The fine print
The stuff you probably want to know.
What does it cost? What’s included? How far will I travel? Do you need a rehearsal? What happens if things run late? What am I going to wear?
All fair questions. Here are the answers.
Your ceremony
No mysterious packages. No making you schedule a call just to find out what this costs.
Your ceremony fee includes
- Initial consultation
- Up to three planning conversations, together and individually, in person if you’re local or by video
- A custom-written ceremony
- Up to two major rounds of revisions
- An additional meeting if needed to work through the ceremony together
- Smaller changes handled by email or text
- Email and phone support along the way
- Day-of officiating
- Signing and filing your marriage license as required
Basically, everything we need to go from “Hi, we’re getting married” to actually married.
Rehearsal
$150
Completely optional.
If you have a larger wedding party, several people participating in the ceremony, kids involved, a complicated processional or you simply want everyone to run through things beforehand, it can be worth doing.
Rehearsals include up to one hour on-site, typically the day before your wedding. When there's a large wedding party, readings, music, or a special activity, I generally recommend one.
Rehearsing the same day as the wedding? The $150 is waived.
If I’m not attending your rehearsal, don’t worry. I’ll still make sure you know what to expect and can provide the information your wedding party or coordinator needs to get everyone where they belong.
The rehearsal dinner / Next morning brunch
If you’d like me there, I’m honored to be included.
If my schedule and travel plans allow, I’m happy to join you.
But absolutely no obligation to invite your officiant. I promise I won't be offended.
Travel
The first 120 round-trip miles are on me.
After that, travel is based on the total round-trip driving distance from my home base to your wedding location.
| Round-trip mileage | Travel fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 120 miles | Included |
| 121–200 miles | $150 |
| 201–300 miles | $225 |
| 301–400 miles | $325 |
| 401–600 miles | $450 |
| 600+ miles | Custom quote |
Additional travel expenses
Parking, tolls, ferry fares, trains, airfare and other required transportation are billed at cost.
When an overnight stay is required, lodging is billed at cost, plus a $100 overnight travel fee per night.
If your rehearsal and wedding are on consecutive days and require significant travel, I’ll compare the cost of making two round trips with the cost of staying overnight.
We’ll use the option that makes the most sense and avoids unnecessary travel costs.
Your estimate
—
Pick a venue and I’ll break out the ceremony fee, any rehearsal fee and the travel fee that applies.
All calculator results are estimates, based on driving distance from my home base. Final travel arrangements and at-cost expenses will be confirmed with you before booking.
Need more time together?
$50 per meeting
The meetings we should reasonably need to create your ceremony are already included. If you want additional planning meetings beyond that, they’re $50 each.
Quick questions, texts, emails and “Wait, we just thought of something…” messages don’t count as meetings.
What if the ceremony runs late?
30-minute grace period
Weddings don’t always run exactly on schedule. I get it. After 30 minutes, a $50 waiting fee per additional 30 minutes may apply.
If a significant delay conflicts with another wedding or commitment, I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to stay indefinitely, but I’ll do everything reasonably possible to get you married before I have to go.
Running a little behind? Don’t stress. Just keep me in the loop.
Booking + payment
50% retainer
A 50% non-refundable retainer reserves your date. The remaining balance is due 14 days before your ceremony.
Your date isn’t considered reserved until your agreement is signed and the retainer is received.
Getting married on a weekday? Or, like, next Tuesday?
Maybe.
Weekday weddings and last-minute ceremonies are available based on my schedule. Check your date and tell me what you have in mind. I’ll confirm availability and pricing.
Want to add something?
Add-ons
Unity ceremonies · no extra fee
Sand ceremony? Unity candle? Handfasting? Something completely your own? Absolutely.
There’s no additional officiating fee for incorporating a unity ritual into your ceremony. If there are materials I need to purchase or provide, those are billed at cost and approved by you first.
Microphone + sound
If your venue doesn't provide ceremony sound, I can provide microphone and sound setup. Let me know, and I’ll reach out to talk through what you need.
Where can I marry you?
Based in Massachusetts. Officiating throughout much of the Northeast.
Some states are perfectly happy with my existing credentials. Others want me to jump through an extra hoop or two before your wedding.
That’s my paperwork, not yours.
| State | Additional officiant paperwork? | Law / official guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | No. I’m already registered. | MA General Laws Ch. 207 — Marriage Solemnization ↗ |
| Rhode Island | No | RI §15-3-5 — Officials Empowered to Perform Marriages ↗ |
| Connecticut | No | CT Marriage License & Officiant Requirements ↗ |
| Maine | No | ME §655 — Persons Authorized to Solemnize Marriages ↗ |
| New Hampshire | Yes, one application per wedding | NH Special Marriage Officiant License ↗ |
| Vermont | Yes, special authorization for each marriage | VT Temporary Officiant Registration ↗ |
| New Jersey | No | NJ Marriage Officiant Guidance — Including Internet Ministers ↗ |
| New York (outside NYC) | No | NY Domestic Relations Law §11 — Who May Solemnize a Marriage ↗ |
| New York City | Yes, NYC officiant registration | NYC Marriage Officiant Registration Law — §11-B ↗ |
For New Hampshire, Vermont and New York City, I handle the officiant registration or authorization required on my end.
Want to see the paperwork?
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Officiant registration
[Link: MA registration]The marriage license
You get it. I make it official.
You’re responsible for obtaining your marriage license from the appropriate state or local office and bringing it with you. I’ll make sure you know what I need from you before the wedding.
After the ceremony, I’ll complete and sign the officiant portion and handle returning or filing it when that responsibility falls to the officiant.
If your state requires witnesses, we’ll decide who they are ahead of time and make sure they know the plan.
No hunting for someone with a pen after the ceremony.
A few more questions.
Do we have to write our own vows?
Absolutely not.
Write your own. Repeat after me. Answer a simple question. Do a combination. Skip personal vows altogether. Nobody is getting assigned wedding homework they don’t want.
Will we see the ceremony before the wedding?
Yes. You’ll approve the final ceremony. The only things you won’t see are anything we’ve intentionally agreed to keep as a surprise.
Can our ceremony be religious?
Absolutely. Religious, nonreligious, somewhere in between. We’ll build the ceremony that’s right for the two of you.
How long will our ceremony be?
It depends on what you want in it. I’d rather build the right ceremony than stretch one to hit an arbitrary number of minutes.
What will you wear?
Something appropriate for your wedding, and nothing that accidentally makes me the center of attention.
Before the wedding, we’ll talk about your dress code and color palette so I can choose something that fits with the look of your ceremony rather than fighting with it.
You picked the colors. I promise not to show up and introduce a surprise one.
What if you get sick or have an emergency?
It would take something pretty significant to keep me from your wedding, but emergencies happen.
If something genuinely prevents me from being there, I’ll let you know as quickly as possible and do everything I reasonably can to help find a qualified replacement. I’ll also provide the replacement with your completed ceremony and everything they need to step in with as little disruption as possible.
I can’t promise emergencies won’t happen. I can promise I won’t leave you to figure one out alone.
Still have a question?
Ask me.
Seriously. If there’s something you’re wondering about that I haven’t covered here, send it my way.
And if you’ve made it all the way through the Fine Print and still want me at your wedding… I think we should probably talk.