Nashville Wedding Ministers | Nashville Wedding Ministers | Nashville Wedding Coordinator
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Officiating:
I lead and equip a team of ministers whom I have personally selected who are available to officiate weddings. I can specialize your ceremony and vows to be either Christian & religious in nature or non-religious and secular. I have several standard ceremonies and vows that I provide that can be followed exactly with no changes or they can be modeled and adapted to whatever the couple wants. I officiate many of the ceremonies personally and many are assigned to members of my team of associate ministers, all of whom are licensed or traditionally ordained by local churches or recognized denominations, just as I am. I do not utilize individuals with ordination obtained online or in any similar non-traditional manner.
Coordination Services involve my assistance in the logistics of the wedding ceremony itself. Brides who contract my coordination services will have planned their own wedding, but still want the assistance of a professional, paid coordinator to “run the show” at the rehearsal and at the wedding itself. I provide my coordinating clients with three meetings prior to the event, emails and phone calls as needed and direction of the rehearsal and direction of the wedding event itself. Coordinating services may be provided by me personally, or by one of my staff event coordinators.
Event Planning:
This service is for the bride who wants professional guidance and assistance from the early planning stages all the way up to the event. I handle all event planning personally, working with my clients to secure venues, vendors, work on budget, theme, plus a host of other details of the wedding or other type of events. This service may be provided to the client who may not need a coordinator on the day of the event, or has a close friend or relative who will “run the show” on the day of the event, but wants the help of a dedicated, full-time event professional to supervise the planning process. Please note that Event Planning is seperate from Coordination.
Officiating charge is $300.00
plus travel expenses when applicable
Coordinating charge is $500.00
plus travel expenses when applicable
Event Planning is $30 per hour plus a $500 up-front retainer fee. Please refer to the Wedding and Event Client Contract for details.
Types of Bookings :
In addition to my traditional weddings with large guest lists that are planned and booked months in advance, I welcome small, spontaneous elopement-type wedding ceremonies. Many couples prefer the more intimate and cost-effective nature of small or “elopement” weddings. I offer specific elopement packages at Belmont Mansion and Eastland Baptist Church, but I am happy to officiate these ceremonies whever you want within reason, subject to availability. In many of these bookings I may be able to forgo the formality of a contract and deposit. Since I am a full-time wedding professional I am often available to officiate these ceremonies with minimal notice, whether during normal business hours during the week or in come cases, on weekends or even holidays. In some cases I have gone from phone call to ceremony in less than an hour! I am also able to step in and officiate or coordinate a wedding that may have been previously booked with another wedding professional if that person becomes unavailable at the last moment. In some such cases I may be able to send one of my associates if I am not able to staff the wedding personally. Whatever your need is, please feel free to contact me to see if I can be of service to you. If you would like to read more about elopement options and fees, please visit my main elopement website at www.RichEvents.org/elope.
Securing a Booking:
Please contact me to discuss availability on the date of your event. I require a signed contract and deposit to secure an available date for any coordinating and officiating servies provided by me personaly or by one of my associates. You can download the Wedding and Event Client Contract and submit it to me in person, by mail, email or by fax. If sending the contract via fax, please follow up with an email or phone call to be sure that I received it. Deposits may secured with cash, check or online payment. Please select the “Online Payments” button at the top of the website for credit/debit card options. All final payments must be in cash, with cashier’s check or money order. If Rev. Rich is providing service personally the final payment may be made online no later than seven (7) days prior to the event. Any reimbursements for travel expenses must be paid in cash to the member of the Rich Events team providing service.
Other Considerations and Information:
Marriage License
Couples are responsible for obtaining a marriage license prior to their wedding ceremony. Marriage licenses are issued in each Tennessee County by the County Clerk. The office serving Nashville, TN is the Davidson County Clerk. Their web address is http://nashvilleclerk.com/living/marriage-license/ and their telephone number is (615) 862-6256. The Davidson County Clerk’s office has recently moved back to its previous location in the Howard School Office Building at 700 Second Avenue South in Nashville. Tennessee wedding licenses require the signature of the bride and groom (obtained upon application at the clerk’s office) and of the officiant and one witness (obtained immediatly after the ceremony). If you need to obtain a marriage license on Saturday please contact the Cheatham County Clerk at 615-792-5179 or visit them online at http://cheathamcountytn.gov/government/county_clerk/index.html . Eloping couples with no wedding party or guests need to inform me if they cannot provide a witness for their ceremony. There must be a witness must be present at the wedding and her or she should be an adult. For weddings outside of Tennessee, please consult your local county clerk or courthouse in advance of your wedding to be sure that you are in compliance with all state and county marriage regulations. For weddings of couples who are not U.S. citizens, it is the responsability of the couple to provide all needed documentation in order to obtain a U.S. marriage license and to follow up with any necessary documentation in their home country directly or by way of their home country’s consulate or embassy.
Non-Binding Ceremonies
I am happy to officate, coordinate and/or plan wedding ceremonies or vow-renewals for couples who are already legally married or for other couples who wish to have a public ceremony that is not legally binding. Certain venues (Including Eastland Baptist Church) have policies regarding the nature of ceremonies allowed which must be considered in the planning process.
Searching for a Venue
In addition to Belmont Mansion and Eastland Baptist Church where I serve as Director of Weddings & Rentals, I have officiated and coordinated weddings at over 60 public venues throughout the mid-South. If you are searching for a venue in Middle Tennessee , Northern Alabama, or South Central Kentucky, then I can help. I have officiated as far away as North Texas. I have officiated at more public venues and private residences than I can possibly remember! If you are searching for a venue for your wedding ceremony, elopement ceremony, renewal-0f-vows ceremony, wedding reception, rehearsal dinner or bridal photo session, please feel free to ask me for suggestions. In many cases I can give you the name, phone number and email address of the venue manager, wedding coordinator or owner of many area wedding venues. One of my premier partner vendors is Kellie Bryson of Main Event Productions. Her company includes A Catered Affair, The Bake Shoppe, Events at 1418 and her new venue, Legacy Farms. Please visit her websites at www.MainEventPro.com and www.LegacyFarmsTN.com. She has catered many weddings for me and I have officiated and or coordinated weddings at both of her venues. Events at 1418 is located on Church Street at I-40 near downtown Nashville. Legacy Farms is located in lovely country setting on the east side of the greater Nashville area between Lebanon and Murfreesboro.
Venue Restrictions on Officiants
If you plan to contract my officiating services in a church or church-related venue, please be sure to verify that outside officiants are permitted. Some non-church related venues may have an in-house officiant or list of approved officiants so be sure to check that out in advance.
Pre-Marital Counseling
I do not require pre-marital counseling for my clients, except for those who marry at Eastland Baptist Church. For Eastland clients and for any others who wish to satisfy state requirements for the discounted marriage license fee I have a pre-marital couseling program available. I am also able to refer clients to various marriage and family counselors for in-depth counseling to address specific relationship issues.
Combination of Services
Often I am able to combine officiating, coordinating and planning services. In some instances I am able to perform multiple functions personally. In other instances I may assign officiating duties to an associate minister and coordinating duties to one of my event coordinators if I am already booked to another event myself. Please contact me to discuss combination options.
Travel
Yes, I can travel to officiate and/or coordinate weddings. I have traveled all over the mid-south as far as Paducah, Chattanooga, Huntsville, Jackson and Sparta officiating and coordinating weddings. I require a fuel allowance according to market prices for travel by car to be paid in a specific, pre-detemined amount of money. If an overnight stay is necessary, I require hotel lodging, fuel and meal allowances in a specific, pre-determined amount of money unless the client is able to reserve a hotel room and meals for me along with the rest of a wedding party. I also require reimbursement for any other expenses required to fulfill my duties including but not limited to valet or paid parking, venue admission or special attire. If am am not available to officiate/coordinate personally I may be able to assign your wedding to one of my staff ministers and/or coordinators. The same travel requirements apply to my staff.
One of my favorite venues to travel to, that is just outside of Nashville, is Lakeside Resort. Their beautifully landscaped grounds surrounded by rolling hills and the beautiful waters of Center Hill Lake offer a background for your wedding or other event that will not be soon forgotten! They can be reached by phone at 888.839.4799 or online at www.lakesideresort.com. I have enjoyed officiating at this venue and encourage you to consider them if you are planning an outdoor, waterside wedding.
Miscellaneous
If I have not covered your question please know that I am happy to discuss any special situations in person, on the phone at 615.305.2021 cell, 615.460.6589 office or via email at brandon@richevents.org. My main website is www.RichEvents.org.
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