FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
In general, the fee for officiating a wedding or vow renewal is $400. If there is a request to help with writing the vows, an extra $50 is required. If there is a request for the officiant to be present at the wedding rehearsal, there is an additional $50 fee.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I like to offer a Zoom consultation with new customers to see what type of ceremony the couple is interested in. I have a questionnaire which is sent ahead of time that the couple can respond to before the Zoom consultation. During the consultation, the couple and I get to know each other, the couple's wishes are made known, and I provide a preliminary introduction to the ceremony for the couple's perusal. We also have the opportunity to discuss small details of how they wish the ceremony to go. We agree on the cost of officiating, and we confirm time to arrive at the venue, etc.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
First and foremost, I am an ordained minister by the Universal Life Church, also called the Monastery -- they specialize in ordaining people, and offer a wide variety of styles of ceremony -- nondenominational, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, or not fitting any religious tradition, such as Wiccan. All ceremonies are specifically designed to fit the couple's wishes and beliefs. Additionally, I am a college professor with nearly two decades of teaching at the college and university levels, primarily in Northern California. I have master's degrees in the Humanities and Religious Studies, I hold a PhD in Arabic language (and speak the Egyptian dialect of Arabic), and have performed other types of ceremonies as well such as memorial services, new baby blessings and new home blessings.