Until early in 2019, I never had done a Same Sex Wedding. It wasn’t that I wouldn’t do them. I had received a few phone inquiries, but no same sex couples had ever selected me. Then came the Covid pandemic and everything changed. After the Supreme Court decision on Same Sex weddings, some courthouses stopped… Read more »
The Covid pandemic put big weddings on hold. The last 2 ½ years I did courthouse style weddings with just 2-4 attending almost exclusively. Starting mid-year 2022 larger weddings are back in a big way. In the past few years, I did 20 WedXpress ceremonies for every Remembrance Custom Wedding. This year there has been… Read more »
What do I mean by have fun? Weddings are traditionally serious. And let’s face it… Being married is a serious business. It’s a lot of hard work to make it successful. The author Robert Louis Stevenson said “Marriage is like life in this, that it is a field of battle and not a bed of… Read more »
I have never done a same sex wedding. Up until the Supreme Court decision, I have only been asked once. That contact was a call for a wedding between two women. At the time such weddings were illegal in Missouri. The legislature, in prohibiting same sex weddings, put a provision in the law that even… Read more »
I had reservations when the first couple told me they wanted a wedding that was funny. They explained that they were a fun, funny couple and they wanted their wedding to reflect that. I had reservations. I believe that a wedding is a very significant step in a person’s life and a wedding ceremony event… Read more »
I am sometimes asked why I use a wedding agreement. The first reason is that a successful wedding is all about the details. Not all weddings are complex, but many are. By spelling out in the wedding agreement exactly what the wedding is supposed to be, it avoids many problems. It also spells out who… Read more »
Once upon a time I wrote the copy for my Remembrance Weddings website and I really tried to put as much information as I could that would be helpful, not just in picking an officiate but also in planning the wedding ceremony for couples. Being a writer (my first college degree was a Bachelor of… Read more »
The bride, the groom and the minister. A wedding is a significant event in anyone’s life. I am always amazed by the folks who shop for the cheapest minister rather than the best. They call and instead of trying to learn about the services and ministers their only question is “What is the price? ”… Read more »
Just when we thought we had seen all the places where folks celebrate weddings we found there are some we were not aware of. Just two weeks ago we discovered two beautiful places we had never done before: The Missouri History Museum in Forest Park and the Larimore House. I don’t have photos of the… Read more »
Up front I need to clarify that most of the topics in the WedNewsDay blog are things that are important in planning the type of wedding we call “Pretty and Planned.” These generally are 25-30 minute weddings that allow enough time to make the wedding personal to the couple. This wedding is often accompanied by… Read more »
I’ll admit I’m prejudiced… I’ve been involved in music most all of my life. For those who are interested in making your wedding stand out. Music can represent who you are as individuals and as a couple. Most folks go with pretty traditional music. Same tunes at the same times. Those who add a little… Read more »
Here is an earth friendly wedding practice I’d like to encourage and spread to others. I think it is definitely an idea that should be promoted. I recently officiated a wedding (I also was a guest) where the couple was environmentally conscious. As the centerpiece on all the reception tables amongst the ribbons, flowers, and… Read more »
Courtesy, Compromise and Common Sense in Conflict It’s so logical… why is it so hard to do? Because nobody taught you how. Not just you…. really, who do you know that has taken conflict training. Almost nobody has. That compounds the problem. Not only has nobody taught you…. guess what? Your spouse hasn’t been trained… Read more »
The reason. The minister had cancelled. I was horrified, so I attempted to find out what had happened. In most instances the couple had gotten a friend or family member (most ordained on the net) to do the wedding to save money, or because they volunteered. Then at the last minute they cancelled. They had… Read more »
Love is our topic of the week because Love has been on my mind a lot this week. This blog isn’t as clearly defined because it is a very complex subject. First Corinthians 13; 4-13 is a very popular Bible reading at weddings because it’s central theme is about love. The language changes depending on… Read more »
This has been a tough one to write, much tougher than I expected. So I guess I should say that this is all personal opinion. Everyone has a different perspective as to the significance of marriage, the ceremony et al. Most states have few requirements as to what a ceremony is or should be. So… Read more »
You can. We marry many couples in an outdoors setting. And there is something very beautiful about an outdoor wedding if everything goes well. Some things to remember. You can’t control the weather. Always have a backup plan for bad weather. You may not have to use it but what if you do and don’t… Read more »
We are seeing video used in more and more weddings these days preserving your ceremony in its entirety so that you can look at it later and provide copies to your family, friends, your dog groomer. We’ve worked with many fine videographers and have seen many great video records of that special day. But there… Read more »
Vi Putnam, the poet noted “ The quarrels of lovers are like summer storms.” I think that is a great analogy. When you have those summer storms in your relationship know that the thunder headed clouds are temporary and not a reflection of your relationship as a whole. I think that is a great analogy…. Read more »
Love is hard to find. We all live in the hope of loving and being loved. There it is… very simple statement that is so true. Years ago I went into business for myself, and I opened a dating service. It was different than anything out there at the time. Now there are systems built… Read more »
Let’s start part two of Questions and Answers to Help The Officiate with a quick review of Part One. So far we’ve given the officiate all your contact information, the location, day and time of the ceremony and if there is a rehearsal, it’s day, time and location. We’ve let the officiate know the ages… Read more »
Every officiate has a different way of collecting the information they use to write your ceremony. That is, if they write a different ceremony for different couples. Not everyone does. Our opinion is that wedding ceremonies should not be “one size fits all.” Our mission is to provide you with a ceremony which is Beautiful… Read more »
This week we’re going to talk a little about rehearsals. Later I will talk specifically about how I do a wedding rehearsal. Today’s blog is about the traditional guidelines for the procession, where everybody stands during the ceremony, and the recession. Much of this material I gathered years ago from someplace on the net so… Read more »
Nobody taught you how to be married. It is a simple fact that other than living in our own families and using them as models, few folks really have any training in couple relationships. Whether there are issues to be discussed, or you just want to prepare for a sound marriage you can count on… Read more »
KEY PRINCIPLE FOR A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE. ALWAYS REMEMBER: THIS IS THE PERSON YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO SPEND YOUR LIFE WITH. Who taught you how to argue with your spouse? We learned, so now you can. Later we’ll post a podcast of a radio show and seminar I did with Dr. Harry Bradley, a Saint Louis… Read more »
Years ago I headed a five person counseling practice that was attached to one of the Midwest’s largest dating services. In order to be part of our group you had to take three psychological tests and meet with a state licensed therapist. What we had was something similar to what EHarmony does on the web,… Read more »
