Make it Official: Meet Judge

IN JUNE OF 2019, Derek Mosley married Angela Gonzalez and Jessica Neuendorf on a patio overlooking the Milwaukee River. When the couple kissed, it was also a special moment for Mosley – he had just officiated his 1,000th wedding.

Mosley’s path to becoming one of the most popular officiants in the city began in 2014, when he was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease. During his long, difficult treatment, Mosley, who has been a municipal judge since 2002, decided that he wanted to officiate more weddings.

In 2016, he received a kidney transplant and went off the dialysis machine, but didn’t stop officiating weddings. A charismatic speaker and welcoming presence, he was catching people’s attention.

His ceremonies often include special touches, such as the couple passing the rings around the room to their loved ones – to “warm” them and send blessings – before putting them on.

Soon, dozens of couples who had seen him at weddings or heard about him through friends were reaching out personally about officiating their ceremonies.

His 1,000-some weddings haven’t been without hiccups. He once forgot the rings and had to chase the newly married couple down as they left the church. And on one particularly memorable occasion, a groomsman was so intoxicated that he lost control of his bladder mid-ceremony.

Most of the weddings haven’t been so dramatic, Mosley says. And despite the pandemic, he has still been booked week after week and has no plans to slow down. “I started doing weddings to find that happiness, and now I’m in that happy place every weekend.”

The quick answer is almost anyone! The state of Wisconsin has only a few simple requirements. First off, officiants must be at least 18 years old. And they must be a judge, appointed court commissioner or ordained minister. The loophole here is that Wisconsin recognizes online and nondenominational ordained ministers, so a quick process with an organization like the Universal Life Church can qualify someone to perform a marriage (ordination is free but the certificate – which you will need – is $18; ulc.org). Keep in mind that as the officiant, you are responsible for ensuring that all the marriage license paperwork is completed, signed and valid before the couple ties the knot.

WE HAD PLANNED a small, intimate wedding. When COVID happened, we held off, and then halfway through the summer, we thought, “We’re tired of waiting.” I’m an attorney, so I know that you don’t need someone to officiate you in Wisconsin, so I said, “We’ll just do it ourselves.” It was not formal at all. We had it in our living room with my husband Marco’s parents and my mom and my grandma, and we got married in front of our fireplace. I didn’t even wear my wedding dress. We read vows that we put together ourselves. You don’t have to say anything official, but we did because we thought it was funny – “We pronounce ourselves married.” At some point, I want to have the reception and take pictures, but we weren’t worried about it then, because to us it was more about the marriage and less about the wedding. – EMILY CASTRO