Last week I had a chance to sit down and talk with Debora Garner Andrews, wedding officiant and owner of An Everlasting Affair. I have photographed many weddings, and I have seen some great ceremonies, but I’ve never known what goes on behind the scenes to make great wedding ceremonies happen. Debora was kind enough to explain the process and tell us a little bit about herself and her business.
Debora started officiating weddings in Walla Walla, Washington, when she became an Ordained Minister (but she prefers the title “Wedding Officiant”) through Universal Life Church in April 2011 to officiate her daughter’s wedding. She was not working at the time, so she made her own job. And she loves it! Since then, she has performed over 35 ceremonies. She relocated to Seattle early this year.
When asked what is her favorite part of the job, she replies, “What I like the most is sitting down with the couples and coming up with their ceremony. There is a Q&A process to understand what they want. We start with a standard ceremony, then customize it. I take out parts, add parts, change wording, add readings and songs, etc.” Almost all Debora’s ceremonies that she performs are customized and unique. 99%.
She has three levels of services. The first service is a choice of standard ceremonies. The middle level includes custom vows with a choice of ceremonies. The highest level is a full service ceremony that is completely customized. This includes a planning meeting that lasts about 2 hours. She asks a lot of questions. How did the couple meet? How did they get engaged? Do they have a favorite song? She also sends home a questionnaire for each person. Sometimes the ceremonies have surprises because the bride and/or groom request Debora to say something special to the other person. The surprises are really fun and usually include funny stories. Customization was a really big deal in the Tri-Cities area and under the officiant that Debora trained under, and it’s her favorite thing to do.
Debora Garner Andrews, Officiant and Owner of An Everlasting Affair, performing a ceremony
I asked Debora if she had any advice for engaged couples looking for an officiant. She says, “Don’t hire a wedding officiant solely on price. It’s not a good idea. Take the time to make a phone call. Most officiants will talk to you on the phone, even if you are just getting their basic service. Talk to them. You’ll hear a lot from their voice. I enjoy talking to people. They are not going to know me by going to my website. They should take the time to get to know me, and I can get to know them vice-versa. There isn’t a couple whose ceremony I’ve performed that I haven’t spoken with at least once or twice on the phone. We also exchange a lot of emails.”
Debora is a non-denominational minister and believes people should be free to practice what they believe. In fact, her business cards state, “All faiths, beliefs and lifestyles welcome!” Her website says, “All people should be free to follow the beliefs of their own heart, free to benefit from those beliefs and free to share those beliefs without prejudice.” I think this is refreshing, and I completely agree.
In closing, Debora says, “People need to be open-minded and not settle on the first officiant they find.” In fact, she recently met with a future bride where Debora was the 4th or 5th officiant the bride had interviewed. In the bride’s own words, the other officiants were just “so serious!” She didn’t want to hire someone without a personality. She said she liked Debora and hired her on the spot!
It was a pleasure getting to know Debora and welcome her to Western Washington. Please visit her website at www.aneverlastingaffair.com. I checked it out, and it has lots of helpful information, not only about her services, but also about wedding ceremonies and ceremony planning in general.
The Peridot Photography Blog 