Choose An Officiant/Celebrant Wisely The rules for selecting an Officiant are not dramatically different than the rules for selecting any other wedding professional. You’ve already selected a coordinator, a photographer, a caterer, a venue, a bridal party and many other important people that will support you on your wedding day. Now you must choose the person who will stand with you at the most significant moment of your wedding day. Choose successfully with a little more information about how an Officiant thinks. Start Planning Your first discussion should include pricing and process. Ask us specific questions about our background. Ask us about our experience and the types of weddings we typically perform. If the question of religion comes up, be specific about your religious background and the degree to which you would like to include it in your ceremony. After we understand your goals we will write and perform a ceremony that honors your tradition and beliefs. Remember: your Officiant is your partner in the same way as your coordinator, photographer and caterer. Your wedding professional wants to know and fulfill your expectations. Take the time to communicate your expectations and enjoy the end result Set Ceremony Goals Take control of your wedding expectations and plan your ceremony by setting goals. Start by envisioning the ceremony in your mind. Think specifically about wording, music, special ceremonies and traditions. Think about your family and friends and how they can participate. Decided how you want to use sound, colors and people to achieve your wedding ceremony goals. Do some wedding ceremony research. Ask friends who’ve been married in the recent past and borrow ideas you really like.  You will find a lot of wonderful ideas used by others and very naturally included into your ceremony. Don’t underestimate “old” ideas. Talk to your parents and grandparents about what happened in their weddings and include those traditions. Using ideas from the weddings of family and friends is an easy way to honor traditions. Contact: Ric...

Don’t be afraid to get married  in the Winter, Spring,  Summer, or Fall. Your Olive Tree Officiant is ready to serve wherever you want to get hitched! Wedding Location Location Location It was a beautiful summer day in early July. The host was Art Space 111, a posh and minimalist venue with a cement patio, rock garden, unfinished wood deck and a small green belt, surrounded by a red brick fence. Rebecca and John were perfect, fitting the context with ease and a confident, cool factor. Wedding Vows The nuptials were simple and included vows they had written together.  The celebratory yet solemn event was punctuated with “Oh Yes I Do”, set into the gravel pathways on a wood table with two beautiful wine glasses. 20 minutes later they were united and exited to a chic yet easy going reception. Wedding Family Rebecca and John were surrounded by family, friends, and some long-lost others close to home. They enjoyed the closeness that comes from being married in your home town, surrounded by those who know you in a deep and meaningful way. Contact: ...

  There’s no good reason why the music selected for the wedding ceremony needs to be the same old, canned songs from a list that’s 20 years old. There’s a lot of great music out there! Still, we’re all pretty sure we’ll hear a relatively short list of wedding standards droning through the PA system. There is such a thing as the wrong music. I’d love to say that your ceremony music selections only matter to you. But I can’t. The music you choose for your ceremony will be echoed not only in the ears of your guests (whom you hope to make happy) but also through the speakers of your television for years to come. Sure it’s cute to hear those “old favorites.” In the big picture your ceremony soundtrack won’t make a lot of sense years later if you don’t choose songs that truly make sense to your ceremony. Find the right music for your special day. Of course the “right” music is a matter of personal taste. Here’s a few considerations for avoiding the wrong music. Choose music that matches the whole day’s theme. Country-style weddings should favor country music song titles, folk music instruments (i.e. guitars, stand up bass, etc.) and a casual set up for a band. Urban-elegant weddings should favor classic, orchestrated music and will probably require a larger performance area. A beach wedding should include portable, acoustic (un-plugged) instruments (acoustic guitar, ukulele and hand percussion) and probably folk rock, Hawaiian slack-key and island folk music titles. The rock-n-roll wedding should probably honor the couple’s favorite rock-n-roll song titles.  Ceremony venue size and spacing matters. Here’s where you may need to call in a professional, a coordinator/planner or venue manager with experience at your ceremony location. Performance of your music is typically going to be limited by the area available to you. Sound issues may require you in some cases to scale down your band size and scale up things like power and sound projection (i.e. speakers). An experienced DJ should have knowledge of the ceremony venue and be able to advise you on your sound needs. Song selection should reflect the type of ceremony. If you are religious then your song selection may include hymns. You might interject special music throughout the ceremony to accent embellishments such as a prayer, exchange of rings, lighting candles or communion. This music may be performed with a vocalist or just as an instrumental performance. In the case of a non-religious ceremony, draw from historic favorite song titles that you and your fiance enjoy. If the arrangement is too up-tempo or too crazy, don’t worry. There are plenty of cover bands reworking popular music. Here’s a good example: Music serves a purpose...