those With Us In Spirit

Cultural and heritage elements

  • Chuppah Ceremony
  • Handfasting Ceremony
  • Jumping the Broom
  • Veil, Cord, Coins
  • Quaich Ceremony

Symbolic and unity rituals

  • Unity Candle Ceremony
  • Sand Ceremony
  • Unity Canvas Painting Ceremony
  • Wine Ceremony
  • Love Letter and Wine Box Ceremony
  • Rose/Flower Ceremony
  • Mother's Rose Ceremony
  • Ring Warming Ceremony
  • Family Medallion Ceremony
  • Hands Ceremony
  • Giving Away the Bride
  • Affirmation of the Community
  • Ribbons, Doves

How to use these samples

  1. Skim the full list first. Note which sections are marked as traditional (bold on the site) so you can decide how much you want to keep versus replace.
  2. Pick your must-haves. Choose the structural pieces you need — opening words, vows, rings, pronouncement — then add one or two symbolic rituals that fit your story.
  3. Match rituals to meaning. A sand ceremony or unity candle suits couples blending two lives or families; a handfasting, quaich, or jumping the broom suits couples honoring Celtic, Scottish, or other heritage traditions.
  4. Draft a running order. Sequence your chosen sections into a single script and read it aloud to check length and flow.
  5. Hand it to your officiant. Since Eric is not taking new clients, use your assembled draft as a brief for whoever will officiate, so they can follow your wording and pacing.

What to check before relying on a sample

  • Wording, not just titles. The section names tell you what each ritual is; open the actual sample text to confirm the tone and length fit your ceremony.
  • Venue and legal fit. Some elements (unity candle, sand, doves, ribbons) may be restricted by your venue or may not suit an outdoor setting — confirm before committing.
  • Officiant compatibility. A different officiant may have their own required legal wording for the declaration and pronouncement, so treat those sections as adaptable rather than final.

Eric is described as the "Malibu Officiant" and has officiated hundreds of ceremonies at venues including Adamson House, Bel-Air Bay Club, Calamigos Ranch, Saddlerock Ranch, and Malibu Rocky Oaks — useful context if you are planning a Southern California wedding and want samples that have been used in similar settings.