What is a Life Celebrant? Join our journey of discovery with Theresa Crisci as we explore the art of Life Celebrants and the significance of rituals like Hand Fasting and Tying The Knot in wedding ceremonies.
This podcast is for engaged couples who are stressed out with wedding planning and family expectations but want a fun wedding day.
In today's edition, our guest, Theresa Crisci from TLC Ceremonies, an ordained interfaith and inter-spiritual minister and a wedding officiant life celebrant, shares valuable insights on creating truly meaningful and unforgettable wedding ceremony experiences.
Theresa explains the differences between life celebrants and other officiants, discusses the need to ask questions and the importance of selecting an officiant, and provides details on the various rituals and ceremonies she can incorporate into wedding ceremonies.
Most importantly, the conversation covers topics such as the time officiants and life celebrants need to prepare for a ceremony, the cost of services, geographic limitations, and the importance of finding the right officiant. Plus, the significance of tailoring and personalizing wedding ceremonies, the need for early planning in hiring an officiant or life celebrant, and the considerations regarding backup plans and first-time officiant coaching.
The Stress-free Wedding Planning Podcast #90 - Exploring the Unique Voices of Wedding Ceremonies with A Wedding Officiant/Life Celebrant
Host: Sal & Sam
Music: "Sam's Tune" by Rick Anthony
Guest: Theresa Crisci from TLC Ceremonies
TIMESTAMP
00:00 Introduction to Exploring The Unique Voices of Wedding Ceremonies with A Wedding Officiant/Life Celebrant
02:53 The life celebrant celebrates other things
03:30 Questions you must ask about wedding transportation.
04:30 The benefit of having a Life Cycle Celebrant
05:30 Couple's feedback
05:45 Pre Wedding Counseling
06:45 Cost Estimates
07:30 Geographic Limitations
09:00 Experience
10:00 Theresa Crisci contact and social media
11:00 Wedding Tips Wednesday
14:30 Ceremonial Rituals - Jumping The Broom
15:00 Unity Candle
15:45 Sand Ceremony
16:15 Hand Ceremony
16:30 Hand Fasting
17:45 Ring Warming
18:15 Working with other Officiants
19:30 How to select the right Officiant for your ceremony
20:30 Back-up Plans
21:00 Book Early
21:45 Photobombing the First Kiss
22:30 Theresa Crisci contact and social media
23:00 Final Thoughts and Podcast Wrap-up
24:45 Close
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Not every wedding ceremony is the same.
(00:02):
Whether you're planning a ceremonyin a religious establishment or
opting for a simple celebration, theneeds of each couple are paramount.
You may be at the point of planningyour wedding where you need to select
an officiant or meet with a minister.
What do you need to know?
What questions do you need to ask?
Do you need to have a premarriage counseling or classes?
How is a life celebrantdifferent from other officiants?
(00:25):
Hi, I'm Theresa Crisci from TLCCeremonies, an ordained interfaith
and interspiritual minister and awedding officiant life celebrant.
I can integrate the rituals ofdifferent faith traditions for a
beautiful, unique, and memorableceremony no matter what gender,
religion, or spiritual affiliation.
By the end of this edition, you'll gainvaluable insights to help you create
(00:46):
a truly meaningful and unforgettablewedding ceremony experience.
So let's embark on the journeyof love, unity, and celebration.
Listen now and discover WeddingInsider Secrets for a stress
free, fun, and memorable day.
Our podcast helps engaged couplesnavigate wedding planning complexities
while addressing family expectations.
Get concise tips on budgeting,wedding party management, ceremony,
(01:10):
reception planning, and more.
Perfect for anyone planning awedding all in 30 minutes or less.
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You don't want to miss this.
Welcome to Stress-free WeddingPlanning, the podcast that will
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Sal and Sam bring over 80 years ofcombined wedding expertise and exclusive
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(01:31):
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(01:55):
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In today's edition, exploring the UniqueVoices of Wedding Ceremonies with Theresa
Crisci is brought to you in part byClear Vision Productions and Wedding
(02:18):
Styles of Connecticut wedding shows.
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But first, if you have a questionor concern, go now to Facebook and
join us on the Stress-free WeddingPlanning Community and ask away.
Today we'll explore the art ofcrafting unforgettable ceremonies
that honor diverse traditionsand spiritual affiliations.
(02:39):
Please welcome Theresa Crisci.
Hi Theresa, how are you?
I'm well, thank you.
It's wonderful to have youhere and a great pleasure to
have you explain what you do.
Well, thank you.
I'm very excited to be here.
Well then, we'll justdive straight in then.
What is a life celebrant and howdoes it differ from other officiant?
So officiant are officially ableto officiate a wedding because it's
(03:03):
legal, it has to be officiated.
There is a legal documentthat you have to sign off on.
So the life celebrant celebratesother things besides weddings.
So an officiant like a justiceof the peace or other officiants
probably only do weddings as wellas other justice of the peace jobs.
Other wedding officiantsmight only do weddings.
I also do other life cycle events likebaby blessings and house blessings and
(03:29):
Vow Renewals, although some weddingofficiants probably do Vow Renewals.
So there's other life cycle thingsthat happen that a life celebrant will
celebrate and create ritual around.
Okay, so I guess I have to ask youthen, how do you bring that life
cycle theme into the wedding ceremony.
Is there something that you do that is,different than an officiant would do?
(03:50):
Do you bring up otherrituals and stuff like that?
What makes it that much different?
I'm not sure it makes that specific thingmakes a wedding different, but I do have
lots of different rituals that I bringand also that I'm an interfaith minister.
So that means that I canincorporate other faith traditions.
Coming from that background of knowingwhat the faith traditions are and
(04:12):
what they want to bring in together.
So if you have a Hindu umm bride anda Catholic groom and they want to
bring in traditions from both of thosebackgrounds we can easily do that.
The benefit of having being a LifeCycle Celebrant is somebody after
they get married they may wantto go into a new home and so they
already know me and know my work.
(04:34):
That's the only thing that makesme different from other officiants.
Okay, Theresa, thank you so much for that.
Now, many hours does it take toprepare for a ceremony itself?
So we're talking about a wedding ceremony,of course, how much time does it usually
take for you to prepare for that?
It could be anywhere from 10 to20 hours, depending on what they
want in the wedding ceremony.
Depending on how many rituals theywant, depending on how many readings
(04:57):
they want, and then all the researchthat goes behind all of that.
Sending them the couple, somereadings that don't involve God, the
word God, or aren't in spiritual,they're just talking about love.
And then they have to feed thatback to me and I incorporate it.
And we keep going back and forthuntil they have the ceremony
that they're looking for.
(05:18):
Well, that's interesting.
I really never kind of lookedat it, that way before.
Do you require any pre marriage counselingor classes or is this totally secular?
No, I don't requireany kind of counseling.
It's, secular in that regard.
But it doesn't matter if they wantspirituality incorporated or if
they just want it related to love.
(05:39):
I can do either one, but in thesigning of the actual license,
I have to sign it as a minister.
Very good.
So, something everyone's going to wantto know, , Theresa, what's the cost?
What's the charge for your services?
And, what does it cover?
So, the charges range from $350dollars to eight hundred and fifty or
a thousand dollars, again, dependingon what it is that they're looking for.
(06:01):
So, a $350 dollar wedding isusually what they call an elopement.
To get married legally,you only need two things.
You need that line that says wherethe, couple says I do or I will, which
means that they are there of theirown accord and they wanna be there.
And then when we say, I officiallypronounce you husband and wife,
those are literally the two things.
(06:22):
And so you can get an elopement packagethat includes that in a little bit more.
That's gonna be $350 dollars.
All the way to, you know, you gothrough traditional weddings, which
has different ceremonies or the LoveStory Customized Wedding Ceremony,
which would be $850 to $1, 000 dollars.
Cause usually when they want the lovestory that involves a questionnaire
(06:44):
with the couple filling out thequestionnaire, giving it to me, I
create a love story, but it's alsogoing to probably have ritual in it.
And it's also probably goingto have some readings in it.
So it's much more involved.
That seems like a lot of work,involved when you do the love story.
I've heard, some officiants, dothat before and it is absolutely
beautiful, but, I didn't realize you,took that much work to get it, done.
(07:05):
So it does cover a lot thatyou have to do beforehand.
Yes.
Yes.
So then, , I know you're in Connecticut,but, is there any geographic limitations?
I mean, if somebody wanted youto do, officiate, their wedding
in Bali, you'd probably have noproblems doing that, would you?
Well, I don't know legallyif I could do that.
You know, it's really what I have done.
(07:26):
I have to be honest with you.
I've written a ceremony.
The couple actually got married hereand I've written the ceremony and they
took it to Italy and they had somebodyin Italy actually read the ceremony.
I didn't go to Italy, but it was myceremony and I did marry them here.
I did the elopement here and thenthey took the ceremony with them.
But I've gone to other states,you know, I'm okay with going
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, butI've never gone out of the country.
(07:49):
And I'd have to look into it.
Actually when I was in school, theysuggested not doing that because there's
so many legal things that you have tojump through, you know, legal loopholes.
Yeah, I was going to ask, I mean,you're obviously able to officiate
in Connecticut, but would you thenhave to, get a license in every
state in order to go to every state?
You have to look into the state.
(08:10):
So far, Connecticut, Massachusetts,and Rhode Island, and even New
York, I could marry people.
Now, New York City, I'd haveto get a special certification.
Which I'm not willing to do, so Idon't marry anybody in New York City.
Absolutely, that is, correct.
I know that myself, being awedding officiant, that New
York, it's its own beast.
Uh, let them have their thing, stayaway from it, it's much better that way.
(08:30):
Yeah.
Let's talk about your experience.
How long have you been doing this?
Well, it was a calling.
I have my own business and I'vebeen doing it for 30 years.
And then I was havingthese physical reactions.
Like my whole body was shakingand I was like, what's going on?
And I was going to the doctors and theywere like, there's nothing wrong with you.
And my naturopath said tome, why don't you journal?
(08:50):
And find out what's,why this is happening.
And I did and what came throughwas be the minister that you came
here to be and I questioned that.
Then when I finally said.
I
started school to be a seminary.
I went to seminary and um, when I leftseminary, I was like, okay, there's
(09:13):
lots of avenues I could go down.
And I looked into doing the chaplain ata hospital and I'm not cut out for that.
I'm not cut out for the ER.
And I looked into just beinga minister at a church and I
didn't want a full time job.
So anyway, it kind of fell into my lap.
A friend called and asked if I wouldmarry them and I said yes and I loved it.
(09:34):
So I just, started doing it.
That's fascinating.
Thank you for explaining that.
Very fascinating story.
Now, let's have your socialmedia, Theresa, tell us
how they get ahold of you.
My Instagram page is at TheresaCrisci, T-H-E-R-E-S-A-C-R-I-S-C-I.
That's also my Facebookpage, Theresa Crisci.
(09:55):
And my website is TLC Ceremonies dot com.
That's
www dot T L C C E R E M O N I E S dot com.
Just so that everybody is veryclear on how to get to you there.
Yes.
Coming up next, Theresa will explainsome of the rituals and explain some of
(10:17):
the interfaith ceremonies and much more.
This is the Stress-free Wedding PlanningPodcast with Sal and Sam, a podcast
for engaged couples concerned aboutwedding planning and family expectations,
but who want to have a stress free,fun, and unforgettable wedding.
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And on today's Wedding TipWednesday, Heel Covers.
This may be the greatestinvention since the wheel.
(11:01):
Those little things really do work.
They're little plastic or ceramic coversthat go over a lady's heel on their shoes.
It is a great invention and youshould use it especially for outdoor
ceremonies or if you're havingan outdoor wedding all together.
So that way you don't go tripping.
(11:22):
In the grass when you put thatheel down and everybody sees
everything that they shouldn't see.
So, heel covers, great invention.
You know, there's nothing likeyou're standing there, especially
for pictures, and all of a suddenthe bride is getting shorter.
She's leaning back all of a suddenbecause she's going into the grass.
Great invention, highly recommended.
And that's another tip from Sal and Sam.
(11:43):
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Getting married?
Need an officiant?
All officiants are not the same.
Hi, I'm Theresa Crisci from TLCCeremonies, an ordained interfaith
and interspiritual minister and awedding officiant life celebrant.
(13:07):
I'll integrate the rituals of differentfaith traditions for a beautiful, unique,
memorable ceremony, no matter what gender,religion, or spiritual affiliation.
Visit my website, TLCCeremonies dot com.
That's TLCCeremonies dot com
And now back to the Stress-freeWedding Planning Podcast.
Welcome back to Exploringthe Unique Voices of Wedding
(13:29):
Ceremonies with Theresa Crisci.
Hi, I'm Sam from Atmosphere Productions,Wedding Entertainment with expert
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E.
Dot com
(13:50):
Hi, I'm Teresa Crisci from TLCCeremonies, an ordained interfaith
and interspiritual minister and awedding officiant life celebrant.
Visit my website, TLCCeremonies dot com.
That's TLCCeremonies dot com.
We've already discussed what Theresadoes as an Officiant and Life Celebrant.
Now, let's talk briefly about someof the ceremonial rituals that you
(14:13):
can do during a ceremony, like aunity candle and a sand ceremony.
So, Theresa, how about theritual of jumping over the broom?
That's something that'shappened at weddings.
Do you do that?
I can, if they would like me toincorporate that, absolutely.
Briefly explain what that is.
The point of jumping over the broom isyou're sweeping your past behind you.
(14:34):
And you're starting new.
Yeah, that's pretty, pretty concise.
Very well put.
Ha-haha-huh.
So explain to us what a unitycandle is for those, listeners
that, have never seen that before.
So people do the unity candle a little bitdifferently, but the essence of the unity
candle is you have two individuals, whichare the two stick candles that start out.
And sometimes the mothers comeup and light those candles.
(14:57):
Indicating that each of their childrepresents the candle the bride
and the groom represent the candleand then the bride and the groom
come up and take each of thosecandles and light the unity candle.
Which is symbolic of the unity ofthe two families coming together.
So, there's a thingcalled the sand ceremony.
What does that stand for?
That's also very symbolic.
And a lot of times that's used withother members of the family, you know,
(15:20):
like there's children involved, but it'susually with different colored sands
and as they take sand from differentbottles and put it in the one bottle
in the middle and then symbolic of thelives will never be separated again.
Just like you can't go in andseparate those grains of sand.
So these lives willnever be separate again.
They're going to be together.
I've seen that many times.
(15:41):
Very good explanation.
And since we're on the subjectof sand ceremony, let's explain
what the hand ceremony is.
This where the joining of the hands.
Have you ever done that one before?
The Hand Fasting.
Yes.
Yes.
That's what it's called.
Yes.
The Hand Fasting there's a couple ofdifferent ribbons that are involved and
each ribbon usually has a different color,symbolic of the man and the woman or the
(16:01):
two women or the two men, either way.
They hold their hands and then youwrap the ribbons around the hands
and they eventually pull theirhands out and it creates a knot.
So that again, once again,they are tied together forever.
That's a very good explanation of that.
They officially tied the
knot, Sam.
They officially
Yeah, exactly.
In front of everyone.
Yeah.
(16:21):
And there's actually another onecalled tying the knot, which is
based on a, the sailor's knot.
Have you ever seen asailor's knot on a sailboat?
Yeah.
And symbolism of that is as, thewinds and the waters get rough,
the knot gets tighter and tighter.
So the couple will tie this knotsymbolizing that if Their marriage
goes on and goes through tough times.
(16:43):
Their marriage is going toget tighter and tighter.
Interesting.
I have never heard orseen that one before.
How about you, Sal?
I've actually performed that one.
Yes.
Oh, you have?
There's a lot of things out there.
There's the rose ceremony.
There's so many ceremonies, Sam.
It's, it's.
Uh, we'd be here, uh, for a whole otherpodcast just talking about individually.
Ha-ha-hah-hah!
Well, is there any other ritual orceremonial item that you want to mention
(17:06):
before we move on to another topic?
Even like the ring exchange, that'sa ritual that we incorporate that
doesn't, isn't required in a weddingto, for it to be legally, binding.
Another thing that people do sometimesis the ring warming, where they pass
the rings around to, the people,maybe it's just the family or to
everybody in the wedding, symbolizingthat the metal will hold the energy
(17:28):
of everybody who's blessing it.
So now that the bride and groomwill have rings on that have been
blessed by everybody in the family.
Wonderful.
Now, Are there any times when you haveto work with another officiant, if
there's a language difference, you know,you have one officiant speak English
and the other one speak another, arethere any other circumstances where
another officiant would be used?
(17:50):
Yes.
I've actually done a wedding where, uh,it was an Episcopal priest and myself.
And it was just because the gentlemanwas from the Episcopalian Church and
the woman was from Unity Church and theyboth wanted their tradition represented.
So we incorporated, we worked together tohave both of us as part of the ceremony.
Very beautiful.
(18:10):
Very beautiful.
Theresa, once you've drafted aceremony, are you going through
it with the client, step by step.
Once I draft a ceremony, I send itto them and say, what do you think?
Do you like it?
What do you like?
What do you not like?
Do we need to take anything out?
And we go back and forth it's usuallyonly once . But just to make sure that
it's exactly the way they want it.
(18:31):
And then what I also do is I gettogether with them before the wedding
and I read it as if it was thewedding day so that they have a sense
of what it's going to feel like.
Many, many couples really like that.
Definitely.
So I appreciate that you go through thesteps that you do because there's way too
many officiants there that only changethe name on the, script and, and that's
(18:51):
what they do at every single wedding.
This is tailoring it, personalizingit and making it special
for that individual couple.
Yeah.
And that's what I love about it.
I mean, I get so close to these people.
I feel like we're friendsby the end of the ceremony.
Oh, without a doubt.
That's a beautiful thing.
So Theresa, you would then obviouslyrecommend that anyone looking for
(19:12):
an officiant, not just go with theregular run of the mill officiant.
Somebody that, that is a life celebrantlike you will give them much more options.
Is that true?
I would recommend that they look around.
The way they look around for theirvenue or their flowers or whatever,
look around and interview people becauseyou're gonna find people that you
(19:33):
resonate more with, that you really.
Would like to work withrather than just settling.
Another thing I would recommend is ifyou're gonna have a member of your family
marry you because they've been ordainedthrough email, which is fine, I would
recommend that they hire an Officiant justto coach that person for few things that
make the difference in a wedding ceremony.
(19:54):
Now I guess I have to ask the questionthat probably everybody's asking.
What happens if you can'tmake it to the ceremony?
What happens?
We, I would get on the phone or I'd havesomebody get on the phone with my list
of officiants that I know in Connecticutand see who's available and get them the
ceremony so that they could show up at theceremony with the ceremony that the couple
(20:16):
was counting on and be able to read it.
So it's just from a network of people thatI've created and many of us have created
in case something like that happens.
Perfect.
So you have a backup plan.
Yes.
How soon should somebody think abouthiring their officiant, Theresa?
For me, I tell them that we're going toget started working on their ceremony
(20:38):
three to four months ahead of time.
So they should know who theirofficiant is three to four months
ahead of time to give them the time tocreate the ceremony of their dreams.
Absolutely agree with what you're saying,Theresa, but also earlier is always
better because just like anything at yourwedding, your favorite photographer,
your favorite DJ, you want to find theOfficiant that works best with you.
(21:01):
And early planning is always the best.
Ya know, look for them sooner than later?
Because Wedding Officiants bookup too, and you don't want to lose
out on the person that you want.
Absolutely.
Now before we get your social media andstuff, Theresa, I guess I have to ask
you, do you step out of the way, whenthe couple are about to kiss so that
(21:22):
you don't photobomb that First Kiss?
Absolutely.
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
Absolutely.
That's one of the things I wouldtell somebody who's a, family
member, a friend, get outof the way of that picture.
What, no jumping jacks behind thereto try to get everyone's attention?
Come on!
Ha-ha Huh-Ha-ha-hah!
No!
That's awesome.
Ha-ha-ha!
So, yeah, I agree.
(21:43):
That's something thatdoes need to be coached.
I know I coach that all the time.
You know, please get out of the wayso that they get that perfect picture
of just our lovely couple kissing.
So, finally, Theresa, let's getthose socials one more time.
So my Instagram is at TheresaCrisci, T-H-E-R-E-S-A-C-R-I-S-C-I.
(22:03):
My Facebook is Theresa Crisci and mywebsite is www.tlcceremonies dot com.
Thank you very much forjoining us here today.
We really do appreciate you telling usalittle bit about your interfaith and
interspiritual ministry and, you beinga wedding Officiant and, Live Celebrant.
Thank you for coming over and wehope to speak to you another time.
(22:26):
Thank you for having me.
It was great fun.
Awesome Theresa.
Thank you.
Have a great day.
Bye bye.
Have a blessed day.
So there you have it.
We just shared with you insidertips from Theresa Crisci from TLC
Ceremonies, an ordained interfaithand interspiritual minister and a
wedding Officiant Life Celebrant.
She explained the differences betweena life celebrant and other officiants.
(22:48):
You learned what questions to ask andwe gave you the tools you needed to
help create a truly meaningful andunforgettable wedding ceremony experience.
Now, as you spend the next weekplanning your wedding, if you want me,
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answer any wedding related questions,join us over in the Stress-free
(23:08):
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Once you're in, go ahead and share yourconcerns and worries, and we'll let you
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The link to join us is in theshow notes of this edition, or
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Subscribe and get it first.
Remember to do something nice forsomeone today, and if you can't,
(23:32):
do something nice for yourself.
We'll catch you then.
Ciao.
Thank you for listening to this edition.
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Until next time.
It's TTFN.
Ta ta for now.
The Stress-free Wedding PlanningPodcast is produced and copyrighted by
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(23:55):
Sponsored in part by Clear VisionProductions and the Wedding Styles
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Not every wedding ceremony is the same.
(00:02):
Whether you're planning a ceremonyin a religious establishment or
opting for a simple celebration, theneeds of each couple are paramount.
You may be at the point of planningyour wedding where you need to select
an officiant or meet with a minister.
What do you need to know?
What questions do you need to ask?
Do you need to have a premarriage counseling or classes?
How is a life celebrantdifferent from other officiants?
(00:25):
Hi, I'm Theresa Crisci from TLCCeremonies, an ordained interfaith
and interspiritual minister and awedding officiant life celebrant.
I can integrate the rituals ofdifferent faith traditions for a
beautiful, unique, and memorableceremony no matter what gender,
religion, or spiritual affiliation.
By the end of this edition, you'll gainvaluable insights to help you create
(00:46):
a truly meaningful and unforgettablewedding ceremony experience.
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In today's edition, exploring the UniqueVoices of Wedding Ceremonies with Theresa
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Today we'll explore the art ofcrafting unforgettable ceremonies
that honor diverse traditionsand spiritual affiliations.
(02:39):
Please welcome Theresa Crisci.
Hi Theresa, how are you?
I'm well, thank you.
It's wonderful to have youhere and a great pleasure to
have you explain what you do.
Well, thank you.
I'm very excited to be here.
Well then, we'll justdive straight in then.
What is a life celebrant and howdoes it differ from other officiant?
So officiant are officially ableto officiate a wedding because it's
(03:03):
legal, it has to be officiated.
There is a legal documentthat you have to sign off on.
So the life celebrant celebratesother things besides weddings.
So an officiant like a justiceof the peace or other officiants
probably only do weddings as wellas other justice of the peace jobs.
Other wedding officiantsmight only do weddings.
I also do other life cycle events likebaby blessings and house blessings and
(03:29):
Vow Renewals, although some weddingofficiants probably do Vow Renewals.
So there's other life cycle thingsthat happen that a life celebrant will
celebrate and create ritual around.
Okay, so I guess I have to ask youthen, how do you bring that life
cycle theme into the wedding ceremony.
Is there something that you do that is,different than an officiant would do?
(03:50):
Do you bring up otherrituals and stuff like that?
What makes it that much different?
I'm not sure it makes that specific thingmakes a wedding different, but I do have
lots of different rituals that I bringand also that I'm an interfaith minister.
So that means that I canincorporate other faith traditions.
Coming from that background of knowingwhat the faith traditions are and
(04:12):
what they want to bring in together.
So if you have a Hindu umm bride anda Catholic groom and they want to
bring in traditions from both of thosebackgrounds we can easily do that.
The benefit of having being a LifeCycle Celebrant is somebody after
they get married they may wantto go into a new home and so they
already know me and know my work.
(04:34):
That's the only thing that makesme different from other officiants.
Okay, Theresa, thank you so much for that.
Now, many hours does it take toprepare for a ceremony itself?
So we're talking about a wedding ceremony,of course, how much time does it usually
take for you to prepare for that?
It could be anywhere from 10 to20 hours, depending on what they
want in the wedding ceremony.
Depending on how many rituals theywant, depending on how many readings
(04:57):
they want, and then all the researchthat goes behind all of that.
Sending them the couple, somereadings that don't involve God, the
word God, or aren't in spiritual,they're just talking about love.
And then they have to feed thatback to me and I incorporate it.
And we keep going back and forthuntil they have the ceremony
that they're looking for.
(05:18):
Well, that's interesting.
I really never kind of lookedat it, that way before.
Do you require any pre marriage counselingor classes or is this totally secular?
No, I don't requireany kind of counseling.
It's, secular in that regard.
But it doesn't matter if they wantspirituality incorporated or if
they just want it related to love.
(05:39):
I can do either one, but in thesigning of the actual license,
I have to sign it as a minister.
Very good.
So, something everyone's going to wantto know, , Theresa, what's the cost?
What's the charge for your services?
And, what does it cover?
So, the charges range from $350dollars to eight hundred and fifty or
a thousand dollars, again, dependingon what it is that they're looking for.
(06:01):
So, a $350 dollar wedding isusually what they call an elopement.
To get married legally,you only need two things.
You need that line that says wherethe, couple says I do or I will, which
means that they are there of theirown accord and they wanna be there.
And then when we say, I officiallypronounce you husband and wife,
those are literally the two things.
(06:22):
And so you can get an elopement packagethat includes that in a little bit more.
That's gonna be $350 dollars.
All the way to, you know, you gothrough traditional weddings, which
has different ceremonies or the LoveStory Customized Wedding Ceremony,
which would be $850 to $1, 000 dollars.
Cause usually when they want the lovestory that involves a questionnaire
(06:44):
with the couple filling out thequestionnaire, giving it to me, I
create a love story, but it's alsogoing to probably have ritual in it.
And it's also probably goingto have some readings in it.
So it's much more involved.
That seems like a lot of work,involved when you do the love story.
I've heard, some officiants, dothat before and it is absolutely
beautiful, but, I didn't realize you,took that much work to get it, done.
(07:05):
So it does cover a lot thatyou have to do beforehand.
Yes.
Yes.
So then, , I know you're in Connecticut,but, is there any geographic limitations?
I mean, if somebody wanted youto do, officiate, their wedding
in Bali, you'd probably have noproblems doing that, would you?
Well, I don't know legallyif I could do that.
You know, it's really what I have done.
(07:26):
I have to be honest with you.
I've written a ceremony.
The couple actually got married hereand I've written the ceremony and they
took it to Italy and they had somebodyin Italy actually read the ceremony.
I didn't go to Italy, but it was myceremony and I did marry them here.
I did the elopement here and thenthey took the ceremony with them.
But I've gone to other states,you know, I'm okay with going
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, butI've never gone out of the country.
(07:49):
And I'd have to look into it.
Actually when I was in school, theysuggested not doing that because there's
so many legal things that you have tojump through, you know, legal loopholes.
Yeah, I was going to ask, I mean,you're obviously able to officiate
in Connecticut, but would you thenhave to, get a license in every
state in order to go to every state?
You have to look into the state.
(08:10):
So far, Connecticut, Massachusetts,and Rhode Island, and even New
York, I could marry people.
Now, New York City, I'd haveto get a special certification.
Which I'm not willing to do, so Idon't marry anybody in New York City.
Absolutely, that is, correct.
I know that myself, being awedding officiant, that New
York, it's its own beast.
Uh, let them have their thing, stayaway from it, it's much better that way.
(08:30):
Yeah.
Let's talk about your experience.
How long have you been doing this?
Well, it was a calling.
I have my own business and I'vebeen doing it for 30 years.
And then I was havingthese physical reactions.
Like my whole body was shakingand I was like, what's going on?
And I was going to the doctors and theywere like, there's nothing wrong with you.
And my naturopath said tome, why don't you journal?
(08:50):
And find out what's,why this is happening.
And I did and what came throughwas be the minister that you came
here to be and I questioned that.
Then when I finally said.
I
started school to be a seminary.
I went to seminary and um, when I leftseminary, I was like, okay, there's
(09:13):
lots of avenues I could go down.
And I looked into doing the chaplain ata hospital and I'm not cut out for that.
I'm not cut out for the ER.
And I looked into just beinga minister at a church and I
didn't want a full time job.
So anyway, it kind of fell into my lap.
A friend called and asked if I wouldmarry them and I said yes and I loved it.
(09:34):
So I just, started doing it.
That's fascinating.
Thank you for explaining that.
Very fascinating story.
Now, let's have your socialmedia, Theresa, tell us
how they get ahold of you.
My Instagram page is at TheresaCrisci, T-H-E-R-E-S-A-C-R-I-S-C-I.
That's also my Facebookpage, Theresa Crisci.
(09:55):
And my website is TLC Ceremonies dot com.
That's
www dot T L C C E R E M O N I E S dot com.
Just so that everybody is veryclear on how to get to you there.
Yes.
Coming up next, Theresa will explainsome of the rituals and explain some of
(10:17):
the interfaith ceremonies and much more.
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(11:01):
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They're little plastic or ceramic coversthat go over a lady's heel on their shoes.
It is a great invention and youshould use it especially for outdoor
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So that way you don't go tripping.
(11:22):
In the grass when you put thatheel down and everybody sees
everything that they shouldn't see.
So, heel covers, great invention.
You know, there's nothing likeyou're standing there, especially
for pictures, and all of a suddenthe bride is getting shorter.
She's leaning back all of a suddenbecause she's going into the grass.
Great invention, highly recommended.
And that's another tip from Sal and Sam.
(11:43):
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Getting married?
Need an officiant?
All officiants are not the same.
Hi, I'm Theresa Crisci from TLCCeremonies, an ordained interfaith
and interspiritual minister and awedding officiant life celebrant.
(13:07):
I'll integrate the rituals of differentfaith traditions for a beautiful, unique,
memorable ceremony, no matter what gender,religion, or spiritual affiliation.
Visit my website, TLCCeremonies dot com.
That's TLCCeremonies dot com
And now back to the Stress-freeWedding Planning Podcast.
Welcome back to Exploringthe Unique Voices of Wedding
(13:29):
Ceremonies with Theresa Crisci.
Hi, I'm Sam from Atmosphere Productions,Wedding Entertainment with expert
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E.
Dot com
(13:50):
Hi, I'm Teresa Crisci from TLCCeremonies, an ordained interfaith
and interspiritual minister and awedding officiant life celebrant.
Visit my website, TLCCeremonies dot com.
That's TLCCeremonies dot com.
We've already discussed what Theresadoes as an Officiant and Life Celebrant.
Now, let's talk briefly about someof the ceremonial rituals that you
(14:13):
can do during a ceremony, like aunity candle and a sand ceremony.
So, Theresa, how about theritual of jumping over the broom?
That's something that'shappened at weddings.
Do you do that?
I can, if they would like me toincorporate that, absolutely.
Briefly explain what that is.
The point of jumping over the broom isyou're sweeping your past behind you.
(14:34):
And you're starting new.
Yeah, that's pretty, pretty concise.
Very well put.
Ha-haha-huh.
So explain to us what a unitycandle is for those, listeners
that, have never seen that before.
So people do the unity candle a little bitdifferently, but the essence of the unity
candle is you have two individuals, whichare the two stick candles that start out.
And sometimes the mothers comeup and light those candles.
(14:57):
Indicating that each of their childrepresents the candle the bride
and the groom represent the candleand then the bride and the groom
come up and take each of thosecandles and light the unity candle.
Which is symbolic of the unity ofthe two families coming together.
So, there's a thingcalled the sand ceremony.
What does that stand for?
That's also very symbolic.
And a lot of times that's used withother members of the family, you know,
(15:20):
like there's children involved, but it'susually with different colored sands
and as they take sand from differentbottles and put it in the one bottle
in the middle and then symbolic of thelives will never be separated again.
Just like you can't go in andseparate those grains of sand.
So these lives willnever be separate again.
They're going to be together.
I've seen that many times.
(15:41):
Very good explanation.
And since we're on the subjectof sand ceremony, let's explain
what the hand ceremony is.
This where the joining of the hands.
Have you ever done that one before?
The Hand Fasting.
Yes.
Yes.
That's what it's called.
Yes.
The Hand Fasting there's a couple ofdifferent ribbons that are involved and
each ribbon usually has a different color,symbolic of the man and the woman or the
(16:01):
two women or the two men, either way.
They hold their hands and then youwrap the ribbons around the hands
and they eventually pull theirhands out and it creates a knot.
So that again, once again,they are tied together forever.
That's a very good explanation of that.
They officially tied the
knot, Sam.
They officially
Yeah, exactly.
In front of everyone.
Yeah.
(16:21):
And there's actually another onecalled tying the knot, which is
based on a, the sailor's knot.
Have you ever seen asailor's knot on a sailboat?
Yeah.
And symbolism of that is as, thewinds and the waters get rough,
the knot gets tighter and tighter.
So the couple will tie this knotsymbolizing that if Their marriage
goes on and goes through tough times.
(16:43):
Their marriage is going toget tighter and tighter.
Interesting.
I have never heard orseen that one before.
How about you, Sal?
I've actually performed that one.
Yes.
Oh, you have?
There's a lot of things out there.
There's the rose ceremony.
There's so many ceremonies, Sam.
It's, it's.
Uh, we'd be here, uh, for a whole otherpodcast just talking about individually.
Ha-ha-hah-hah!
Well, is there any other ritual orceremonial item that you want to mention
(17:06):
before we move on to another topic?
Even like the ring exchange, that'sa ritual that we incorporate that
doesn't, isn't required in a weddingto, for it to be legally, binding.
Another thing that people do sometimesis the ring warming, where they pass
the rings around to, the people,maybe it's just the family or to
everybody in the wedding, symbolizingthat the metal will hold the energy
(17:28):
of everybody who's blessing it.
So now that the bride and groomwill have rings on that have been
blessed by everybody in the family.
Wonderful.
Now, Are there any times when you haveto work with another officiant, if
there's a language difference, you know,you have one officiant speak English
and the other one speak another, arethere any other circumstances where
another officiant would be used?
(17:50):
Yes.
I've actually done a wedding where, uh,it was an Episcopal priest and myself.
And it was just because the gentlemanwas from the Episcopalian Church and
the woman was from Unity Church and theyboth wanted their tradition represented.
So we incorporated, we worked together tohave both of us as part of the ceremony.
Very beautiful.
(18:10):
Very beautiful.
Theresa, once you've drafted aceremony, are you going through
it with the client, step by step.
Once I draft a ceremony, I send itto them and say, what do you think?
Do you like it?
What do you like?
What do you not like?
Do we need to take anything out?
And we go back and forth it's usuallyonly once . But just to make sure that
it's exactly the way they want it.
(18:31):
And then what I also do is I gettogether with them before the wedding
and I read it as if it was thewedding day so that they have a sense
of what it's going to feel like.
Many, many couples really like that.
Definitely.
So I appreciate that you go through thesteps that you do because there's way too
many officiants there that only changethe name on the, script and, and that's
(18:51):
what they do at every single wedding.
This is tailoring it, personalizingit and making it special
for that individual couple.
Yeah.
And that's what I love about it.
I mean, I get so close to these people.
I feel like we're friendsby the end of the ceremony.
Oh, without a doubt.
That's a beautiful thing.
So Theresa, you would then obviouslyrecommend that anyone looking for
(19:12):
an officiant, not just go with theregular run of the mill officiant.
Somebody that, that is a life celebrantlike you will give them much more options.
Is that true?
I would recommend that they look around.
The way they look around for theirvenue or their flowers or whatever,
look around and interview people becauseyou're gonna find people that you
(19:33):
resonate more with, that you really.
Would like to work withrather than just settling.
Another thing I would recommend is ifyou're gonna have a member of your family
marry you because they've been ordainedthrough email, which is fine, I would
recommend that they hire an Officiant justto coach that person for few things that
make the difference in a wedding ceremony.
(19:54):
Now I guess I have to ask the questionthat probably everybody's asking.
What happens if you can'tmake it to the ceremony?
What happens?
We, I would get on the phone or I'd havesomebody get on the phone with my list
of officiants that I know in Connecticutand see who's available and get them the
ceremony so that they could show up at theceremony with the ceremony that the couple
(20:16):
was counting on and be able to read it.
So it's just from a network of people thatI've created and many of us have created
in case something like that happens.
Perfect.
So you have a backup plan.
Yes.
How soon should somebody think abouthiring their officiant, Theresa?
For me, I tell them that we're going toget started working on their ceremony
(20:38):
three to four months ahead of time.
So they should know who theirofficiant is three to four months
ahead of time to give them the time tocreate the ceremony of their dreams.
Absolutely agree with what you're saying,Theresa, but also earlier is always
better because just like anything at yourwedding, your favorite photographer,
your favorite DJ, you want to find theOfficiant that works best with you.
(21:01):
And early planning is always the best.
Ya know, look for them sooner than later?
Because Wedding Officiants bookup too, and you don't want to lose
out on the person that you want.
Absolutely.
Now before we get your social media andstuff, Theresa, I guess I have to ask
you, do you step out of the way, whenthe couple are about to kiss so that
(21:22):
you don't photobomb that First Kiss?
Absolutely.
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
Absolutely.
That's one of the things I wouldtell somebody who's a, family
member, a friend, get outof the way of that picture.
What, no jumping jacks behind thereto try to get everyone's attention?
Come on!
Ha-ha Huh-Ha-ha-hah!
No!
That's awesome.
Ha-ha-ha!
So, yeah, I agree.
(21:43):
That's something thatdoes need to be coached.
I know I coach that all the time.
You know, please get out of the wayso that they get that perfect picture
of just our lovely couple kissing.
So, finally, Theresa, let's getthose socials one more time.
So my Instagram is at TheresaCrisci, T-H-E-R-E-S-A-C-R-I-S-C-I.
(22:03):
My Facebook is Theresa Crisci and mywebsite is www.tlcceremonies dot com.
Thank you very much forjoining us here today.
We really do appreciate you telling usalittle bit about your interfaith and
interspiritual ministry and, you beinga wedding Officiant and, Live Celebrant.
Thank you for coming over and wehope to speak to you another time.
(22:26):
Thank you for having me.
It was great fun.
Awesome Theresa.
Thank you.
Have a great day.
Bye bye.
Have a blessed day.
So there you have it.
We just shared with you insidertips from Theresa Crisci from TLC
Ceremonies, an ordained interfaithand interspiritual minister and a
wedding Officiant Life Celebrant.
She explained the differences betweena life celebrant and other officiants.
(22:48):
You learned what questions to ask andwe gave you the tools you needed to
help create a truly meaningful andunforgettable wedding ceremony experience.
Now, as you spend the next weekplanning your wedding, if you want me,
Sam, or our community of stress freeengaged couples and wedding experts to
answer any wedding related questions,join us over in the Stress-free
(23:08):
Wedding Planning Facebook group.
Once you're in, go ahead and share yourconcerns and worries, and we'll let you
know if you're on the right track or ifthere's something we need to work on.
The link to join us is in theshow notes of this edition, or
go to Facebook and search for theStress-free Wedding Planning Community.
A new edition is released every Wednesday.
Subscribe and get it first.
Remember to do something nice forsomeone today, and if you can't,
(23:32):
do something nice for yourself.
We'll catch you then.
Ciao.
Thank you for listening to this edition.
If you've enjoyed what you've justheard, leave a review and share it
with a friend or someone who wouldbenefit from this information.
Until next time.
It's TTFN.
Ta ta for now.
The Stress-free Wedding PlanningPodcast is produced and copyrighted by
Atmosphere Productions in associationwith After Hours Events of New England.
(23:55):
Sponsored in part by Clear VisionProductions and the Wedding Styles
of Connecticut Wedding Show Series.
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