Hi everyone. I hope this finds you all doing well, and Happy Spring! I have been getting a lot of inquiries lately asking very specific questions about me and what I do at Ceremonies by Lori. As I answered each of the inquiries, either by email, telephone, or Zoom, I thought about the specific questions that a couple should ask their wedding vendors, specifically officiants. I came across this blog post from 2019 from The Wedding Officiant Insider entitled “35 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Wedding Officiant.” These are some of the questions they included in their blog… with answers by Ceremonies by Lori
“These questions are in no particular order. Take what you need and leave the rest….”
1. Are you available on our date and time? (CBL – Will be dependent on date & time.)
2. Do you travel to the place I’m getting married? Yes – there may be an added travel fee
3. Do you charge an extra fee to travel to my venue? It depends – anything 20+ miles from zip code 18704
4. Will you marry us? Again, it depends on the date and after the initial consult – Yes/no
5. Do you perform LGBTQ weddings? Yes, of course. Love is love. We are an all-inclusive company and believe in marriage equality for ALL.
6. Do you perform interracial weddings? Yes, of course. Have you not seen my husband!
7. Will you perform an interfaith ceremony? Yes, provided the ceremony you are looking for is non-denominational. However, we will include certain religious aspects if requested.
8. Will you perform a completely non-religious ceremony? Yes, of course. The ceremony is for you and what you as a couple are looking for.
9. What do you require from us before you will marry us? Retainer, questionnaires answered , Zoom meetings and a few more specific items.
10. Do you offer premarital counseling? No, but I can refer you to two amazing people who offer it.
11. Do you require premarital counseling? No
12. How much do you charge? It depends on the package you are interested in, but anywhere from $100 to $625+
13. What’s included in the fee? All packages include a consultation, at least 1 Zoom meeting, writing your script, traveling to the ceremony, speaking with your vendors to let them know how the ceremony will go, and more.
14. Are there hidden fees? No – added fees are unity ceremonies and late fees – day of ceremony
15. Is a consultation included? Yes
16. Is the rehearsal included? NO – Virtual rehearsal is $75, and in-person is $125 (+ travel if over 20+ miles from 18704)
17. Is there a written contract? YES, ALWAYS!!!
18. What happens if something happens to you and you can’t officiate our wedding? I have others on my team on standby, and if they are not available, I have other officiants I will reach out to. All of our couples are covered no matter what the circumstance. I also have provisions in my contract for such things.
19. Who will perform our ceremony? Typically I (Lori), Maria, or Beckii, but see the answer above as well.
20. Do you have a selection of ceremonies for me to choose from? I do, but I customize each ceremony for each couple.
21. Can we write our own ceremony? Yes, that’s what we do!
22. How long will the ceremony be? Typically 17-20 minutes (some are longer)
23. Can I read the ceremony ahead of time and control what is said? That is dependent on the package purchased, but I will always go over the ceremony via zoom one week before your ceremony.
24. What do you wear? It depends on what the couple requests – typically discussed in the consultation.
25. Are you legally qualified to marry us? Yes!
26. Can you accommodate our wishes? I’m sure we can. We will discuss all of your wishes in the consultation.
27. Do you have a video I can look at so I know what my wedding will look like? Working on that!!!
28. Can You Project your voice? Yes, no issues there!!!
29. Can we have family or friends participate? Of course, it’s YOUR ceremony.
30. Have you performed a wedding at our venue before? (Depends on venue)
31. How many weddings have you performed? Over 200
32. What time will you arrive? Thirty minutes before the ceremony start time.
33. Have you ever missed or canceled a wedding? NO, all weddings have been covered.
34. Will you help us deal with family conflicts? Typically, we stay out of family conflicts but will intercede where/if needed.
35. Will you accommodate our photographer and videographer? Absolutely!!!
To all engaged couples, please feel free to ask these questions and any other questions you may have. I always say, “I am not a mind reader! Ask away!” Also, if you don’t ask the question, it’s an automatic no…
We still have dates for 2022 and booking into 2023 (October 2023 is almost completely booked!) Call us to discuss your ceremony wants and needs. We are ALWAYS here to help!
See you all soon!
Lori