More often than not, especially in the West Coast, where a majority of weddings are not traditional, couples ask friends or family to officiate their nuptials. Regardless if the chosen member has performed a wedding ceremony or not, there are so many moving parts to break or create a memorable matrimony. that is why #SharingLoveInSB produced:

Brunch Bites and Tasteful Tips
from an
Expert Wedding Officiate

“How to avoid DIY officiating pitfalls and create a
fairy tail wedding with tips and tricks”
by Patrice Handley

This intimate mini-retreat for local wedding planners was hosted by Patrice Handley at her fairytale garden which houses a magical and cherished yurt located on the property of her home.

The afternoon began with the harmonious classical guitar sounds of Joe Miller, which could be heard from the captivating entry of the garden. Once in the space, bohemian rentals and styling by Santa Barbara Picnic Co. adorned the serene garden atmosphere with unique props, seating and decor; immersing us into a tranquil and inspiring space where we got the chance to relax, connect, and live in the moment.

DELICIOUS sweets created by Lele Patisserie composed of a variety of desserts to please all palates, including; fresh mixed berries, chocolate mousse cups, strawberry shortcakes, colorful macarons and fresh baked cookies. The delectable pastries made it extremely difficult to choose from the variety or have just one or each!!……AND they paired well with both the coffee or the mimosas housed in charming Otis and Pearl Vintage Rentals.

Once we socialized and nibbled, we got comfy and took our seats amongst Santa Barbara Picnic Co. rentals. We were cozied up inside the yurt’s serene space wrapped in colorful chevron patterned Turkish Towel gifted to each of us by Riviera Towel Company,

“No matter how comfortable one is public speaking, talking about love, vulnerability, telling the story and orchestrating a ceremony is a challenging task, even for the professionals!” exclaims Patrice.

Patrice dug deeper and shared some of her tips for questions the planners posed such as:

”What aspects must be included in the wedding ceremony?”
”Can we write our own wedding vows?”
”Who submits the marriage license?”
”Who runs the rehearsal ceremony?”

Then planners shared some of their own learning lessons and mishaps of when a friend / family officiated one of their weddings.

Stories included not having the wedding rings at the time of the exchange, forgetting to print up the script, neither couple having their wedding vows, guests not able to hear the ceremony due to no microphone training, omission of the ring exchange all together, fumbling throughout the ceremony and surprisingly, the mispronunciations of names…..

Oftentimes, because it is a favor to the couple, the chosen officiate does not want to impose on the couple or ask them for guidance. More often than not, couples don’t even start on the ceremony until the week-of the wedding…..leaving little time for preparation, personalization and practicing of the wedding ceremony.

The least the couple can do when they ask someone for this grand favor, is to gift the person with a consultation with a wedding celebrant professional. Someone who can provide a timeline, clarity, tips, and personalization of the nuptials to tell the couple’s story, as well as instill confidence in the person conducting the ceremony. After all, isn’t why we’re all there……

The biggest take away form the afternoon is that weddings have the opportunity to “see” and “practice” pretty much everything in advance in order to eliminate surprises.

From menu tastings, to mock set ups; hair-and-make-up trials to dress fittings; cake sampling to rehearsal ceremonies; wedding preparation LITERALLY provides couples many opportunities during the planning process to make decisions and approve (see, taste, feel) their selection(s).

Therefore, there is absolutely NO REASON to leave a wedding ceremony to chance whenever a friend or family conducts the nuptials, (the entire reason you’re all gathered that day) to happily ever after……

What a delightful and enlightening afternoon for the #PamperedPlanners!

Thank you Willa Kveta for capturing this very special afternoon of #SharingLoveInSB.