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Service Territory
I primarily officiate at weddings in the southern and central Vermont counties of Bennington, Windham, Rutland, Windsor, Addison and Orange.
Fees & Services
I offer three wedding plans: the formal wedding, the informal wedding, and the town hall wedding.
1) The formal wedding is a full-service event, and my fee is $325, payable $150 at the time of our contract with one another, and the balance at the beginning of the wedding rehearsal. The first payment allows me to secure the day of your wedding just for you. Since I do not book other events on the day of your wedding, your advance payment closes off that day for anyone else, and therefore is non-refundable.
The full-service fee includes the following:
- up to 3 hours of telephone, email, or in-person consultation to help you design a wedding service that expresses you;
- coordinating as needed with your wedding planner (included in the 3 hours);
- attending the wedding rehearsal;
- conducting the wedding;
- taking responsibility for completing the wedding license paperwork and returning it to the town clerk;
- providing a beautiful keepsake Wedding Certificate at the conclusion of the service (the legal license will be issued by the State of Vermont).
2) The informal wedding requires less services from me. My fee is $225, payable as above. This option is for couples who do not need a rehearsal because they are planning a very small or informal wedding and so do not need to coordinate the participation of grooms, bridesmaids, flower girls, ring bearers, wedding planners, etc.
Included in each of the above fees is an allotment for up to 120 miles of travel. Usually that’s enough to meet with you, coordinate with other professionals, and attend the rehearsal and wedding. However, if we approach that boundary early, I will let you know. If I travel in excess of 120 miles total, I charge 50 cents/mile for the excess.
I am also available to meet with you at my comfortable rural Vermont home, if you wish to do the traveling. (In nice weather, we could even enjoy the deck together!) I rarely travel outside of my service territory for meetings as it just takes too much time.
3) The town hall wedding is a brief event meant to simply meet the requirements of Vermont law. My fee is $150, due at the service. This is for couples who are on a tight budget, are eloping, or are traveling in from another state to take advantage of our same-sex marriage law. In some cases, couples tie the knot in Vermont and then have a more traditional celebration back in their home state. My role in these services is to meet you at a town hall within 30 miles of my home in southern Vermont and provide a short legal service of marriage. Your role is to secure the marriage license from the town clerk and present it, with my fee, when we meet. (Please consult Vermont’s laws, regulations and license fees, which I have outlined here.)
If you fly in to either Lebanon NH or Rutland VT for a town hall wedding, I will meet your plane and transport you to the local town clerk’s office where you can secure your license. After the ceremony, I will either return you to the airport or deliver you to a local hotel of your choosing. Take into account that our local small airports do not have the best on-time records; local weather patterns and periodic mechanical problems on our 7-passenger commuter planes can cause a delay or cancellation of your flight. So be prepared to spend the night locally, and to take a taxi to the airport the next day, if your return flight encounters a problem. (On rare winter occasions, your flight out could be delayed as much as two days.) If you’d rather fly in to a larger airport and rent a car, Bradley International Airport, just north of Hartford CT, is your best option. We can discuss a meeting place and time in southern Vermont, about two hours from Bradley.
General Information
Normally, 3 hours of communication is plenty to design your wedding and coordinate with your wedding planner. But I don’t “watch the clock.” My real goal is to help you create a memorable service that meets your needs and desires. However, at a certain point we have to either complete our preparations or I need to charge for additional time since it takes away from my other commitments. If I think we are approaching that eventuality, I will give you advance notice. My charge for extra time is $50/hr, prorated forward or backward to the nearest half hour.
When the location of your wedding has been determined and communicated to me, I will present you with a statement of fees, including any anticipated mileage charge. Final payment is due at the start of the rehearsal.
I consider my participation in the rehearsal to be an important element in producing a flawless wedding, and anticipate guiding the rehearsal in cooperation with your wedding planner. Rehearsals cannot start until all members of the wedding party are present.
(By the way, it’s a good idea for everyone at the rehearsal – wedding party as well as non-participating family and friends – to be sober! There’s plenty of time to celebrate after we’ve completed our run-throughs…)
I do not usually attend rehearsal dinners or wedding receptions. Thank you in advance for your consideration, but it is not necessary to invite me. You will be in my thoughts and prayers as you celebrate and begin your new life together.
