Welcome to Marry Me In Indy!
Photo by Jasmine Norris Photography - Benton House, Danville
Hi! My name is Victoria Meyer and I have been providing wedding officiant services in Indiana for over 11 years. I have married thousands of couples and that experience has provided me with the knowledge and experience you need for not only getting legally married in Indiana but getting married in a way that makes you happy.
If you just need to get married today for legal reasons, are planning a large formal wedding ceremony and celebration for a year from now, or want the perfect small wedding or elopement of your dreams, I want to make getting married the perfect experience for you.
The perfect wedding ceremony for you might be quick, easy and by the books or it might be a light hearted romantic ceremony telling your love story. You might want someone who can perform a wedding ceremony that expresses your faith and personal beliefs - without judgement. You might also be looking for someone who can help you navigate the many different views of marriage you are suddenly facing from everyone around you as you plan to get married outside of a church. You might also be looking for someone who is OK with your transgender wedding party as you perform the Unbreakable Vow from Harry Potter and walk down aisle to the Theme from Jurassic Park. I became a wedding officiant so I could do all of these thing and more!
If you just need to get married today for legal reasons, are planning a large formal wedding ceremony and celebration for a year from now, or want the perfect small wedding or elopement of your dreams, I want to make getting married the perfect experience for you.
The perfect wedding ceremony for you might be quick, easy and by the books or it might be a light hearted romantic ceremony telling your love story. You might want someone who can perform a wedding ceremony that expresses your faith and personal beliefs - without judgement. You might also be looking for someone who can help you navigate the many different views of marriage you are suddenly facing from everyone around you as you plan to get married outside of a church. You might also be looking for someone who is OK with your transgender wedding party as you perform the Unbreakable Vow from Harry Potter and walk down aisle to the Theme from Jurassic Park. I became a wedding officiant so I could do all of these thing and more!
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All Are Welcome Here
I am truly happy and excited to perform just about any type of ceremony you would like. Simple, legal, civil ceremonies, non-religious, romantic, Secular Humanist. Ceremonies with spiritual and religious elements including Interfaith, Jewish, and hand fasting ceremonies.
Please be advised I am not religious. I don't follow any particular religious faith. I do respect all faiths and all people, but if you want a Christian Ceremony with elements such as Holy Communion or elements like "Obey" in your ceremony, I don't feel comfortable with those. I'm happy to include prayers, scripture and other spiritual elements in your ceremony.
I perform simple handfasting or variations of handfasting ceremonies but I am not comfortable performing actual pagan ceremonies. There are other wedding officiants that are happy to do that.
LGBTQ and all humans welcome!
If you have social anxiety or are on the autism spectrum, welcome! I'm the mom of two boys on the spectrum and I will do my best to accept you as you are and walk you through the wedding ceremony process to make sure you are comfortable on your wedding day. If you are a couple with family members on the spectrum I'm open to accommodating your situation in any way necessary.
Please be advised I am not religious. I don't follow any particular religious faith. I do respect all faiths and all people, but if you want a Christian Ceremony with elements such as Holy Communion or elements like "Obey" in your ceremony, I don't feel comfortable with those. I'm happy to include prayers, scripture and other spiritual elements in your ceremony.
I perform simple handfasting or variations of handfasting ceremonies but I am not comfortable performing actual pagan ceremonies. There are other wedding officiants that are happy to do that.
LGBTQ and all humans welcome!
If you have social anxiety or are on the autism spectrum, welcome! I'm the mom of two boys on the spectrum and I will do my best to accept you as you are and walk you through the wedding ceremony process to make sure you are comfortable on your wedding day. If you are a couple with family members on the spectrum I'm open to accommodating your situation in any way necessary.
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Find The Right Wedding Officiant Service For You
Marry Me In Indy! is a comprehensive wedding officiant business offering a full range of services. Most people think of hiring a wedding officiant and getting married married on a weekend surrounded by family and friends. I do that! That’s my Formal Wedding Officiant business. Personalizing wedding ceremony scripts, leading wedding rehearsals and performing wedding ceremonies in formal wedding venues, barns, parks, homes and the perfect spot where the proposal happened! Since most formal weddings happen on weekend - the other 5 days of the week I'm busy performing civil ceremonies in Indianapolis.
Over 7 years ago, they stopped performing weddings in most Indiana courthouses and that dramatically changed the process of getting married in Indiana and being a wedding officiant - at least it did for me. Couples now have to find their own wedding officiant to marry them. And you may be finding in your search that there are a LOT of wedding officiants. There are a lot of websites and listing and everyone "knows someone who is ordained." I hope I can help you make sense of it all and find exactly what you are looking for.
Over 7 years ago, they stopped performing weddings in most Indiana courthouses and that dramatically changed the process of getting married in Indiana and being a wedding officiant - at least it did for me. Couples now have to find their own wedding officiant to marry them. And you may be finding in your search that there are a LOT of wedding officiants. There are a lot of websites and listing and everyone "knows someone who is ordained." I hope I can help you make sense of it all and find exactly what you are looking for.
I just want to get married at the courthouse!
- Or something like it.
Many couples are really only looking for a courthouse-type civil ceremony or affordable elopement. When I realized this. I created services to fill this need.
I was literally in the right place at the right time when the stopped performing weddings at the City-County Building in Marion County and took the opportunity to fulfill the need for budget priced, simple wedding ceremonies. I created my $50 Quickie wedding ceremony and performed over a thousand of them in our home in Fishers over the next 4 years. When I stopped marring couples in my home I moved onto using public spaces like City Market and Starbucks. Now, I am happy to bring that affordable $50 Quickie Civil Ceremony to a private office space in downtown Indianapolis.
My office is located just a short walk from the Marion County Clerk. It was the cheapest wedding available when it started 7 years ago and I’m happy to say it is the cheapest and most convenient wedding officiant service in downtown Indianapolis. All you need to do is pick up your marriage license, walk the two blocks to my office, get married, walk back and file your marriage license and you are done!
I was literally in the right place at the right time when the stopped performing weddings at the City-County Building in Marion County and took the opportunity to fulfill the need for budget priced, simple wedding ceremonies. I created my $50 Quickie wedding ceremony and performed over a thousand of them in our home in Fishers over the next 4 years. When I stopped marring couples in my home I moved onto using public spaces like City Market and Starbucks. Now, I am happy to bring that affordable $50 Quickie Civil Ceremony to a private office space in downtown Indianapolis.
My office is located just a short walk from the Marion County Clerk. It was the cheapest wedding available when it started 7 years ago and I’m happy to say it is the cheapest and most convenient wedding officiant service in downtown Indianapolis. All you need to do is pick up your marriage license, walk the two blocks to my office, get married, walk back and file your marriage license and you are done!
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Comprehensive Wedding Officiant Services
Experience You Can Trust
Trust is important when when hire someone to not just legally marry you today, but you expect your wedding officiant to be there on your wedding day and take your wedding ceremony as seriously as you do. Here is what I have to offer you:
Officiating weddings is my full time job.
I'm available to marry couples every day - not just on the weekends. I book my formal wedding ceremony services a year in advance - or further. I will still be in business!
I'm an independent wedding officiant
I answer all my own calls and emails and I'm the person that will be officiating your wedding. I'm not booking other people or subcontracting your wedding to another wedding officiant. I'm personally invested in you and your wedding from start to finish.
I'm accessible by phone, text or email and I answer your inquiries quickly
If I can't answer your call, text or email immediately - during business hours from 8-8 daily - I will get back to you as soon as I can. If I can't fully answer your questions immediately I will tell you when I will have time to do so. Hint: Text is faster!
Please use my contact form to contact me - all the contact forms go to one email address and are easy to manage. If you DM me on social media it has a better chance of getting lost. Inquires through my contact form, WeddingWire and The Knot alert me on my phone immediately.
I'm accessible in person
I meet with couples in my office at 55 Monument Circle. I'm located on the 9th floor in the Expansive Co-Working space. The entrance to the building is by Starbucks on East Market Street. I'm in Suite 921.
I have the knowledge and expertise only experience can give
1I've been officiating weddings in Indiana for over 10 years. I've married thousands of couples. I understand the legal aspects of marriage licenses in Indiana. Check out How to Get Married In Indy! I understand how wedding ceremonies work and what happens on your formal wedding day and what it takes to get you down the aisle to not just the partner of your dreams but the wedding ceremony of your dreams! I'm familiar with many area venues and vendors which helps your wedding experience go more smoothly.
Several years ago, someone called and asked how I learned to be a wedding officiant. They were a little shocked when I said "I googled it." But honestly, beyond the basics of officiating a wedding - most of what you need to know comes from experience. I've not found any articles with real stories about officiating weddings. People put happy, perfect situations on Google. They publish the pretty pictures. The negative stories are published as click bait. REAL wedding fall somewhere in between. All I want is for your wedding to be happy and perfect for YOU.
Several years ago, someone called and asked how I learned to be a wedding officiant. They were a little shocked when I said "I googled it." But honestly, beyond the basics of officiating a wedding - most of what you need to know comes from experience. I've not found any articles with real stories about officiating weddings. People put happy, perfect situations on Google. They publish the pretty pictures. The negative stories are published as click bait. REAL wedding fall somewhere in between. All I want is for your wedding to be happy and perfect for YOU.
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My ordination as a minister is what allows me to legally officiate weddings in Indiana but I am not a stereotypical minister. I don't have a church. I became a wedding officiant to be able to marry any couple any way they want to be married. I wanted other couples to have a better wedding experience then my husband and I had. We had a civil ceremony in his native Germany to get his Green Card and then had our formal wedding in the US in the church I grew up in. To our surprise, the minister of that church was not at all kind and that build-up to or formal wedding ceremony was a huge disappointment. No worries - 30 years later we’re still married!! BUT when I had the opportunity to help other couples have an awesome wedding ceremony experience I could think of nothing I would love more!
I'm an online-ordained minister that was in the right place at the right time when they stopped marrying couples in most Indiana courthouses. Because I had the opportunity, I've built a very successful wedding officiant business in Indiana by fulfilling the needs of couples getting married.
I'm an online-ordained minister that was in the right place at the right time when they stopped marrying couples in most Indiana courthouses. Because I had the opportunity, I've built a very successful wedding officiant business in Indiana by fulfilling the needs of couples getting married.
~~~~~~~~~~
Budget Wedding Officiant Services
My Budget Wedding Officiant Services are available in Downtown Indianapolis Monday-Friday from 9-8. You can make an appointment to get married TODAY or schedule up to one week in advance. I created these services to fill basic needs and give couples realistic, affordable options to get married. My Budget Wedding Officiant Services include Civil Ceremonies starting at just $50 and Elopements on Monument Circle.
Click here for more information about Civil Ceremonies
Click here for more information about Civil Ceremonies
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Formal Wedding Officiant Services
Photo by Chris Carroll at 3C Visual Studios Location: Indiana State Fair Grounds Covered Bridge, Indianapolis
My Formal Wedding Officiant Services are available every day from 8 am - 8 pm or earlier or later. Your perfect elopement my be at sunset or sunrise or another time of day. This is my full time job so I am flexible. I'm happy to personalize your wedding ceremony experience with you any way you may like. Here is a quick rundown of some basic facts for quick reference:
Many couples hire a professional wedding officiant so they can make sure they have control over what is - and is not - said during their wedding ceremony. That's what I do. And I've become very good at it! In fact, I may have gone a little overboard with all the information I've collected.
I have a Formal Wedding Ceremony website devoted to the formal wedding ceremony services I offer with their prices. Many couples I meet have no idea what a wedding officiant does or what goes into writing a wedding ceremony script. I wanted to create a site that would answer all those questions and serve as a guide for anyone. I invite you to visit the site by clicking here:
www.ItsAllAboutTheCeremony.com.
I also have another very Pinterest-like website with a much broader selection of pre-written wedding ceremony scripts and ideas that is a constant work in progress. It has unity ceremonies, reading, vows, ring exchanges and more. Click here to check it out:
www.WeddingCeremonyPro.com
I have a Formal Wedding Ceremony website devoted to the formal wedding ceremony services I offer with their prices. Many couples I meet have no idea what a wedding officiant does or what goes into writing a wedding ceremony script. I wanted to create a site that would answer all those questions and serve as a guide for anyone. I invite you to visit the site by clicking here:
www.ItsAllAboutTheCeremony.com.
I also have another very Pinterest-like website with a much broader selection of pre-written wedding ceremony scripts and ideas that is a constant work in progress. It has unity ceremonies, reading, vows, ring exchanges and more. Click here to check it out:
www.WeddingCeremonyPro.com
Elopements
Photo by Summerly Photography - Indiana State House, Indianapolis
Fabulous elopements are definitely in!
Traditionally, an elopement is when a couple runs away and gets secretly married. Couples still do that. I can be very discreet. No one needs to know until you are ready to tell them! But elopements have taken on a whole new life. Many couples still want to have a wedding experience but they don't want the hassle and the cost. Brides want the dress and the makeup artist and the hair. Couples want a professional photographer to catch all the important moments like the first look and the first kiss.
I perform all sorts of elopements. It might must be the three of us. Or the three of us and a photographer. Sometimes an elopement will turn into a small wedding with just immediate family and very close friends. There are all sorts of places where couples are eloping. I've created a website just about elopements with ideas for locations and photographers to catch the moments. Click here for everything you need to know about Eloping in Indiana:
www.elopeindiana.com
Traditionally, an elopement is when a couple runs away and gets secretly married. Couples still do that. I can be very discreet. No one needs to know until you are ready to tell them! But elopements have taken on a whole new life. Many couples still want to have a wedding experience but they don't want the hassle and the cost. Brides want the dress and the makeup artist and the hair. Couples want a professional photographer to catch all the important moments like the first look and the first kiss.
I perform all sorts of elopements. It might must be the three of us. Or the three of us and a photographer. Sometimes an elopement will turn into a small wedding with just immediate family and very close friends. There are all sorts of places where couples are eloping. I've created a website just about elopements with ideas for locations and photographers to catch the moments. Click here for everything you need to know about Eloping in Indiana:
www.elopeindiana.com
Last, but not least, you need a Marriage License.
Photo by Halee Betzner - Scottish Rite Cathedral
Obtaining a marriage license in Indiana is easier than you might think.
A few pointers:
You BOTH have to go together to pick up your marriage license.
You get the license from your county clerk and they are only open during REGULAR BUSINESS HOURS. You can NOT get a marriage license on a weekend in Indiana.
Bring ID with PROOF OF ADDRESS.
No witnesses are required to get married in Indiana.
There is place for witnesses to sign on the legal marriage license document.
You BOTH have to sign the marriage license in front of a wedding officiant in person.
The completed marriage license needs to be returned within 30 days of being signed.
ANYONE can return a marriage license or request a certified copy.
You need a CERTIFIED copy of your FILED marriage license to prove you are legally married.
If someone mails your marriage license back to the Marion County Clerk for you still need to REQUEST at certified copy.
Click here for: How To Get Married In Indy! A complete guide to getting your Indiana marriage license.
A few pointers:
You BOTH have to go together to pick up your marriage license.
You get the license from your county clerk and they are only open during REGULAR BUSINESS HOURS. You can NOT get a marriage license on a weekend in Indiana.
Bring ID with PROOF OF ADDRESS.
No witnesses are required to get married in Indiana.
There is place for witnesses to sign on the legal marriage license document.
You BOTH have to sign the marriage license in front of a wedding officiant in person.
The completed marriage license needs to be returned within 30 days of being signed.
ANYONE can return a marriage license or request a certified copy.
You need a CERTIFIED copy of your FILED marriage license to prove you are legally married.
If someone mails your marriage license back to the Marion County Clerk for you still need to REQUEST at certified copy.
Click here for: How To Get Married In Indy! A complete guide to getting your Indiana marriage license.
About Me!
Wedding Officiant Victoria Meyer
Photo by Summerly Photography. Location: Indiana State House
Hi! My name is Victoria Meyer. Welcome to Marry Me In Indy! I'm so glad you found me! Congratulations on your engagement and upcoming wedding!
On a Saturday morning, almost 20 years ago I was sitting at work on a slow day going through my email. I received an email from the Progressive Universal Life Church letting me know that: "You too can become an ordained minister! You can marry people, you can bury people! Perform naming ceremonies! Start your own church!" I thought it was hysterical, but it also touched a chord. I could marry people. It was something they talked about on TV or in movies and I'd given it some thought.
My husband and I were married twice, once in his hometown in Germany in March of 1991 and again, in my hometown in Delaware in December of 1991 - after he received his Green Card and we moved back from Germany to the US. It all seemed like a simple process. My husband had been in the US on a J-1 Student Visa. I always say, "his visa expired but we didn't." I moved to Germany with him, we were married in a German courthouse 6 months later and, just about 6 months after that he had his Green Card papers and were back in the US getting ready for our big, formal American wedding in the church I grew up in.
In many countries in the world, you have to get married at the courthouse. Marriage is a legal contract and it is supervised by government workers. You might get legally married on Friday and again in the church on Saturday. Or, in many cases, you might wait a year while you save money and have a wedding then. It seemed simple - Legally married with some of my husbands family in Germany and then again with EVERYONE in the US. People do it all the time. No worries. In fact, we were going on a honeymoon right after our German wedding so I told my parents to schedule a trip later to visit since my husband had time off to travel after the wedding for a honeymoon and, well , who wants their parents on their honeymoon?
Fast forward a few months, we are back in Delaware, getting ready for our wedding. We go to visit the priest at our Episcopal church (you know, the super-liberal Episcopal church - not a Catholic priest) and he said we were already married and the legal marriage was recognized by the church and therefore, we did not need to have a church wedding. He would however, bless our marriage in a formal ceremony. He said my father didn't need me to walk down the aisle and I definitely couldn't wear white because I was no longer a virgin. He insisted on proof-reading the invitations to make sure they said "Marriage Blessing" and not "Marriage." He allowed us to exchange vows in German and English but insisted on proofing the German vows to make sure they were legit - like his college German was better than my husbands native language.
It was offensive. It was also very mean spirited and the priest did it because he could. He even rubbed it in on the actual wedding day saying "Well, it could have been a beautiful wedding if we were all in Germany to marry you!" Like, what? He was going to get a free trip to Germany to perform a wedding? It was just mean.
So, I know there are options. The thing was, I was a member of that church from the time I was in the nursery. I sang in the choir, I was an acolyte - I was head acolyte. I was a tithing adult. I was intimately involved in the church. Many of our guests were family friends and church members. I hadn't really thought of having my wedding ceremony anywhere else. So, we did it. We are practical people and it was generally harmless. But it also really, really sucked that someone would ruin a day like that, only because they could. And, for the record, I've spoken with many other Episcopal priests who have performed many weddings for already legally married couples.
So, sitting at my desk that day, I saw an opportunity. Maybe I could make a difference? Maybe I could help other couples not have to go through what we did. I could help couples get married any way they wanted? Work was slow at the moment and I was bored and the thought of performing weddings was pretty cool! I printed out the application, wrote out a check, put it in the mail and 2 weeks later I was an ordained minister.
(***Full disclosure, The Progressive Universal Life Church no longer exists. I'm also ordained by the Universal Life church. Read my article about online ordinations here.***)
Work got busy and I never actually married anyone at that time. Fast Forward to 2007. We moved to Indiana. I was 9 months pregnant and we had a 3 year old. We were in a new town and there was no job to go back too. It was the beginning of a recession and we moved to town for my husbands job. A few years later I needed a job. My husband is an executive chef, so there was no waiting for him to come home so I could leave. His schedule is long and often unpredictable. He was home so little that putting the kids in daycare with no parents was also not an option for us. So... I got creative...
With a little research, I found out, I could legally marry couples in Indiana with my online ordination. No county clerk has ever even asked to look at it. With my $0 I made a free website that I'm pretty sure no one ever found and put a free listing online on a now-defunct wedding vendor website. It was a slow start. But little by little, I'd get a call and book a wedding. I observed, I learned, I googled a lot. Soon, I was able to afford a paid website and a paid ad on a busy wedding vendor website and BOOM! My wedding business took off!!
I set out with the intention of marrying anyone any way they want to be married. 9 month pregnant brides in white step right up! I pretty much thought of myself as a quirky wedding officiant that would marry quirky couples but it definitely morphed into more than that. I never planned on performing a wedding by the deathbed of a bride's father or in the cancer wing of a hospital where the grandmother of the groom was. I've enjoyed watching couples I've married grow families. I'm married mothers, daughter's, cousins. I still remember a mother saying ... you are so special, you married my daughter, my nephew, my sister.... Eventually I married her too! Second (or third) marriages and vow renewals. (Seriously, I have an awesome job! The stories...)
My job as a wedding officiant is not really as much about your "wedding" as it is about the legal and the intimate process of joining two people in marriage. Listening to the reasons why couples get married and why they may not sign that marriage license but still exchange very serious vows. The reasons to just get legally married today...in secret.
It's amazing to look back over the past 11 years and see how much the wedding business has changed as well as marriage itself. The top of my list of things to do was perform commitment ceremonies. Those soon became same sex marriages. I've learned so much about so many people!
I was in the right place at the right time when the marriage procedures in Indiana changed and couples could no longer get married at the courthouse. One day, a couple came looking for an affordable wedding officiant and my $50 Quickie in my living room in Fishers was born. I was the cheapest wedding in town for quite some time. Over four years I married over 1000 couples in my living room. I still offer those $50 Quickies - no longer in my home, but in a downtown office, more convenient for those couples looking to get married today or just a cheap or easy wedding! I've married over 3000 couples and the number keeps growing.
One aspect of my job that I love is how it's a job and a run a business but I'm also a human and getting married is very human interaction. I'm able to help people. There are very few rules when it come to getting married, I can just sign your paper and we're done, or it can be anything. Our two sons are on the autism spectrum and with that experience I'm able to help couples on the spectrum feel more comfortable with the process of getting married - because I understand their mind might now work like everyone else and I don't think they're weird at all! I'm also able to help families with members on the autism spectrum help everyone feel comfortable on their wedding day - if only just to understand that "normal" is perspective.
If you are looking for a wedding officiant, I hope you find the perfect wedding officiant for you. I realize it might not be me. If I can help you any way, even by just answering your questions I'm more than happy to help. It's almost a little weird how much wedding officiant information I actually have inside my head... You can contact me by phone or email. I look forward to hearing you and I hope to be marrying you in Indy sometime soon!
My husband and I were married twice, once in his hometown in Germany in March of 1991 and again, in my hometown in Delaware in December of 1991 - after he received his Green Card and we moved back from Germany to the US. It all seemed like a simple process. My husband had been in the US on a J-1 Student Visa. I always say, "his visa expired but we didn't." I moved to Germany with him, we were married in a German courthouse 6 months later and, just about 6 months after that he had his Green Card papers and were back in the US getting ready for our big, formal American wedding in the church I grew up in.
In many countries in the world, you have to get married at the courthouse. Marriage is a legal contract and it is supervised by government workers. You might get legally married on Friday and again in the church on Saturday. Or, in many cases, you might wait a year while you save money and have a wedding then. It seemed simple - Legally married with some of my husbands family in Germany and then again with EVERYONE in the US. People do it all the time. No worries. In fact, we were going on a honeymoon right after our German wedding so I told my parents to schedule a trip later to visit since my husband had time off to travel after the wedding for a honeymoon and, well , who wants their parents on their honeymoon?
Fast forward a few months, we are back in Delaware, getting ready for our wedding. We go to visit the priest at our Episcopal church (you know, the super-liberal Episcopal church - not a Catholic priest) and he said we were already married and the legal marriage was recognized by the church and therefore, we did not need to have a church wedding. He would however, bless our marriage in a formal ceremony. He said my father didn't need me to walk down the aisle and I definitely couldn't wear white because I was no longer a virgin. He insisted on proof-reading the invitations to make sure they said "Marriage Blessing" and not "Marriage." He allowed us to exchange vows in German and English but insisted on proofing the German vows to make sure they were legit - like his college German was better than my husbands native language.
It was offensive. It was also very mean spirited and the priest did it because he could. He even rubbed it in on the actual wedding day saying "Well, it could have been a beautiful wedding if we were all in Germany to marry you!" Like, what? He was going to get a free trip to Germany to perform a wedding? It was just mean.
So, I know there are options. The thing was, I was a member of that church from the time I was in the nursery. I sang in the choir, I was an acolyte - I was head acolyte. I was a tithing adult. I was intimately involved in the church. Many of our guests were family friends and church members. I hadn't really thought of having my wedding ceremony anywhere else. So, we did it. We are practical people and it was generally harmless. But it also really, really sucked that someone would ruin a day like that, only because they could. And, for the record, I've spoken with many other Episcopal priests who have performed many weddings for already legally married couples.
So, sitting at my desk that day, I saw an opportunity. Maybe I could make a difference? Maybe I could help other couples not have to go through what we did. I could help couples get married any way they wanted? Work was slow at the moment and I was bored and the thought of performing weddings was pretty cool! I printed out the application, wrote out a check, put it in the mail and 2 weeks later I was an ordained minister.
(***Full disclosure, The Progressive Universal Life Church no longer exists. I'm also ordained by the Universal Life church. Read my article about online ordinations here.***)
Work got busy and I never actually married anyone at that time. Fast Forward to 2007. We moved to Indiana. I was 9 months pregnant and we had a 3 year old. We were in a new town and there was no job to go back too. It was the beginning of a recession and we moved to town for my husbands job. A few years later I needed a job. My husband is an executive chef, so there was no waiting for him to come home so I could leave. His schedule is long and often unpredictable. He was home so little that putting the kids in daycare with no parents was also not an option for us. So... I got creative...
With a little research, I found out, I could legally marry couples in Indiana with my online ordination. No county clerk has ever even asked to look at it. With my $0 I made a free website that I'm pretty sure no one ever found and put a free listing online on a now-defunct wedding vendor website. It was a slow start. But little by little, I'd get a call and book a wedding. I observed, I learned, I googled a lot. Soon, I was able to afford a paid website and a paid ad on a busy wedding vendor website and BOOM! My wedding business took off!!
I set out with the intention of marrying anyone any way they want to be married. 9 month pregnant brides in white step right up! I pretty much thought of myself as a quirky wedding officiant that would marry quirky couples but it definitely morphed into more than that. I never planned on performing a wedding by the deathbed of a bride's father or in the cancer wing of a hospital where the grandmother of the groom was. I've enjoyed watching couples I've married grow families. I'm married mothers, daughter's, cousins. I still remember a mother saying ... you are so special, you married my daughter, my nephew, my sister.... Eventually I married her too! Second (or third) marriages and vow renewals. (Seriously, I have an awesome job! The stories...)
My job as a wedding officiant is not really as much about your "wedding" as it is about the legal and the intimate process of joining two people in marriage. Listening to the reasons why couples get married and why they may not sign that marriage license but still exchange very serious vows. The reasons to just get legally married today...in secret.
It's amazing to look back over the past 11 years and see how much the wedding business has changed as well as marriage itself. The top of my list of things to do was perform commitment ceremonies. Those soon became same sex marriages. I've learned so much about so many people!
I was in the right place at the right time when the marriage procedures in Indiana changed and couples could no longer get married at the courthouse. One day, a couple came looking for an affordable wedding officiant and my $50 Quickie in my living room in Fishers was born. I was the cheapest wedding in town for quite some time. Over four years I married over 1000 couples in my living room. I still offer those $50 Quickies - no longer in my home, but in a downtown office, more convenient for those couples looking to get married today or just a cheap or easy wedding! I've married over 3000 couples and the number keeps growing.
One aspect of my job that I love is how it's a job and a run a business but I'm also a human and getting married is very human interaction. I'm able to help people. There are very few rules when it come to getting married, I can just sign your paper and we're done, or it can be anything. Our two sons are on the autism spectrum and with that experience I'm able to help couples on the spectrum feel more comfortable with the process of getting married - because I understand their mind might now work like everyone else and I don't think they're weird at all! I'm also able to help families with members on the autism spectrum help everyone feel comfortable on their wedding day - if only just to understand that "normal" is perspective.
If you are looking for a wedding officiant, I hope you find the perfect wedding officiant for you. I realize it might not be me. If I can help you any way, even by just answering your questions I'm more than happy to help. It's almost a little weird how much wedding officiant information I actually have inside my head... You can contact me by phone or email. I look forward to hearing you and I hope to be marrying you in Indy sometime soon!
I hope to be marrying you in Indy some time soon! :-)
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Marry Me In Indy! LLC
Is conveniently located in Circle Tower
55 Monument Circle Suite 723
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Call or text me: (317)403-7379
Click to Email Me
Is conveniently located in Circle Tower
55 Monument Circle Suite 723
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Call or text me: (317)403-7379
Click to Email Me
