The Off Season

This is considered the "off season" when it comes to weddings, and as an officiant, the "extra" time is useful for studying trends in wedding preferences, writing new vows and ceremonies, coming up with new and varied rituals with special, heartfelt meanings, and touching in with couples who really want to get a jump on their planning for next season. The pace is a little slower, yet, for those of us who are always looking into the future for what will be new and exciting, it is time to get out of the box and seriously think of something different.
Yes, it may be a means of putting us ahead of the next guy, to grab a greater portion of market share, but really, to me it means giving better service, being more efficient, offering more touching options and being able to provide nothing less than the best for my couples. It means making sure that my equipment is in top condition, including my car, so that I can be where I need to be when I need to be there. It means getting the PA to work without crackling. It means checking the wardrobe so that robes, suits and dresses are all dry-cleaned and repaired and the shoes shined. It means thinking ahead so that every contingency has been covered so the day of each wedding in the upcoming season, I am prepared, and prepared not only for what I have to do, but also prepared in case some other party to the wedding happens to drop the ball. So I restock my "gig back" with tissues, deodorant, bobby pins, hairspray, pins, needle and thread, lint roller, .....on it goes, because I'm not just there to do my part, I'm there to make sure that my couples have the most beautiful and perfect memory that is possible.