Your Wedding Officiant

Whether the person who marries you is a friend or a minister, this is your officiant. Each state has its own rules. Visit Virginia’s http://www.vdh.state.va.us/vital_records/marry.htm to find out theirs.

If the officiant is from another state be sure to call the Circuit Court in the county where you will marry for s/he may need to sign a petition and provide a filing fee.

A friend can marry you by getting a One-Time license. In Loudoun County the rules are:

To be a Civil Celebrant or One-Time-Ceremony Civil Celebrant, the individual(s) must reside in Loudoun County.  A petition must be filed and a $84 filing fee paid to the Circuit Court.  The completed petition will be forward to Circuit Court judge for his review and approval.  Once the order has been approved, the petitioner must post a $500 surety bond and take an oath before the Clerk.

http://www.loudoun.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=3645

Information about the decision process when selecting an officiant is available at

the National Association of Wedding Officiants: http://www.nawoonline.com/tips.htm

and from Martha Stewart: http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/hiring-a-wedding-officiant?czone=planning%2Fengagement-cnt%2Fget-organized

and from Brides.com: http://www.brides.com/wedding-ideas/wedding-ceremonies/2006/12/civil-ceremony-success

 and from ezinearticles: http://ezinearticles.com/?Selecting-an-Officiant-For-Your-Wedding-Ceremony---What-to-Know-Before-You-Walk-Down-the-Aisle&id=4316652

PS:

To obtain a marriage license see http://www.loudoun.gov/index.aspx?NID=1162  

DIY#1 Tie a Tie

Althought brides can hire assistance or buy everything needed for their weddings, some will go the way of DIY for parts of the event.

There are many DYI projects for weddings and the internet has a myriad of assistance for brides, and their DYI wedding projects. YouTube and the Images search on browsers are most helpful because weddings are a very visual event. 

An example is learning how to tie a bow tie. Sites like http://www.tie-a-tie.net/  and http://folds.net/bowtie/  provide visual diagrams as well as directions to be able to tie any type of tie.

While there are many great sites out there describing how to tie a bow tie, you might want to look  at these early. For unless you practice, this may not be an easy task for you.