Question 1

Can you personalize a custom ceremony for us?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! I love personalizing wedding ceremonies with my couples. It helps to make your wedding unique and tells your story perfectly. I enjoy incorporating unique and personal touches, especially with unity rituals, into ceremonies. In addition to the popular unity candle and sand ceremonies, there are many other ways a couple can express their individuality with a unity ritual. For example, if the couple are fans of the film The Big Lebowski, we might incorporate movie line references and include a unity ritual where the couple mixes ingredients into a White Russian cocktail. There is no limit to the things we can do!

Question 2

Do you perform simple elopements?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. I have a simple elopement package that includes a very brief ceremony text (varying lengths available) modified with your wedding details. It’s an economical way to tie the knot if you’re interested in keeping things simple. Make sure you are aware of the minimum legal requirements by checking with the appropriate state agency.

Question 3

What kind of minister are you?

Accepted Answer

I am a non-denominational interfaith minister, ordained both through Universal Life Church and through Soul Community Church (Pennsylvania). I can perform any legal marriage ceremony authorized by the state, and I am registered to solemnize marriages in NJ, PA, DE, NY, and MD.

Question 4

How many wedding ceremonies have you performed?

Accepted Answer

In summer 2025 I will perform my 100th ceremony. As a photographer I shot about four hundred weddings before I stopped focusing on that (I still do it sometimes). In short, I have been around a LOT of weddings and have performed wedding services at many, many venues in the region.

Question 5

Do you perform vow renewals?

Accepted Answer

I do perform vow renewals, which is merely a ceremony where an already married couple renews or re-affirms their wedding vows. This can be new text, or a repetition of their original vows. To some couples, a vow renewal might be an opportunity to have the wedding they dreamed of, but for some reason could not have earlier. To others it may signify the desire to mark a significant anniversary milestone, or to perhaps strengthen their commitment following a difficult time.

Question 6

Do you attend the rehearsal?

Accepted Answer

It is not normally necessary for me to rehearse, as I have been involved with hundreds of weddings and can say with a high degree of confidence that I will be able to stand there and do my part well on your wedding day. Most often, rehearsals are for planning when and how wedding party members and parents process, and what they might be asked to do during the ceremony.

Question 7

Why should I pay a professional officiant when a friend can do it for free?

Accepted Answer

Officiating a wedding is more than just the act of getting ordained online. It requires creativity with writing the ceremony text. It requires a confident public speaker that can properly enunciate and professionally deliver that text. It requires a person who can improvise and speak extemporaneously if something happens that is outside of the plan. It requires experience with weddings, to know about possible problems before they arise. It requires someone who understands how the license should be filled out and returned to the proper municipality.

Question 8

Can you help us with our marriage license?

Accepted Answer

The license to get married is something that the couple has to acquire. My fee includes delivery of the marriage license to the appropriate agency immediately following the wedding. If you want to turn it in yourselves, you are welcome to do so, but I am more than happy to do it for you. Each township’s web site usually has helpful FAQs about the license and the post-wedding marriage certificate. The best way to begin is to perform a search on the township you’re getting married in, and “marriage license.”

Question 9

Do you perform same-sex weddings?

Accepted Answer

Happily! We perform weddings for any loving, consenting couple who wish to tie the knot. To Chadwick Weddings, a same-sex wedding or LGBTQIAP+ wedding is just a wedding, treated with the exact same reverence and joy as any other wedding might be. We believe in equal kindness, respect, and treatment for all.

Question 10

What do you usually wear to weddings?

Accepted Answer

I’ll chat with you about that in more detail, but the short answer is your choice of either a suit or a black cassock (robe). With the cassock (or the suit, for that matter) I can also wear either an ivory or a rainbow stole (like a long scarf). I also have a black standard tuxedo if that is preferred. I am happy to dress in any way that is appropriate for your wedding. If any wedding is so specifically-themed that an entire costume rental or purchase is required, that exact cost would have to be reimbursed.

Question 11

Do you stay for the reception? Do I need to provide you with a vendor meal?

Accepted Answer

Unless requested specifically, I do not typically stay beyond the cocktail hour following the performance of a wedding. Once the wedding ceremony is completed, I will get the marriage license filled out, “grip and grin” a little with your guests while you’re doing the same or getting photos done, and I will check out with you before I depart. Some couples have asked me to stay and offer a blessing before dinner, which I am also happy to do. Even in that case, you do not have to provide me with a vendor meal, a seat at any table, or anything like that.

Question 12

Do you need/have amplification?

Accepted Answer

I have access to a portable amplification system. This service can be added to your wedding ministry package at an additional cost. This is rarely a requirement, though. I suggest first you look into your venue having one, then your DJ having one, and if neither of those are true, then consider it. If your space is on the smaller side, there is a very good chance I will not need to be amplified. I sang opera for decades and have a powerful enough voice to be heard in almost any setting. That doesn’t mean I can be heard in every setting, so this is a conversation worth having if you’re concerned about me (or you or your readers) being heard.

Question 13

What is your policy on photography during our ceremony?

Accepted Answer

As a wedding photography studio as well, it can be safely assumed we’re in favor of you having the best possible photographs of your ceremony. We do not restrict your photography team, we simply ask that they do not be so obvious and in our faces that it becomes a disruption. As a seasoned wedding photographer myself I can tell you there is no circumstance in which any professional wedding photographer worth their salt should ever need to be up in the faces of people at the altar. And yes, whenever I am the wedding minister, I always get my 6’7″ body out of the way for the kiss photo!

Question 14

Can you help us with changing names?

Accepted Answer

I cannot make any specific recommendations, as each couple’s name change needs are unique. There are services available to assist couples with this need, including “Hitch Switch” (https://www.hitchswitch.com/) who have packages starting at as little as about $40.

Question 15

We're already legally married, can you still perform a ceremony?

Accepted Answer

Yes, this is actually a request I get on occasion, especially after the pandemic. It is not legally permitted for us to perform a fake ceremony, so a copy of your marriage certificate would need to be provided as proof. If you don’t want to be “pronounced” you can be “announced” at the end of the ceremony. Just let us know that ahead of time. If your legal marriage is a secret, let us know that as well. In that case you would be “announced” during the ceremony (it’s a very subtle difference no one has ever noticed so far) instead of being “pronounced” as spouses.

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