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Bridal Alert!!! I will be at the Bridesclub Bridal Expo this weekend January 20 & 21 in Bellevue, WA. Come find my booth and let's talk about officiating your wedding....I'd love to hear about YOUR INTIMATE MOMENT IN TIME!

There will be lots of other vendors there so you can sew up your whole wedding needs all at one time. Awesome!



QUESTION FOR THE DAY!

Wedding Expos- ARE THEY WORTH THE TIME AND ENERGY?

Wedding Expos are an inexpensive and very practical way to view every possible vendor you might be looking for-- and all in one room! And you might think this is going to be boring and a drudgery but you would be very much mistaken!!!

If you attend BridesClubs Wedding Expo you are in for fun.

Not only will you be able to cruise the aisles for brochures and business cards but you are able to talk in person to vendors about their product. Isn't it important to check out vendors in person besides looking over their web sites or talking to them by phone?

And besides the vendors there are also Fashion Shows, food,Espresso carts, Wedding dresses to try on and lots of other adventures. I was so surprised to attend the Fashion Show last yearﾗone of my fellow vendors told me I had to see the Fashion Show ﾓbesides, no one will be coming by your booth anyway, everyone will be at the Showﾔ. So I went,expecting just a fashion show--- you know, bridesmaids dresses, tuxedos, and bridal gowns.

NO WAY! Brad Buckles and his group put on the best show Iﾒve experienced in years. It was a real professional production of music, dance, fun, games which included the audience, as well as showing beautiful bridal wear. It was so much fun.

Check out http://bridesclub.typepad.com/blog/bridal_shows/index.html for Bridal Shows that are happening this year.

And check out Bridesclub Expo in Bellevue January 21 & 22 at http://bridesclub.typepad.com/blog/2006/12/bellevue_weddin.html

I will have a booth- Come say hi at the Heartplay boothﾗwedding officiant with HEART.

Hope to see you there and let me know you read my blog.
MaryLee

TO THE BRIDAL EXPO IN BELLEVUE THIS WEEKEND

BRIDESCLUB WEDDING EXPO IN BELLEVUE WA THIS SATURDAY JANUARY 20 & SUNDAY THE 21ST

I'll be there handing out my new wedding brochures to all interested parties-- and I just may have your wedding day still available!

Come by and check out all the vendors and have some fun at the Fashion Show each day at 2:00pm...YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS PRODUCTION!

Find me at the Expo and tell me you saw this blog and I'll give you a $35 discount instead of the Expo discount of $25.

for hours and location check out http://www.bridesclub.com/bridal-shows/bellevue-wedding-expo.cfm.

I'LL SEE YOU THERE...

JUST FOLLOW THE PINK SUV BELONGING TO BRAD BUCKLES OF BRIDESCLUB.COM

MaryLee Lykes, Wedding Officiant

Answering your questions about your wedding ceremony!

Question: My fianc￩e and I have not been married before and unsure how to create a wedding ceremony--- can you support us through this process. We have no idea what to do. Can you help us?


DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION?
If you have a question that you would like to have answered please email me at marylee@seattleweddingofficiant.com. I'll answer it on this blog as well as to you personally via your per email address.

It can be overwhelmed to think about creating a beautiful, heartfelt ceremony on your own, but that is the role of your officiant. He or she will talk to you about what they offer and how they will support you in creating the ceremony of your dreams. They will offer ceremony options and help you through all the decision making and then perform the ceremony in the agree upon way. Make sure you feel the officiant will be the person to do this---do you feel you will have a good working relationship with the person. Trust your instincts

As a wedding officiant for over 12 years I have received many questions about the wedding ceremony itself as well as questions about the entire wedding event. I will focus on some of the most asked questions over the next few weeks.

Stay tuned!

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION?
If you have a question that you would like to have answered you can email me at marylee@seattleweddingofficiant.com.

The # 1 concern: Will you help us create the wedding ceremony?

Most couples have no idea how to go about creating the wedding ceremony and often ask if it is their job to create it, and the officiantﾒs job to read it.

I feel the major role of the officiant is to talk to you, listen to your needs and dreams and from that informational meeting make suggestions to you about what they can offer. I deeply feel that this is your play (so to speak) and it is the officiantﾒs job to come as close to creating that as possible, with your input all along the way. We are creating something wonderful together. I feel Iﾒve done a good job if it is as close to your dream as possible.

As far as the ceremony verbiage is concerned the same is true--- the officiantﾒs job is to offer a variety of ceremonies to choose from and to work with each couple to tailor their ceremony so that it is a perfect fit for them.

Depend on your wedding officiant to walk you through this process easily and effortlessly. This should be FUN!

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION?
If you have a question that you would like to have answered you can email me at marylee@seattleweddingofficiant.com.

Wedding Expos- Is it a good think?

Wedding Expos are an inexpensive and very practical way to view every possible vendor you might be looking for-- and all in one room! And you might think this is going to be boring and a drudgery but you would be very much mistaken!!!

If you attend BridesClubs Wedding Expo you are in for fun.

Not only will you be able to cruise the aisles for brochures and business cards but you are able to talk in person to vendors about their product. Isn't it important to check out vendors in person besides looking over their web sites or talking to them by phone?

And besides the vendors there are also Fashion Shows, food,Espresso carts, Wedding dresses to try on and lots of other adventures. I was so surprised to attend the Fashion Show last yearﾗone of my fellow vendors told me I had to see the Fashion Show ﾓbesides, no one will be coming by your booth anyway, everyone will be at the Showﾔ. So I went,expecting just a fashion show--- you know, bridesmaids dresses, tuxedos, and bridal gowns.

NO WAY! Brad Buckles and his group put on the best show Iﾒve experienced in years. It was a real professional production of music, dance, fun, games which included the audience, as well as showing beautiful bridal wear. It was so much fun.

Check out http://bridesclub.typepad.com/blog/bridal_shows/index.html for Bridal Shows that are happening this year.

And check out Bridesclub Expo in Bellevue January 21 & 22 at http://bridesclub.typepad.com/blog/2006/12/bellevue_weddin.html where I will have a booth- Come say hi at the Heartplay boothﾗwedding officiant with HEART.
Hope to see you there,
MaryLee Lykes

It's a brand new year and if you're planning a wedding this year and haven't chosen a wedding officiant yet now is a good time!

If you are choosing a non denominational wedding officiant here is the process Iﾒd suggest.

Search on line for wedding officiants in your area. Google, Msn, Yahoo are all good.

Click on web sites of those who look interestingﾗchecking out the web site is the best way to get a ﾓfeelﾔ for who this person is and what they offer. Choose which oneﾒs youﾒd like to email or call by phone.

Email or call each officiant to see if they are available for your date/time and ask them any questions you might have. You may want to email first and then make a phone call to talk in person if he/she seems like a good fit. You may want to set up an appointment at this time to meet in person. Meeting in person will be your final contact before making a decision but an important one because you want to see if this is the right person to choose for that important moment in timeﾗyour wedding ceremony.
MaryLee Lykes
HeartPlay

Your ceremony is a very intimate moment in timeﾗchoose an officiant with whom you would like to share this moment!

Interviewing your Wedding Officiant possibilities----Trust your Instincts--- After talking by phone to a possible Wedding Officiant--- asking questions you might have and letting him or her talk about what they offer and what their philosophy might be you might feel ready to set up an appointment to meet in person. I like to meet in a neutral location--- a coffee shop or restaurant. Meeting in person is important because it gives you an opportunity to see whether or not this person feels like a good fit or not. You may have a set of questions you want to ask--it's always good to have a few questions ready.
But more importantly I suggust you ask the officiant to talk about what they do and how they feel about being an officiant and what they see their role to be in this process of the ceremony.
This can all take place in about 15-20 minutes.
I suggest you don't make a decision on the spot---- thank the officiant for meeting with you and advise them that you will contact them in the near future with a decision. It is a good idea to let the officiant know if you have decided not to use him or her. If you have received a business card or brochure it will have an email address and you can email the officiant about your decision.

Step # 3---- Meeting in Person

You have moved through Step # 1 & #2. You have checked out Officiant web sites, emailed or talked on the phone, and now you are ready to set up an appointment to meet in person. Emailing or talking on the phone is an excellent way to find out if an Officiant might be a good fit for your particular wedding ceremonyﾅif you like what you hear then youﾒre ready for the next stepﾅﾅ meeting in person.

Set up a date/time/location via email or phone call. Here is a good place to see if your possible Officiant is open to joint decision making or not.

Meeting in person is a great way to ask questions which may not have occurred to you prior to this meeting but especially an opportunity to determine if you would be comfortable during that ﾓIntimate Moment In Timeﾔ, the sharing of your wedding ceremony. Youﾒll know during this meeting if this is possible or not.

Keep it short. Please donﾒt set up this meeting for lunch or dinnerﾅmeeting for coffee is great because it can be short and sweet. If itﾒs not a fit, say thank you and good bye.

If you are fairly sure youﾒd like this Officiant to marry you ask if she/he will tentatively hold your date until you get back to them. You donﾒt want to lose this person just because youﾒre not yet sure.

So now you have made a choice, whatﾒs the next step? Check out step # 4 in a few days to find out.

Please feel free to respond to this blog with questions or comments.
MaryLee

Intimate Moment In Time

In our last ﾓIntimate Moment In Timeﾔ we talked about the beginnings of our search for an Officiant/Minister by searching web sites and the importance of finding the right ﾓfitﾔ because you want to share this intimate moment with someone with whom you feel comfortable, at ease, and trust. You want to trust this person to guide you through the ceremony-handling all the details so you can focus on your partner (your beloved).

Step # 2ﾗCall them up! So you have found a few Officiants that feel like a possible match and now you want more information to help you in your decision making.

Before you make any calls (and by the way more and more men are handling this job) make a list of questions you would like to ask. Most couples who call me have no idea what they want or need to know so they let me provide information. Talk with you fianc￩ and have a few questions ready. Remember that your ceremony sets the tone for whatﾒs to follow---the CELEBRATION of the Ceremony.

So here are some possible questions
ﾕ How long have you been a wedding officiant?
ﾕ What do you like about being a wedding officiant?
ﾕ What if we have particular ideas about how we want the ceremony be? Will we have input on things weﾒd to have included in the ceremony?
ﾕ Will you help us create a ceremony? How does that work?
ﾕ Is a rehearsal included in you fee?
ﾕ Will you meet with us in person besides the free introductory meeting?

Figure out whatﾒs important to you and have a few questions ready but most of all you want to see if you feel comfortable with this person and determine whether or not you want to meet with them in person.

Next addition is Step # 3ﾗMeeting in Person.

So you're getting married and searching for an Officiant/Minister for your big day. How do you go about choosing the right person for the job? I have been performing wedding ceremonies for 12 years and would love to share my ideas with you about how to make a good choice, as well as many other decisions that need to be made along the way. I will be blogging these ideas over the next few weeks so stay tuned.

FIRST OF ALL
Standing before your beloved, looking into each others eyes while committing to love for life is an Intimate Moment in Time and you want to choose an Officiant with whom you would like to share this moment!

So step # 1 is---- Search the internet for Officiants. So get on line and check out Wedding web sites (www.Bridesclub.com, www.myseattlewedding.com just to name 2--there are many out there) or www.google.com, www.msn.com, www.yahoo.com, etc and search for something like "Seattle Wedding Officiants". This give you a place to begin. Click on the web sites and see what you think--- you can learn a lot about a person from their photo, read their site and see if this person fits your particular needs. But most of all you want to see if you connect with this person--so they seem interesting, alive, warm, engaging, sensitive. You are choosing someone to represent you and help you achieve a warm, loving, heart-felt ceremony that reflects your beliefs and vision for your wedding.

Now we are ready for Step # 2---- Call them up!
Tune in tomorrow for that step.
MaryLee Lykes
www.seattleweddingofficiant.com
www.lykestodance.com (private dance lessons for your first dance)
425 678-8300

Many couples ask me when is a good time to take that dance lesson in preparation for their first dance. I feel that the best time is one month prior to the wedding. Find the music you want to dance to and take it with you to the lesson, and have the instructor use that music during the lesson. Listen to the music as much as possible before the lesson so you are very famaliar with the music-especially for the lead since he or she will be leading the dance. Being familiar with the music really helps during the lesson because it is one less thing to think about.
It usually only takes 1 one hour lesson-- and after you've taken that class and practice at least once a week to keep the moves in your mind/body.
And after your ceremony and you're about to do your First Dance remember to just have fun and realize your family and friend just want to see two people in love and having a good time on the dance floor.
Enjoy.
MaryLee Lykes- www.LykesToDance.com & www.Seattleweddingofficiant.com

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