Posted by donnafl on 3/21/09 7:13pm
Msg #281625

Florida notaries - wedding question

I have been asked to do my first wedding. There will be about 50 people in attendance and I want to make it special.
Do any of you have some sample vows I could use and/or any tips or ideas?

Thanks and wish me luck!

Reply by jba/fl on 3/21/09 7:27pm
Msg #281629

I wish you luck. There are samples online...

or let the bride and groom write their own.

Reply by rengel/CA on 3/21/09 8:35pm
Msg #281637

google is your friend

Search- sample wedding vows; sample wedding ceremonies; rose ceremony; sand ceremony; wedding traditions......

I have a ton of ceremonies I have gleaned off the internet as well as those I have created with the couple.

Good luck!

Reply by jba/fl on 3/21/09 8:46pm
Msg #281641

Just so you know...

I don't do weddings, but my first thought is, you don't identify yourself, there are others here that do weddings, and we (collective, not me and others) don't want anyone stepping on our toes after we have done our own homework. Now, if you are not in our areas, then we may be more inclined. But until you tell your area, we have to assume you are in our area. Make sense?

Reply by MonicaFL on 3/21/09 9:15pm
Msg #281643

Re: Just so you know...

I don't understand your response. Why are you being so "pissy" about this? All she did was ask a question. I don't see where she would be "stepping on anyone's toes" - she was contacted and hired to perform the ceremony. I do a lot of them, and yes, I have sent her a p/m with some tips. What does that hurt? Nothing that I can see. A little kindness goes a long way. JMHO

Reply by Shoshana Roller on 3/21/09 10:34pm
Msg #281654

Re: Just so you know...

It's not about being pissy. My husband and I are Rabbis. We consider our ceremonies to be our intellectual property.

Reply by MonicaFL on 3/21/09 10:46pm
Msg #281656

Re: Just so you know...

So what does you and your husband being Rabbis have to do with my response? I consider weddings to be very holy also. I just didn't feel her response was appropriate and have also corresponded with her in a p/m she sent me. We have it settled.

Reply by Maureen_nh on 3/21/09 11:16pm
Msg #281660

Re: Just so you know...

I understand Shoshanna's response but, I give all my couples a copy of their ceremony and if they chose to share it I have no control over that.
Also I have "borrowed" from other sources, a bit here a bit there, to make a ceremony that is right for the couple, so I can't claim copyright.
This is quite different from signings where you are working for clients with a big list of notaries.

Here you are truly self-employed and have to present yourself to a client directly and hopefully will never deal with them again. I have done a few re-wed of couples that split and decided it was a bad idea though.

Reply by JanetK_CA on 3/22/09 3:49am
Msg #281666

Re: Just so you know...

I don't do weddings, but I had the same reaction as Shoshanna. For many of the notaries from Florida, doing weddings represents some portion of their business. I don't see this person's request as much different from someone coming here and asking how to be a signing agent. There are probably others on this board also from Florida who would love to get their hands on some one else's ceremony but wouldn't be presumptuous enough to ask for it. I could be completely wrong, but I would think that this would be a key part of what distinguishes one wedding official from another and is something they may have invested many hours in developing and improving on over time. (Their intellectual property, as Shoshanna stated.)

Reply by Shoshana Roller on 3/22/09 9:36am
Msg #281676

Re: Just so you know...

One of the reasons couples come to us is because of our ceremonies and the time we take co-creating a ceremony for each individual couple. Yes, they get to keep it afterwards. Most clergy today take the easy way outy and use the ceremony from their denomination's official manual.

Reply by rengel/CA on 3/22/09 9:47am
Msg #281677

Most of the couples who have asked me to

perform their ceremony want ME because of our relationship. They don't have a church family so they want someone special to them to perform the ceremony, not just some member of the clergy.

As I said before, google is your friend - there are hundreds of ceremonies, vows, wedding tradition information on the internet that people are sharing - free - of their own good will. And, no, I don't take the 'easy way out' and just read from a book. I spend hours with the couples putting together the perfect ceremony for them. And yes, I give them a printed copy.

I understand this is a 'business' for some of you, but sheesh!

Reply by parkerc/ME on 3/22/09 6:46am
Msg #281668

Check out Amazon and search for "wedding ceremony". There are plenty of books there. If you don't want to purchase, make a note of them and see if your library has them.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 3/22/09 8:54am
Msg #281675

Page 16 of our handbook gives a sample ceremony

that can be easily customized...

Reply by donnafl on 3/22/09 11:59am
Msg #281688

Thanks for all of you help. I am not doing this as a business - just for a friend. I have no desire to do this for just anyone.
I checked out the suggested websites and got some great ideas!
Have a great weekend.