links: PERSONAL | PRE-WEDDING | CEREMONY | POST-WEDDING | BILLING | SCRIPT
- How long have you been an Officiant?
I performed my first wedding ceremony in December 2022. It was my one and only wedding of the year. It was held at a super fancy house party around Christmas with a very expensive lobster and crab catered cocktail hour. I wanted to throw up the entire time because I was so nervous, but I persevered, married the couple and celebrated with Taco Bell on the drive home.
2. How many weddings have you done?
2022 – Year #1: I Officiated 1 single Wedding
(I thought maybe I sucked at officiating)
2023 – Year #2: I Officiated 77 Weddings
(Maybe I don’t suck, who would have known)
2024 – Year #3: I have over 80 Weddings booked and counting
(If you’d like to add to this number, send me a message)
3. How did you become a Wedding Officiant?
My fiancé at the time (who was also a Wedding Officiant) signed me up without asking me. I was sitting on the couch watching a movie with her and she told me I’d be good at it and she booked me an appointment to get registered and begin training. The rest is history as the kids say (I’m not sure the kids still say that).
4. What authority do you have to perform a Wedding Ceremony?
I hold my registration through an incredible charitable organization called The Sanctuary Family Centre and have full legal authority under the Marriage Act in the Province of Ontario to perform your wedding ceremony. Or do I? (ba-ba-bum)
5. Where can you perform a Ceremony?
I can officiate a wedding ceremony anywhere in Ontario. It can be indoors and/or outdoors, including hotels, golf clubs, restaurants, banquet halls, private homes, backyards, parks, beaches, at the zoo, in chapels, at a church, at McDonalds or even in a van down by the river.
1. How long before the wedding should we book our Officiant?
If you listen to the professionals they will tell you to book your officiant 6 months before your wedding. WRONG!! This is why you don’t listen to the professionals. Sure you may be able to find an officiant but it may be one of those boring ones that make your ceremony feel like a funeral and they smell like cheese. If you’re booking a prime summer Saturday you should reach out as soon as you have booked your venue. Some couples have booked me 2 or 3 years in advance to ensure I’m available. So stop reading these FAQ’s and message me here to see if I’m available.
2. Can we meet?
Absolutely! I always host a complimentary zoom call with all couples to discuss your love story, what you’re looking for in an officiant and to go over all of the details to your special day. If I’m not the best fit for you or you don’t feel I am your ‘vibe’ then feel free to choose another officiant. However, I’m REALLY, REALLY good at my job and my reviews and the friendships I’ve made with all of my couples post wedding, are the scientific proof. So if you’re wanting to ensure your ceremony is loved by not only you but also your family and friends, then set up a zoom call and chat with me for yourself and by the end of the meeting, 99.6% of couples always say I do. <–see what I did there?
Meeting in person is much more difficult but if you’re buying dinner, I’ll be there too!
3. What do I need to do before my wedding?
Obtain A Marriage License: In order to be married in Ontario you need to obtain a valid marriage license. This gives you permission from the government to be wed in Ontario. It’s only valid for 90 days, so I suggest to all of my couples to set your appointment with your local city hall 2 months prior to your wedding so that it’s still valid should something happen and your ceremony be delayed. I will request a photo of the license once it’s in your sweaty little hands, so that I can pre-do some of my paperwork prior to the ceremony.
4. Is a rehearsal necessary?
I struggle to answer this question and feel it’s different for everyone. Traditionally, Yes! According to bridal books, Yes! If we ask your mom, Yes! You should always walk through your ceremony with your wedding party, but you may or may not need the officiant to be present. It usually depends on how many in your wedding party and if the venue offers to allow one.. If you have your wedding party coming from out of town, it may be more difficult to have them be a part of the rehearsal. There is a fee of $150.00 to have me attend your rehearsal and I always make sure they’re fun and exciting, full of laughs and shenanigans. I’m available Monday to Thursday for rehearsals unless special accommodations are made for other days.
1. How long is a typical ceremony?
A typical wedding ceremony can range from 15 to 30 minutes in length. I find the sweet spot is 22 to 25 minutes before people start to get squirmy and want the talking to stop so the party can start.
2. When will you arrive to our ceremony?
My contract states that I will arrive a minimum of 30 minutes prior to a ceremony, but I’m usually there over an hour early. I like to get acclimated to the space (aka, find some snacks and flirt with some grandmas). I will usually check in with your vendors, make sure your photographer and/or videographer and DJ know how the ceremony will be structured, check in with any planners to make sure everyone is on time and to ensure someone has the rings ready for the ceremony. (you wouldn’t believe how many times they’ve been forgotten).
3. What will you wear?
I’m most comfortable in short shorts and no shirt, but I’ll leave that look for the beach weddings. I always wear a suit (blue, black or grey) and will try as often as possible not to match with your wedding party so I don’t look like “one of the guys”. If you have any requests please let me know, but I’m not wearing the Princess Bride Priest gown unless you can find it in my size.
4. Will you be out of the way of the kiss?
I’m a professional. I vow to never be in the kiss photo, in fact, I always declare my couples married from as far away as possible so your photographers can get that classy wide shot and not have my big butt in the background. As much as I love being the center of attention, I know my place and want to make sure your photos are exactly what you want.
5. Can our photographers take photos during the ceremony?
Some officiants will not allow this, but my motto is “Your photos come first”. Nobody is going to remember what is said during the ceremony 10 minutes later, let alone 10 years later, but those photos you’ll have will last a lifetime. Your photographers and videographers have free reign to get in anywhere and everywhere to get the best shots possible. All I ask is that if they’re going to be THAT close to me, they wear deodorant.
6. Can we livestream our Ceremony?
Yes, yes you can. Why would you ask such a dumb question?
1. Will you stay for our Wedding Reception?
No: Thank you for the offer, but the answer is usually no. When your ceremony is over, I’m gone like a toot in a windstorm, so no need to pay for my dinner. I’m usually off to my next wedding or to McDonalds drive-thru for a McDouble because I probably earned it by officiating such an incredible ceremony.
Yes: If you hire me to be your Wedding Reception Emcee, then YES, I’m staying and will be eating all your food, drinking all your drinks and the donut wall is NOT safe from my grasping hands. I’ll take the beef option please. Also hide your single grandmas because I’m old and single and ready to mingle.
2. Will we be legally married?
Yes! Canadian law allows each province to legislate their own marriage act. Once the ceremony is over, I will send your wedding license to the government to register your marriage with the province. Same sex marriages have been legally recognized across Canada since July 2005.
3. How do I apply for a marriage certificate after our ceremony?
Wait about 8-10 weeks before applying for the certificate as it can take up to 12 weeks for the government to process the marriage license and register your marriage. I will leave you with your record of solemnization card that has your marriage license number printed, along with some instructions for your next steps. The government does NOT send you anything to tell you that your marriage is registered, so you will need to be request a marriage certificate from them online. You can easily apply online here.
1. How much does a ceremony cost?
The total cost of your wedding ceremony will depend on the season, date, time, and location of your big day. All fees associated with my services can be viewed here. The prices listed are in CDN Funds before tax. Unfortunately 13% HST tax will be added. Prices are subject to change.
2. How can we pay?
All payments can be made through E-transfer or by Credit Card.
3. Do you request a deposit?
A non refundable deposit of 50% is needed to hold the date and time of your wedding so that no other couple scoops me up and steals me away from you. The remaining balance is due 3 weeks before the ceremony.
4. Is a gratuity expected?
No, but some couples would like to express their gratitude for me single handedly turning their wedding ceremony into the best day on planet earth and becoming their new best friends. They can send a thank you card, a photo of the happy couple so I can post and brag about them on my Instagram. Some send cash, check, money order, trips, stock options, bonuses, sports cars, gift cards, tacos, etc.. But the best is when you just refer me to a friend for a job well done.
1. What will you say at our wedding?
This is totally up to you. I will send you a script builder that allows you to pick and choose the wording for your ceremony. I offer 3 or 4 choices for every section of a ceremony as well as a custom option where you can add in something you saw on Pinterest or Tiktok etc.
Some other officiating companies offer you hundreds of choices and you end up spending way too many hours building something that doesn’t actually fit well together and your officiant is stuck trying to make your trash sound beautiful. I’ve done the hard work for you and used my knowledge and expertise to find the words that I love best and narrowed down your choices so you can make a much more informed decision on the wording. Don’t worry, I will always add in my own personality to every ceremony so that there are laughs and romance and it comes across like we have known each other since 4th grade.
2. Will the ceremony be religious or non-religious?
I am comfortable doing both, however 99% of the ceremonies that I do are non religious as most churches have their own officiants in house to handle their ceremonies.
3. Can we add special readings?
Absolutely! If there is something special that you want added to your ceremony, you can have a family member or special person in your life take part in that portion of the ceremony.
4. Can we add ceremonies within our ceremony?
Well that sounds more complicated than it actually is. If there is a religious or personal ceremony that you’d like added to your wedding ceremony please talk to me about it and we will work together to add it in. Some of the more famous addons to your ceremony are: Smudging – Blessings – The Rose Ceremony – Unity Candles – Sand Ceremony – Wine Ceremony – Shot Ceremony – Hand Fasting Ceremony – Feed your officiant a taco ceremony
