Weddingbee Blog

ot - what part of the country are you from? Here in St. Louis, MO, we’re having a similar ceremony and our officiant is only charging us $75.

ot - we are doing the same thing and our officiant is charging $225. What does that include?!?

1. michele, check out pricescope.com’s colored gemstones forum and links to vendors. i think a search of both the forum and site itself should yield some sources.

3. ot, that does seem a bit high. i live in a more expensive metro area (LA/OC), and officiants here aren’t even that much. the priciest i’ve heard is around $500-600.

I was quoted $900 from an officiant yesterday and my first thought was that price was totally outrageous. But then I stopped to think about it. Everything about this officiant was wonderful– he has lots of experience, particularly marrying interfaith/non-religious couples. He has a great speaking voice and an amazing way with words. He spends a lot of time with the couple beforehand really crafting a special, meaningful ceremony that speaks to their backgrounds, incorporates parts of their cultures, etc.

And when I thought of it that way, $900 didn’t seem too terrible, considering the ceremony is the heart and soul of a wedding. And I wouldn’t bat my eyes at spending a lot of money on other things I needed for the wedding.

So I guess my point is that IF your officiant will take the time to craft something really spccial and IF $900 won’t be a burden, then it could be worth it. But if $900 is going to be too much of a financial burden or if your officiant is going to show up and read the traditional vows without adding anything else, then you should definitely look around.

Michele - i’d be leary of getting a tanzie for an e-ring. they are delicate stones and chip easy.

but, here are some sources for them:

http://www.acstones.com
http://www.artcutgems.com
http://www.diamondexpert.com
http://www.winkjones.com

Susan - I’d call a few makeup counters and ask if you come in for a consultation/makeup application trial if they will teach you each step as they are doing the application. Make sure you get some good application brushes as they will really help with creating a professional look.

Also? Watch “What Not To Wear” on TLC - at the end of each show they give the person a makeover and Carmindy (the makeup artist) usually gives some makeup tips as she’s going along and they’re quite helpful. Practice practice practice on your own before the big day to make sure you’re confident in your own skills!

I have a specific dress style that I have picked out. Would it be better to try and find something as close as what I want possible or should I opt to have one made for me. Also, my wedding is Sept. 22nd. If made, will it be enough time? Costs??? HELP!!!

Michele, I second the caution on tanzanite. My friend got engaged in Tanzania, so she really wanted tanzanite, but when she took her gorgeous ring to an appraiser, there were already multiple chips and she had never worn it, and he also said she couldn’t even wear her ring while changing clothes because it was so brittle. I guess it’s not an “everyday” kind of stone. Good luck!

ot - i’ve been searching for officiants around my area, and $800 seems like the base rate nowadays. I checked out several reliable officiants, and I too couldn’t believe their prices!!!

Wow, I got married last year and we had a local judge officiate our wedding. We weren’t allowed by law to pay her anything!