As a wedding officiant, I recognize that everyone's needs are not the same. Therefore, I have created 4 levels of service packages, based on the degree of personalization and involvement that you have in mind for your wedding. Please remember that I do not charge for travel to your venue if it is within 100 miles of my office.
Premium Level
This is the fully personalized wedding ceremony, in which you select much of the wording, such as those used for your vows and when you exchange rings. There are several kinds of unity ceremonies, readings that you may want to include in order to honor special family or friends, places for music that is especially meaningful, and so on. Using information that you supply, I tell the story of your journey of love to this point, as well as your hopes and dreams as you move forward together. Well in advance of the wedding we meet together for 2-2.5 hours to talk through the entire ceremony, so that I fully understand what you would like. You receive a full script for preview well in advance of your wedding, to make certain that I have facts correct, and have incorporated your ideas as you want them. Then, I conduct a full rehearsal, usually about 1-1.5 hours long (at least twice as long as the ceremony itself) for the entire wedding party at the venue, or a location of your choice if the venue is not available. The primary goal of that rehearsal is that everyone will be familiar with the ceremony. This wedding ceremony will usually last about 30-45 minutes, depending on readings, music and special observances within the ceremony. Finally, I mail your marriage license to the appropriate office for you, and about a week after the wedding I mail you the script tthat I used for your wedding.
Standard Level
This level of service is for the couple desiring a personalilzed wedding ceremony without including things like readings or music. At this level, I tell an abbreviated version of your love story, using information that you supply, choose some of the wordings for you, and we will probably omit a unity ceremony. Our planning is done mostly during an extended telephone call. You still receive the script in advance to check for things like accuracy of detail, spelling of names and details fo the ceremony. I still conduct a 30-minute rehearsal a day or two before the wedding for the entire wedding party (or even just before the ceremony). This ceremony usually lasts about 20-25 minutes, and I mail the marriage license to the appropriate office for you. After the wedding I mail you the script that I used for your wedding.
Basic Level
This level of service usually fits the couple desiring a very reduced amount of personalization, and having a smaller wedding. At this level the ceremony will include some basic information about you woven into the message on love. All planning is done on the phone, after our initial meeting. There is no actual rehearsal. Instead, we talk through the ceremony about 30 minutes before it starts. This ceremony lasts about 15 minutes, and includes no readings, music or special ceremonies. Again, I mail the marriage license to the appropriate office afterwards, and send you the script that I used.
Minimalist Level
This level of service most often fits the couple looking for a small, family-only wedding, usually at a home or other intimate venue. As you might expect from the title, it is the essence of a wedding ceremony condensed into about 10-15 minutes. It allows for a very minimum of personalization, includes almost no meetings before the wedding, no readings, music or special ceremonies, and does not include me sending a script either before or after the wedding. As you might expect, there is also no rehearsal. I still sign and send in your marriage license, and at the end you are very much married.
Additional, pre-marriage meetings
Those meetings, mentioned on the page, "What Rev. Michael Does For You," in which we spend time discussing topics that can arise as you begin your marriage, are about an hour and a half each. There is work for you to do ahead of each meeting, and the discussion can be highly beneficial, though sometimes intense. Each session is $100.00, and all materials are additional and priced at my cost.