Uncategorized

https://www.pexels.com/license/ Everything Seemed Normal Several years ago in Florida I scheduled a wedding with what seemed to be a lovely couple. The semi-formal affair was to be in a  forested state park, with a small guest list. I was mentoring a new, young wedding officiant at the time, and the couple agreed that I could…

Sarah’s outdoor Portland wedding took place at a beautiful outdoor nature preserve in Portland, OR.  that had once been the home of a wealthy industrialist who’d donated the property to the city. On 40 forested acres, there was a main house and a few small cottages that were used as  rentals for the many weddings…

 Photo by Mike Sanabia IT DEPENDS Fashion can be a  big issue at many weddings.  I’ve faciliated ceremonies all over the western U.S. (California, Oregon and Arizona).  Some of them were quite casual; outdoors in the summer with guests wearing shorts and flip flops. I’ve also done the full-blown formal variety, and I had to…

Image Source OUR TITLES Those of us who’ve been through a non-religious ordination process grapple with what title to use.  Some of us may have been priests or ministers before we decided to go the secular route. But as Humanist or SBNR (Spiritual But Not Religious) wedding officiants, we usually call ourselves “celebrants” or “officiants.”…

Many Couples Promise to Love Each Other Unconditionally.This Never Works Out. You have a responsibility to construct vows that you can actually adhere to. It’s lovely to write your own vows, and I recommend it above the tired old traditional ones. But you may need help re-framing what you’re capable of promising. The first thing…

Get Used to it Kid   Source As a wedding officiant, when  meeting with young, starry-eyed couples, it’s important to keep a few real world, technical facts in mind. The first is this… marriage — in the strictly legal sense — is a business contract that makes each person financially liable and in a limited…

      Things Your Friend Will Need to Learn       Know how to fill out the license properly Licenses are not self-explanatory or standardized. Every county has a different one, and they are very particular about format.  Some  require the signatures of two witnesses, some only require one. Some don’t need signatures…

  Photo by Brian Baker Photography   HOW I BECAME AN OFFICIANT I was ordained as a Humanist Minister in 1995, through a detailed process that involved a year of education and approval by a certification board.  Twenty years later, after earning a bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies and a master’s in Pastoral Care, I…