Stacey + Jonathon (12.1.18)

Posted on January 17, 2019 by Alex

I don’t always get to see photos from couples, so when I received these, I was thrilled and knew I just had to share!

Vendors:

Venue – @vibianaevents
Caterer – @redbirdla
Photographer – @lovetribeweddings
Planner – @mongeamoreevents
Florals – @thetangledvine
Video – @shutterandsound
Rentals – @edgedesigndecor
Beauty – @allaroundglambykim
Calligraphy – @calligkatrina
Cake – @layers_and_co
Photobooth – @viralboothoc

DJ/MC – #RRMixshow
Bride – @_itsstacey
Groom – @j_ar_

Officiant: #themerryministers

Couples’ Choice Awards 2019!

Posted on January 17, 2019 by Alex

Well, it looks like all of those weddings from 2018 paid off in more ways than one: I was recently notified that The Merry Ministers is a recipient of the Couples’ Choice Awards for 2019!

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This is awarded by WeddingWire, where I receive most of my client referrals from, and is based on the quantity and quality of customer reviews (so yes, potential couples, I WILL be asking you for a review!).

These distinguished vendors exhibit superior professionalism, responsiveness, service, and quality when interacting with the five million monthly consumers who turn to WeddingWire to help ease their wedding planning process.

Officiating is not my full time job, but it is a passion job. I love connecting with couples. I love being a part of such an intimate and memorable moment in peoples lives. I love standing next to the groom as he sees his bride walking down the aisle. I love been privy to those little conversations the bride and groom exchange while I’m officiating (“you look beautiful!” “we finally made it!”). It’s such an honor to know that couples are happy with the work that I do, which makes this award pretty significant for me.

So, thank you to all my couples, from 2018 and before, and all my future couples: I love being a part of your day!

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Thank you to Love Tribe Weddings for capturing this image!

Nature provides the perfect backdrop

Posted on May 16, 2018 by Alex

A ceremony last month took me to a little secluded area of Carbon Canyon Regional Park. It was a little ways in from the parking lot, but oh so worth it. This was a small, intimate ceremony, so there were no chairs, and no nothing! And guess what? It was absolutely perfect. Both moms shared some thoughts in the middle of the ceremony, which brought me to tears. I absolutely love the privilege of getting to share these special moments with so many couples!

Thank you so Marisa Peterson for sharing these lovely photos of Brittany and Ugo.

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These last two are my favorites. So many times the bride and groom are nervous and on edge when they get to the ceremony (not specifically Brittany and Ugo, but couples in general)-they’ve been preparing and getting ready for this moment all day (and maybe all year!), then they’re finally there, and it’s just such an intense moment for them. I LOVE when I’m able to make couples feel more comfortable by breaking the ice with some random commentary. I remember one groom telling me after the ceremony: I’m so glad you made that joke…I felt like there was so much tension, then you made everyone laugh and I was able to relax. Mission: accomplished.

Congrats to Brittany + Ugo, and thanks for letting me share in such a special day!

Super Secret Civil Ceremony

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Alex

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Back in January I had the distinct honor of officiating the wedding ceremony for a very dear friend of mine from college. They got married through the Catholic church and had their big reception in June, so the January ceremony was just for family and a few close friends, and was kept a secret until their big wedding day. It was hard to not post any pictures right after the ceremony-I was so excited to be a part of this moment for them!

The intimate ceremony took place in front of the water fountain in Echo Park, which is where Ana and Jose had their first blind date. The location therefore had a lot of significance to them, and it was great to be able to come to them and marry them in the exact location they wanted.

It’s pretty amazing that what started as a random request from a law-school friend to officiate her wedding has allowed me to officiate for so many of my dearest and friends from all walks of life (college, law school, co-workers from my Starbucks days, etc.).

Excited to see where this little journey takes me next!

Ceremony Ideas for the Outdoorsy-Type

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Alex

I am currently working on a wedding for a couple that is very active and loves to go on hikes, and I was brainstorming ways to incorporate that into their wedding since they did not have any commemorative portion planned for their ceremony. Here are a few things I came up with:

Plant a bamboo plant with rocks collected from different hiking trails you’ve been on together
Plant something else with dirt that you’ve collected on different hikes (can have the dirt in mason jars with trail names)
Have a map of Mammoth (where groom proposed)/California/United States and mark trails on there with string or hears or some kind of marker-either that you’ve been on or would like to go on; or map of Mammoth and mark the spot where the proposal happened
Kind of cheesy, but maybe instead of a wine box you have a “hikers backpack” that you pack during the ceremony with stuff you’ll need for your next hike–you can include a Polaroid of everyone at the ceremony, maybe a bottle of your favorite alcohol/wine and you can take a shot before you put it in your backpack, or items that you can explain why they’re important to you/him each other (can be cheesy or romantic).

The bride loved the bamboo idea, and since they are Chinese there is extra significance to this. I’m excited to see this come to life at their wedding at Serra Plaza at the end of October.

Bouquet Toss Alternative

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Alex

On Saturday I saw a bouquet toss alternative that was so cute and different that I had to share!

Instead of tossing the bouquet, the bouquet was placed inside a bird cage which was locked. There was a display of vintage keys on an easel, that was moved to the dance floor along with the bird cage, and all the single ladies lined up to pick a key and see if it unlocked the bird cage. There were enough keys for almost two rounds, and it seemed like the ladies enjoyed this much more than standing and trying to catch the bouquet–and subsequently there was no injury to the bouquet!

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It’s been a while!

Posted on August 9, 2013 by Alex

Lots and little has happened since our Fall 2012 Wrap Up Blog. Shortly after that, I (Alexandra) found out that my husband and I were expecting! With a baby due in August (he’s due in a little over a week, eek), I figured I should lay low on the officiating 🙂

At the time we found out, I already had two weddings booked for the 2013 season, so I emailed both couples right away and let them know that I’d have a 6 and 7 month belly for their weddings. I knew this may not be ideal for some brides, but both of them were super nice and told me that as long as I was feeling ok, they would still like me to officiate their wedding. So, here’s my big 2013 season wrap up!

The first wedding was at a beautiful building in Redlands, CA, called The Mitten Building. I really love how this beautiful couple set up the building, with the ceremony in the area upstairs, and the reception set up in the larger area downstairs. There was also a great basement level bar that was very cool!

Building used to be an old citrus production warehouse, hence the orange theme–I thought this was a great touch!

The upstairs ceremony area

A terrible shot of the downstairs reception area

Another bad photo of the very cool basement bar!

My second and last wedding of the season was close to home, but in a completely unexpected location! This one took place at the Newland Barn in Huntington Beach, which I had never heard of. When driving there for the rehearsal, I thought I was lost because my directions took me straight into a shopping center. I was freaking out that I was completely lost and would be late for the rehearsal, but nope, I was in the right place! Tucked in the back corner of the shopping center is a city owned property with the cutest little barn and gazebo, that serve as the perfect wedding venue!

Beautiful lace settings

And I loved this idea for guests to sign:

Gorgeous and creative, isn’t it?

Well, I want to give a special thanks to both of these great couples that allowed me to still be a part of their ceremony, even with a big belly in the way!

I’m looking forward to an active 2014 season already!

This and That, kind of

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Alex

When I started this website I wanted to share new and exciting ideas that I came across on various blogs and forums with all of you. It’s a little time consuming the way that I’ve been doing it, so I don’t get around to it as often as I’d like.

What I do quite often, however, is pin stuff to my Wedding Shenanigans, Wedding Photo Ideas, and Party Ideas boards on Pinterest. I’m trying to figure out how to link it to this blog, but until then, feel free to follow those boards on Pinterest so you can find cool ideas for your wedding day!

And if any of you have the technical know-how to get those linked to here, I’d be forever grateful 🙂