What You Need to Know About Your DIY Wedding Ceremony

July 07, 2018

What You Need to Know About Your DIY Wedding Ceremony by Mary Coburn.

You might want to rethink your DIY Wedding Ceremony after reading this.

A few years ago, the law in Connecticut changed regarding who is allowed to legally solemnize marriages. Now, anyone can go online, pay a fee, and get ordained.

This means that your best friend or your uncle Charlie can legally marry you and your fiancé. What a great way to save money on your wedding, right? Well…Mary Coburn, Wedding Officiant & Celebrant explains why this may not be a good idea for you:

Asking Your Friend

First of all, asking your best friend or your uncle Charlie to officiate your DIY Wedding Ceremony is asking a lot from them. At first they are honored and delighted to be asked. Then, the reality sets in as well as the panic. So, knowing that you are in the throes of planning your wedding, they are not likely to share their anxieties so they suffer by themselves, or they reach out to people like me.

What Do I Do?

I have counseled many uncle Charlies over the years who have no idea where to start. Sitting down to write a DIY Wedding Ceremony with the blank page staring at you, can be absolutely daunting. What do I say? What do I do? What do I include? How long does it need to be? Where do the vows happen? How do I sign the license and how do they get the marriage license?

Experience

I have been to my share of DIY Wedding Ceremonies as a guest, when it was obvious, painfully obvious, that the person doing the ceremony had little to no experience. Therefore, it made what could have been a beautiful and meaningful experience for the couple and their guests, a sad excuse for a ceremony, humiliating for the person officiating and a huge missed opportunity. Most of the ceremonies were like Best Man or Maid of Honor toasts.

Public Speaking

One DIY Wedding Ceremony I was so embarrassed for the officiant I wanted to crawl under my chair. He was obviously terrified to speak in public. That’s all people remembered, which was sad for the couple and equally sad for the well intentioned officiant. No one wants to do a lousy ceremony.

The DIY DJ Trend

The whole DIY trend extends to other areas as well. If you are thinking of asking your college roommate or good ol’ uncle Charlie to DJ your event, think again!

Don’t do it. Your DJ essentially runs your event. They don’t just play music. A good DJ is responsible for the ebb and flow of energy, they move things and people along, they understand the complexities of group dynamics. They know the proper etiquette of introductions, when and where things need to happen so the event is enjoyable and people move seamlessly from one thing to the next.

If you have a great time at a wedding, if you walk to your car thinking, “wow, that was really fun,” it was because you had an experienced and talented DJ.

Finally

Remember, when making choices about your wedding, you are assembling a team of people who will take care of you on the most important day in your life. Choose wisely.

Choose a professional who knows what they are doing and equally important: a professional who LOVES what they do. It will make the experience a wonderful and meaningful one for you and your guests.

So give your uncle Charlie a break from a DIY Wedding Ceremony. Hire a pro and let him enjoy your wedding without having to work!

Mary Coburn

Wedding Officiant & Celebrant
www.marycoburn.com

Photo Credit: Ryan Williams of Four Wings Photography

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Atmosphere Productions LLC is a CT Wedding DJ, providing professional mobile entertainment service, Music, Reception Entertainment Directors, MC and DJ’s primarily for Weddings in the Greater Hartford area but throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island and in the New England area.

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What You Need to Know About Your DIY Wedding Ceremony

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