You've come to the right place if:
You want a personalized, meaningful ceremony,
with maybe just the two of you (and a witness), or a few close friends and family members,
in a unique, beautiful, and exciting location.
So... What does that mean? What am I offering that differs from the wedding norm?
Here's how I see it:
Just because you've found the love of your life, it doesn't necessarily follow that you want to throw a big party and announce that love in front of everyone you've ever met. And you know what? You don't have to.
It's very easy to fall into the trap of having a wedding. It's what people do, after all, when they get married. But... you don't have to.
Personally, I've never been much of a party person. I'll have a handful of people over for dinner and boardgames, but that's the extent of it. So I wasn't about to rewrite my entire personality just because I wanted to get married.
As it turned out, I got married at City Hall. I didn't have time to plan anything a little more personal; we had two days before he flew back to London (long story). It was great, because we got married and my husband is perfect, but with a little more time to plan maybe I would have been able to create what I'm describing here: the wedding you want, not the wedding you think you're supposed to have.
So: You want a ceremony, but de-coupled from a party. Maybe there's a party later that day, maybe next year, maybe not at all. You want to get married, and I'm here to help make it good. (Here are some ideas/examples.)
FACTS:
I'm a librarian, historian, and geek. All ceremonies are dictated by your personal tastes, but rest assured if those tastes involve a Doctor Who handfasting or references to Harry Potter, Batman, and Jane Austen, I'm on top of it.
I have one criterion for the couples I marry, and it has nothing to do with your gender or sexuality. (It's love. You have to love each other.)
Subject to legality, and if you're willing to cover travel costs, I'm happy to consider traveling outside of NYC.
If legality is not a concern, that's fine too. I don't have to sign any papers. If you're a partnership "marrying" a third person, I'll officiate. If you want a commitment ceremony where the word marriage is never used, I'll officiate.
My standard fee is $300. This includes:
♥ An in-person meeting (if you're in NYC) to figure out who you are and what you want.
♥ Rough draft/outline of how the ceremony will go.
♥ As many emails as it takes to firm up the details.
♥ Your legal marriage.
Fees and all other particulars are up for discussion. I am totally open to costumes, providing champagne and brownies, taking pictures, and planning transportation.
And yes, $300 is damn cheap for an officiant. I don't like how tacking on the word "wedding" makes everything ten times more expensive. I charge what I believe is a fair fee for the service I actually provide.
Contact me at *NY heart London at gmail dot com*.
Not sure what sort of ceremonies I'm talking about? Here are a few examples.
And a little more food for thought: The more you spend on your wedding, the shorter your marriage is. In other words: focus on what matters.
