Stringing the Pearls — an interactive ceremony Stringing the Pearls is an interactive ceremony that invites your couple’s attendants to affirm the partners best qualities. Being shown how much they’re supported by others is a great addition to any wedding ceremony.        Easy to do This ceremony is so easy to do — just a bit of preplanning is necessary to make it happen. Send this link so attendants can see how it’s done. Give Stringing the Pearls a try and let me know how it goes for you and your couple!     We can help you… Read More »

Your Short and Simple Ceremony   Besides being asked what my fee is to officiate a wedding, the second comment I receive most is, “I just want a short and simple ceremony.” Which leads me to ask, “What do you mean by short and simple?”   Defining sweet, short and simple Wedding ceremonies for someone who comes from a traditional background, short and sweet could mean one hour and lots of references to Lord. That’s because traditionally led wedding ceremonies can last several hours and are sometimes designed to be testimonials to a particular theology. For the people who spend… Read More »

Add meaning to your wedding ritual with a Special Ceremony   Have you considered adding a special ceremony to your wedding ritual? A special ceremony is a process or segment that further symbolizes or adds meaning to the wedding address and sharing of your vows. If you haven’t considered this yet, for the next five posts, you’ll find a series of special ceremonies to contemplate adding to your ceremony.   A special ceremony by other names You may have heard the Wine Box ceremony also referred to as the Time Capsule, Emergency or Anniversary Box Ceremony. Each has a little… Read More »

Time is one of your most valuable possessions, yes? Everybody on the planet has things to do and planning your wedding is one of those to do’s you most likely must participate in.   Un-canned must be planned If you want a ceremony that’s not canned, then your officiant has to find out what’s important to you, what preferences you have and present you with some options to choose from. Some of your precious time will need to be devoted to the wedding planning meeting.  But how much time?   Exchanging Vows Only Does NOT a Ceremony Make If you’re… Read More »

Question #6 — What’s your refund policy? Here’s the next question in our series, 10 Questions to Ask instead of How Much Do You Charge.   Heaven forbid you have to cancel or postpone your ceremony for any reason whatsoever. BUT it’s better to know what an officiant’s refund policy is in advance so you know if you can get your money back or not.   Expect the unexpected is a lesson we all learned, is it not?   The Impact of the Pandemic on Wedding Vendors Many officiants lost weddings to the impact of the pandemic. Yes, we know… Read More »

On your wedding day, having an officiant with some flexibility and open-mindedness so that they’ll meet you where you are is important to having a fabulous experience you’ll remember forever.  Here’s our #3 question of 10 in our series of questions you should ask a potential officiant instead of only ask “how much do you charge?’   This is the first time you’ve looked for an officiant, right? Because you’ve probably never searched for an officiant before, take to your officiant interview a set of questions that ask more than “how much do you charge?” In depth questions will help… Read More »

Wedding Ceremony Checklist Prep Steps Most of you have a wedding day checklist. I’ve seen your fat folders and bulging spiral notebooks. Planning the day, Your Day, is the first thing on any bride-to-be’s mind after saying, “I Do!” First Congrats! Second, don’t panic.   There’s a lot of pressure to get this right. And surely you know someone (who will remain nameless) that over planned, frazzled up, and lost their cool on the big day.   There is nothing wrong with having a plan. In fact, a well tailor plan can free your mind to concentrate on the things… Read More »

Write the Wedding Ceremony Playbook that’s about you As a creative and a wedding officiant I let my couples know they don’t have to write a wedding ceremony for themselves. That’s my job. I enjoy the challenge of putting words together to form a picture and a feeling. Plus I love to find things out about my couple and incorporate them into what I call my Framework Ceremony. It’s the bones of the ceremony I always use. There are officiants who create a new ceremony every single time. But over the more than 30 years I’ve been involved in leading… Read More »

Changed Life by Your Pet Here’s an invitation to share the name of an animal who changed your life. I’ve had many. Like the white dog pictured here. That’s Mugsy. I saw him born, he traveled with me, and put up with me. He and I walked miles and miles and miles together. is long-tailed fluff ball made my Dad learn to love small dogs. How about you? What pets made a difference in your life? I’d love to know the name of the lucky dog or horse, snake or parrot who made you a calmer, gentler, more fun-loving person.… Read More »

Questions You Should Be Asking When You Interview Officiants By far, the most common interview questions I get asked are: How much does it cost for a simple ceremony Can you get our marriage license for us Do I have to sign my new name or can I keep my maiden name Do you require premarital counseling All great questions! And all important when you’re interviewing an officiant to hire for your once-in-a-lifetime wedding ceremony. But you know that whole concept of “you don’t know what you don’t know”? I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. And here’s the… Read More »