Officiant Contract
Full Wedding Ceremony Agreement and Confirmation
In consideration of the mutual covenants and agreement herein contained, The Officiant and The Couple hereby agree to the following terms and conditions:
THE OFFICIANT’S RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. The Officiant shall perform a marriage ceremony for The Couple on the day included in their online booking form.
2. The Officiant warrants that he is a professional officiant, recognized as a legally ordained minister, fully qualified to officiate wedding ceremonies and solemnize the rites of all marriages in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
3. The Officiant will provide the following services under the terms of this agreement:
· A preliminary confirmation reserving the date, time and location of the wedding ceremony as indicated above and a physical receipt for any deposits made will be sent via email to The Couple.
· An initial introductory meeting with the Bride-to-be, Groom-to-be and any other parties they may wish to attend.
· Creation of the wedding ceremony, including any desired elements of The Couple.
· Two weeks prior to the wedding, a member of The Couple will receive a final check-in call to reconfirm all aspects of the ceremony and list all items which will be needed on the day of the wedding.
· The Officiant shall complete and execute the marriage license and file (mail) said license in accordance with the instructions set forth by the jurisdiction from where the license was obtained.
THE COUPLE’S RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. The Couple understands that they must obtain a Marriage License at the appropriate jurisdiction for which the ceremony will be performed and shall provide said Marriage License to The Officiant to review and execute on or before the day of the ceremony. The Couple has been informed and fully understands that if a valid marriage license is not presented with government issued identification to The Officiant BEFORE the ceremony is performed, The Officiant cannot perform a legally valid marriage ceremony.
2. The Couple shall not change the date, time or location of the wedding as listed in paragraph 1 of this agreement without first contacting and advising The Officiant of said change so as to determine if The Officiant is still available to perform the ceremony. The Couple also understands and recognizes that The Officiant performs other wedding ceremonies for other couples and such change of date, time, or location without first notifying The Officiant, or any excessive lateness (30 minutes & over) of the originally scheduled wedding ceremony time may prevent The Officiant from performing the ceremony. If The Couple does change the date, time, or location of the scheduled wedding ceremony, and The Officiant is unavailable to perform the ceremony, then The Officiant reserves the right to cancel the performance of their ceremony, and shall in no way be held responsible or liable in any manner whatsoever for non-performance.
3. If The Officiant can still perform the wedding ceremony on the new date, time, and location, then this agreement shall be canceled and a new agreement entered into reflecting the new date, time and location.
4. The Couple agrees to pay The Officiant a ceremony performance fee of $350.00 plus any mutually agreed upon additional services and/or travel expenses outside the 15-mile radius of 363 Phyllis Court, Virginia Beach, VA 23452. To reserve the above date, a NON-REFUNDABLE deposit in the amount of $50.00 shall be remitted with this agreement (made payable by using Venmo [@marriedbyevan], CashApp [$marriedbyevan], by credit card through PayPal (paypalme/MarriedByEvan ) or by cashiers check). The balance of the ceremony fee remaining, in the amount of $300.00* (plus any rehearsal attendance, add-on or travel expenses), must be paid in the form of cash, cashier’s check, money order, PayPal, Venmo or CashApp no later than one week prior to the ceremony date. If payment is not received at least one week before the wedding date, then time and date reservations may be canceled and may be booked by other parties, at The Officiant’s discretion. If The Couple needs to make partial payments, they may do so as long as payment in full is received one week prior to the ceremony date. Reservations made with less than 30 days remaining until the wedding require a 100% non-refundable payment. Should reservations be canceled with 14 days or less remaining before reserved date, payment in full is required to avoid legal action. * note – 10% discount for military service members and first responders.
· A deposit of $50.00 must be paid in advance and is required, along with a signed Booking Form, to book a date and time for a wedding. Deposits are not refundable should the wedding be canceled for any reason. This deposit will be applied to rescheduled ceremonies.
· Fees are based upon amount of service time provided. If services go beyond the outlined details (i.e. extensive phone calls, email communications, or delays with the start of the ceremony) additional fees will be assessed accordingly at the rate of $50.00 per half hour and are due paid prior to the signing of the marriage license.
· You will receive a notice (via email or mail) acknowledging receipt of the deposit and confirming your booking date and time.
REHEARSAL: If desired, The Officiant will attend (1) rehearsal or additional planning meeting as part of this package. Additional meetings and/or rehearsals may be attended as well for an additional fee of $75 per event. This additional fee should be considered an Add-On fee and should be included in the regular fee schedule as listed above. If travel is required it would also apply here (see below). Rehearsal attendance is based on The Officiant’s availability. If a time for rehearsal has not been previously booked, The Officiant may book another wedding ceremony that could possibly interfere with rehearsal attendance. When possible, it is recommended to book an actual day and time for rehearsal with The Officiant to eliminate any conflicts.
REFUSAL: The Officiant reserves the right to refuse any request for a reservation and further reserves the right to refuse to perform any service that he/she is not comfortable with, even though a reservation was accepted. If a wedding service that has been reserved is not performed, then a refund shall be due in the same form it was received.
HOLIDAYS: Services booked on any the following holidays include an additional $50.00 convenience fee unless otherwise agreed upon between The Service Provider and The Couple: New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, July 04, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve.
LATE FEES: The Officiant may waive the late fee charge, at his/her discretion. No refund will be given if The Officiant is not able to perform the ceremony because of any delays beyond the stipulated time period. If for ANY reason the ceremony starts 30 minutes or more after it is scheduled, The Officiant may, at their option, perform a very short civil ceremony in place of the agreed-upon ceremony. Neither shall Married by Evan or Evan Poe be held liable for any costs of the ceremony or reception, or damages of any kind. The Officiant will charge an additional $50.00 per half hour if required to wait more than 29 minutes past the scheduled starting time. Said fee is due paid prior to the signing of the marriage license. The ability of The Officiant to wait more than 30 minutes will be solely at her discretion. If The Couple wishes to void this clause and reserve The Officiant’s services for the entire day, there will be an additional $250.00 charge, and this must be agreed upon according to the availability of The Officiant at the time of contract signing.
TRAVEL AND EXPENSES: Any travel of over 15 miles (one way) from The Officiant’s home address shall be charged at $1.00 per mile (round trip). Mileage will be determined using Google Maps. All toll expenses are also the responsibility of The Couple. Additional travel expenses may include a one- or two-night hotel stay, if the rehearsal and/or wedding are more than 90 miles away for the night before the wedding. These details MUST be discussed prior to signing the contract. Hotel accommodations are required for any of the following conditions: a) If the wedding is before 11:00 a.m. and more than 90 miles away (for the night before the wedding); b) If the wedding is after 6:30 p.m. and more than 90 miles away (for the night of the wedding); c) If the wedding is more than 90 miles away and service is requested for rehearsal the night before the wedding. All travel expenses should be included in the total ceremony cost and need to be paid one week prior to the ceremony. All parking fees and entrance fees to your venue are to be paid by The Couple and shall be included in the total ceremony cost and shall be paid one week prior to the ceremony.
ADD ON CEREMONY ITEMS: The Couple accepts responsibility for purchasing items needed to perform any of the smaller ceremonies that they may wish to include in their ceremony (i.e. Unity or memory candles, wine, roses, sand, breakable glass, handfasting ropes, etc.). These items may be shipped to The Officiant as a convenience to out of town couples. If The Couple requests any special provisions from The Officiant, these details should be submitted in writing no later than three weeks prior to the ceremony date.
GENERAL PROVISIONS:
1. The Officiant shall arrive at the wedding location no less than 30 minutes prior to the time of the wedding ceremony, and no less than 15 minutes prior to any scheduled rehearsals. The Couple fully understands and agrees that The Officiant shall not be responsible or held liable in the event The Officiant is prohibited from performing The Couple’s wedding ceremony due to illness, hospitalization, auto accident, transportation breakdown/disruption, traffic difficulties, acts of God such as hurricanes or inclement weather or other unforeseen incapacitation or other cause of non-arrival on the day of the ceremony. The Officiant will make every attempt to notify The Couple and to provide a substitute Officiant who can perform a wedding ceremony if time and resources permit. In any event, The Officiant, their agents and assigns shall NOT be held liable for any compensation or any damages (including punitive) due to non-performance of any ceremony/function resulting from such incapacitations, non-arrival, errors and/or omissions of any type.
2. The Couple gives permission and shall allow The Officiant to post a photograph(s) of them with The Officiant on The Officiant’s website and/or social media platforms for viewing by the internet community. The Couple acknowledges that this is for promotional purposes only and they do not expect to receive any compensation of any kind. There shall be no expiration for this permission.
3. The Officiant gives permission and shall allow The Couple to use any photographs, videos, or other recording media in which The Officiant is in, or part of, in any manner or for any purpose they wish.
4. This agreement and attachments constitute the entire agreement between the parties and may not be modified except in writing signed by both parties or by the acknowledgment of email received by both parties. No other representations or promises have been made except those that are set out in this agreement.
If any part of this agreement is adjudged invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining parts shall not be affected and remain in full force and effect.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto agree to the terms and conditions as described above and have caused this contract to be signed on the dates indicated in the online booking form, but effective as of the effective date.