A New (To Us) Wedding Location and a Fun Residence Wedding

Just when we thought we had seen all the places where folks celebrate weddings we found there are some we were not aware of.

One of several gazebos. This one with pond and fountain.

Just two weeks ago we discovered two beautiful places we had never done before: The Missouri History Museum in Forest Park and the Larimore House.

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 I don't have photos of the History Museum wedding yet but I will share them when I receive them.  I wanted to share some photos of the Larimore House, a beautiful venue in Spanish Lake.

Larimore House has several gazebos for outside weddings, plus a house built in the 1800's for staging and and a barn built in the 1860's that has been updated and converted to a chapel and reception facility.

There are ponds, fountains, creeks, bridges and many more perfect photo spots throughout the facility.

Mr. and Mrs. Johnson's first married kiss

I conducted my recent wedding at a pretty gazebo all made out of stone.  As you can see in the photo on the right it is a pretty setting.

 This was my first wedding at the Larimore House and I must say I was impressed.

Not all of our weddings are in special wedding venues.

 We offer full service weddings through Remembrance Weddings (www.remembranceweddings.com) at residences all over the Metro Saint Louis, St. Charles and Southern Illinois.  We also offer "short and sweet" weddings at residences through WedXpress (www.wedxpress.com) and elopement packages through EZ-Wed Elopement Service (www.ez-wed.com .)

The same week we did our weddings at Larimore and the Missouri History Museum we did a fun wedding at a residence in south St. Louis County.

Mr. and Mrs.Smith

The ceremony was performed under a tent erected in the back yard of a south St. Louis County residence. The bride and bridesmaids looked traditional with the addition of boots.

Groomsmen were decked out in caps, camouflage with their  jackets and boots.

Bales of hay and traditional fall decor filled out the decorations.

Forest Park locations

I've been officiating weddings for the entire 20 years since I was ordained. Now we have multiple ministers. We have had a run of beautiful weddings lately and I thought I'd share some photos of recent ones in some locations that we have done weddings before and some new ones too. 

The Grand Basin in Forest Park

Some of these weddings were custom full service ceremonies and some were of the "short and sweet" variety.  As the photos show a wedding can be beautiful in either type. So far we've planned this out for two weeks but we may continue and feature more locations and ceremonies.

Mr. and Mrs. Mulrenin

Our first wedding we are featuring is the "short and sweet" variety that we offer at WedXpress www.wedxpress.com and EZ-Wed Elopement Service www.ez-wed.com .This one was shot at The Grand Basin in Forest Park.

These seven to ten minute ceremonies are pre-written and are offered in religious or non religious versions. They may have an exchange of rings or not.

This is not a courthouse wedding. These ceremonies use beautiful language and imagery.  The couple receives a keepsake bound copy of their ceremony personalized with their names throughout, as well as a four color certificate of marriage. 

The EZ-Wed Elopement Services also included a bridal bouquet and 30 or 60 photos like the ones shown here.  

I think these photos show that you can have a beautiful wedding that will be memorable without having to spend a lot of money.  (Note that the cost of the officiate is one of the smallest expenses of any wedding.) 

Our primary business comes from our full service weddings, done by Remembrance Weddings www.remembranceweddings.com. 

These more formal weddings are written specifically for a couple based on a questionnaire developed over my twenty years of marrying couples. It evolves as my experience grows so that I really get tothe heart of what is important to the couple and what they really want for their ceremony. I've modified it and the information I involve in the planning twice this year. The questionnaire is really helpful to both those couples .

• who know exactly what they want but are wanting additional ideas and possibilities.

• who don't know exactly what they want but they want to be able to plan a ceremony for their special day and want someone who can help them get a thorough review of the possibilities.

Our attention to detail both in the ceremonies and the staging of the ceremony separate Remembrance Weddings from the  rest of the officiates.

The two weeks of weddings we feature here in our blog for Remembrance Weddings represent both the old and the new. This week we are featuring some old familiar spots for St. Louis weddings. The first wedding features photos from The Grand Basin and the second are photos of The Jewel Box  both in Forest Park, City of St. Louis. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hawkes-Cates

Both are very familiar locations as I have done several ceremonies a year at each over the last 15 or so years.

The Grand Basin is a beautiful spor for either the short or the full service wedding.

Next week we'll show you some new spots....at least new to us.  And a unique home wedding.

 

At your wedding all eyes are on three people

At your wedding all eyes are on three people

The Bride, the Groom and the Minister. 

 A  wedding is a significant event in anyone's life.  I am always amazed by the folks who shop for the cheapest minister rather than the best.  They call and instead of trying to learn about the services and ministers their only question is "What is the price? "

 It reminds me of the joke about the astronaut climbing aboard the rocket about to take him into space who said, " I understand that I face incredible odds and many unforeseen dangers as I climb into this rocket, knowing full well that every nut, screen, O- ring, seal and gasket was selected because it had the cheapest price."

Considering that the cost of the officiate or minister is one of the cheapest elements of the wedding, it is my belief that this is an unwise way of thinking.

If you are looking for a wedding minister my advice to you is remember the headline on this blog.

At your wedding all eyes are on three people. The Bride....The Groom....and the Minister. So your choice of minister is more important than an upgrade in the reception costs for seat covers, or whether the buffet choice is roast beef over chicken.

Because a year after your wedding no one will remember whether they ate roast beef or chicken or whether they seats had covers or not.

 But if the minister doesn't provide a ceremony that is Beautiful....Meaningful....and Memorable it probably won't be remembered at all or perhaps will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.  And we guarantee it isn't a RemembranceWedding, or one done by one of our associate companies.....WedXpress and EZ-Wed Elopement Services.

Because of our mission and our money back guarantee is that we will provide you a "Romantic Personal Wedding Ceremony You'll Remember Forever....Beautiful....Meaningful....Memorable.