Of all your wedding day events none will be as important as the 30 minutes you entrust to the person performing your ceremony. All of the time, effort and money you have invested in your wedding planning will culminate during that fraction of an hour. For there, in front of dozens or hundreds of your guests, you will both make your first statement as husband and wife. And cameras and video recorders will make your images, your words and most importantly- your wedding day decisions – permanent.

A great wedding ceremony is designed to engage its audience. It follows then that the bridal party should face their guests, which is visually alluring and eminently photogenic.

 

The wording of the ceremony should be spoken in modern, conversational English whose meaning is readily and easily understood. And the choreography of the ceremony should involve a variety of highly effective vignettes, such as candle lighting or wine sharing along with the presentation of roses. This imagery, along with the interaction of your family and friends, honors their relationship with you before the on looking audience. These unforgettable moments produce smiles and tears – evidence that your guests have reached the coveted high ground of an entertainment event. That’s why the ceremony must evoke emotion – for feelings are what move us.

With proper guidance and planning, your ceremony will say the right things about you, through the words and events of your choosing, and create indelible memories in the hearts and minds of your guests. This tailor-made approach in wedding ceremony design will produce opportunities for exceptional photography and video footage, and will place everyone in a jubilant mood for the reception that follows.

  
 
                         
             
                         
         
 

I will approach your wedding as an opportunity- to show everyone present what this day means to you. I bring to my couples dozens of unique options they can use in making their ceremony photogenic, entertaining, and most importantly- evocative.

Greatness in a wedding ceremony will never be achieved by simply performing a rerun of the common wedding ceremony for your guests. Your wedding ceremony must be so much more than this.

Everything I do in a wedding ceremony is calculated for effect. Every word, every event, and every participant are collectively used in my ceremonies to deliver the praise and compliments of the audience.

The bride and groom are happiest when guests compliment them on their wedding. That's why meeting the needs of your audience is critical to the success of your ceremony. Your guests have a need and a right to see you, to hear you, and to be entertained by what you've invited them to, and for what they've given up their time for. Feelings are key to this for feelings make weddings just as feelings make movies and novels.

A ceremony becomes entertaining and meaningful because it is moving the audience in some way. Ultimately, the events of my ceremonies are used to develop and direct those feelings toward the bride and groom.

Experience has taught me as a wedding officiant that brides are emotionally invested in the success of their weddings - after all, they've dreamed of this day most of their lives. Grooms, on the other hand, don't want their wedding ceremony to diminish their masculinity, and for that reason, often fear an overly sentimental wedding. As a result, the ceremony must balance the concerns of the bride and groom with their guest's need to be aptly entertained. Accordingly, I construct my ceremonies around the words and events of my couples' choosing, presenting them in a format that engages and impacts their guests while respecting each of their concerns.
 


It is my intention to instill within my couples the confidence and know-how to become the lead actor and actress that my ceremonies require of them. For I intend to make your presence not just photogenic but magnificent before your assembled guests- letting them admire you and your poised performance for the entirety of that coveted half hour.

I don't have a casual interest in how your ceremony turns out. Neither will I assume that you are "naturally" ready to give such a beautiful performance. This is why every aspect of your ceremony is explained first in detail and only then rehearsed. And this is also why my couples excel in their performances- for they know fundamentally what their ceremony requires of them, and they are exceedingly comfortable and confident in delivering it.

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From my planning session, where you will confidently choose the look and feel of a ceremony that's best for you...

...to my rehearsal session, the most thorough in the industry, where you will gain that all important confidence which comes from expert knowledge and preparation...

...to the performance of your ceremony, under my veteran directorship, guiding you gracefully through the beautiful events you will remember for a lifetime...

I want you to know that throughout all of this- you are in my good care, and that your wedding ceremony is going to be exceptional.

Photos on this page: At left: Valerie embracing her father prior to entering Hammerschmitt Chapel - Elmhurst, Il.

Above: Jennifer with Michael begin their Petal Walk while her father and bridesmaids show their delight for the newlyweds at Odyssey Country Club -Tinley Park, Il.