Who is a wedding officiant?

First off, I don’t bite. I know you can never really tell

As a seminary ordained minister, I view my function this way: I’m the one who will stand with you as the spiritual values you have take form through your legal commitment. I;m more than a religious figure, in fact, if you are looking for a religious figure, you probably won’t want me officiating you. Because what I bring to the occasion of your wedding is my experience leading ceremonies, and the spiritual understanding and faith, more than any religious presence. I’m in love with your being in love because together you make the world a better place.

I’m not in love with what you believe to be true, or wanting you to believe what I believe.

I am the person you probably don’t know well who will share a time and place with you that is intimate, unforgettable and life-changing.

Tip #7 — Your Winter Wedding Up North?

January 17, 2013 at 12:49 am in Planning Your Wedding Tips

Awesome Winter Wedding from 2019 — Maire and Tyler Lajko won the Winter Wedding Giveaway! $32K worth of services. Here’s a few pics of their wedding:

Northwestern Michigan is the one of the most beautiful places on the planet. It’s no wonder people love to come here to get married. Beach weddings in the Grand Traverse, Emmet, Leelanau and the surrounding areas are spectacular. But so are weddings with blue spruce and cedar heavy with snow. They too, are a beautiful backdrop for a northern winter wedding. There’s a coziness and closeness that comes with a winter wedding.

Consider Having Your Winter Wedding in North Michigan

During winter in the Grand Traverse, Emmet and Leelanau areas, you have less competition for wedding resources.

Tip #6 — Writing Wedding Vows to Reflect Your Commitment

January 17, 2013 at 12:04 am in Blog, Planning Your Wedding Tips

What you will remember most about your Northern Michigan wedding ceremony, even more than the wedding dress, the weather, or anything in the wedding address is the vows you and your partner exchange. Whether traditional or contemporary, the vows you pick contain the words that express how you will give your heart and mind and soul to each other in the lifetime ahead of you. So you must choose your vows wisely. If you are considering writing wedding vows, remember they set the tone for the quality of your commitment.

Over the last few years, I have noticed many couples chosing traditional vows. These are the vows that promise, “for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sickness and in health.” In many ways these vows have been exchanged so many times over the centuries that they have a life of their own. They reach back into a time when people stayed married for 50 years, indeed forever. With today’s dire statistics that predict the fragility of relationships, tradition can help to strengthen a couple’s resolve to remain together for the rest of their life. If you need that kind of support, i.e., the strength of the ages, than these are the perfect wedding vows for you.

Tip #5 — Stress Relief When There’s Too Much To Do

January 16, 2013 at 11:58 pm in Blog, Planning Your Wedding Tips

You and your fiancé have been planning your wedding day for a long time. When the reality of all that had to be done hit you, most likely you divided up the jobs between you and your most trusted friends and family members. Each of you took on making sure certain details would be taken care of. Maybe you are good at handling stress, and maybe you aren’t. It is what it is. But it can take the joy out of the moment. Having too much to do doesn’t HAVE to stress you out.

Part of the stress may be because of the feelings you have about the commitment you are making, and not sharing the responsibilities of planning can add to those feelings. Your emotions will probably run the gamut from panic (“Oh my God, what AM I doing?) to the kind of delight you felt on Christmas morning as a kid, to true pride and appreciation of the wonder of this person you’ve chosen to spend the rest of your life with.

Tip #4 — What Price You Pay

January 16, 2013 at 6:02 pm in Blog, Planning Your Wedding Tips

Many of the couples whose Northern Michigan wedding ceremony I have conducted consider themselves more spiritual than religious, and a majority of them are dog lovers, just as I am. As such, they generally do not have deeply conditioned beliefs about a minister’s role, Even so, I am sometimes confronted with a more old fashioned notion which believes that because the minister trusts in God for his or her support, the minister should do their work for a very low fee, if any at all. So here are some things to consider as you prepare to hire the officiant who is right for you because you feel most connected.

Outdoor Wedding Needs Plan B

January 16, 2013 at 5:38 pm in Blog, Planning Your Wedding Tips

No one wants to think their outdoor wedding needs Plan B. In fact, I am asked to pray more for the weather than for the couple! You understandably have high hopes and have often payed a high price in order to have your wedding outside. But Mother Nature has a lot to manage, and sometimes it may seem she forgot your wedding was important. So having a Plan B can save a lot of grief and also give you a more complete peace of mind as your wedding day approaches. I’ve been part of of weddings where a Plan B would have come in very handy.

For instance, several years ago I officiated a Traverse City wedding that was held at a beautiful vineyard out Old Mission Peninsula. Grey skies hovered over us the day of the rehearsal, and predictions for bad weather on the wedding day began to come. “Oh, don’t worry,” the bride’s mother, maid of honor, vineyard manager, and oh, the waitress each said, referring to the ominous weather. “It will all turn out.”

Pray for good weather

One of the bridesmaids turned to me and asked, “Could you pray for good weather?”

Tip #2: Beach Wedding Considerations

January 16, 2013 at 4:55 pm in Blog, Planning Your Wedding Tips

A Michigan Beach Wedding

Where I live in Northwest Michigan, people love to get married on the beach. And I love to accommodate them, because I love to be outside, and even more, I love to be out on a Traverse City or Sleeping Bear Dunes beach when I am outside. So count me in for your beach wedding.

When you are planning your wedding on the beach, especially if it is at a public beach that you enjoy but does not belong to a formal venue like the The Homestead, The Parkshore Resort, or the Grand Traverse Resort, keep the capabilities of your guests in mind. Most of the wedding venues in the Grand Traverse area have something most public beaches don’t have: easy, firm access to the wedding site, like a gravel or blacktop walkway or bridge. If you have guests who are elderly and physically challenged, obese, or are in a wheel chair, getting grandmother or unstable Uncle Joseph down to the beach can be embarrassing and / or difficult for them unless you put a few details in place beforehand. Here’s some tips on how you can prepare and make your wedding most enjoyable for everyone there.

Tip # 1 — Wedding Rehearsal or No?

January 16, 2013 at 4:49 pm in Blog, Planning Your Wedding Tips

Melissa and Haven had a limited budget to dedicate to hiring an officiant for their Traverse City wedding ceremony. They chose not to have a wedding rehearsal even though they had quite a few attendants and additions to their ceremony. Her parents were spending $3,000 on the golf course venue, and another $15,000 on the 100 person reception and decorations. Traditionally the groom’s family pays for the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner. However, Haven’s parents were lucky. Because there was no rehearsal, there was no rehearsal dinner to pay for!

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