Let’s face it, when planning a wedding there are thousands of things piled on your To Do List. Pick up your wedding dress ✔ . Make sure transportation arrives on time ✔ . Double check your guest count ✔ . Pay all of your vendors ✔ .
Most of these things occur weeks if not months before your wedding day. Then there are the things that you decide to save for wedding day. Things like pack your overnight bag ✔ . Make sure you grab phone chargers ✔ . Grab your grandmother’s vintage earrings ✔ . Talk to your Wedding Officiant about what the ceremony will look like X.
NO NO NO NO NO!!! Your wedding day should not be the day you decide to communicate with your wedding officiant about your ceremony. Just don’t.
I had the chance to talk with New York Wedding Officiant Reverend Roxanne Birchfield, M.Div. She is a non-denominational Christian Chaplain and Marriage Officiant, wedding blogger and professional speaker. She gave me some really amazing tips about wedding officiant duties and how you can have a smooth wedding ceremony.
Let’s get to it, shall we?
Why do you recommend couples contact you before their wedding day?
Married by REV ROXY: I recommend couple’s primarily contact me before their wedding day as soon as they get engaged. It can feel like a tedious task to find a wedding officiant that not only fits your style, vibe and culture, but also who has the professional experience to extract from your love story and spiritual needs all that is necessary to curate a custom ceremony. MARRIED by REV ROXY is a boutique service that specializes in creating custom ceremonies, renewing of vows, assisting couples with vow writing and most importantly pre-marital and marital counseling.
Does an Officiant help with any counseling services prior to the wedding day or do you offer any relationship advice or tips couples should know about?
Married by REV ROXY: All officiants do not have the ability, training or desire to do counseling, however MARRIED by REV ROXY does. Many wedding officiants refer their clients to me to perform the pre-marital counseling and a number of clients come to me even with they have their own Pastor or family member marrying them. We provide both pre-marital and martial counseling. Hiring MARRIED by REV ROXY means joining a family or community. We want to be involved as much or as little as you need us along your journey to the wedding alter and even in life after the alter.
What are some misconceptions about a Wedding Officiant for hire that you would like to clear up?
CLAPP STUDIOS, Baltimore, MD
Married by REV ROXY: One misconception about a wedding officiant is that officiant’s will be paid to show up to a wedding for 20-30 minutes worth of work. While this might be the work of some, many professional officiants are showing up ample time prior to the start of a ceremony. Whether they are checking in on the couples, doing a sound check with the DJ or simply walking through the ceremony space they are certainly doing more than just the ceremony the day of the wedding.
After the wedding ceremony is complete, they must gather the couple and witnesses to ensure that the legal paperwork is filled out correctly by all parties. It is also their responsibility to ensure that the paperwork is mailed out on time. All of our work is very time sensitive and requires attention to detail.
With the couples you have worked with, what are a few things couples should avoid during their wedding ceremony?
Married by REV ROXY: With a number of officiants, having your officiant attend a rehearsal could be an additional charge. Therefore, if you desire rituals or ceremony aspects that are complex and need a rehearsal, do not try to wing it on the day of your wedding without a rehearsal. You do not want any surprises during one of the most important moments of your life.
Are there any wedding ceremony trends that you are doing right now?
456 Weddings of Baldwin, NY
Married by REV ROXY: I would like to consider MARRIED by REV ROXY as being innovative and trending setting. One thing I have, uniquely curated and done for the majority of my clients is the ritual of hand-fasting. What has made my version of the Western European ritual unique is that I do not use the traditional cords for wrapping the hand of the couples. I have handmade wraps created from West African kente fabric and print. Each wrap is made special to the couple. On each side I have tassels and (sometimes) charms that properly represent the couples. Each wrap comes with a garment tag with my company’s name. This is something I give to my couples as a keepsake.
Being a NYC wedding officiant serving clients nationwide and internationally, hand-fasting in this specific form has attracted to me many couples who this resonates with.
Do you want to learn more from Rev Roxy? Drop a comment below. In need of a great wedding officiant that travels? Make sure you book here ASAP via her website https://www.marriedbyrevroxy.com.