More from Joe

Guest blogger, Joe, sent me a list of lessons he has learned at the Marriage Factory. There is a part 2 to be posted later.  At the rate he is writing I expect him to start his own blog.  Every item is something we have learned the hard way.  Item 2 is the one that has me ready to kill.  How many blogs have I written about the question, Is everyone here?  They say yes, but no is the correct answer.

 

Lessons learned at the marriage factory:

1. Check the marriage license - helps discover couples who will need a
ceremony in Mandarin, Thai, Lao, etc.  The dates of birth helps pick
out who's who in the lobby - not every bride wears a wedding dress.

2. Ask if everyone's there.  Mention feeding the meter and using the
restroom, or people will forget where their witnesses have gone.

3. Go over the license with everyone before starting the ceremony.
Fixing typos before things start is free and easy.  Fixing legal
documents is neither.

4. Nervous laughter during the ceremony is normal.  So are tears, so
try to have tissues ready.

5. Nervous people can't remember more than 5 or 6 words at a time, so
parcel out the vows accordingly.

6. Children are bored by weddings, and a wooden bench is really loud
when a child is repeatedly kicking it.

7. And most importantly, be nice to the clerks!
--
Joe Mallon