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 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?

While we specialize in weddings, several of us do have experience officiating over funeral/memorial services as well. Because these services are often much more short notice and time sensitive than wedding ceremonies, please contact the owner, Amber Kent, directly at hoosierofficiant@gmail.com in inquire about this service. Meanwhile, you can read more about funeral/memorial services here.

Do you only officiate in Bloomington?

The majority of the events 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. Events 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.

Are you licensed and insured?

Yes. All of our officiants carry their own licensure. Amber, Amanda, Beth, Jason, and Sam are ordained through the Universal Life Church and Josh is ordained through the American Baptist Association. And Hoosier Officiant carries liability insurance through PEEP Insurance as part of our membership in the International Association of Professional Wedding Officiants (IAPWO).

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 wedding vows?

Of course! All of our wedding 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 wedding ceremony deposit refundable?

Yes! In the unlikely event that a Couple cancels a 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 a Couple postpones a 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 a scheduled event due to illness, hospitalization, accident, or other unforeseeable causes beyond our control, one of the other officiants will step in to perform! 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 a 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.

*If you are getting married at The Wilds, note that they have a Bloomington address but are technically located in Brown County. Therefore, if you are an out-of-state resident getting married at The Wilds, you will need to get your license from the Brown County Clerk’s office.

Why do you charge so much?

Occasionally, we are asked about our pricing, and we completely understand that cost is an important factor when choosing an officiant—especially in today’s economy. We believe in full transparency, so we want to clarify what our fees reflect.

While officiating weddings is our passion, Hoosier Officiant is ultimately a business with necessary expenses. Beyond the time we dedicate to your ceremony—including administrative work, ceremony preparation, travel, and officiating—we also cover ongoing business costs such as membership in the International Association of Wedding Officiants (IAWPO), liability insurance, website management, marketing, and more. Unlike religious leaders, independent officiants do not qualify for tax-exempt status, meaning we must account for and pay taxes on all earnings.

Additionally, our fees reflect not just the time spent preparing and officiating your ceremony, but also the years of experience and expertise that ensure your ceremony is seamless, meaningful, and exactly as you envision.

For these reasons, we feel strongly that our pricing is reasonable and fair for the level of service, experience, and professionalism we provide.

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