Ceremony Services
"It is such a happiness when good people get together—and they always do." - Jane Austin
The License
In Oregon, you are required to apply for a marriage license within 60 days before your wedding by going to your County Clerks Office. You can apply in any Oregon County and be married in any Oregon County. The completed license must be filed back to that county within 5 days of your ceremony.
Your Officiant
Anyone can become ordained to perform a wedding in Oregon, but consider that not everyone can 'perform' a wedding! Having someone you know do the honors is very personal and sometimes a lot of fun, but we have seen some well-intentioned friends and relatives, doing this for the very first time and not wanting to disappoint, get a little nervous at the last minute. Not everyone has experience with writing and performing meaningful ceremonies, coordinating a wedding party, and ensuring the license is completed accurately and filed in a timely manner. If you are inviting someone to perform your wedding who has not done this before, we will be happy to give some guidance. If you are asking a professional, we will work with them to coordinate your wedding party.
Our Officiants
Not everyone knows what to expect from an officiant, where to start, or what questions to ask, so I usually start with a little about our style here at Lavender Owl Farm.
We have many years of experience and our ceremonies are casual, meaningful, a little amusing, or downright funny! We engage your guests and help keep you at ease, so if a little laughter helps you relax and enjoy the moment, then that is what we do! There are no rules, it doesn't have to be scary, and there is no wrong way to do or say anything! If you need to cry or blow your nose, adjust your clothes, or watch for the 3-year-old flower girl/ring barer to finish showing off, we will wait!
Getting Personal
Getting to know you, how you met, and what you like to do together helps to create a more personal ceremony. If you have pets, kids, or other funny or romantic stories about each other, we can incorporate those to create a ceremony just for you. A mention of a pet peeve, a romantic gesture, or an annoying or funny habit makes everything more special and helps keep you relaxed during the whole show! And we hopefully get to entertain your guests!
During your planning, we will send a questionnaire to learn what kind of ceremony suits your personality, ideals, and style and send you some ideas on the types of ceremonies we perform.
A Typical Ceremony
Processional: Where you all get to walk down the aisle, usually to music and lots of oos and aahs!!
Greeting: Usually addressing your guests and thanking them for coming all this way
Opening Words: What it means to be here and those personal anecdotes and stories, how you met, and what things in your lives either make the other person love you more or annoy the heck out of you!
Intention: The I-do's.
Vows: The promises you want to make to each other. You can write your own, or we can add some words for you to exchange.
Rings: Sometimes combined with the vows. Often the butt of 'where is the ring' jokes!
A reading or blessing: Closes the ceremony with a poem, quote, or words of wisdom, spiritual guidance, or a more light-hearted speech to send you on your new life. A friend or relative may read this.
Pronouncement: After which you may kiss, and kiss again for the cameras!
Recessional: When you walk back up the aisle, usually to music and cheers and applause from the guests.
A few samples of our pre-written and custom ceremonies are:
Short and Sweet: Our most popular Ceremony - Traditional elements, some meaningful words, and personal anecdotes. Choose from romantic, spiritual, humorous, or a little of all three! Add your own personal vows, or we will write some for you
Fast and funny: Great for Elopements - The traditional I-do's and vows, but with more of a 'let's get hitched' kind of vibe. Great for those Elopements and Tiny Weddings with very few guests to entertain!
The Love Story: A Custom Ceremony - Taking inspiration from some of your most romantic moments, how you met, or how the proposal happened. Pull a line or quote from a favorite movie, poem or song and a romantic reading. Guaranteed to make someone cry!
Spiritual and Meaningful: A Custom Ceremony - By learning more about your lives, family, hopes, and dreams we can create words of wisdom and intention that reflect you, your ideals, and beliefs.
A Few Tips
When planning your ceremony, consider your guests. Make it fun and meaningful for them, and make sure they can hear everything. If you have more than about 15 guests, a microphone and speaker are important, or a good DJ! Make your ceremony interactive for the guests, or just family members. There are several ways to incorporate them into the ceremony with Special Elements.
Add Special Elements to any Ceremony
Hand Fasting
Unity Candles
Sand and other Earth Ceremonies (interactive)
Rock Blessing (interactive)
Wedding Rings Blessing (interactive)
Wine and Love Letter box
Etc. Many other traditional, spiritual, and quirky elements can be researched online
Costs and Details
Our professional officiants will write and coordinate your ceremony and wedding party from processional to recessional, attend the rehearsal, and complete and file your legal paperwork.
Standard Ceremony - $250
Custom Ceremony - from $300
Add a Special Element - $50