“… having appeared to the Court that authority should be granted, it is ordered that Lawrence Allen Hanger be, and is hereby granted the authorization to celebrate the Rites of Matrimony as a Marriage Celebrant within the limits of the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
A celebrant is someone authorized to officiate a wedding ceremony – a minister, a justice of the peace, rabbi, etc. This word is often used interchangeably with the word ‘officiant’.
A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vows by a couple, presentation of a gift, and a public proclamation of marriage by an authority figure or celebrant. Special wedding garments are often worn, and the ceremony is sometimes followed by a wedding reception. Music, poetry, prayers, or readings from religious texts or literature are also commonly incorporated into the ceremony