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Friends, family presided over 43 percent of 2016 weddings, according to The Knot
With the many decisions Ashelynn Brooks had to make for her September wedding, one was fairly easy: Who should officiate?
The Rosedale resident, who worried about stage fright and stumbling through her vows, decided against enlisting a legal official or clergy member. Instead, she chose someone who made her and her husband feel at ease at the altar — her best friend’s father, Paul Goins.
“It’s an awesome experience,” said Brooks, 26. “You have the support of the person. It was more like standing there with family. It was more intimate and much more personal.”
A large and growing number of couples are opting for a family member or friend to preside, especially if they’re looking for a personal touch or a religiously neutral ceremony. The shift seems linked to younger Americans’ changing relationship to organized religion, say experts and those who have participated in such weddings.
Forty-three percent of couples in the United States had a friend or family member act as their wedding