From a purely logistical standpoint, these are the two most important questions to ask when starting the process of choosing your wedding officiant. Most professional wedding officiants book their calendars 18 months in advance, while at the same time, may also have an unexpected opening next week. If you want me to marry you, know your date. Further, know your budget. Professional wedding officiants charge differently, some with modest fees, others charging a premium.

You bet! I love all wedding vows. Wedding vows are the public promises you make to each other, and you have several options. You can either make your promises/vows to each other, or repeat your vows after me, or simply allow me to read your vows out loud, and you reply with something similar to, “I do.” Remember, the vows are your promises to each other. However, in order for me to legally marry you, I must also have you make a public Declaration of Intent, which is essentially the verbal representation of your signatures on your marriage license. Your vows are your promises to each other. The Declaration of Intent is that you both are knowingly and willfully entering into this legal contract of marriage. Every wedding is different and unique, and we will make sure your wedding vows are perfect.

Great question because I am in the process of writing my next book, called Shared Comprehension, The Four Pillars of Effective Communications. Shared comprehension means from the time you hire me, until the moment when I officially introduce you as a married couple, our communications will be as frequent as required for you to feel 100% comfortable with the wedding ceremony process, your wedding script, your cast of characters, vows, rituals, guests of honor and your actual, physical wedding ceremony. This is your wedding, your way, and we will communicate as much as you need so you always feel we’re connected and on the same page.

My world, both professional and personal, is filled with incredible diversity. My marriage to Candace is, in fact, multi-faith, and my couples are as diverse as you can imagine. My one and only criteria for marrying y’all is that you’re in love.

Let’s start with Texas. Yes, I am an ordained interfaith minister, and professionally trained, certified, wedding officiant, with the legal credentials to marry you anywhere in the state of Texas. I also perform wedding ceremonies around the world, however, every country, state, and municipality has its own rules and regulations on who can legally marry you. If it’s Texas where you want to get hitched, we’re 100% good. If you want me to marry you somewhere else, let’s talk.

That depends on your needs and budget. Some officiants will include your wedding rehearsal as part of their overall fee. I know other officiants that will tell you that they flat-out don’t do rehearsals. For me, knowing every wedding is different, my participation at your rehearsal is open for discussion. For example, although I may be available for your wedding date, I may not be available for your rehearsal. I also charge an extra $199 to participate in a rehearsal, unless your wedding is outside of Austin, and we’ve agreed on a total package. It’s a good question to ask, and an important part of your decision when hiring an officiant.

My total involvement in your wedding ceremony will depend on what you desire and require from me. I’ve spent tens of thousands of hours perfecting my communications, public speaking, counseling, and officiant training so that I can consistently perform magnificent, personalized, heartfelt, and flawless wedding ceremonies. Wedding ceremonies are like snowflakes, no two are alike. I will spend exactly the right amount of time preparing your ceremony so, at the end of the most important day of your life, you will be pleased.

Yes! You have 100% final approval over your wedding script.

That’s entirely up to you. For example, when you hire me, you will receive three documents. One will be our business agreement. The second will be an extensive questionnaire asking you questions like whether you will be writing your own vows, who is in your wedding party, and to your point, what would you like me to wear. I can perform your wedding in a formal business suit and cleric’s tippet (preacher’s scarf), in casual attire, or if you’re having a beach wedding, I can officiate in shorts and bare feet. Again, this is your wedding, so what I wear is your choice.

Most professional officiants charge varying amounts depending on their experience, the amount of personalization required to create the wedding of your dreams, the number of people attending your wedding, travel time, and if an overnight stay is required. Although I don’t have a rate card or a set amount, if you just want a quick, small, virtual (Zoom) ceremony, I will charge you less than $500. If your wedding is relatively traditional and doesn’t require an extensive amount of personalization, I will charge you less than $1,000. Conversely, some compensation discussion will be required if you wish to book me for your wedding outside of the greater Austin area. As a starting point, my average fee for a fully personalized wedding ceremony is $850.

Tipping is not required or expected. That said, I have received very gracious tokens of gratitude, which are always appreciated. However, gratuities change nothing. Once I’ve committed to becoming your officiant, I’m all in.

If I’m privileged to officiate your wedding, there will be nothing typical about it. Most professionally officiated weddings will take about 30 minutes, and shouldn’t go longer than 45 minutes. However, some weddings have wrapped up in 15 minutes and on rare occasions, will exceed an hour. For planning purposes, count on a half-hour wedding ceremony.

Another good question. The amount of time we spend prior to your wedding ceremony is up to you. On average, I will initially spend 15 minutes in a free consultation with my couples for us both to get a reading of our chemistry and if we are drawn to each other. The other factor, of course, is if I’m available on your wedding day! If I’m available, and you decide to hire me, you will receive two questionnaires. One, as discussed above, will be to cover the logistics of your wedding. The other questionnaire is for you to help me understand you as a couple, your origin Love Story, and some personal items I can weave into your final wedding ceremony. After you’ve filled out all the paperwork, and I’ve received your 50% non-refundable deposit, we will schedule a 45-min call to review EVERYTHING. After that, most of our communications will more than likely be digital, such as emails and texts.

Like all insurance, you want to make sure that in the event your officiant is unable to officiate your wedding, there’s someone just as capable and ready to stand in at the quick. In my case, I am a member of several professional officiant communities and organizations, and I will always have one or two professional interfaith ministers/officiants who I know and trust on standby in the event of the unthinkable. Make sure your officiant has a standby, it’s important and comforting to know.

Yes! There will be lots of additional questions you will be asking because no two personalized wedding ceremonies I perform are ever alike. For now, though, relax and know in your heart of hearts that your wedding is going to be wonderful and that I’ve got you covered.