FAQ
As a Pastor, I dedicated 4 years to a seminary education in which I received specialized training in planning and presiding at ceremonies of all kinds. I have 30+ years of experience counseling couples and dealing with a variety of people and their individual needs.
A one-time phone/FaceTime/skype/in-person consultation is absolutely free. During that time, we can get acquainted, talk through your expectations and mine, check availability. If you feel we can work well together and want to go forward, we take the next step.
If you have a date and a venue, it’s time to reserve the date with me. Call/text me at 512 658-9744, or email me at ipronounceyou.today@gmail.com. Sooner is much better than later, especially if your wedding is on or near a holiday. Most couples reserve me 6-8 months in advance.
- Two months prior to your wedding ceremony, we will meet for two Pre-marital Counseling sessions. I will conduct your Rehearsal on a day prior to the wedding ceremony.
- On your wedding day, I will arrive at least an hour early to coordinate with your music provider, photographer, venue coordinator, and wedding planner. Then I will conduct the ceremony of your dreams for a marriage to last a lifetime, and be included in wedding party pictures.
I also give a 10% discount on all services to active military.
Your wedding ceremony will reflect your love story and celebrate your commitment.
Your ceremony needs to reflect your vision and preferences. So, we will spend our first meeting working out every detail of your ceremony. Do you want to give the MOTB & MOTG roses on the way down the aisle? How about a unity ritual? Do you want a traditional ceremony with traditional vows? Do you want to write your own vows? Do you want something unique, but don’t quite know what that would look like?
I have tons of resources and lots of ideas and the creativity to pull it all together into the ceremony of your dreams.
Having a rehearsal ensures a stress free ceremony…which makes for a much more relaxed wedding day. No worries over where you stand or when you turn to face each other, or anything else.
I will arrive at least 30 minutes early your venue and expect you to be on time. We will go through the ceremony twice, the first time to block out where everybody stands and the second time to actually go through the ceremony so you can get the feel for how it will go.
This may sound like no big deal, but having a rehearsal resolves any questions you may have. Such as… What’s the right tempo for the procession? Where do step-parents sit? Where does everybody stand? What happens if the flower girl/ring bearer balks? When does the bride hand off her flowers? So many considerations.
And here’s a bonus: so many times I’ve seen something profoundly beautiful happen at the rehearsal. Maybe it’s when the FOTB presents his daughter and his eyes fill with tears realizing that this is really going to happen, or when the bride and groom are ‘practicing’ their vows, holding hands, looking into each other’s eyes… those are moments of pure, brilliant love. Having a rehearsal allows you to approach your ceremony with confidence and assurance.
If you choose the Simply Beautiful Ceremony, you can add on a rehearsal. Rehearsal is included in the fee for the Uniquely Yours Ceremony.
To reserve your date, you will need to sign a contract and pay a deposit of 1/2 of my fee upfront (via PayPal, check, money order, or Square). The other half will be due 2 weeks before the wedding. After you are on my calendar, I guarantee that your date will be kept. We set dates for planning session(s) and we’re off on a beautiful journey together.
In Session One we plan every detail of your ceremony. You will complete a Marriage Awareness Inventory.
At Session Two, you will complete the Pre-Marriage Awareness Inventory and receive assignments to prepare for Session Three.
In Session Three, we process the results of the Inventory and learn strategies to deal with issues and life events that likely will put stress on your marriage. I believe marriage takes commitment to being intentional about working on your relationship to be successful. These sessions will not only shed light on areas where you might experience conflict, but also give you the tools to deal with whatever issues present themselves.
- Expectations that may not have been expressed. Is the bride expected to change her name? What are the expectations of each other’s family?
- Are you planning to have children? When?
- If you are unable to have children, what then? IVF? Adoption?
- What does the division of labor look like for you to keep the house going? Is the woman expected to take out the trash? Is the man expected to do the cleaning? Who will cook?
- What are values do you hold in high esteem? Exclusivity, faithfulness, frugality, maintaining friends?
- What about faith? Is it important to you? How will you live that out as a couple? How will you give back to your community?
- Will you covenant to keep credit card debt under control? What’s the limit? How will you handle your finances?
- How will you make life decisions?
As you can see, there’s a lot to discuss. And now’s exactly the time to have this discussion. My job as an advocate for your success as a married couple is to provide a safe, nurturing space for you to communicate deeply.
First of all, don’t stress over this process. It is the best way I have found, over the 30+ years I’ve been officiating weddings, to get at the areas that you may want to gloss over.
Every couple has areas that are touchy: maybe they are things you feel uncomfortable about or issues that you fear will cause distress and want to avoid. Well, those are exactly the issues you absolutely need to talk about.
This Inventory is your friend. I cannot count the number of couples who have said that it was key to starting their relationship off on the right footing.
ALERT: This whole process is dependent upon you completing this Inventory with honesty, not trying to get an “A,” or say what you think your partner wants you to say. I recommend taking it separately.
Yes. Please call me for exact price: 512 658-9744. Holidays include Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve & Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve & New Year’s Day.
If your venue is more than 40 miles from Austin’s 78628 zip code (80 miles round trip), you will need to take care of the miles over the first 40 at 53 cents per mile. If your venue is over 60 miles from the 78628 zip code, and your rehearsal is the day before the wedding, you will need to provide a hotel. If your venue is international, you will need to supply airline tickets, hotel, and per diem expenses.
As you know, there are not many guarantees in life. I can promise you I will officiate your wedding unless something catastrophic (ex: hospitalization, death — mine or a family member) prevents me. In that case, I will do my best to fully prepare and provide another equally experienced officiant to stand in my place, at no extra cost to you.
I am responsible to file your license and will do so within 5 business days of your ceremony. The original will be mailed to you after it has been recorded. This original marriage license is proof of your legal last name.
You are required to notify the Texas Department of Public Safety of a name change within 30 days. Take your existing State-issued Driver’s License and your ORIGINAL marriage license (or a CERTIFIED copy) to any Texas Driver’s License Office. A fee is required for your new license which will arrive at your residence within 3-4 weeks.
Go the your local Social Security office. Take these:
- a completed ‘Application for a Social Security Card’ (form SS-5 which you can get online or at the SS office),
- proof of your identity showing your old name as well as other identifying info, and
- ORIGINAL or CERTIFIED copy of your marriage license.
A new SS card will be mailed to your residence within 7-10 days.
