Do you need a Destination Wedding Officiant?

And what exactly is a Destination Wedding Officiant? South Florida is a beautiful place to have a wedding! Whether you’re looking to get married on the beach or in one of the many fantastic hotels or resorts in the area, you need a wedding officiant who knows the area – you need a Destination Wedding Officiant! Maybe more importantly, you need a wedding officiant who is willing to talk to you, Skype with you, and listen to you so that he understands exactly what you are looking for in a wedding ceremony. Even though you’re coming in from out of town, you deserve a ceremony that represents you and your love for each other!

South Florida Gets Married! is experienced and based out of Fort Lauderdale, though we do perform ceremonies in all cities from Jupiter south to Key Biscayne. Don’t hesitate to call and check on availability.

A Destination Wedding Officiant who cares about you!

You’ve planned where you are going to get married, but if you haven’t yet chosen your Destination Wedding Officiant, it’s not too late. We have assisted couples from last-minute to a year or more ahead of time. And every ceremony, no matter how short of notice is custom written for you.

Other benefits I can provide:

• Filing your license after your ceremony.
• Wireless sound system (particularly helpful if you’re getting married at the beach).
• Prelude and ceremony music of your choosing.
• Live consultation and unlimited phone/e-mail support.
• The knowledge that you have chosen the best Destination Wedding Officiant in South Florida!

Looking for a wedding officiant? Then visit South Florida Gets Married! - A South Florida Wedding Officiant serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties.

South Florida Gets Married!
A South Florida Marriage Minister

If you’re getting married in South Florida, you need a marriage minister who knows the geography and style of the area. You need a South Florida Marriage Minister! A South Florida Marriage Minister can write and perform a ceremony that is unique and customized for you. You’re getting married in one of the most beautiful areas in Florida, you don’t want a boring, same-old ceremony!

Where can I find a South Florida Marriage Minister?

Well, you came to the right place! I have been performing wedding ceremonies in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties for over six years and in locations ranging from Miami Beach to Boca, Kendall to Pompano, South Beach to Jupiter and every city in between. As an experienced South Florida Marriage Minister, I can bring the flavor and spice of South Florida into your ceremony.

But maybe you’re into something less edgy and more traditional. Well, I can accommodate that as well! All of my ceremonies are custom-written after a consultation between you, your fiancee, and me. So give me a call or send an e-mail – I would be honored to serve as your South Florida Marriage Minister!

Other benefits I can provide:

• Filing your license after your ceremony.
• Wireless sound system (particularly helpful if you’re getting married at the beach).
• Prelude and ceremony music of your choosing.
• Live consultation and unlimited phone/e-mail support.
• The knowledge that you have chosen the best South Florida Marriage Minister possible!

I know that when you are choosing a wedding officiant, you have a lot of choices. A Google search for South Florida Marriage Minister brings up over 3,600,000 search results! So I am honored that you are considering me to be such an important part of your special day. Contact me now to inquire about availability or to schedule a free consultation – your perfect South Florida Marriage Minister awaits!

And don’t forget – whether you live in Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach County, South Florida Gets Married! is the perfect wedding officiant for you!

Looking for a wedding officiant? Then visit South Florida Gets Married! - A South Florida Wedding Officiant serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties.

What is a cultural wedding ceremony?

By my definition, a cultural wedding ceremony is one in which you celebrate the cultural background of the bride and groom (whether similar or different) by including parts of traditions that might be special to either or both.

How can I have a cultural wedding ceremony?

In her blog entry on the Huffington Post, Lidia Bastianich talks about the many ways that you can celebrate your culture on your wedding day. Of particular interest is her mention of how you can have a cultural wedding ceremony:

The ceremony – Are there poems, vows or quotes that are particular to your heritage? Add them to the ceremony and highlight them in your program; make note in the program of the origins and history of the words you include. Ask whoever is marrying you to highlight it as well. In the Korean wedding tradition, for example, special attention is paid by the bride to the groom’s parents.

Lidia gives great advice, for sure. Tailoring your vows or readings to your heritage is a wonderful way to celebrate a cultural wedding ceremony. I even just wrote a post on making your final blessing or benediction a part of your cultural wedding ceremony.

Another way to include your heritage in your cultural wedding ceremony? Talk to your parents and grandparents! As Lidia says:

Personalizing your wedding, celebrating your traditions and honoring your heritage are beautiful acts of love and respect, for both your spouse and your family. The jewel of information in regard to all this? Your parents. Your grandparents. Talk to them. Ask them what they would like to see you highlight from their cultures and what memories of their wedding they would feel excited about including in yours. Search the internet, visit your library. There are many resources to help you incorporate your own traditions into your big day, to help you make it your own and to delight and surprise your guests every step along the way.

Making your ceremony unique is what we strive for at South Florida Gets Married! If you would like a wedding officiant who is experienced at writing a cultural wedding ceremony, feel free to contact me to check availability!

Looking for a wedding officiant? Then visit South Florida Gets Married! - A South Florida Wedding Officiant serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties.

The Wedding Blessing

You’ve said your vows and exchanged rings, maybe even performed a sand ceremony (or water or candles), and now it’s time to say the final blessing upon you before you are pronounced “husband and wife.” What are your options for this wedding blessing?

If you are planning on having a religious ceremony, you may want to include a prayer or bible passage for your wedding blessing.

Non-religious wedding blessing

Many people are opting for non-religious ceremonies and thus would be interested in a non-religious wedding blessing. In this case, you could opt for a cultural blessing such as the Irish Wedding Blessing or the Apache Wedding Blessing. Even if you don’t specifically identify with those cultures, it can be a nice addition to your ceremony. Alternatively, you could opt for a more generic blessing of well-wishes as you go forward as a married couple.

Here is a list of some different wedding blessings – you could include one as your wedding blessing regardless of your background:

Native American Wedding Poems and Blessings

Apache Wedding Blessing

Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be
the shelter for the other. Now you will feel no
cold, for each of you will be the warmth for the
other. Now you are two persons, but there is only
one life before. Go now to your dwelling place to
enter into the days of your life together. And may
your days be good and long upon the earth.

Eskimo Wedding Blessing

May you walk in beauty.
May there be beauty before you.
May there be beauty behind you.
My there be beauty above and below you.

Navajo Wedding Blessing

May you find the strength of an eagle’s wings,
And the courage and faith to soar to great heights,
And may you be granted the universal wisdom to
carry you there.

Chippewa Wedding Poem

Oh, I am thinking
Oh, I am thinking
I have found my lover
Oh, I am sure it is so.

Shoshone Wedding Blessing

The white star at twilight is fair, and the sky
clears at the day’s end,
but she is more fair to me, more dear to me, she is
my heart’s friend.

Aztec Wedding Blessing

I know not whether thou has been absent:
I lie down with thee, I rise up with thee,
In my dreams thou art with me.
If my eardrops tremble in my ears,
I know it is thou moving within my heart.

Cherokee Wedding Blessing

God in heaven above please protect the ones we love.
We honor all you created as we pledge our hearts and lives together.
We honor mother-earth—and ask for our marriage
to be abundant and grow stronger through the seasons;
We honor fire—and ask that our union be warm
and glowing with love in our hearts;
We honor wind—and ask we sail though life safe
and calm as in our father’s arms;
We honor water—to clean and soothe our
relationship that it may never thirst for love;
With all the forces of the universe you created, we
pray for harmony and true happiness as we
forever grow young together. Amen.

Arabic and Egyptian Wedding Blessing and Poems

Arabic Wedding Blessing

You are my friend. And a friend is one to whom
one may pour out all the contents of one’s heart,
chaff and grain together, knowing that the
gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what
is worth keeping and, with the breath of kindness,
blow the rest away.

Turkoman Wedding Blessing/Poem

As even the ant brought gifts to Solomon,
So do I bring my soul, my love, to you.

Afghan Wedding Blessing/Poem

My grief has come to an end. Now is the season
of joy. The flowers of Spring are like jewels in my
green garden. Let us walk together through its
paths. Go! Tell the nightingale that Spring is here.

And tell the poet to come with his lute. Let him
sing us a song of the flowers of Spring. I only
pray that you do not listen to the parrot
whispering to the rose that Autumn will soon arrive.

With Spring my love you have returned to me,
and again I gaze on the moon of my great
delight. Let us leave it to others to have their
festivals. Our only festival is when, in Spring, I
can see my love’s footsteps through the garden like
twin flowers on their toes. And I will be in love’s soft arms.

Egyptian Wedding Blessing/Love Song

She is the only girl. There are no others.
She is more beautiful than any other.
She is a star goddess arising.
She has captured my heart.

Ancient Egyptian Wedding Blessing

O my beautiful one.
Are you not my health and my life?
You are health to the heart that finds you.

I take in as my breath the sweet air that comes from you.
I witness your beauty every day.
I desire to hear your voice on the north wind each
day so the strength in my arms may be reborn with your love.
Call for me through eternity, and I will always be there.

To love you is like having a luscious fruit ripening in my hand,
Like having dates swimming in my honey wine.
The moment lingers.
The taste lasts.
We will remain joined until the end of years.
We will remain together in the endless line of hours.
We shall join together in this taste of bread and wine.

European Wedding Blessings and Poems

Celtic Wedding Blessing

Let there be peace between neighbors.
Let there be peace between family.
Let there be peace between each of us.
Let there be peace between husband and wife.
Let there be peace in our hearts.

Irish Wedding Blessing

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
May God be with you and bless you;
May you see your children’s children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home,
And may the hand of a friend always be near.
May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.

Any of the previous wedding blessings would be an excellent addition to your ceremony! If you need a wedding officiant who customizes ceremonies just for you (and will write a wedding blessing just for you, too!) then contact me to set up a time to consult!

Looking for a wedding officiant? Then visit South Florida Gets Married! - A South Florida Wedding Officiant serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties.

Vow of Forgiveness

Anne Naylor of the Huffington Post writes about forgiveness and the vow of forgiveness:

When choosing your vows, consider including one to forgive (a vow of forgiveness). When life gets stressful (as life will do with work pressures, family demands or money challenges), a forgiving attitude will help you steer together through rough patches.

How does that work? Do you find when things do not go the way you want, your inclination is to strike out and blame the one closest to you? They happen to be there. Have you also found that in the heights of romantic love, your loved one can do anything and you are not bothered by it? It is just one of the charming funny things they do. What changes?

It seems that the greater our love for this special person, the brighter a mirror they offer us to reveal our own hidden hurt, and opportunity for healing. What is more, they will serve to trigger our awareness of the hurt. Consider that the hurt was there long before they showed up. Painful events from the past tend to get buried and hidden within us.

Isn’t that true? Having a forgiving attitude can ease over all but the most egregious of offenses. Promising to have a forgiving attitude in your vows (in other words, including a vow of forgiveness), will put the attitude of forgiveness front and center in your mind on your wedding day.  Often times, it’s a timely reminder as well! The process of planning a wedding can pit bride against groom (or family against family) and highlighting the vow of forgiveness can immediately put those offenses behind you.

The vow of forgiveness can be included in your vows.

The vow of forgiveness can be as simple as a line in your vows: “Do you promise to take little or no notice of small faults and practice forgiveness in your marriage?”

By including a vow of forgiveness you acknowledge that you are two imperfect beings who will always need to work on yourselves for the betterment of your union. If you need a south Florida wedding officiant who is willing to customize your ceremony and vows, feel free to give me a call at (954) 667-7346 or contact me here. I’d be honored to serve you and figure out a way to include the Vow of Forgiveness in your ceremony!

Looking for a wedding officiant? Then visit South Florida Gets Married! - A South Florida Wedding Officiant serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties.

Can you have an interfaith wedding ceremony where everyone is happy?

A Very Famous Interfaith Wedding Ceremony

An interfaith wedding ceremony can be brilliant or a disaster – it all depends on how well your officiant understands the similarities and differences in your faiths. Here is a story of Jan and Al:

Just recently, I met with a couple who came from different faiths – he was Muslim and she was Catholic. Unable to get married in either of their religions without making half of their collective family uncomfortable, they turned to me. Their first thought was to scrap faith/religion altogether. “We just want a non-denominational, spiritual ceremony,” they said.

I let them know that, of course, that was fine, but that there was certainly another option: an interfaith wedding ceremony. Not a non-faith wedding ceremony, mind you. These were both faith-filled people, but also family-centered and wanted to make sure that no one was uncomfortable. I let them know that I could write for them a ceremony that still includes God, but aims for the 80% that their religions agreed on, being careful not to choose any passages from the Bible or Koran that might isolate or divide.

Their eyes widened, “You could do that? An interfaith wedding ceremony?” Not only could I, but I have a long history of being able to. Jewish/Catholic, Baptist/Jain, Buddhist/Russian Orthodox – I’ve deftly handled the interfaith wedding ceremony on many occasions. The highest compliment usually comes from a family elder:

“Thank you. That ceremony was perfect for them.”

The Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway has said before that

Weddings are notorious for stirring up the emotions of the clan. Add the element of intermarriage and even the most loving people might exhibit some of the stereotypical behaviors that have long plagued mixed-culture brides and grooms: the mother who is wounded because the wedding is not in a church, the grandmother who thinks your children will be cursed if you don’t marry “your own kind,” and the stubbornly conservative father who just can’t see beyond his own tradition. It’s not easy to deal with these kinds of issues with your parents, but understanding them will help you keep your footing.

She’s absolutely right! Understanding what your families are thinking will help guide you in the right direction for your interfaith wedding ceremony. Having an interfaith wedding ceremony that honors both faiths, rather than shying away from them can go a long way to showing them that this is a marriage that is built on a firm foundation of love and understanding and is built to last!

Make sure your officiant is experienced in the art of the interfaith wedding ceremony.

As I mentioned before, I have performed the interfaith wedding ceremony many times. If you need the services of an experienced wedding officiant for your interfaith wedding ceremony, don’t hesitate to contact me! It would be my honor to serve you.

Looking for a wedding officiant? Then visit South Florida Gets Married! - A South Florida Wedding Officiant serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties.

2012 Wedding Trends

Here’s what the Huffington Post had to say about 2012 Wedding Trends:

2011 was a big year for weddings. A prince got hitched, another Kardashian tied the knot (well, sort of), and brands like JCrew, Anthropologie and Vera Wang majorly upped their wedding game. It was a year filled with muted colors, barn parties and swollen guest lists. Brides pushed the envelope with handmade invitations and creative finger foods (mini fried green tomato, anyone?), and menswear got dressed down. So what can we expect from the weddings of 2012? Will grooms hold on to the personalized Chuck Taylor trend? Will the mustache on a stick remain a staple in the photo booth? Here are three trends we expect to see in the year ahead, with input from some of the wedding industry’s finest contributors.

Christy James has called these three things the biggest 2012 Wedding Trends:

• Royal Glamour
• Intimate Affairs
• Return to Nature

What makes them 2012 Wedding Trends?

2011 was the year of the latest royal wedding and it was a beautiful, elegant, and highly publicized affair. Brides and grooms looking at having a trendy wedding can look to our neighbors across the pond for one of the hottest 2012 wedding trends. That being said, a lot of couples are looking more toward smaller, more intimate affairs – possibly as a counterpoint to the larger royal-inspired weddings happening all around. The last of the hot 2012 wedding trends is a “return to nature.” In South Florida, that often means a beach wedding and it’s a wonderful way to celebrate nature on your wedding day!

If you need a Wedding Officiant who can make sure your ceremony is both perfect for you and fits one of your chosen 2012 wedding trends, then look no further than South Florida Gets Married!

Looking for a wedding officiant? Then visit South Florida Gets Married! - A South Florida Wedding Officiant serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties.

Fort Lauderdale Wedding Officiant

Fort Lauderdale, FL is a beautiful place to have a wedding! Whether you’re looking to get married on the beach or in one of the many fantastic hotels or resorts in the area, you need a wedding officiant who knows Fort Lauderdale – you need a Fort Lauderdale Wedding Officiant!

South Florida Gets Married! is experienced and based out of Fort Lauderdale, though we do perform ceremonies in all cities from Jupiter south to Key Biscayne. Don’t hesitate to call and check on availability.

A Fort Lauderdale Wedding Officiant who cares about you!

You’ve planned where you are going to get married, but if you haven’t yet chosen your Fort Lauderdale Wedding Officiant it’s not too late. We have assisted couples from last-minute to a year or more ahead of time. And every ceremony, no matter how short of notice is custom written for you.

Other benefits I can provide:

• Filing your license after your ceremony.
• Wireless sound system (particularly helpful if you’re getting married at the beach).
• Prelude and ceremony music of your choosing.
• Live consultation and unlimited phone/e-mail support.
• The knowledge that you have chosen the best Fort Lauderdale Wedding Officiant possible!

Looking for a wedding officiant? Then visit South Florida Gets Married! - A South Florida Wedding Officiant serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties.

Wedding Officiant Vocal Sample

If you’re curious about what I sound like, feel free to click here for a wedding officiant vocal sample:

Dominic Church – Wedding Officiant Vocal Sample

Here is what I read for my Wedding Officiant Vocal Sample:

For those of us blessed by a true partnership of love, we feel safe in the presence of our loved one.  There is no need to hide any part of ourselves for fear of being judged or rejected.  We can just be together from moment to moment, believing that those moments will thread together into eternity.

There is a gentleness to the presence of love that softens life’s rough edges.  It makes us somehow braver to go forth into the world knowing that the shelter of someone’s love awaits us at day’s end.

In love, we trust that the other will provide a safe haven in which we can experience and share the fullness of our being with one another.  And in so doing, we trust that our lives will be far richer than had we chosen separate journeys through this world.

We trust that our love will fill us full and make us wiser and more beautiful beings.  We find that our union graces our lives with balance, a sweetness beyond any we have ever tasted, and a treasure beyond any measure of value we have ever known.

There are a ton of things you should ask your officiant before hiring them. One that often gets overlooked is if they can provide a wedding officiant vocal sample – basically a recording of them reading a portion of a ceremony. If you Google “wedding officiant vocal sample” you’ll find that there aren’t any available. You should insist on getting a Wedding Officiant Vocal Sample so that you can be sure that your ceremony is flawless!

And as usual, if you need a South Florida Wedding Officiant, don’t hesitate to contact me – I have already started booking wedding dates into next year!

Looking for a wedding officiant? Then visit South Florida Gets Married! - A South Florida Wedding Officiant serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties.

Here is a sample of wedding vows, from Glen and Cindy’s wedding:

Declaration of Vows

Today you promise to dedicate yourselves completely to each other, with body, speech, and mind.

I, Glen, take you, Cindy, to be my wife.
I promise to be true to you
in good times and in bad,
in sickness and in health.
I will love you and honor you
all the days of my life.

I, Cindy, take you, Glen, to be my husband.
I promise to be true to you
in good times and in bad,
in sickness and in health.
I will love you and honor you
all the days of my life.

In this life, in every situation, in wealth or poverty, in health or sickness, in happiness or difficulty, may you work to help each other perfectly. 

Click here for downloadable Wedding Ceremony Vows.

Looking for a wedding officiant? Then visit South Florida Gets Married! - A South Florida Wedding Officiant serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties.