FAQ
Getting married or renewing your vows is not something you do every day. Feel free to ask me any questions by calling or emailing me. To assist with general questions, please see the questions and answers below:
Q: How much advance notice do you need in order to book a wedding?
I try to be as flexible as possible and have been called upon with as little as 1 days notice. For prime wedding months (May-September), I would recommend contacting me about 6 months in advance if possible.
Q: Where do you perform your services?
I have officiated weddings all over Monterey and Santa Cruz County – from parks and beaches to back yards and vacation rentals. I travel up to 15 miles (30 miles roundtrip) without a mileage fee (which is minimal if necessary). I am available for weddings in Big Sur and love being in that community.
Q: Why should I choose you instead of another officiant?
You need to find the officiant that is right for you. I am light-hearted, creative and easy going. I think some of my strengths are a background in public speaking, a love for romance (including weddings) and writing custom ceremonies. I also have experience as a wedding planner so I take an active role during your rehearsal and wedding to ensure everything goes smoothly. For me, this is not just a job – it is something I am really passionate about. I believe in continuing education and learning more about my craft (recently attending WeddingMBA, an international wedding convention that included seminars for professional wedding officiants). For more information, please review the About page.
Q: Do you have just the one officiant?
In the event that I am booked, I do have a list of officiants that are strongly recommended and have excellent reputations. In the event of an illness, I have set up a network of like minded officiants (6 great professionals) to call on in case of emergency.
Q: Is having a friend or family member officiate the wedding instead a good idea?
Other than it not being legal in some cases, please check out our link about Family Officiants. There is also a great article at https://iapwo.org/articles/why-hire-a-professional-officiant/
Q: Do you need a deposit?
Yes, a 50% deposit is collected at the time the officiant's agreement is signed. The balance due is not collected until your wedding day.
Q: How long is a typical ceremony?
This largely depends on what you would like to have as part of your ceremony. Traditionally, they last about 15 – 25 minutes.
Q: What do I need to bring to the wedding ceremony?
The most important thing to bring is your wedding license. I will fill out my portion and have your witnesses (you can have 1 or 2) sign it and then I return it to your county clerks office. You cannot have a wedding in California without a California wedding license. For more details on wedding licenses, read about Monterey Wedding Licenses.
Q: Do we pick from several different ceremony templates and you just insert our names?
I believe that everyone is different and the love that brought you together is unique. We start by talking over the phone and, if possible, we meet in person so that I can “interview” you and find out more about you as a couple. From there, we go through some ideas together and form a customized ceremony. The ceremony is emailed to you in advance in case you have any additions or changes.
Q: What do you wear?
For me, it is all about being flexible. I can dress in any way that you like. Typically, it will be a suit and tie unless otherwise specified.
Q: Do you offer ceremonies for everyone?
Yes, I believe in love and equality and marriage. I am there to officiate your wedding not only to satisfy the legal requirement but to help celebrate your love.
Q: Do you only do religious ceremonies?
I am a Christian but do not require any ceremonies to be religious. I have married people of all different faiths as well as people that have no religious affiliations. We can go through all of the details in the interview process.
Q: Are there any couples you don't work with?
I believe in love and marriage and do not discriminate. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me and ask.
Q: Who writes our vows?
That is up to you. I have examples of traditional “I Do” vows as well as “repeat after me” vows. I usually suggest that you either write your own vows OR that we do a combination of the traditional (or repeat after me) vows followed by your own personal statements to each other. This helps to personalize your wedding experience.
Q: How do we get a copy of our wedding certificate?
The wedding license is mailed in the day after your wedding. You should allow about 5 - 10 business days for your county clerk to officially register it. After, you can contact them directly to order your official wedding certificate (typically about $15). They do not allow me to do this last part for you. As an alternative, when you get your wedding license that you need for the wedding ceremony, you can pre-fill out this request for the final license while you are at the county clerks office (they will then do it automatically). Some county clerks now allow you to order certificate copies online through VitalCheck.
Q: Are you normally invited to the rehearsal dinner/reception?
Many of my couples have invited me to dinner which I truly appreciate. Due to having two children at home, I typically do not attend and you should feel no obligation to invite me (although it is appreciated).
Q: Do you recommend any other wedding services?
Of course, no one has a full time job being a wedding officiant (but wouldn’t it be great to work 2 - 3 days a week!). The business that my wife and I own offers several services including wedding photography and romantic room decorations (for your wedding night). We can even offer a package plan for your entire wedding at www.weddingsinmonterey.com.
Q: Can you recommend a good photographer?
Okay, I may be biased but I think my wife, Heidi, does great work. She is friendly, affordable, and always seems to get the best out of a wedding party. Her site is at www.heidiborgiaphotography.com. Of course, there is no requirement that we work together as I know there are a lot of talented photographers in our area, but as an added bonus, we do work very well together.
Q: How did you become a wedding officiant?
From an early age, I have been interested in romance. In my early 20′s I wrote and published a book about the best places to take your date in Northern California. After starting a local hotel reservations business, I began helping people plan their proposals and setting up their honeymoons in Monterey County. For the past 10 years, I have assisted people in setting up creative marriage proposals and designing their hotel room for a romantic evening. Since 2009, I have been licensed to perform weddings through the Universal Life Church – a nondenominational ministry. I have performed wedding ceremonies that included just the couple all the way up to wedding parties with over a dozen members and over 300 guests. I think being able to witness a wedding ceremony is one of the most beautiful moments in life. Over the past 12 years, I have felt very grateful to have officiated over 2,000 ceremonies.
Q: Do you have any advice on writing our own personal statements / vows?
I will make a video about this soon, but for now I did find the helpful link (below)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7FAOsf6shY#action=share
Q: How do I change my name after the ceremony is over?
Officiants don't handle this part of the process, but it is a very common question. From discussions with many brides, couples typically handle this themselves by going to the Social Security office, their bank(s), DMV and the like (you go in together with forms you can find on those individual websites or in person). However, there are also kits you can buy which streamline the process. I found this one online (but there are many from which to chose): http://www.amazon.com/Marriage-Name-Change-Unique-Wedding/dp/B00DW0ZVX6. There is also an article about who to contact once your name is changed under this same FAQ link.