The Three Minute Wedding

It happened again this past Saturday. About 20 minutes after the ceremony I went to the bridal room to personally congratulate the bride and groom. The first thing the bride said was, "I can't believe how short the ceremony was, it must have been three minutes long!" The groom started to laugh and said, "That's exactly what Bruce told me before the ceremony, it will feel like a three minute ceremony."


In fact the ceremony was nearly 20 minutes long but almost every couple tells me afterward that it seemed like three minutes. I guess it's understandable from their perspective and I often wonder what is going through their minds as the ceremony progresses. Certainly they are listening and when we get to the exchange of vows it always gets serious and usually emotional in some way. But, the fact remains, regardless of the length from the perspective of the bride and groom it always feels like a short ceremony.



Technorati Tags: Wedding, Minister, Spiritual, Chicago, Non-Denominational, Wedding Officiant

Wedding at the Metropolitan Club

Alexis and Sam got married this evening at The Metropolitan Club on the 66th floor of the Sears Tower. It's an outstanding venue and Joe Flynn, the private event director and his staff were wonderful to work with and very professional in the best sense of the word. Of course the views from the Sears Tower are amazing and it was a clear night so the views were exceptional both in the room where the wedding was held and in the dining room.

Lori Stephenson from LOLA Event Productions LLC was the coordinator. Lori and I do one or two weddings a year together and I always appreciate her thorough preparation and skills at guiding the ceremony from beginning to end. I don't have first hand knowledge of the other things she does to assist the bride and groom but I have no doubt her same attention to details comes through in all of her services.

If you want a photography team of three who advertise they take 1,200 to 2,000 photos at each ceremony and for a good part of the time, even though I asked them not to, stand next to me, like a member of the bridal party, then I would be happy to provide you with their contact information.

For more information on The Metropolitan Club, contact Joe Flynn at joe.flynn@ourclub.com or 312 993-2506 and Lori Stephenson at lori@lolaeventproductions.com or 773 942-6172. You can contact me at botto@SpiritedWeddings.com or 312 671-1804

Technorati Tags: Wedding, Minister, Spiritual, Chicago, Non-Denominational, Wedding Officiant

Great Photos from Notebaert Nature Museum

Last August I wrote about working with Sylver McAllister, from Sylver Studio at a wedding at Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. Syler has graciously provided the photos shown above, I really like them.

If you like what you see, you can contact Syler at syler@sylerstudio.com or 847 416-7343





Technorati Tags: Wedding, Minister, Spiritual, Chicago, Non-Denominational, Wedding Officiant

Photographs from White Pines Country Club

I was just reviewing the results of Google Alerts and discovered some wonderful photos from the wedding I conducted for Jennifer and John in August at White Pines. Gina, Matt and Amy of Imaginative Studios were the photographers. The photos of the wedding are posted on their Blog, check them out, I think you will be impressed.

I am so happy I found this blog and can share these great photos with you.

Imaginative Studios can be contacted at info@imaginativestudios.com

Technorati Tags: Wedding, Minister, Spiritual, Chicago, Non-Denominational, Wedding Officiant

White Pines Golf Club

My first visit to White Pines Golf Club was two years ago when Denise and Joe were married there. Last year I conducted a wedding for Joe’s sister Bernadette and Reginald, who were married at Promontory Point, part of the Chicago Park District. This year a mutual friend of both couples, John and Jennifer were married at the White Pines. They have a charming outdoor area for the wedding and the inside reception area is also very nice. Call the banquet manager, Ginger, at 630-766-0304, ext.2 or email banquetoffice@whitepinesgolf.com for more information. I found Ginger was delightful to work with and I look forward to my next visit to White Pines.

It's always rewarding to have couple refer me to their friends and family. I joked with Denise, Joe, Bernadette and Reginald, Jennifer and John about which one of their family members or friends would be contacting me about conducting their wedding in 2009. I hope it happens!

Technorati Tags: Wedding, Minister, Spiritual, Chicago, Non-Denominational, Wedding Officiant