Southern Outer Banks News

The only ordained and licensed underwater wedding officiant in Carteret County! Dr. Anthony is a flexible to perform your wedding ceremony in any location in North Carolina. Whether you want a small personal wedding ceremony or a large family wedding ceremony, a non-religious wedding, or a religious wedding, I can perform any type marriage ceremony as well as include ceremony additions to create a fully customized wedding script that fits your personalities perfectly. So if you’re looking for a great wedding officiant on the Crystal Coast at an affordable price, you should call me! I can make it easy for you to get married on the Crystal Coast or anywhere in North Carolina.

The average cost of a wedding officiant can vary, from $100 to $400 for a single ceremony My fee for a basic wedding in the Carteret County area is $150. The first question most people ask is "Why does a wedding officiant cost so much?"

Officiating a wedding can be a complex task that if not done correctly and turned in on time will result in a marriage that is not legal. The last thing you want is to get a phone call from your Register of Deeds informing you that your marriage is null and void! Budgeting for a wedding can be tricky, and it often seems like everything costs more than expected. The wedding officiant’s fee is no different. However, there is one thing that absolutely every wedding needs: an officiant who can make it legal.

There is so much more that goes into officiating your wedding than the 30 minutes that you see at the ceremony, MUCH more. On average, a wedding officiant spends between 5-10 hours on a single ceremony and may spend a considerable amount of time traveling to and from meetings with you, the rehearsal, and the ceremony destination. They want their officiant speech to be a wonderful memory that your audience will always remember. From the time you contact your officiant, they are on the clock. There are meet-ups, whether it is by phone or in person, and creating the personalized ceremony can take days. Then tack on the added back-and-forth edits to get the ceremony just as you want it once the rough draft is sent. Usually, the largest portion of the fee is the time building the ceremony which is being created uniquely for you.

Remember, the officiant must arrive at the ceremony at least an hour before the ceremony. The officiant often assists in organizing the ceremony and making sure things go smoothly. The officiant stays after the ceremony for license signing. The officiant then files the license, which means a trip to the courthouse. Wedding officiants are the experts in creating a personalized and unique ceremony for you and your soon-to-be spouse. Remember, you aren’t paying for the 30 minutes, you are paying for the years of education and experience that the officiant brings to you, as well as the time and effort an officiant spends to craft the perfect ceremony for you, to meet with you, to discuss your needs, to cover travel costs, and to handle all of the organizational issues needed to end up with a beautiful, meaningful, and legal ceremony that you’ll remember and cherish forever.

Don't trust one of the most the most important days in your life to just anyone. Insist on an ordained and licensed wedding officiant with formal training from a seminary school with nationally recognized accreditation from the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE).

To discuss your wedding day needs on the North Carolina Crystal Coast, Contact Dr. Anthony.

This page was last updated 08-15-2026