Ceremonies by Design

Carefully Select your Readers and Readings

An aunt wanted to surprise the bride and groom with a special reading. I just assumed it would be something she composed or at least be ONE reading she found and liked. She went on the internet and combined three completely unrelated readings together into one huge, giant reading. Actually, her reading took longer than the entire ceremony.

When you have loving, well-intentioned relatives who want to “surprise” you with a reading, it might be wise to have a mom or maid of honor or someone you trust check it for you. That way the reading is still a surpise, but you won’t be blind-sided by the reading that wouldn’t end!

Don’t Give the Real Rings to the Ring Bearer

Ring bearerIt is adorable when a little boy is walking down the aisle carrying a pillow with the wedding rings tied on it. That is the perfect scenario.

I’ve seen people put the rings in a special box for a child to carry, thinking it would provide an added measure of ring security.

No matter what method of delivery, I always recommend that the real rings be safely tucked into the best man’s pocket. Children are unpredictable. Can you really be comfortable putting the dollar equivalent of half a car on a pillow that a three-year-old is carrying?

I have seen many instances where the rings don’t make it to the front. At one outdoor ceremony I conducted, the adorable ring bearer arrived at the front and passed an empty pillow to the best man. Yikes! So all six groomsmen and about 50 men that were sitting among the guests formed a straight, tight line and started combing the 50 yards of grassy yard that the child had just walked. In the meantime, the bride and her dad are waiting to enter while the processional song continued to loop. Fortunately, the rings were found and the rest of ceremony went smoothly. But you can imagine how tense things were for a few minutes. I would not have wanted to be the person who thought they tied the rings to the pillow securely.

Ring bearers can carry something with fake rings that are easily purchased at craft supply stores. Or you can have them be a sign bearer instead. Little ones carrying a sign that says “here comes the bride” or something similar is just as cute.

Why You Want to Hire a Professional

When you are planning a wedding, you have many decisions to make and vendors to hire. You may be considering having a friend or relative perform your ceremony instead of hiring a professional officiant. But there are many details involved in creating a beautiful ceremony. Sure maybe your cousin can just go online and get “ordained”, but does that person really understand all of the details surrounding the ceremony? Likely not.

As a professional officiant, I bring experience, knowledge and reliability to your ceremony event.

Joan with Jamie and LoganTo date, I’ve conducted more than 600 weddings and there have never been two that are exactly the same. Conducting a ceremony is not just reading something. Think of it as a little bit of theater. I “perform” a ceremony, not just read it. I am not thrown off by mumbling guests, flying bugs, crying children or photographers getting that perfect shot. I bring a sense of calm and focus to your ceremony and know how to troubleshoot when needed.

The knowledge I bring can give you the benefit of things that have worked or have not. I will always defer to your wishes, but if I sense a logistical challenge that I feel you might regret after your wedding day, I will bring it to your attention.

You can rely on me to guide you through the creation process of your ceremony and to show up, on time, and ready to go. I get at least six calls every year from frantic brides who thought that a friend or relative was going to conduct their ceremony, only to find out two weeks before the big day that they have cold feet or another commitment came up for them. I even got a call one day when 250 guests were seated for a Friday afternoon wedding but the bride’s friend who was going to officiate, was nowhere to be found. It turned out that she wrote it on her calendar wrong and thought the wedding was on Saturday!