Invites to Wedding Insights Blog

Northern Michigan is a splash of spectacular reds, neon oranges, greens and sunny carmel colors in the Fall. Seen against the backdrop of our beautiful blue waters, you have a gorgeous natural setting for your wedding.  Late September, October and early November has an entirely different feel than spring or summer. The crisp, chill brings out a playful energy. Bundling up is still fun, which it won’t be by February. The colder air gets us walking closer together. An evening bonfire is good for the soul AND body. If you are wondering what season to get married in, consider have… Read More »

Defining Wedding Vows Since everyone who comes to me will be exchanging wedding vows, let’s define”vow”. I looked in Webster’s online dictionary and this is what came up: a solemn promise. A set of such promises committing one to a prescribed role, calling, or course of action, typically to marriage or a monastic career. Such a definition isn’t unexpected. Some couples exchange wedding vows that are like love letters or rampages of appreciation. I have no problem with this and it is also important to include the promises that are being made to one another. I came across a wedding… Read More »

A Love that Lasts Forever Love that lasts forever is what every couple hopes for, intends and commits to when they say I do. I say, “You are so brave, and courageous.” I have never stood before someone like myself, an officiant and exchanged marriage vows with another human being. No statement has been declared by me, in the company of my friends and family that I desire to live a long life loving this person who is looking lovingly into my eyes. I have experienced a deep and complicated love for my parents as well as family members, animals… Read More »

  Have you ever taken a personality test? If so you may have used one of the most popular ones, the Myers Briggs personality inventory tool. There are 16 distinctive personality types. At one time this questionnaire seemed to pop up all over the place. The free test is designed to help us understand the people we are in relationship with as well as one’s self. My parents took the Myers Briggs test at a couples’ workshop some 20 years ago (has it been THAT long ago?). Through the results, they had a lot of aha’s and “oh that’s why… Read More »

The Sand Ceremony Often a couple wants to emphasize the uniqueness and commitment of their coming together. With this mind, the Sand Ceremony is a simple and meaningful addition to a wedding celebration. The blending of two colors of sand into one has not lost its meaning and relevance in the modern nor traditional wedding. When weddings are held indoors, such as in a church building, the Candle Lighting ceremony has a lot of meaning. Lighting one central candle with two smaller individual candles symbolizes the light within the couple making one brighter light. The brighter light is what strengthens… Read More »

  Your wedding guest list… You have some decisions to make about who will witness your commitment to each other and who won’t. It seems choosing your favorite friends and family, including them on your wedding guest list should be easy enough, right? But until you’ve started to put that list together yourself, it is hard to understand all that goes into deciding who makes the cut and who doesn’t. Here are some tips on how to make the decisions that must be made in putting your wedding guest list together.  First Things First The foundation of all other tips… Read More »

Capturing the Moment — Digital Memories or the heart of memories Photographers are so good at capturing the moment — many of them — of your wedding. Most photographers are very conscious of positioning themselves inconspicuously. Others make me wonder if they are really bi-locating – being in two places at once. One minute our camera wielding professional is in the back of the room, the next, he or she is crouched before the front row, waiting for the father and the bride to arrive. Super-dedicated photographers will lay on the floor to get the right angle and light, even… Read More »

Professional or Friendiant? Before you read this blog, listen to what 2019 couple Jessica and Brian have to say about why they hired me because I am a professional officiant.  43% of couples who, for several reasons I’ll discuss below, ask their friend or a relative to officiate for them on their wedding day. Getting “ordained” in order to comply with the laws of the land only costs a small amount. Some organizations ordain anyone for free. The internet offers an easy path to ordination so your marriage is legal. Seems simple enough. After all, Liz Lemon got ordained on… Read More »

Once upon a time, a guy, a pretty nice guy, proposed to me. He was younger than me, and was known for his taking LSD when he was just 12. This fact gave him a wild and crazy aura in an era when wild and crazy was the preferred modus operandi. I remember his great sense of humor which for me has always been one of the most seductive tools a man could employ to get my attention and respect. He didn’t get down on bended knee, but asked the question as we sat around a big round table where… Read More »