One of the most stressful occurrences in a person’s life is the day that they get married. My task is simple, reduce that stress as much as possible. I do this in several ways.

First, I am, generally, a very relaxed person. Granted, I do have some days when I am not so relaxed, but I try to keep those at a minimum. In order to do this, I try to build in some time between working my full-time job, which can be stressful, and meeting a prospective or booked customer or couple. This down time allows the stress of the day to flow gently from my brain. Therefore, if I book an appointment to meet you, it will likely be at or after 6:00 PM on a weekday.

Second, I have set out my fee schedule for weddings in an attempt to be open about what it will cost, on the page “Wedding Pricing”. There are still some variables in the mix, but the basic schedule is freely available, and, I hope, understandable.

Third, prior to meeting you for the exchange of the license, approximately 1-2 months before your ceremony, I email a page of questions to you (if there is a full meeting scheduled according to the type of wedding you are having). These are the questions which I will be asking you at the meeting (as well as reminders to myself to discuss certain things, so don’t expect to have to answer everything on that sheet). In this way, there are no surprises for you from my end. A simplified version of these is available here on the page “Wedding Questions.”

Fourth, day of the wedding, I do my absolute best to be there WELL in advance of the scheduled start time. This means, you don’t have to worry about me being late. If the ceremony is within Thunder Bay city limits, this means that I aim to be there 45-60 minutes beforehand. Of course, this also means that if you change the start time between the meeting and the ceremony, I need to know about it.

Fifth, I don’t stay around after the ceremony, unless there is a specific reason, like I am related to you. I do my job, and then fade away. After all, you want to spend the time with your friends and family, not worry about me.

Sixth, rather than depending on the mail system, I hand-deliver the license to the provincial government. This way, I know EXACTLY when it got there, and when the time starts for you to be able to get your marriage certificate.

Seventh, and final, I keep a PDF copy of your license, because that way, if there are any problems, I have a copy to refer to.

I hope this helps you to understand the way I do things.