Merry Christmas

Wow, it has been several months since I posted anything new and here we are almost at the close of another year.

What were the hightlights of your 2013 you ask? Thanks for asking! Well, marrying 105 couples in 2013 has to be counted for something. That means that hopefully there are at least 210 very happy people in the Durham Region, not to mention their extended families.

I have performed some interesting weddings in my time but the one I did on the ice at Oshawa Curling Club in October 2013 has to be among the most memorable.

To see that curling rock delivered to land right between the bride and groom with the rings on top was amazing enough in itself. Theme weddings are so much fun and if your interests lie in curling then why not get married at the curling rink. It was a beautiful and meaningful wedding and the guests stayed awake through the whole thing. You had to be alert or you might end up on your butt.

In closing I would like to take the opportunity of thanking all the brides and grooms in 2013 who risked placing their marriage ceremony in my hands and allowing me the priviledge of being a part of their lives if even for a limited time. Also thank you to all the Wedding Venues in Durham Region who hosted these weddings and who capably directed these couples through the process of getting married. I would like to wish each and every one of you a wonderful Christmas and all the very best that life has to offer in 2014.

Winter Weddings

From a Wedding Officiant's perspective, I have often wondered why business is much slower from November through April. Yes, I do a few weddings in a month but hardly even close to the busy season of May through to the end of October. I suspect that many of the wedding professionals such as the Wedding Venues, Photographers, DJ's, Limo companies etc. feel the same pain during the winter. Please keep in mind that I am not speaking on behalf of anyone else in the wedding business. I am telling you what I have observed and have picked up from other people over the last several years. 

If you are considering a date and time for your wedding, please take note of what I feel would be some real benefits of having your wedding during what I call "the off season".

·         Venues are not so booked up and would probably be much more flexible with their pricing.

·         You can pick and choose your wedding start time as opposed to sometimes having to take what is left over.

·         You get to choose from the very best of the DJ's , Photographers, Officiants etc. because they are more than likely available on your day.

·         You will more likely be in a temperature controlled environment unless you want to do something more daring by having your wedding on a ski slope or something of that nature.

Summer weddings are beautiful, don't get me wrong, and it is always nice to have them outdoors but there are also disadvantages to that. On the occasion of inclement weather,  I have seen many disappointed brides who have had to make last minute changes and have their wedding indoors. You don’t want to have to settle for a space that is not up to par just because you have no choice but to move indoors.

I happened to come across this page consisting of tips for a winter wedding. Please enjoy!

http://weddings.about.com/od/traditionscolorsthemes/a/winterwedding.htm  

Whenever and wherever your wedding happens to be, I would love nothing better than to be your Officiant.  All the best!

Norman M. Martin

Wedding Officiant - Oshawa

"Fail To Plan, Plan to Fail"

I find it very difficult to write a blog without having a thought or a plan all laid out like I was preparing to write a book. I know that some people just write what comes to their mind or what is spinning around in their head but I find that is difficult to do. However, today I am going to try it.
      As you know, I do a lot of weddings in a year so I've seen just about everything. I have seen a lot of beautiful weddings that went exactly as planned and some where there didn't seem to be a plan at all. When I book a wedding I have a small minimal charge if the couple wish to include a rehearsal as part of the wedding. Some, probably 50%, will choose not to have me at their rehearsal. That is fine in many cases when I know the Venue where they are having the wedding has very capable coordinators who can run them through the rehearsal as well or better than I could. In fact, I will even suggest that some couples not pay the extra for me to do their rehearsal when I know they are in good hands at the Venue they have chosen.
     There is another group of people though who are getting married at Venues that don't have a wedding coordinator or at a rented hall, or backyards etc. Strangely enough, these people often choose not to pay the extra for me to be there even though they don't have anyone to help them. Being a musician myself, I compare it to a group of musicians who have never met each other being asked to perform as a group at a large event without any practice.
      If you as a Bride work and plan and work some more to get just the right DJ, flowers, photographer, beautiful center pieces etc. but the main event is a nicely dressed group of people not knowing when to come, when to go, where to go, what to do etc. then I really feel that takes away from everything else. The main event that people came for has left them with something to talk about but maybe not what you wanted them to be talking about, know what I mean?
      You must have heard the saying "fail to plan, plan to fail". It's true! You can plan till the cows come home but if you fail to plan the main event, I believe you are really missing out. Thanks for reading the ramblings of a Wedding Officiant.