Meet Jen
Mostly appropriate.
Also pretty good when things go sideways.
You’d never know what happened on the way down the aisle.
At the 11th hour, I was to lead the groom and groomsmen down the aisle.
No time to explain to the groom why I wanted him to escort me in — we were already walking. Well, some of us were.
I made it about two steps in before I walked straight out of one of my wedge heels.
I heard my brother’s laugh. (He’s a monster.)
What ran through my mind in the course of a split second: Please tell me the photographer isn’t taking pictures of this. Should I just take them both off and keep going? Will anyone notice if I just slip out of line? (Uh, yes.)
It was very clear. The show must go on, and so must I.
There was no graceful recovery. I scraped my shoes against the ground as I made my way down the aisle, the groom silently willing me to move faster so I didn’t hold them all up. (He’s adorable. But also a monster.) At one point I strayed to the right, where there was grass, to cut down on the scraping noise.
After I’d given the crowd a few housekeeping instructions, while waiting for my beautiful cousin to stroll down the aisle, I thought to myself, “You really should have just worn your Hey Dudes.” (Post-ceremony, I sure did.)
And you know what? It was still a beautiful wedding.
Weddings involve people. And people are unpredictable.
Someone will forget where they’re supposed to stand. The rings might be with the wrong person. Someone who swore they wouldn’t cry absolutely will.
If repeating three words after me suddenly becomes the hardest thing you’ve ever been asked to do, don’t worry. My font will be big enough for you to read.
And if you’re so excited to say “I do” that you shout it out somewhere around “Do you take…” before I’ve even finished asking the question? Well, your intention seems pretty clear. On we go.
I’m not going to make a moment out of something that doesn’t need to be one. I’ll prompt you, cover for you, adjust when I need to and keep things moving.
And if something truly unexpected happens? At least I’ll have both shoes on. Probably.*
So, hi. I’m Jen.
In my other life, I work in marketing. Which may not seem particularly relevant to getting people married, but it turns out there’s a surprising amount of overlap.
I spend a lot of my time asking questions, listening to people, figuring out what they’re really trying to say and finding the words to say it.
I write. A lot. I’m comfortable talking to a room full of people. I’m a planner. I pay attention to details. And when something changes at the last minute, I’m usually the person figuring out what we’re doing instead.
All of which comes in pretty handy when you hand me a microphone and a marriage license.
But the part that makes me love doing this has very little to do with being organized or comfortable in front of a crowd.
I really like people.
I like hearing how they met. The completely different versions of the same story. The things they noticed about each other early on. The things they know now that they didn’t know then.
I like the little details people mention almost in passing that end up telling me more than the big answers do.
And I really like figuring out how to take all of that and turn it into something that sounds like you, not like something I found on the internet and changed the names.
Outside of weddings…
I’m powered by McDonald’s Diet Coke.
I love music, being by the water, campfires, jeans and flip-flops.
I have a family I adore, people I’d do pretty much anything for, and a pretty strong belief that the best parts of life usually aren’t the perfectly planned ones.
They’re the little moments you didn’t see coming, the people you get to share them with, and the stories you’re still telling years later.
Large. Obviously.
One thing I do believe
You don’t have to take weddings too seriously to take marriage seriously.
The ceremony can be funny. It can be relaxed. Things can go wrong. You can laugh in the middle of your vows. Someone can say “I do” seventeen words too early. If you cry, I’ll discreetly hand you a tissue.
None of that makes the moment mean any less. I actually think it makes it even more memorable.
You’re still standing there choosing each other. That’s the important part.