Chicago Wedding Minister Reverend Officiant

The most important detail of ANYTHING I've written here is that you should remember

that the wedding is about

you and your

fiancée

. Your wedding should be done the

way you want it and that's the only way. Do not let

parents, family members or friends

try and tell you what should and shouldn't be done. It's ok to get ideas, but if

you start

getting criticized for something that you want, then they are not thinking about you.

I've come across

many a bride who are basically living out her mother's wedding and

the way she would have wanted it or your

parents start inviting people that you don't

even know because of social status. That is not fair to you even if the

parents are

paying for it. If you have generous parents that are going to be able to help you pay

for most or all of

your wedding, then these same parents shouldn't feel that they have

control of everything. I'm sure there are

things that may have to get compromised on,

but it isn't their wedding, it is yours.

Receiving Line

- A receiving line should be done when a ceremony and a reception

are done in separate

areas. The purpose of a receiving line is for the bride and

groom, bridal party, parents, etc. to be at the reception

place

BEFORE

your guests

arrive. When the guests arrive, then you greet them or "receive" them at the door. If

your ceremony is in the same room as your reception, then a receiving line won't work

in this situation and you

should then just greet your guests by making your rounds

before and/or after dinner.

Outdoor Ceremony or Reception

Make sure you have a backup plan in the event

of inclement weather if you

are not going to be under a tent

preferably

with sides

DJ's normally won't setup

if they aren't under cover and

there is a possibility of rain.

Make sure DJ's are

elevated when doing an outdoor reception.

They should also be

within 100 feet of a power source.

Where does a bride and groom stand during the ceremony?

- When you are

looking at your guests, the

bride is usually on the right and the groom is on the left

Maid vs Matron -

Maid of honor and Matron of honor are the same thing except that

a Maid is single and a

Matron is married

How does everyone walk in?

There are many ways to enter into a ceremony.

You can have all the groomsmen, best man and the groom waiting in the front with

the

reverend and the girls

enter in by themselves

Have the groomsmen and the best man meet the bridesmaids and maid

/matron

honor

halfway down the aisle

and then walk together the rest of the way

Have them all walk in together.

Have them all walk in together with the exception of the maid of honor and best man.

In this case, the best man is

waiting with the groom, all bridesmaids walk in with their

partners and the maid of honor walks in by herself.

Try and pair up like height couples. If you have a bridesmaid and a groomsman whom

are dating or married or

brother or sister, that's fine unless it really throws off the look

with varied heights.

rder should be:

Jr. Bridesmaid (optional)

Bridesmaids

Maid/Matron of Honor

Ring Bearer and Flower Girl (sometimes spreading flower petals)

Bride

Ceremony

Musi

- Here is a general guideline for music for your ceremony

Prelude

- 15-20 minutes of music to be played as your guests are gathering for the

ceremony

Processional

- Music for your bridal party to enter in to. Unless you have an

exceptionally large bridal party, one

song should be enough.

Bride's Processional

- Song for the bride to enter in to

Recessional

- Song for the entire bridal party to exit to

Interlude

- Some couples have friends or family who sing and they would like to sing a

solo, or they want to have a

moment of meditation, whatever the reason, you can add

another song or two during the ceremony

- Work closely with your DJ about how you want the night to flow. Try not to be too

restrictive of songs.

Hopefully you have hired a good DJ who can read the crowd to

keep your dance floor moving. Even though you

think some songs are "the same old

wedding music", it still the music that gets the people out on the dance floor.

If you feel

that you are not going to have a dancing crowd and really only want the DJ there for

background music,

make sure you let them know that and they will keep the

atmosphere that you want. Your DJ is your coordinator

for the night and

should be the one coordinating with the banquet hall, photographer, videographer, etc.