Category: Tips & Advice

Choosing your wedding photographer is no easy task! With so many photographers to choose from, it’s easy for couples who just want the best wedding pictures to get overwhelmed. Not only do they need to find someone who fits within their budget and is available for their date, but they also need to love the photographer’s work and personality!

So how do you find the best professional wedding photography for your big day? We asked some of Young Hip & Married’s elopement photographers for their best advice. Read on to learn how to find local photographers for your wedding day!

Want to book a wedding package with photography? Check out our Intimate Elopement + Photography Ceremony Package here! 

Connection is key for great wedding photos

Vancouver wedding photographer Keely Rae stresses the importance of finding a photographer for your wedding that you really connect with.

“Choose someone you really vibe with and that understands the kind of experience you are looking for! We are super fortunate to live in a time where there are many great photographers out there, so when it comes to choosing the right one for you, definitely make sure that your style aligns in terms of photography but also make sure that you connect with them!

Trust me, it makes all the difference in authentic imagery when you feel comfortable with the person you are working with.”

Ask your photographer to see a full gallery

Calgary wedding photographer Deanna Rachel tells us how important it is to look at a wedding photographer and videographer’s full gallery or full video, instead of just a highlight reel on social media.

“Ask potential photographers to see an entire wedding gallery. Being able to see a full gallery (instead of just the “best of” images from a blog post or Instagram) will give you a great idea of what your own photos could look like and whether or not you like that photographer’s style!”

Deanna also agrees that it’s all about personality:

“Apart from your (new!) spouse, your photographer will most likely spend the most time with you on your wedding day! So while it’s important to find a photographer whose style you love, it’s just as important to find a photographer whose personality you love!”

Book an engagement session with your wedding photographer

Vancouver wedding photographer Amber Leigh suggests choosing a professional photographer who offers an engagement photoshoot.

“If you can book an engagement session with your photographer, I highly recommend it. Some photographers, myself included, offer these sessions complimentary with their larger wedding collections. It’s such a great opportunity to get to know one another better, to experience what it’s like working with your photographer and to get comfortable being in front of their camera. You can think of it as a dress rehearsal for the big day! Plus, you’ll receive additional photos that you can use for things like invites, slideshows, etc.”

And at the end of the day, Amber agrees that it’s all about finding a photographer you get along with and trust:

“From getting ready in the morning to your toasts during your reception, your wedding photographer will be there documenting the entire day as it unfolds. You’ll likely be spending more time with them than anyone else on your wedding day, including each other. They’re going to be your wedding day 3rd wheel. After your initial consultation, ask yourself, is this photographer relaxed, organized, professional and easy to talk to? Choosing a photographer whose personality you love, who you connect with and enjoy being around will help bring out who you are as a couple and will make the day more enjoyable.

For me, it’s extremely important that I get to know my couples really well, and it’s one of my favourite parts of being a wedding photographer. I love hearing all about their wedding plans as they unfold, getting to know as much about them individually and as a couple, and then continuing to see their lives unfold even after the wedding day is over. The majority of my clients have become some of my greatest friends and who I get to work with time and time again. I love that about being a wedding photographer. When we click (pun intended) and a couple completely trusts me, we create magic.”

Meet your potential wedding photographer over video

Vancouver wedding photographer John Bello proves once again that personality is paramount. Here’s his tip for making sure you’ll connect with your photographer on your wedding day:

“Once you fall in love with a photographer’s work, it’s all about the vibe! If you are still on the fence, my best tip for couples is to schedule a quick video call to meet their photographer for a quick chat. This is the best way to get a sense of them – you’ll find out pretty quick if you connect with them or not!”

---

Thanks to Keely, Deanna, Amber and John for sharing their awesome tips on how to choose the perfect wedding photographer for your special day. It seems the key to beautiful wedding photos is a wedding photographer you feel comfortable with.

Get in touch to book your wedding ceremony and photography package today! 

If you’re planning a wedding, you may have discovered a brand new language: charger plate, save the date, marriage licence and certificate, justice of the peace, and so many more words you’ve never heard of!

And while it can be easy to get overwhelmed by all the new wedding words, there’s one word you really need to know – the name of the person who is going to marry you!

You may have come across “justice of the peace” in your wedding planning or heard it in a movie, but what exactly is a justice of the peace? Can a justice of the peace marry you? And, most importantly, do you want them to?

What is a justice of the peace?

A justice of the peace is a judicial officer, similar to a judge, who is often the public’s first point of contact with the legal system. They preside over province-wide offences and handle tasks like issuing summons and warrants, scheduling trials, presiding over minor traffic violations and other small claims court infractions, and setting bail terms.

Of course, in every jurisdiction the role of the justice of the peace will vary slightly. For more details specific to your area, consult your local court system.

What does JP mean? 

As you may have guessed, JP simply stands for justice of the peace. This is a shorthand used in both wedding speak and in the legal world.

After enough time in the wedding world, you’ll learn all the lingo and a sentence like, “The MOB and MOH are with the JP” will make sense to you! Translation: “The mother of the bride and maid of honour are with the justice of the peace.”

Is a justice of the peace a person who can marry people? 

Yes and no. In some areas, a justice of the peace can marry you and officiate your wedding ceremony. But not everywhere!

In most of the United States and some areas of Canada, JPs do have the power to marry people. Notably, British Columbia is not one of these places. If you’re getting married in BC, a justice of the peace cannot legally officiate your ceremony.

Justice of the peace VS wedding officiant VS marriage commissioner 

So what the heck is the difference between a justice of the peace, a wedding officiant and a marriage commissioner? We know it can be confusing to hear all of these different terms when you’re simply looking for someone to get you married.

First things first: You need to make sure the person you hire for your ceremony can legally marry you. As discussed above, a justice of the peace is not able to marry you in all jurisdictions.

Simply speaking, the difference between a justice of the peace, a wedding officiant and a marriage commissioner is:

• Justice of the peace: A judicial officer who may be able to marry people (based on jurisdiction)
• Wedding officiant: A trained officiant licensed by a religious body to marry people (though ceremonies do not necessarily need to be religious)
• Marriage commissioner: A semi-retired person licensed by the government to marry people

What about a wedding celebrant? Lucky for you, a wedding celebrant (or marriage celebrant) is pretty much the same thing as a wedding officiant. The term “celebrant” is more commonly used in the UK and Australia, whereas “officiant” is used more in Canada and the US.

For more information on the difference between a wedding officiant and a marriage commissioner, check out our blog post and find the right person to get you married!

Should I choose a justice of the peace, a wedding officiant or a marriage commissioner for my wedding ceremony?

So now that you know the basic difference between these three roles, how do you actually decide who will marry you on the big day? Well, it comes down to what you want out of your ceremony experience.

Generally speaking, a wedding officiant will be able to offer you a more custom experience with options like a personalized ceremony script written just for you, ceremony packages with add-ons, and more flexibility when it comes to your ceremony location and format.

Because justices of the peace and marriage commissioners are licensed by the court and government, there is typically less flexibility and less training. They often have to stick to strict scripts and can only marry people in certain geographic areas. In some jurisdictions, JPs can only marry couples at the local courthouse.

These differences are reflected in the pricing; wedding officiants often charge a higher rate for a more custom experience.

Of course, this is all generally speaking – there are exceptions to every rule! While we are obviously Team Wedding Officiant here at Young Hip & Married, we know going with an officiant is not the right route for everyone. We encourage you to do your research, chat with prospective officiants/commissioners/justices, and find the perfect person for your wedding ceremony.

How can I find a justice of the peace near me? 

Before you start searching for a justice of the peace, make sure that a JP can actually marry you in your area. As noted above, a justice of the peace cannot marry you in British Columbia. Secondly, make sure you want a JP to marry you. If you’re looking for a custom ceremony or to do something less traditional, a justice of the peace may not be the right avenue for you.

No matter who you decide should marry you, it’s pretty simple to find a wedding officiant, wedding celebrant, marriage commissioner or justice of the peace near you:

• Google “city name + justice of the peace/wedding officiant/marriage commissioner”
• Check out vendor listings on places like The Knot or Wedding Wire
• Ask your recently married friends for recommendations
• Join a local wedding planning group online and search for recommendations

Are you getting married in one of the locations where Young Hip & Married works? Awesome! Find a wedding officiant who can legally marry you in your own unique style here! 

Get A Quote 

Wedding planning is anything but easy. On top of going to outfit fittings, tasting cakes and writing your vows you also have to choose readings for your wedding ceremony. Do the decisions never end!?!

Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. Below we’re sharing where you can find readings for your wedding that speak to who you are as a couple, what makes the perfect reading (and reader!) and a few of our favourite readings about love and marriage.

Where do you find readings for weddings?

First things first, where do you even find readings for weddings? Lucky for you, we’ve done the hard work for you. Check out some of our favourite readings, poems, quotes and blessings from literature, poetry, movies, religion and more:

• Wedding Ceremony Readings from Songs
• Romantic Wedding Ceremony Readings 
• Wedding Ceremony Readings from TV & Movies
• Wedding Ceremony Readings from Literature
• Offbeat Wedding Ceremony Readings
• Alternatives to 1 Corinthians 13 for Your Wedding
• The Best Wedding Prayers & Blessings for Your Wedding Ceremony
• 33 Wedding Love Quotes to Include in Your Wedding Ceremony

Hopefully the wedding love poems, quotes, passages and readings above gave you a great list to choose from. If you want even more options, a quick Google search for “wedding readings” or “love poems for weddings” will provide endless choice.

What makes a good wedding ceremony reading?

The most powerful and memorable wedding ceremony readings are the ones that the couple has a personal connection to and that aren’t heard at every, single wedding. Your guests will pay extra attention when they know the reading you chose is full of words that are meaningful to you.

So instead of choosing the most popular reading you find online, choose one that connects to you and your partner. Maybe that’s choosing a reading from your favourite song, TV show, movie or book of poetry. Maybe that’s including a quote that you discovered together while you were dating. Or maybe it’s selecting a wedding prayer that’s been recited at all of weddings in your family.

If you can’t think of an obvious connection to the wedding love poems or readings you’re finding, that’s okay! You can include a poem in your wedding ceremony even if you don’t go to poetry readings regularly or own multiple books of poetry. If the words feel powerful to you when you read them, that’s reason enough to include that love poem in your wedding.

Consider including your connection to the wedding ceremony poem as part of the introduction to the reading. For example, your reader could begin by saying, “I’ll be reading an Irish blessing in honour of Taylor’s Irish roots and the fact that Taylor and Sam first met over pints of Guinness.” Knowing this, your guests will be so much more connected to the wedding reading you’ve chosen.

Who should read the readings for your wedding?

Not only do you have to choose readings for your wedding but you also have to choose a reader! For some couples this is a tough job and for others, there’s an obvious pick. You can choose one reader per reading/quote/poem or ask one person to do all of the readings.

Your reader should be someone you’re close to and someone you want to honour with a special role at your wedding. Asking someone to be a reader can be a great alternative if you’re skipping the wedding party, or don’t have room to add anyone else to your party. And of course, you want to make sure whoever you ask to give your wedding readings is comfortable with public speaking.

Once you’ve chosen your reading, give it to your designated reader with as much notice as possible. Ask them to rehearse the reading out loud so they can get comfortable reciting it without stumbling. You might even want them to recite the reading during your wedding rehearsal so they can get a feel for the space they’ll be speaking in.

Tip: Don’t ask your reader to memorize the wedding reading. While it might seem cool to have the reading memorized, we always suggest having the words written down. The last thing you want is for your reader to get nervous and completely forget everything they’ve memorized!

We recommend this for your vows too. Don’t memorize your wedding vows, but do practice saying them out loud. When you’re full of nerves on your wedding day, you’ll be grateful to have your wedding vows written down in front of you.

PS: Don’t have a reader in mind, don’t want to choose between friends or don’t want to break up the flow of your ceremony by having a reader come to the front? Instead of choosing a reader, you can ask your officiant to recite your chosen wedding reading. That way, you don’t have to choose someone else or coordinate a transition in your ceremony. Plus, you can be assured that your experienced officiant will do a great job reciting the reading you’ve chosen.

Do you have to include wedding ceremony poems or readings?

No, wedding ceremony poems, readings, quotes and prayers are all completely optional. You don’t have to include any in your wedding ceremony if you don’t want to.

But before you completely toss out the idea, consider how you can make it your own. If you’re turned off of wedding readings because all of the ones you’ve heard before bore you, why not find something unique? If you don’t resonate with a religious reading, choose one from pop culture. If you don’t love serious poems, find a comedic ceremony reading.

At the end of the day, you can represent your love however you want. Some couples choose to do it through readings, poems and quotes. You may choose to incorporate songs, photos or something else that better represents you. Or you may choose to talk about your love using your own words in your personal wedding vows.

Where else can you include a wedding love poem or reading?

So if you don’t want to have wedding love poems or readings at your ceremony – or if you want to include them in even more places – where else can you incorporate readings, poems and quotes in your wedding day? Lots of places!

You can include your favourite reading, poem or quote in your wedding programs or on your wedding website. You can put some special words on your signage and decor around your ceremony or reception spaces. And you can always include a quote, poem or reading in your speech or in a toast during the reception.

There’s no shortage of places to include beautiful words on your wedding day!

Some of our favourite readings about love for your wedding ceremony

Here are a few of our favourite readings for your wedding that are a hit with guests and couples alike!

Irish blessing for a wedding

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

You are the answer to every prayer I’ve offered.  You are a song, a dream, a whisper, and I don’t know how I could have lived without you for as long as I have.

Apache wedding blessing

Now you will feel no rain,
for each of you will be shelter for the other.
Now you will feel no cold,
for each of you will be warmth for the other.
Now there is no more loneliness.
Now you are two persons,
but there is only one life before you.
May your days together be good and long
upon the earth.

Better Together by Jack Johnson

Love is the answer.
At least for most of the questions in my heart.
Like: “Why are we here?”, “And where do we go?”,
“And how come it’s so hard?”.
It’s not always easy,
And sometimes life can be deceiving
I’ll tell you one thing:
It’s always better when we’re together

The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.

Boy Meets World

“I wasn’t sure this day would ever come, but you were. I wasn’t sure love could survive everything we put it through, but you were. You were always strong and always sure. And now I know I want you to stand beside me for the rest of my life. That’s what I’m sure of.” —Topanga

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

There are a few rules I know to be true about love and marriage: If you don’t respect the other person, you’re gonna have a lot of trouble. If you don’t know how to compromise, you’re gonna have a lot of trouble. If you can’t talk openly about what goes on between you, you’re gonna have a lot of trouble. And if you don’t have a common set of values in life, you’re gonna have a lot of trouble. Your values must be alike. And the biggest one of those values? Your belief in the importance of your marriage. Love each other or perish.

---

Now that you’ve chosen the readings for your wedding ceremony, it’s time to choose your wedding officiant. Get in touch to book your officiant today! 

Whether you have step parents, step children or half siblings, whatever way your family is made, you want to honour your loved ones and include your blended family in your wedding ceremony.

But how do you do that when so many wedding traditions involve just one set of parents and no kids? You do your wedding, your way. It’s okay to stray from tradition when your family makeup isn’t traditional! This is your chance to make your own traditions and create a ceremony that represents you and includes all of your favourite loved ones.

Below we’re sharing 11 ways you can include your blended family in your wedding ceremony. We hope you find the perfect solutions for your unique family!

Ask them to walk you down the aisle

Traditionally, the father of the bride will walk her down the aisle (and in some cultures, the mother of the bride is invited too). But if you’re in a blended family, you can switch this up! You can have all of your parents walk you down the aisle, ask your kids to walk you down the aisle, or choose one special family member for the honour. If you can’t choose and your aisle isn’t wide enough for an entourage, consider trading off (e.g. your mom walks you halfway down and your stepmom walks you the rest of the way) or walk down solo!

For more ideas, check out our blog post on processional walks.

Share a vow

While vows are traditionally shared between the couple, we’re seeing more and more blended families choose to share a vow with the entire family. This could look like one parent making a vow to their new stepchildren, both parents making a vow to their children, or the entire family vowing their commitment to each other.

For more ideas, check out this blog post on how to involve kids in your wedding.

Give your blended family members a role 

A great way to include your blended family in your wedding ceremony is by giving them an official role. You can invite them to join the wedding party, ask them to walk down the aisle, or give them the role of usher or greeter. They could also recite a reading or say a wedding prayer during the ceremony.

Honour them in your outfit

You know the saying: Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Besides being cute, it’s also a great way to involve your blended family in your wedding day. Consider sourcing each of these items from your family members. For example, you could borrow your stepdad’s watch or go shopping for new shoes with your stepchildren.

Give them a seat of honour

Traditionally, the couple’s parents will sit in the front row at the wedding ceremony. With blended families, it can be a bit awkward if people don’t know where they’re supposed to sit. Ease the awkwardness and show your whole family how much you love them by designating special seats of honour. You can even make little name cards to reserve their seats or decorate them with flowers.

Ask your blended family members to witness your wedding

If you’re getting married in Canada (and many other places in the world), you will need two people to witness your wedding and sign your marriage licence. This important role is perfect for honouring a member of your blended family! Especially if you already have other family members walking down the aisle, ushering or doing a reading, this is a great way to make sure everyone has an important job.

Coordinate their looks

Make sure your blended family feels included and looks their best when you invest some time in their outfits for the big day. There are lots of ways to give your family members the VIP treatment. You could ask everyone in your family to wear the same colour, so they stand out. You could invite them all on a wedding outfit shopping trip. Or you could give them matching corsages and boutonnieres to wear on the big day.

Include a family blessing or prayer

Not only could you ask a blended family member to say a prayer during your wedding ceremony, but you could choose a prayer that specifically speaks to your family values. Check out our list of wedding prayers or write your own. Consider incorporating a blessing for the new family, or your wishes for your family in the future.

Present your blended family members with a gift

Since the newlyweds typically exchange rings to seal their vows, it makes sense to want to present your new family members with a symbol of your commitment as well. We’ve seen stepchildren presented with necklaces, bracelets or rings of their own. This is a wonderful way to include your blended family in the wedding ceremony with a gift they can keep with them long after the wedding day is over.

Take part in a unity ceremony together

You’ve likely heard of hand fasting or sand pouring ceremonies, but what about a unity ceremony that incorporates every member of your family? We’ve had the pleasure of watching new families create their own traditions by putting together a puzzle featuring all of their names or all contributing to a group painting. A favourite involved a group bouquet, where each member of the family brought a single flower that represented them, coming together to form the perfect flower arrangement.

Make it about the family

While the wedding day is about the union between two people, it’s not just a couple that is coming together. Your families are joining together, and that’s all the more true if you have stepchildren in the mix. So make the day not just about you two, but about your blended family as well. Include your family members in the planning process, say their names in your vows, let them choose the song they walk down the aisle to, etc.

There you have it, 11 awesome ways to include your blended family in your wedding ceremony! 

Tip: Leave room for emotions

There are a lot of big feelings when it comes to weddings and those feelings can be more complicated when you come from a blended family. Our advice? Leave lots of room for emotions – both yours and theirs. Understand that your family members may be feeling different ways leading up to and on the big day. While we hope everyone is excited for you and on their best behaviour at your wedding, negative feelings may come up if blended family members feel excluded or uncomfortable.

Of course, everyone should leave the drama at home and it’s not your job to babysit anyone’s emotions. But in our experience, it helps to think through family dynamics. Open up the lines of communication during the planning process so the wedding day can be as smooth as possible. After all, a blended family just means more people to love and who love you, and that’s what your wedding should be all about!

 

written by Riana Ang-Canning
feature image by Erica Miller Photography

Throughout the pandemic, we’ve noticed a big trend of couples having at home weddings. We’re all for backyard wedding ceremonies and living room vows! But how do you make the same place where you binge Netflix or feed your dog feel like a wedding venue? How do you make your at home wedding feel special?

First things first, why have a wedding at home?

Of course, during the pandemic, an at home wedding is sometimes the safest option. With a wedding in your own home, you are likely hosting a smaller wedding with a limited guest list. You get to have an intimate moment with your closest loved ones, and don’t have to worry about postponing or venues closing.

An at home wedding is also a great way to create a really meaningful ceremony in a place that is important to you. Imagine getting to walk past the place where you said your vows or had your first dance and relive those memories every single day.

8 ways to make your at home wedding more special

If you’re thinking of an at home wedding or elopement, here are a few ways to make your home wedding feel extra special and meaningful:

Rearrange your space

Change the layout of your home so it’s more wedding-friendly. Whether it’s moving around couches, dragging a table across the house or setting up furniture in the backyard, rearranging your space will make your home feel like a brand new venue.

Splurge on something extra

With an at home wedding, you may be saving costs by not spending on transportation, limiting your guest list, etc. With those extra funds, splurge on something extra that will take your home wedding to the next level. Hire a bartender to run the home bar, rent decor pieces or install a floral arch!

Set a dress code

If you’re usually a sweats and sweatshirts kind of couple, you can make your home wedding more special by dressing up and asking your guests to join you. There’s something fun about lounging around your house in formal wear. Of course, we also love marrying people in jeans and t-shirts, so formal is optional!

Serve a special meal

With an at home wedding, you have lots of options for the meal you serve at your reception – options you may not have at a traditional venue. Hire caterers and servers for a formal affair, order take-out from your favourite restaurant or ask your mom to make a personal family favourite in your kitchen.

Use your whole space

You don’t have to limit your at home wedding to just your living room or just your backyard. Get creative! Get ready in different rooms, set up decor in the hallway, and take photos in your reading nook or at the park across the street.

Incorporate elements you could only have at an at home wedding

Getting married in your home allows you to do things you may not have been able to do if you got married somewhere else. You can include your pets in different parts of your celebration, get married in front of an important family heirloom, or incorporate pieces of your furniture and decor into your wedding.

Get creative with your entertainment

Unless you live in a really large place, you probably don’t have a ballroom and full-sized dance floor in your house. But that doesn’t mean you have to skip the entertainment at your home wedding! Move furniture aside to create a small dance floor, play lawn games in the backyard, set up board games in the living room, or fire up the TV for a movie night or karaoke party.

Skip the housework

The last thing you want to do on your wedding day is clean up. But when you get married at home, you can’t exactly leave the mess behind! If you have the budget, consider hiring cleaners to help out. Or at the very least, save the cleaning until the next day so you can enjoy your entire wedding.

---

Would you get married at home? Or if you did, how did you make your at home wedding special?

 

Written by Riana Ang-Canning
Feature image by Amber Leigh Photography

So you’ve found an officiant and you think you’re ready to book. But how do you know if you’re making the right decision? Here are 15 questions to ask your wedding officiant to make sure they’re the right fit for you before you book! 

One of our primary goals at Young Hip & Married is making sure you’re happy and comfortable with the person that is marrying you. We want you to be confident in the officiant you’ve chosen and the words they’re going to say on your special day.

Both our Sweet & Simple and Custom & Creative ceremony packages offer a face-to-face (or virtual!) complimentary consultation with you and your chosen officiant. That’s the perfect time to get to know your officiant, for them to get to know you, and for you to get answers to all of your officiant questions.

Prior to that meeting, our Customer Service Rockstars are available to answer all of your logistical questions and to match you with an officiant who they think will be a great fit for your wedding day. And if it’s not a great fit, they’d be more than happy to introduce you to another officiant on the team!

1. Logistics

First things first, you’ll want to get the logistics out of the way. If you book with Young Hip & Married, many of these questions will be answered before you meet with your officiant.

Are you available for my wedding date? Of course, this is the first question you’ll need to confirm with your officiant.

Can you legally officiate our wedding and file our marriage licence? All of our Young Hip & Married officiants are fully licensed to legally marry you and file your marriage licence. Note that in Canada, you can only be married by a licensed officiant or commissioner; friends and family cannot get ordained online like they do in the movies!

What are the costs? All of our packages and prices are listed on our packages page. You can confirm any additional costs, like travel fees, with our Customer Service Rockstars during the booking process.

2. Do you have any reviews?

Reviews are a great way to hear from other couples about their experience with your chosen officiant. At Young Hip & Married, we have over 1200 reviews for you to read through! You can also check out our Google pages and WeddingWire page.

3. Do you offer relationship coaching or counselling services?

We care more about your lifelong marriage than your one day wedding. Young Hip & Married is very pleased to offer both relationship coaching and relationship counselling services. Not sure what you need? Find out the difference between counselling and coaching!

4. What time will you arrive on the wedding day? 

The last thing you want on your wedding day is to stress out about your officiant arriving on time. At Young Hip & Married, our officiants always arrive a minimum of 15 minutes early (though usually well before then) and leave themselves lots of time to get to and from your wedding.

5. What happens if you get sick? 

No one wants to think about a vendor being sick or stuck in an emergency and unable to make a wedding. Luckily, Young Hip & Married has a team of back up officiants who are able to step in should your original officiant not be able to make it. Breathe easy knowing you won’t have to scramble to find a new officiant at the last minute!

6. Can you help us with our vows?

Vows are a big part of your wedding ceremony – whether you write your own vows or choose prewritten vows. And your Young Hip & Married officiant is able to help you choose or write the best vows for you. We have resources, blog posts and an entire vow course for you to get the best wedding vows ever!

7. Is the ceremony script custom written for us?

Some couples are happy for their officiants to use a pre-written script and others want their ceremony script to be completely personalized and custom written for them. At Young Hip & Married, we offer both options with our Custom & Creative ceremony package (custom written script) and our Sweet & Simple ceremony package (pre-written script).

8. Can we see the ceremony script ahead of the wedding day? 

We want you to be confident not only in the officiant you’ve chosen but in the words they’re going to say at your wedding ceremony. That’s why we always send our couples their completed ceremony scripts ahead of their wedding day.

9. Can we make changes to the ceremony script? 

It’s one thing to be able to see your ceremony script ahead of time, but what if you see something written that you don’t like? With our Custom & Creative ceremony package, couples can make unlimited revisions to their custom scripts. Your officiant will work with you until you’re happy with every word being spoken at your ceremony.

10. Can we incorporate our cultures, traditions and/or religions into the ceremony?

We want your wedding ceremony to feel like you two and include all of your important cultural, religious and personal traditions. Our officiants have experience blending different cultures and religions together, and are so happy to learn new traditions for your ceremony. With the Custom & Creative ceremony, we can work with you to craft a ceremony that represents you and what you value most.

11. What if we want to add something else to the ceremony? 

Interested in adding another creative element to your wedding ceremony? We’re all for it! Our officiants love putting more of your love and personality into your Custom & Creative wedding – whether that’s incorporating a beer blending unity ceremony or dressing up alongside you for a Halloween wedding.

For more unique ceremony ideas, check out our blog post on 23 creative additions for your wedding ceremony!

12. Do you facilitate our wedding rehearsal?

Having an officiant facilitate your wedding rehearsal is a great idea – after all, we’re the experts! With hundreds of weddings under our belts, our team can take the lead to ensure everyone in your wedding party feels comfortable and confident on the big day.

A wedding rehearsal is included in our Custom & Creative package and can be added to our Sweet & Simple package.

13. What are you going to wear on our wedding day?

While this might seem like a silly question, it’s totally okay to ask your officiant what they’re going to wear on your wedding day. They are going to end up in some of your photos, so you want them to be camera-ready (without pulling focus!).

Especially if you have a specific dress code, or you’re hosting a theme wedding, it’s a great idea to talk about outfits with your officiant ahead of time.

14. Do you have recommendations for other wedding vendors? 

Awesome wedding vendors know other awesome wedding vendors – and we love working with them! Absolutely ask your officiant for recommendations if you’re still looking to hire other vendors for your big day.

15. What if we forgot to ask you something? 

Not to worry! Your Young Hip & Married officiant is always a quick email away and more than happy to answer any of your questions.

---

written by Riana Ang-Canning
featured image by Erica Miller Photography