Hey everyone, I was contacted by a woman and her fiancee to preform their commitment ceremony... I do not know them so this is very daunting to me actually.. I'm sure that sounds absurd because I became ordained simply to preform weddings and ceremonies, yet it frightens me. Interestingly enough when you think of commitment ceremony you think LGBT..and they are not. She told me that her fiancee and herself cannot seem to find a minister to preform their ceremony without actually legally marrying them...which I think is kind of odd. But anyway, I need help with the ceremony.. I just have a few questions..
Do I ask to get paid for such a thing and if so, how much would ya'll suggest?
How do I plan for a commitment ceremony, is it just like a wedding minus the marriage license?
(this is probably a stupid question) for those of you who have preformed such things, ...what do you wear..?
anyway, any help would be just peachy. thanks everyone!
Full Version: Commitment Ceremony NEED HELP
QUOTE (PriestessGwendolyn @ Aug 1 2009, 10:29 PM) 
Hey everyone, I was contacted by a woman and her fiancee to preform their commitment ceremony... I do not know them so this is very daunting to me actually.. I'm sure that sounds absurd because I became ordained simply to preform weddings and ceremonies, yet it frightens me. Interestingly enough when you think of commitment ceremony you think LGBT..and they are not. She told me that her fiancee and herself cannot seem to find a minister to preform their ceremony without actually legally marrying them...which I think is kind of odd. But anyway, I need help with the ceremony.. I just have a few questions..
Do I ask to get paid for such a thing and if so, how much would ya'll suggest? This is one that you would have to sort out. If you need the money then by all means if not then there is the option. If you have to put out expenses then you might consider asking for a donation or other payment. It is up to you and well what ever the budget of the couple is. Any income should be recorded if you need to file income taxes and what not.
How do I plan for a commitment ceremony, is it just like a wedding minus the marriage license? The one I watched was very close but with the language cleared up and all references were 'commitment' and not 'marriage'. I would also check with the "bride" to see if she is doing the event planning because she may even wish a marriage ceremony with full sacrament minus the papers.
(this is probably a stupid question) for those of you who have preformed such things, ...what do you wear..? Ask the "bride" they do most of the planning. Clothing should fit the event. I have not done one yet but I have been to one and the minister came dressed up formally. the rest of us were informal except the couple.
anyway, any help would be just peachy. thanks everyone!
Do I ask to get paid for such a thing and if so, how much would ya'll suggest? This is one that you would have to sort out. If you need the money then by all means if not then there is the option. If you have to put out expenses then you might consider asking for a donation or other payment. It is up to you and well what ever the budget of the couple is. Any income should be recorded if you need to file income taxes and what not.
How do I plan for a commitment ceremony, is it just like a wedding minus the marriage license? The one I watched was very close but with the language cleared up and all references were 'commitment' and not 'marriage'. I would also check with the "bride" to see if she is doing the event planning because she may even wish a marriage ceremony with full sacrament minus the papers.
(this is probably a stupid question) for those of you who have preformed such things, ...what do you wear..? Ask the "bride" they do most of the planning. Clothing should fit the event. I have not done one yet but I have been to one and the minister came dressed up formally. the rest of us were informal except the couple.
anyway, any help would be just peachy. thanks everyone!
Additionally, there are reasons that couples may wish to be married but single on paper. One of which is when the spouse may loose the childrens health-care if they are legally married and they can not afford to replace it. I knew a couple like this and they are happily living together going on like 10 years. They still can not afford health-care and are not married on paper.
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.