Living Full Circle

There’s more to a Life Celebrant/officiant that just words and signing documents.

I’ve seen many posts asking for information on Life Celebrants/Officiants which also include how much is too much for their services? What I don’t usually see is how much is too little?
The Life Celebrant/officiant is a significant part of your wedding day. No matter what couples think they want (quick, easy, lengthy, etc.) a couple will look back on their day and decide how well that officiant did. How successful was your day because of your officiant? Here are some things to think about:

1. Who are you and your partner? What is your personality? What type of officiant would best reflect you and the ceremony you envision?

2. Interview, interview, interview. Most officiants will offer a no-charge meet and greet so that you can get a feel for them (whether in person or over zoom or other platform). This is one of my must-do’s and is separate from the Consultation appointment. As good as their website might be, the officiant’s site, regardless of pictures and fancy fonts, doesn’t give you more than the basics of that officiant. Through an in-person or zoom chat, the couple can hear the voice and the tone of the officiant; they will see body language and facial expressions; feel the energy across the screen. What feeling do you come away with?

3. For the officiant, she/he will also get a feel for you. While it’s the couple’s day, an officiant wants to feel good about who they are working with as well. They, too, have the right to refuse if they are not comfortable. I believe in building a relationship with my couples. Whether that is for a few weeks or months, I am invested in your wedding day. How can we create your best day?

4. Ask your officiant about their experience and how past ceremonies changed (if any did) from the first meetings to the final day. You would be surprized how many changes take place! How did they include things that are an important part of the ceremony that couples had in mind?

5. Usually an officiant is co-creating with the couple. They need you and your input to best reflect you and your partner on your special day.

6. Find out if the officiant has packages. People see the word ‘package’ and can be intimidated, feeling locked in, without flexibility. An officiant will likely have three or four packages that they have put together for the convenience of the couples. I have done this, complete with pricing, … nothing is written in stone. It’s a starting place for the couple and might include things that the couple might not have considered but yes!, we want that! Costs can go up or down as the couple add to the ceremony or take things away. That’s for you and your officiant to discuss.

Please don’t take advantage of your officiant. If you, for instance, choose and lock into a simple package price and then add a lot of work for the officiant, be reasonable and expect that if they wish, the officiant might charge more.

7. An officiant in Ontario has spent a lot of time working to be that. The Province of Ontario has specific requirements for officiants that are licensed to marry couples; we also have legal obligations that we must fulfill to keep our licensure. Please don’t discount that. In my case, I am an ordained Metaphysical Minister which required a full year of course work and its associated costs, never mind the hours upon hours of the research and work I did on my own to become the best that I could be.

8. Please don’t dismiss the many hours an officiant spends crafting the words, and creating a feel for your ceremony; the time spent back and forth in communication so that your ceremony is your unique ceremony. These hours are rarely covered in the final cost they have quoted you for your special day.

9. To get an idea of reasonable costs for my services, I start at the municipal level. What does your municipal City Hall charge for a no frills, ten minute service? Can I do better than that? Sometimes, and only in some circumstances. It gives me a starting place, however, and I believe that when looking at what an officiant charges, couples should have some knowledge of that. Being a Life Celebrant/officiant is a joy and honour for me – it’s also part of my income work, and it is not free.

10. It’s your wedding day! It will be perfect no matter what mishaps occur, what the weather is like, or who doesn’t show. This is the day that you and your partner commit yourself to each other for life, whether your ceremony is intimate or small, or whether you have one hundred and fifty people present.

Do you want to downplay the importance of having the right officiant?

Wishing you many blessings on your wedding day!

Step into Your Own Life…Return to Love ❤️

Flowers remind me of the beauty and brevity of life. They teach patience as you await some to bloom, enhancing their beauty. And then they're gone.
Moral of this story: Enjoy every single second of this life. Embrace the beautiful parts, don't stress the areas awaiting to bloom...enjoy the process. We are but a breath, so treasure each one.'
~ Sanjo Jendayi

Image source: Depositphotos

Artwork by Pamela Zagarenski

Such a beautiful couple. Helping them co-create their wedding ceremony was an honour.

I invite you to read their full testimonial at https://www.livingfullcircle.ca/life-celebrancy

Ceremonies mark important times in our lives. Do you have a special time for which a ceremony or ritual will make it extra special? I'd love to help you!

Has a time come and gone for which you wish you had celebrated it, or acknowledged it in some way? It is never to late to do so. Let's start now.

As a shamanic practitioner, moving into non-ordinary reality on behalf of those looking for guidance and help is an honour. Want to know more? Please visit my website -

https://www.livingfullcircle.ca/shamanic-practices

"The preferred term for modern persons who engage in shamanism is “shamanic practitioner.” This denotes someone who has learned the methods and discipline of shamanic practice and works to help and heal others with these methods. If a shamanic practitioner is successful with clients over time, other people may call them a shaman, but it is considered inappropriate to name oneself a shaman." You can read more in this article by faculty members Robbie Staufer and Narrye Caldwell. https://shamanism.org/news/fss-polestar-what-is-a-shaman/

Because Advance Care planning is for all of us.

So very honoured to be part of a beloved friend's Croning Ceremony today. She is an inspiration for all women, and as she enters this new phase of her life, I wish her nothing but continued blessings.

Love you, Bethany!
(picture used with permission)

when the tears
line up on the
edge of my eyes

I choose one of them
to ride down my face
like a sled down a snow hill

I suppose

it's my playful act of defiance
against the cruelty of the world

to allow the child in me to romp a bit
before my adult wounds fester me out
my sacred daydreaming

so when I feel
the tears build
and it seems like
I’m being deconstructed

I strap into one of my toboggan tears
and we roll roll roll roll on

and sometimes I slowly
meander my way across
the gentle slope of my cheek
like I’m a tourist in my own body

and sometimes I ramble
straight down to the jump
at the end of my nose
like I’m a stunt man with a death wish

it doesn't matter how fast
I go on my salty sled

or if the two of us crash into
the palms of my hand or
the bathroom floor

because the point of my tears
remain the same:

it's all about motion

and my flowing tears are proof
that I am not frozen inside

there is still movement
underneath my hardened suffering

that despite how hard winter was
that the coming spring is relentless

and that, my love,
is all a miracle

Good advice for all new families. When we don't take the time for conversations, when we don't make decisions, we create chaos not only for ourselves but for our loved ones. You're not being an awful person because you want to discuss marital assets, old and new. You're being a responsible and considerate adult.

Something for us to talk about when we sit down to discuss Advanced Care Planning. :)

From the article: “If you want to guarantee a disaster, then don’t have a will or don’t talk about it and see how things unfold. It’s like, ‘Here are the guns, go play.’”

https://canadianfamilyoffices.com/estate-planning/new-spouses-invariably-upset-the-inheritance-apple-cart?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR2V0-4WlcZ9R3BiRB6M0kOQn2ry-J_0CveRVOxSaKYGk6J8HYiDeTX3jDA =1683633159

New spouses invariably upset the inheritance apple cart Families who don’t talk about and tackle these estate planning issues risk pain and resentment later

I hope I told you
How much you meant to me
And
How much I would miss you
When you were gone
I hope I told you
I hope I did

A little Poem by Athey Thompson
Taken from “A Little Book Of Poetry”
By Athey Thompson.
Art by S. Hee