Another rehearsal...

without a wedding coordinator and no one but the bride in charge!!  There's not that many in the wedding party, the bride reassured me!  Let's see: bride, groom, 4 bridesmaids, 5 groomsmen, ring bearer, flower girl, 3 sets of grandparents, and parents for bride and groom.  Hmmm, let's see... I think that is 21 people invloved in processing in and recessing out, yet no one is there but the bride to tell people when to walk in.....  

I must say, the bride did have a detailed diagram of who sits where, who stands where, and how the chairs are to be positioned.  It's good when people know where to be, it's just getting them there that just may be of a concern. 

So who did they draft?  When we met before, I suggested they have someone there, not family, to direct the chair people on where to place the chairs and to make sure they are clean.  That person, is now the person directing people in for the ceremony.  

Oh yes, did I tell you that they have a violist? So now there is music to coordinate with the procession.

And one last note:  The bride wants the ceremony to begin, her walking down the aisle, when the bells on the clock strike 5pm.   

Hmmmm....  

Yet some more work is done

Leftovers.  There are some leftovers I absolutely love: pizza in the morning; baked spaghetti.  And then there are some which are horrible: spinach; a bowl of cereal; cold burger.  We'd, for the most part love to have the freshest of freshest for meals.  We'd love to have the first fruits of labor if you will.  However, why is it we give God our leftovers: time; money; abilities?  We wouldn't like leftovers all the time, but that is exactly what most of us do: give God the few crumbs leftover from our weekly spending in God's offering plate. Is that any indication of our faith?  we give God our "disposable income."  Hmm, I wonder how God feels about always getting the left overs?  Like Cinderella?  Even if we can't give 10% back to God, maybe we can start out with 1/2 of a percent?  Or 1%?  

We did some more work today on our soon to be worship space.  We primed more of the walls.  I believe there were 11 of us working today.  The historic 1902 sanctuary is on it's way for a face lift!  The above picture is the right side of the sanctuary.  The holes in the bottom are from blown in insulation.  Today, those holes were "mudded" over and primed.  You can hardly tell they are there.  The left side of the sanctuary is now caught up.  (I didn't get a picture of that, yet.) Thank you to all of you who gave back to God's mission today.  Thank you for helping us clean our house of worship!!  (John 2 - the cleansing of the Temple.)

When we give back to God, we can't always start at 10% because of our lifestyles.  Start small and work your way up!! 

More about THE wedding..

OK,  so I missed blogging yesterday!  But here's why.

On Thursday, late afternoon, while I was talking with Betty Bennett, I received a phone call from People Magazine about the Mandy Moore and Ryan Adams wedding.  To make a long story short, a few hours after the telephone interview the story was online at www. people.com .  By the morning it was on lots of other websites. Plus by mid-afternoon I had received several phone calls and had more telephone interviews.  

It was amazing to me to see how many times tabloids altered the facts to create their own spin on it.  One even labled their article: Mandy Moore's Eight Minute Wedding.  In one tabloid I became "the couple's pastor."  Can you believe that!

Yesterday was a whirlwind day!  You can google any of the keywords and find various stories about the wedding.  Many of them have made me I laugh, a lot!!

First Time

First day as a blogger!!  I'm a bit nervous about starting a blog.  Not sure what's all involved in maintaning it.  Not sure how much time is needed to blog.  Not even sure how people respond to my blog.  Input is greatly welcomed.

If I can help brides and grooms help make decisions about their wedding ceremony, I'm all for it. I'm more than willing to help answer questions y'all may have.  

A bit about me: I've been the wedding officiant for many ceremonies.  How many?  I don't know, I don't keep count.  I already have several on the books for this year. 

Where are some of the places I've done weddings?  I've done them in many of the parks and squares in Savannah.  Plus other places in GA: on Tybee Island; Jekyl Island; Brunswick; Richmond Hill.  As for South Carolina: Palmetto Bluff; Beaufort; Hilton Head Island; Oldefield Plantation; Bluffton; Charleston; Hunting Island; Fripp Island; Lady's Island.  As for other places: New Jersey; Chicago, IL; Wisconsin; Texas.

And as for locations: Boats; Lighthouse; overlooking rivers; beaches; churches; restaurants (once even at a fast food place); private homes; condos; hotels; B and Bs; gazebos; backyards; Yacht; courthouse.  

I've married couples from other countries: England; Canada; Mexico; Ireland; Scottland.  And, I have married couples from most of the states in this country. 

As for how much notice do I need.  I've helped couples as far away as 12 months, or as quick as 30 minutes!