What makes a wedding?

Usually, by the time a couple contacts me they have a good idea of what they want their ideal wedding to look like. However, as a minimum, you should come to me with a date and venue (when and where you will hold your wedding) so that we can make further arrangements. There are several steps that I like to follow in planning a wedding with a new couple.

First, I like to meet with you, and talk a little bit about what marriage means to you as a couple. This allows us to meet and decide if we like each other, and lets you get to know my speaking style. It also allows me to get a feel for what you want, both in size and style of wedding. At the end of the first meeting, you can make a decision as to whether I am the minister you want standing in front of you on your wedding day. If I am, we will sign a contract, and set a date for our next meeting.

During the time between first and second meetings, I will work on a draft version of your wedding ceremony, based loosely on the things we talked about. This is designed to be a framework which can be easily modified to suit your particular needs and wants. I prefer to email you a copy of that draft prior to our second meeting, and I hope to see a lot of red pen markings on it when we talk! At the second meeting, the first deposit (see my fees page) on your wedding will be due, and we will go over the ceremony and personalize it to your tastes.

Over the next few days or weeks, I will turn the rough draft into a full ceremony, the wedding of your dreams. I will email a final draft to you and wait on your approval. When we have a finished product, we'll meet again in person and go over the ceremony. This will allow me to incorporate any last-minute changes. You may want to have some of your participants (your maid of honor or best man, for instance) there with you, so that we can do a short rehearsal. The second deposit is due at this meeting.

If you desire a formal rehearsal dinner, we can arrange that quite easily. On the day of the wedding itself, I will arrive about half an hour prior to the ceremony in order to get copies of the paperwork before things begin. After the wedding is over, you will have your marriage certificate to sign, and then the rest of the paperwork is up to me, and you get to enjoy your party! The final payment is due the day of the wedding (many people have their best man or a parent take care of this detail for them).

The more information you are willing to share with me, the more personalized your ceremony will be. There are many different ways to create a wedding ceremony, and I will work with you to make certain that your day is extra special!

Samples of my work

Below, you will find links to various wedding ceremonies that I have written. These are presented here to help you choose the type of wedding service that best suits YOU. These are not all the weddings I have performed, however they do represent a small cross-section of my work.

Please note that elements of different ceremonies can be blended together, if you desire, to help make your wedding service. If there is something you like in one service, but you've decided on another, please let me know! Also, if you have ideas of your own, or a service already written, I am quite willing to work with whatever readings, elements, or vows you have.

Other Ceremonies

The same care that goes into planning a wedding is applied to each and every ceremony created by and performed by me. It is my strong opinion that every change of life, be that birth, death, or anything in between, can be celebrated and shared in community. Love and kindness abound when families come together to share with one another, regardless of the type of service they attend. For instance, when crafting a funeral, I spend as many or more hours getting to know the family and the deceased, so that they may be sent off to the next world in the way they would have wanted.

Last update: August 25th, 2011