FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
I offer discounts for 'off-prime times' (November to March, weekdays, Friday or Sunday, and even morning/early afternoon Saturdays). Rehearsals are a separate fee. $150 for Friday rehearsals, $125 for other days. For November to March, $125 for Fridays and $100 for other days. My rehearsals are unique from what other officiants or wedding planners do. Similar to my ceremonies, I interject humor and meaning into the process of helping people be prepared for the positions and movements of the ceremony. I also have an option to tell your love story as part of your ceremony. I call it your "Journey of Love." This makes your ceremony even more personal and powerful. It is an additional $150 to the base customized ceremony fee.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
Typically I meet with a couple for a free one hour consultation. This can happen in person, over the phone, or via video chat (Skype of Google Hang outs). I often do "destination weddings" with couple who live out of state and we usually meet via video chat. In order to book me, a couple needs to complete their part of my Wedding Officiating Service Agreement form and send me half of their total as their deposit. I accept personal checks (at least 30 days in advance), Chase Quickpay/Zelle, and cash. After booking, we will meet again for me to explain/talk through my Ceremony Template. After our meeting I will send you the resources that contain wording/action options for every component of the ceremony that you are interested in. You and your fiance can choose the wording options you prefer or ask me to do it for you with your guidelines regarding inclusion/non inclusion of faith elements. I produce a script with your selections. If you also want to include your "Journey of Love"/Love Story, I will send you a questionnaire with 15 areas of questions. I recommend that you and your fiance do this separately and choose to respond to only 4 or 5 of the 15 questions. Some of the questions are common (how you met, how the proposal happened, etc...) and some are not (what you have learned about love, 3 things you would ask your fiance never to change, etc)
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have an earned Masters (M.S.) in Communication Studies from Indiana State University. I also have an earned Masters of Theology (Th.M.) in Pastoral Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. I served as Senior Pastor of two churches, one in Dallas, and the other in Chicago, for more than 16 years. Both churches were primarily young adult attendees and were multicultural (during a time when that was not nearly as common as it is today). I officiated a lot of church weddings during that time. I am a member of the American Association of Wedding Officiants (AAWO).