Q1. How do we create a personal ceremony?

A.    There are two ways that we can put together the ceremony.

i. Method One. With 99% of our clients we are able to talk on the phone and go through a Questionnaire that we have developed to provide the details of the type of ceremony that you are looking for, along with the special touches that make it beautiful and memorable. The Questionnaire helps us shape a “snapshot” of what you want in the ceremony. If you look at the quotes from our clients we seem to have a good track record of choosing just the right components for each couple.

Once you tell us that we have been selected to be your officiate, we send you an email (or by US Mail if you do not have email) of our Wedding Services Agreement which details what we talked about in creating your ceremony. The agreement also details our responsibilities to each other.

Once we received the agreement with your signature and the retainer we put your ceremony on our calendar.

About 30 days in advance of your ceremony we review our notes and often call you to go over any last minute questions. We write your ceremony and send it to you. At that point you can make any changes in vows, readings etc. We ask that you send it back to us within 7 days of receiving it.

We make the changes you request. If there have been significant changes (not usual but it does happen) we will send it to you again for another review.

Once the changes have been made we prepare a bound copy of the ceremony for us to use during the service and as a keepsake for you.

ii. Method Two. There are couples that want to pick every part of how the ceremony is written. They wish to choose from our library of readings, vows, prayers and construct the ceremony themselves.

In this instance we meet and review all of the options which I bring on a laptop computer and choose each segment of the ceremony. This often takes several hours of work together. We charge an hourly fee for this which is not included in our normal ceremony fees.

Q2. Do we have the final say over the wedding text?

A.    Yes. This is your wedding so it should reflect your wishes.
I do try and keep my Address to the Couple the same in all my ceremonies. This section is my discussion with the bride and groom and contains specific information about marriage and what it takes to be successful long term. The address comes from my years of experience in counseling. Additionally, my practice participated in research about success in maintaining long term relationships and I want to share what I know with you. I will make some changes in this part of the ceremony but I want the overall message to remain.

Q3 Will you honor our values and spiritual beliefs and help us express them?

A.    Yes, we offer personal wedding ceremonies that are designed to be a reflection of who you are and the statement that you want your wedding to make.

Q4. Will you marry someone in a location other than a church?

A.    Yes. We do weddings in churches and in many locations both inside and outdoors. We can do ceremonies almost anywhere.

Examples alternative ceremony locations might include: The Jewell Box in Forest Park, Tower Grove Park, Missouri Botanical Gardens, the Gateway Arch, churches, chapels, temple, synagogue, private homes, casinos, gardens, courthouse, hotels, country clubs, golf course, hall, pavilion, parks, museum, swimming pools, boats, banquet centers, bed and breakfasts, college and university chapels.

We provide ceremony services almost anywhere in the country but primarily serve Missouri and Illinois in a 75 mile radius from St. Louis including:

Missouri - St. Louis City; St. Louis County; St. Charles County; Jefferson County; Franklin County;

Illinois - St. Clair County; Madison County; Jersey County; Monroe County;

Q7.  Will you officiate a ceremony which mixes customs from people of different national origins, ethnicity or religion?

A. Yes. The Spiritual Growth Fellowship doctrine recognizes that most of the world’s religions share many of the same basic tenets and we respect the rights of others to worship God in their own way.

We have done many inter-faith weddings and have incorporated rituals from other cultures into our ceremonies. We have a library of such customs and rituals to draw upon in the construction of your service.

Q6. May our friends or family participate in the service?

A.    Yes.We welcome participation of your family and friends doing readings etc. Our only request is that we have a copy of what they intend to do 30 days in advance. This prevents the guest and the minister using the same reading….yes it happened to me once.  Also, we prepare a bound copy of the ceremony as a keepsake for the happy couple and we want to be sure to include the participation by your friend or family member.

Q12. Do you do theme weddings?

A.    Yes. We are comfortable working within a theme. Examples of theme weddings we have done include:

“The Shotgun Wedding,” for 93.7 The Bull, with a “western theme.”

“ Oldies Wedding” created out of lyrics to oldies songs. All participants were costumed and this wedding was broadcast live on Juke Box 96.

“Moody Blues Wedding” Most of the text of this ceremony came from the lyrics of music by the Moody Blues. We performed this wedding in front of 18,000 guests at a Moody Blues concert.

Themed weddings tend to require more time in preparation so there may be an additional charge.

Q5. Will you work with other wedding professionals?

A.    Yes. We regularly work with wedding planners, photographers, videographers, music providers and more. We do like to work directly with the bride and groom in the planning of the ceremony.

93.7 The Bull Shotgun Wedding at Riverport Amphitheater.

Q8. Why do you charge a retainer/ deposit?

A.    Retainer: We do not finalize a wedding on our calendar and are free to book other wedding ceremonies on the date requested until a Retainer is paid and a signed contract is received. In paying the Retainer , you are paying a fee to reserve our services on your wedding day and time, with the remainder  of the fees, ceremony performance , travel and incidentals to be paid (at a specified later date)." 

Once we have received the retainer we will not book that day and time for others. Therefore the retainer is non-refundable.

Q9. How much is the retainer?

A.    The retainer may vary depending on the scope and final cost of the services, but generally the retainer is $100.00

Q10. Does your fee include a rehearsal?

A.    No. Many of our clients do not wish to have a rehearsal so we charge a separate fee for the rehearsal.  If everyone in your wedding rehearsal knows what to do they may not be necessary, but are useful in making sure everyone knows what to do, where the ceremony is and more.

Q11.Can we vary the traditional choreography of the wedding?

A.    Yes. We often suggest changes ourselves so that the ceremony can more easily be seen and heard by family, friends and guests.

Q13. When do you arrive before the ceremony?

A.    If there is a rehearsal, I try to arrive about 15 minutes ahead of time. For the ceremony itself, on a typical ceremony I schedule to be there about an hour ahead. That allows me to set up everything and take care of last minute details.

Q14. Do you have referrals from other couples we can see or contact?

A.  Yes.  All of the quotes that appear on these pages are actual quotes from couples, relatives and or guests of couples that we have married. It is a rare ceremony that someone doesn’t approach us and say “That was the most beautiful (or meaningful) ceremony I have ever attended.”

We try to protect the confidentiality of our clients. If it is very important to you that talk with someone, I’ll call someone who has given us a quote and ask if it is OK for you to call them. I’m sure I can find someone you can talk with.

Q14. What training do you have?

A.    Reverend Million was first ordained in 1994 and has received multiple ordinations from  Christian and Inter-faith denominations including the Trinity Evangelical Christian Ministries, the American Fellowship Church,  Universal Ministries, Universal Life Church, the Church of Seven Planes, and the Church of New Life.

Study of the world’s major religions led Reverend Million to be awarded the Doctor of Divinity. Other certifications and degrees include BJS,  R.Hy, P.D.M. and T.Th. Reverend Million attended colleges in Ohio, Maryland, California and Missouri, and has lectured extensively throughout the US.

Dr. Million is currently, or has been a member of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, American Association of Wedding Ministers, American Association of Wedding Officiates, Alpha Omega Fraternity of Ministers, Association for Humanistic Psychology, the National Association of Transpersonal Psychology and the International Association of Counselors and Therapists.