So, your best friend wants to get ordained on line and do your wedding? You think this will save you some money on your wedding and get your friend involved in a personal way?
Let’s think this through. The wedding ceremony is the only required element of a wedding for the marriage to be legally recognized by the government. Are you willing to entrust that legal responsibility to your friend? A professional wedding officiant is familiar with the laws of your state and region. They are knowledgeable about how to appropriately and legally file all of the proper paperwork to ensure that your marriage is recognized by your state. Is this a good place to save money on your wedding day?
Is your friend comfortable speaking in front of a group of people? Do they understand the importance of voice projection and other public speaking skills? A wedding officiant knows how to “read” the size of the gathering to be sure their voice is heard without yelling. They know how to read the vows in order to make repeating them flow for you. A professional knows what to do when there is an unexpected activity such a noisy child or member of the bridal party fainting (and this does happen!) or a power failure due to storms.
Yes, you and your friend can go on line to find lots of resources such as vows, readings and such. Putting all of this together in a way to make it flow smoothly is an acquired skill. Why certain things flow in a certain way in a wedding is not always readily apparent. Do you want a personalized ceremony to represent you in a way that makes sure your guests leave your wedding knowing something about you and your love story? How can your friend make this happen? Is your friend willing to spend 5 hours or more writing your service to reflect your wishes, beliefs and values? Do they have the 25-40 hours a professional will spend with interviewing you to learn what is important to you, researching any unique items you want, attending rehearsal, presenting the ceremony, and know how and where to submit the legal documents after it is all over? Hiring a professional wedding officiant who specializes in personalized services is the most assured way of getting exactly what you want in your ceremony.
Can your friend incorporate the theme of your day, whether it is Harry Potter, Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, or your favorite action hero and make it flow, keep the serious legal nature in place while making it fun? Have they done this before? Do they know the many different quotes that work well in weddings?
Having a professional officiant write and present your wedding ceremony will ensure that your wedding is legal, personalized, well presented, and honors your beliefs and values. If you want your friend, family member or other loved one to participate, talk it over with your officiant and find a way to include them. They can do a reading, present a poem, offer a musical piece etc. in order to be a part of the ceremony yet still be able to enjoy your service.
What will you do when your friend realizes at the last minute that this is a much larger commitment than they originally thought? When they get cold feet and decide they can’t do the ceremony? When their work schedule changes and they can’t be there? When you realize that you are not going to get the service you have dreamed of? These situations put a real strain on friendships.
Most officiants are booked 4-6 months before the wedding. You will be frantic looking for someone to perform your wedding. We have received calls 1-2 weeks prior to a wedding looking for someone to do the ceremony. We often hear that they have contacted 15-20 people, local ministers, magistrates, other officiants, etc. Sometimes we can help them out and other times we have to tell them we are already busy and can’t do their wedding.
Having a well done, legal, memorable wedding ceremony is worth so much more than you will save by having a family member or friend conduct the wedding.
We want to provide you with the custom written couple centered unique ceremony you really want and present it in a professional yet fun way. Call us today to arrange a time to learn more about how y9ou can have exactly the ceremony you want. 336-937-0890
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