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Karen Loucks RinedollarBlog - Page 7 of 12 - Karen Loucks Rinedollar

Although I am a wedding officiant in Colorado, there is good reason to believer that these rule apply across the nation. The following is a top ten list of helpful suggestions of things to know when choosing an Officiant (the person performing the wedding ceremony). If you are not getting married in a church, finding the right Officiant will be the responsibility of you and your fiancee.

Questions to Ask:

1.   Is the Officiant available the date and time that you plan to be married?

2.   Is the Officiant willing to travel to the site where you plan to be married?

3.   Does the Officiant feel comfortable performing a wedding that accurately reflects the religious or spiritual ideals that you and your fiancée share?

4.   Does the Officiant have a web site so you can learn more about them and their services?

5.   Is the Officiant willing to meet with you and your fiancée for a complimentary consultation?

6.   Does the Officiant have a set ceremony that they use for everyone or are they willing to work with you to orchestrate the ceremony of your choosing?

7.   What kind of background does the Officiant have in the wedding business?

8.   Is the wedding Officiant warm and helpful during your phone/email/in person questioning?

9.   Is the wedding Officiant able to provide references of past clients they have married?

10.  Finally- the price. Couples often make the mistake of making this their Priority One question. Remember, you often get what you pay for. An Officiant is the person who will be performing one of the most important events in your entire life. Do you want to trust that celebration to a bargain-basement, perhaps fly-by-night Officiant? This is the person who is going to be there to guide you through the ceremony. It’s normal to be nervous on your wedding day. The ability to provide leadership with tenderness is a valuable quality; one that should not be undervalued and one
that should be sought in your Officiant.  If the Officiant will give a rate over the phone (many won’t until after meeting you and hearing the details of the ceremony), make sure they clarify exactly what the price entails.

  • Does the price include a rehearsal? Some couples want one, others don’t. It is not
    unreasonable for the Officiant to have additional charges for a rehearsal as
    they may have to turn down other ceremonies in order to accommodate your
    rehearsal and it usually takes more time to rehearse than the actual ceremony.
  • Does the price include travel fees? Couples planning a nice intimate wedding in the mountains may be shocked when they hear the quote. Unless the Officiant lives in the
    location where you want to be married, a significant amount of travel time may
    be incurred. A drive from Denver to Beaver Creek can take six hours roundtrip- if
    traffic is flowing smoothly and the weather is pristine. So the short and sweet
    mountain wedding you are planning, may require an Officiant to be in the car
    for an extended period of time not including time for consultation, preparation
    and the actual ceremony. An Officiant may require lodging if the location is
    remote and ceremony in the early morning or later in the day.
  • What is their cancellation policy? Remember, once you have booked with an Officiant, they
    will be turning down other offers for ceremonies for that date and time. It is normal practice to forfeit your down payment if you cancel the ceremony. Some Officiants may exchange for a different time and date if they are available- but not usually at the last minute.
  • You will be doing yourself, your wedding and the Officiant an injustice by focusing on price as a starting point.

Waiting until the last minute is not a good plan to chose an Officiant. Like a fine restaurant, the best ones often book up early. If a couple has gotten engaged, even if the date or site are still in the undecided mode, it is not too early to start looking for the right Officiant for you!

Rev. Karen Loucks Rinedollar has performed over 100 ceremonies for couples from black tie affairs
to blue jean betrothals. She is available to answer any questions you may have about weddings and sample ceremonies are on her web site www.adoresamore.com.

 

January 14th, 2012

WWSD- What Would Sam Do?

Posted by Working4Peanuts in Uncategorized

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While driving today, I was thinking that the Chinese have done the same thing to the US job market that Walmart did to small business. Underpricing and one-stop-shopping has made consumers and Walmart investors happy but ultimately helped lead to the demise of small town stores and the US manufacturing market.

I remember back in the 80’s when I first heard about Walmart. It sounded like such a cool concept. Cheap prices and everything made in the USA. I wonder what Sam Walton would have done if he had known that by the year 2000- besides food products, it would be almost impossible to find items made in the USA in his stores. Most are made in China. Now don’t get me wrong- you will find me in Walmart alongside the rest of the consumers that hold their noses and still shop there. It’s cheap and easy. I admit it- I’m a slave to a good bargain.

We flew back from Tampa on Frontier Airlines last week and I invested some time watching a special on Sam Walton. What an amazingly hard worker and yet this billionaire and one time richest man in the world, humbly drove his ole beater pick up truck until he could drive no more. He could have bought every Ferrari on a car lot, yet chose to stick to his old favorite. I’ll take old time values over nouveau riche flash any day!

And I have to say I applaud that ole Sam stood up to Labor. Having known people  whose parents owned stores, I’ve heard the terror stories. When unions want a piece of the action and are refused, mysteriously a rash of ill fates befall the store owners- family pets slaughtered, gas lines cut, death threats- remind me again how Unions are still legal in this country?

What advise would Sam give to the American people now. He was a farm kid raised during the Depression and was not the type to roll over and play dead. His kind aren’t finger pointers- like most of our politicians seem to be today. His breed look for the silver lining and find a way to work the market with a whole new strategy. He was a businessman and entrapreneur extraordinaire. It’s too bad he died in 1992. We could use some of his sage advise now.

I imagine that he and Ron Paul would have an interesting discussion together.