| 1)
What is LoveNotes? |
| |
| LoveNotes-DFW Clergy Services is an organization of
licensed, ordained, experienced, non-denominational
ministers who provide ministerial services for weddings,
vow renewals, memorial services, baptisms, child
dedications, quinceañeras, etc. Weddings do,
however, make up 90% of our business.
LoveNotes fills the need for people who do not have a
connection with a particular place of worship or who do
not personally know a minister, priest, rabbi or judge who
can perform these services for their special event.
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| 2)
Is LoveNotes a ministry or a business? |
| |
| Yes and yes. LoveNotes is not a ministry that
enables us to do business. Rather, it is a business that
allows us to have a ministry. We believe we should try to
be 'all things to all men' (I Cor. 9:22).
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3)
How important is it to choose the right minister
or officiant?
Aren't they all pretty much the same and do the
same thing? |
| |
| A
car is a car, but a Pontiac is not a
Porsche. You are looking for dependability
and performance. The same holds true with the
wedding officiant. There are only 3 things
needed for a wedding: 1) the bride and groom 2)
the marriage license and 3) the officiant. Everything
else is important, but not essential.
Without
the officiant, there is no wedding. So
choose a wedding officiant for your ceremony who
not only will make it legal but who also
will make it lovely. At
LoveNotes, we believe that your ceremony is the 'main event' and sets the stage for the
rest of the festivities. Your ceremony is much
like a Broadway musical. You may have the best
performers, best costumes, best set design, best
lighting and sound, and best musical score, but if
the script stinks and the narrator is boring, the
show will be a flop. If your ceremony is a
disaster, the photographer and dj will have a more
difficult time getting everyone to smile and into
a festive spirit. Most brides give great attention to all the
details of their special day but sometimes
overlook the importance of the role the officiant
plays. Remember, the ceremony sets the tone for
the rest of the celebration and the officiant sets
the tone for the ceremony. Whether you choose to
have a ceremony that is serious and solemn, or
upbeat and celebrative, formal or informal,
LoveNotes Ministers will create the atmosphere and
mood that you desire. Our job at LoveNotes is to
give you a 'day to remember' and not a 'nightmare to forget'.
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| 4)
Why choose LoveNotes? |
| |
The
LoveNotes Ministers / Officiants are on the 'Preferred Vendors List' of more than
950 different wedding venues, vendors and wedding
professionals. They 'prefer' LoveNotes
because they know we are committed to being:
Punctual, Available, Flexible, Sensitive,
Dependable and Professional. We will also
give you Rev. Marty Younkin's book, 'A
Wedding Ceremony to Remember'(#1 best seller
on Amazon's wedding site) to help you custom
design your ceremony, organize your rehearsal, and
take you step by step from the entrance to the
exit.
Read reviews on www.amazon.com.
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| 5)
Will LoveNotes Ministers meet with us if we want to? |
| |
| Of course! If your schedule allows, we want to be
available for you. Once you receive your assigned minister's
packet and information, just give him / her a call or
email them to set up an appointment. They would love to
get to know you better and are more than happy to help you
in any way they can. However, they do not require you to
meet with them if your schedule does not permit. Many
questions may be answered by phone or email if it is more
convenient to communicate this way.
|
| 6)
If there is an emergency, what if my assigned minister is
unable to perform my wedding? |
| |
| That will rarely happen, but in the event that it does,
that is the advantage of having a multiple staff. All of
our ministers are trained to conduct ceremonies in the
exact same manner, so any one of them can officiate in
case an emergency should arise. All your paperwork and
rehearsal and ceremony worksheets will be given to the 'emergency minister' in order to take good care
of you. That is why it is important to fill out these
worksheets in their entirety.
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| 7)
What if my assigned minister is unable to attend the
rehearsal? |
| |
| If your assigned LoveNotes Minister is unable to
attend your rehearsal due to scheduling conflicts, etc.,
then another minister or coordinator on the LoveNotes
staff will be there to direct your rehearsal. All the
associates on the LoveNotes staff are trained to conduct
the rehearsal in the exact same way, and all wedding rehearsal
notes will be communicated to your assigned minister by
the associate who conducted your wedding rehearsal.
|
|
8)
What if I don't feel comfortable with my assigned
minister?
|
| |
| Once again, that is the advantage of having a
variety of ministers on our staff. Our main goal is to
make sure you are comfortable with your assigned minister.
If, for some reason, you feel like you don't 'connect', then another one will be assigned to
you, if you wish, depending upon availability.
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| 9)
Can we choose the kind of ceremony we want with special
wording, traditions or creative ideas? |
| |
| Absolutely! Our motto is
'Your Wedding Your
Way.' When you secure our services, we will send you
a complimentary copy of the book, 'A Wedding Ceremony
to Remember.' It is designed to help you choose the
perfect words for the perfect wedding. You also may
include materials from other resources in addition to the
ideas in our book. We want you to have the wedding you
have always dreamed of.
|
| 10)
Will LoveNotes Ministers perform non-religious ceremonies
or do I need to get a judge? |
| |
| Yes, LoveNotes Ministers will perform non-religious or
civil ceremonies. The difference between a judge and a
minister is this: A judge is licensed by the state to
perform civil ceremonies only, whereas, a minister is
ordained by God and the Church to perform religious
ceremonies, but also is licensed by the state to perform
civil ceremonies if he / she chooses to do so. We believe
the institution of marriage is ordained of God. Whether a
couple chooses to acknowledge God or not in their ceremony
is their choice, just as it is our choice to perform civil
ceremonies as well as religious ceremonies.
|
| 11)
Do LoveNotes Ministers perform Interfaith ceremonies? |
| |
| Yes. We recognize that people come from various
religious backgrounds and cultural traditions. Sometimes
the couple will accommodate both families by having two
different ceremonies to honor their individual heritages.
But most often the couple will incorporate both their
traditions into one ceremony. Again, we believe 'all
marriage should be honored by all men' (Hebrews 13:4),
and we wish to honor that by 'tying the knot'
for couples regardless of their cultural or religious
backgrounds.
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| 12)
What kinds of ceremonies will LoveNotes Ministers not do? |
|
| LoveNotes
Ministers will not officiate ceremonies that are contrary
to our religious beliefs and convictions ( i.e.
homosexual unions, pagan rituals, prayers or readings or
offerings to other gods, beings or entities, etc.).
However, we love to do themed weddings (i.e. western,
renaissance, Hawaiian, 40s, Disney, costumed, etc).
|
| 13)
Do you require premarital counseling? |
| |
| No, we do not require it. However, we would advise
that couples get some type of counseling or guidance to
help them prepare for the journey that lies ahead.
Remember, the wedding only lasts for a day, but the
marriage lasts for a lifetime. If you desire counseling,
we have several state certified and licensed marriage and
family counselors who are associated with LoveNotes. In
addition, there are many excellent premarital seminars
offered by various churches and organizations throughout the
DFW metroplex.
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| 14)
What are the requirements to get a marriage license? |
| |
| Both the bride and groom are required to apply in
person at any county clerk's office in the state of
Texas. A license obtained in one county is valid in
any other Texas county. To obtain the marriage license,
you must each take two forms of identification (i.e.
driver's license, social security card, military id.,
passport, certified copy of birth certificate). Fees
for a marriage license is $71 (cash only), but if
you go through counseling it is only $11. The
marriage license is valid for 30 days from issuance with a
72 hour waiting period before ceremony may take place.
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| 15)
What if someone else requests the date and time I want
before I return the contract? |
| |
| It is our policy to never give a date and time away once
we have received your request. If we get a call from
another bride for that same date and time, and you have
not yet sent your contract and deposit to LoveNotes, we
will call you to see if you still need our services. If,
after 24 hours we have not heard from you, your date and
time will be given to the other bride.
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| 16)
How does LoveNotes charge for these services or is payment
by honorarium? |
| |
| Since LoveNotes-DFW Clergy Services is a business,
we are like all other vendors in that we have set fees for
our services. A
deposit is required to secure LoveNotes services with the
balance due by the day of the event. We do give discounts
(deposit waived) to uniformed civil
servants (military personnel, policemen, firemen, etc.)
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| 17)
What are your fees? |
| |
Minister
for Ceremony only -$325; Minister for Ceremony
and Rehearsal -$425; The average fee
for a Wedding Minister / Officiant in the DFW
Metroplex is $100 - $600. We are in the
middle. Our goal is to give you the best
service at a fair price. At $325 - $425, the
LoveNotes Minister is still one of the least
expenses for your wedding but also one of the
most important. LoveNotes-DFW Clergy
Services is a full time business, not a part
time sideline. YOU are OUR business, 24 - 7 -
365!
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| 18)
How do we reserve LoveNotes for our wedding?
|
| |
|
You can
reserve
a
LoveNotes
Minister / Officiant in one of
two ways: A) Call Rev. Marty Younkin at LoveNotes-DFW
Clergy Services- 972-647-9580 x-1 and leave the date, time
and location of your wedding along with your name and
telephone number and your call will be returned promptly.
We will also need your mailing address so we can send you
an information packet. B) Go on line to
www.lovenotesweddings.com and fill out the form on the 'contact us' page. |
