In the wedding industry, we get to meet lots of great people who share our love for the celebration of marriage. We cross paths with everyone from DJs to dressmakers, and each has their own unique view of the wedding day. Earlier this month at a Wedding Wire mixer (shout out to all the great wedding wire vendors!), I had the pleasure of meeting Rev. Gay Lee Einstein. She’s been officiating wedding for over 14 years! We chatted about weddings, and she was just too sweet not to share with our future brides.
Since we see weddings on a regular basis, we wanted to ask the Rev. if she too feels emotional about the wedding service. For us at Capture, seeing the celebration of love never gets old. She agreed! She shared; “Since I have three daughters myself, I find it particularly moving when the father (or in some cases, the father AND mother) give a young bride away. This represents a major life change for all parties involved parents, bride, brothers and sisters–they are saying goodbye to that little girl whose fingerpainting once graced the refrigerator door. They are saying goodbye to the teen who won a trophy playing field hockey. I cry easily, so I really have to concentrate on what I am about at this point in the service. I also find the exchange of vows extremely moving. This is the most important part of the ceremony–the climax,–all else is commentary. A lot of brides tear up here, and if I see a bride with tears trickling down her face, then my reaction is to tear up, too. I sometimes pause at this point in the service. People may think I am pausing to give the bride time to collect herself, but I am really pausing because I am too choked up to continue. ”
Naturally, we wanted to know if she has any good wedding day stories to tell. She indulged us! “My most memorable ceremony took place many years ago. The groom-to-be was sick at the rehearsal–with what he said was a “little cold.” After the rehearsal he, his bride-to-be and the wedding party went off to the rehearsal dinner. Since he was feeling nauseas, the groom-to-be didn’t eat anything but he did have a lot of the bubbly. Back in his hotel room that night, he decided to take some over-the-counter flu medication. The combo of no food, champagne and strong medication made him sick–so sick that he spent the next several hours throwing up. Concerned family members finally drove him to the hospital where he received interveinous fluids until wedding time. His face was sooo pale. His hands shook as he and the bride exchanged rings. My own heart pounded wildly during the entire service. I concocted a plan in my head as to what I would do if the groom collapsed. At one point in the service I gave the groom a questioning look as if to say, “Are you going to make it?” and he winked back at me, a weak grin on his face. Needless to say the couple postponed their Honeymoon so that the groom could recover. ” On a more serious note, we asked if She had any advice for couples as they approach their big day. She shared her expertise: ” I find that a lot of brides are already over-stressed by the time of our first meeting. There is a reason they are over-stressed. A wedding can be a lot of work–particularly if it is to be a full blown event with florists and musicians, a rehearsal dinner and a reception after the wedding. Even if the bride hires a wedding planner, the bride (and groom–to a degree) still has to make critical decisions–whom to invite, when to send out invitations, what florist to use, what food to serve at the reception, etc. I would advise brides to keep the wedding as simple as possible and to use as few professionals as possible. For instance, it might make sense to have the caterer be responsible for providing the wedding cake, rather than a baker who specializes in wedding cakes. That’s one less professional with whom you have to coordinate. Or if the venue for your wedding reception offers catering services, that might be preferable to hiring an outside catering service. I would also encourage brides to spend most of their time interviewing people whom they can trust to help them with the wedding. You hire people with experience, who have embraced what it is that you are trying to accomplish, then you can rest easy that the wedding will turn out just fine. ”
Lastly, we wanted to know what couples should look for when they’re in the market for a wedding officiant! The Rev. suggests “ A couple should look for a wedding preacher who is responsible, who listens carefully, taking plenty of notes at meetings, with a proven track record and plenty of experience. A couple should look for a wedding preacher who really enjoys what he/she does, and who considers the work as more than just a “job.” I really, really love the work that I do, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of this special time in a couple’s life. There is no more rewarding work that I can think of.
If you are looking for a great wedding preacher, please check her out at http://www.weddingpreacherforhire.com , or on facebook!