I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU MAN AND WIFE...KISS!
Check out these guys. Are they not cuter than a baby bunny’s butt? Seriously, the stuff of magazine covers.
Meet Joy and Eric. Joy is a former anchor and reporter at KGAN-TV…which is how Terry and I became buds with the both of them. Then sadly for us…great for them…Joy was offered an anchor/reporter’s position in Philadelphia, PA. Eric also works for the tv station as a news manager.
Now for the icing on the (wedding) cake.
They are getting hitched.
Guess who they asked to be the officiant for the wedding? You got it. The “Marrying Meteorologist.”
Terry was incredibly honored when they requested his services. It’s never happened before. He will probably be as nervous as the groom. But as I mentioned he’s now been married twice (to me) so he does have some practice.
This September in Asheville, North Carolina, Terry will preside over this match made in Iowa (and Louisiana where they met).
It is actually becoming quite popular to have good friends, relatives, and whatnot perform your wedding ceremony. Last summer, at our nephew’s wedding, the bride’s brother married them.
How does it work? Pretty easy. There are now online organizations that allow you to become an ordained minister for a small fee ($40). The American Marriage Ministries is one of them.
It’s a quick process and before you know it, a certificate is in the mail.
Now I come from a preacher family. My Dad was a Presbyterian minister. Actually so was his father. Well to be perfectly honest, my mother is also a p.k. (preacher’s kid). So I understand the awesome responsibility of being the one to join two people together in lawful matrimony.
At our first wedding, Dad walked me down the aisle, did a complete 360 and performed the marriage ceremony. Meant the world to have him pronounce us husband and wife.
It does seem a bit too pat to fill out a form and wah-lah, folks are marrying people right and left. But if I might wax a bit philosophical here. A marriage begins with what’s in your heart. It ripples out to the friends and family who love and care about you. Joy and Eric are people we care about; we want them to have the very best of life. As the officiant of their wedding, Terry will be as emotionally invested in being a part of the success of their union as the best man, the bridesmaids, the parents, and the folks witnessing the event. A perfect circle.
In the fine state of Colorado, you can marry without the benefit of an officiant. I have a friend who is taking advantage of this unique situation. She and her intended are flying to the boulder state in June, hiking up a mountain, and taking each other in marriage. Just the two of them. The only other living soul will be the photographer who will record the event on film. (Otherwise I harken back to the age-old question of: If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one to hear it. Did it actually make a sound?)
She told me the reaction to their decision is somewhat 50/50. Some people are aghast at the lack of family and others think the idea is very romantic.
In the meantime, Terry is now the go-to-guy for weddings. He is officially one of nearly 400,000 American Marriage Ministries ordained ministers. His registration guarantees that from now until infinity, he is certified to perform marriages.
But keep in mind. As the “Marrying Meteorologist” he can’t forecast your future down the road of life.
But!
He can certainly tell you if it’s going to rain on your Wedding Day!
