Bilingual Weddings
Y’all, for whatever reason, even though about 15% of Winston-Salem, NC residents speak Spanish, there is a severe shortage of bilingual celebrants in this area. I do not know of a single soul other than myself who offers non-religious bilingual ceremonies and I have received countless requests from couples desperately looking for someone to officiate their wedding in both Spanish and English, or completely in Spanish. Unfortunately, my availability is limited - and I will admit I am far more interested in working with clients who are seeking my services specifically for creative collaboration rather than just my language ability.
In an attempt to bridge this gap in my local area, I want to share some options for those of you who wish to have a bilingual wedding.
First, I want you to consider the extent to which you need your entire ceremony translated. Is important to you that every word is conveyed in both languages? This may be the case if you have honored guests who do not speak English, and perhaps they have even traveled internationally to attend your wedding. You do not want them to miss out on anything; you want to keep things bilingual and accessible across the board. In this case, a bilingual officiant is obviously ideal.
However, it may be the case that your intention is to celebrate your heritage and honor your roots. There may be just one or two non-English speaking guests. If this is you, I would suggest that you consider sprinkling the other language lightly throughout the ceremony and perhaps choosing a special ritual, reading, or blessing which centers that language and culture. For example, I have presided over a number of Mexican-American couples’ ceremonies who are happy for me to officiate mostly in English and to include a lasso unity ritual that is fully translated and that requires the participation of Spanish-speaking family members. If this is sounds more like what you are looking for, you may not need a bilingual officiant.
Here are your options for a bilingual ceremony:
Find a bilingual officiant to write and perform a bilingual ceremony, informing them to what extent you want the ceremony to be in both languages (some parts or whole thing).
Hire non-bilingual officiant to write your ceremony in English. Ask if they are amenable to having a Spanish-speaker alongside them during the ceremony (whether it’s just for one part or the whole ceremony). Have a bilingual friend or family member translate the script and read the Spanish parts out loud after the officiant reads the English parts. They will have to coordinate the flow of the ceremony, but this is totally doable.
Hire non-bilingual officiant to write your ceremony in English, letting them know that you plan to have a Spanish-speaking friend/family member to give a special blessing, do a reading, or perform a ritual in Spanish (whatever you choose). There is no translation required here - you are simply having someone else step in and do their own thing in Spanish for one part of the ceremony.
Get legally married as simply as possible - get your marriage license and have it signed by someone who can legally solemnize marriages though the courthouse, for example. Then, for your wedding, have a bilingual friend or family member preside over the ceremony. It will be just as meaningful to be witnessed by your loved ones, even if the legalities have already been taken care of.
Ask a bilingual friend or family member to get ordained online. It’s quick, easy, and cheap. This definitely works and is an option but please note marriages solemnized through online ordination channels are voidable if contested in court. You will most likely be totally fine unless someone wants to prove that your marriage is not legit. This can come up in nasty divorce proceedings if a spouse is trying to claim your marriage is invalid.
I hope this opens up more options for couples who are struggling to find a bilingual officiant. And hey, if you love the idea of officiating ceremonies and you are bilingual in the Piedmont-Triad area, this is a great a business opportunity for you! Please contact me if you do offer these services near me so I that can refer clients your way. Suerte!