It’s Spotlight Day, where we introduce you to incredible Orlando wedding vendors and share the stories behind these companies who help Wedding Venue Map couples have their best wedding day.
Hiring the right wedding vendors is so important on your wedding day. The vendors help create the backdrop of every moment, every picture, and every memory. It gives us great pleasure to introduce this week’s vendor spotlight, Catherine Pick of Ceremonies by Catherine.
How long would you say you have been doing what you do today?
I performed my first professional ceremony on March 6th, 2015.
How did your work evolve to get to where you are today?
Although I never really had an issue with being nervous before the ceremony, I am a lot more relaxed and comfortable speaking in front of wedding guests. I’ve always been able to go with the flow when things go wrong (such as a fire truck driving by with sirens blaring during the ceremony!) but now I am even better at taking everything in stride.
Tell us your most memorable event so far and why?
Wow, SO many great things have happened during my ceremonies. Once we took a break during the ceremony to play the song, “Bless The Broken Road.” The couple had both been previously married so the song has a lot of relevance to their relationship. I’ll admit that I did start to tear up while watching how connected to the song the couple was.
I performed a ceremony where the bride was walked halfway down the aisle by the four men who helped her become the amazing person she is today. Two of her grandfathers walked with her first, then her uncle, who passed her off to her father. It was wonderful and another moment that brought tears to my eyes.
I also had a couple who hired zombie actors to come in during cocktail hour and “mingle” with the guests. It was both wonderfully delightful and scary at the same time.
What motivates you to do this every day?
Being a part of a couple (and their family’s) special day is such a great opportunity. I truly never, ever thought I would be able to go to so many cool places to do something I love so much. It is a dream come true!
What fun fact would people be interested to learn about you?
The year after I graduated high school, my then-boyfriend and I traveled through the United States. We had the opportunity to visit the lower 48 states and British Columbia. My top three favorite States are South Dakota (western in the Black Hills), Montana, and Colorado.
What makes your business stand out from others in your vendor category?
There is a meme I came across that says “People can use your recipe, but the sauce won’t taste the same.” I love marrying couples and it shows in the way I speak during the ceremony.
Tell us about your ideal client.
My perfect couple is two people who read the “Meet Me” section of my website and feel a connection to me. (They also attend Megacon or love cats.) Sometimes they are super awkward just like me, and we click!
Why do you think your business is successful?
Who said my business was successful?! Bwahahaha.
I think I am successful because I try to be easy-going and couples really appreciate that. I never pressure a couple to use my services or sign a contract.
The best piece of advice for brides or grooms.
I am a spreadsheet lover, so my advice is to use spreadsheets! They can be your absolute best friend to help keep you organized and on track.
What current trends have you seen at weddings that you personally like the most?
I am really into the fruity trends: pears, limes, and oranges in your centerpieces?! Yes, please!
What do you think are the biggest misconceptions that people have about your vendor category?
We are not only needed for “20 minutes!”
First, we email back and forth discussing your ceremony and my availability. Then we discuss setting up a meeting, drive to the meeting, and meet for an hour or so, then drive home. We write the ceremony script based on the information provided at the meeting and work with you back and forth on the script until it is absolutely perfect for what you are looking for. We arrive at the ceremony at least 30 minutes in advance and are usually on the property for an hour and a half.
After the ceremony, we sign and notarize the license, then take it back to the clerk’s office so you have one less thing to stress about after your big day.
Name three unique venues that you enjoy working at and why.
I have always loved the Lake Mary Event Center. If you are looking for an outdoor wedding but need to have the ceremony in air conditioning, their rotunda is perfect for this! Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the lake. Excellent backup plan for rain, as well. The on-site staff is always extremely helpful.
I love performing ceremonies at Ever After Farms in Mims. They have two amazing air-conditioned barns (A/C is so important in Florida!) on sprawling farmland. The venue coordinators are always positive and very helpful.
Paradise Cove is another one of my favorites! It’s the only venue I know of where you can make an entrance to the altar on a speedboat. The perfect beach setting but close to all of the theme parks and hotels.
Read what some previous couples had to say…
“I am so glad we hired Catherine to officiate our wedding! She was enthusiastic, fun, and very professional! She added such a unique touch to our wedding and my husband and I recommend her to anybody looking for a ceremony that is lively, sentimental, and memorable! She was perfect and such a pleasure to do business with!” – Arielle and Raymond, Heathrow Country Club (Arielle is a fellow vendor who works at Corwin’s Catering)
“Catherine is such an amazing officiant. I am so happy to have worked with her. She recommended the location for our ceremony and we were so pleased with it. The script for our ceremony was amazingly written. She made our experience stress free and special. We just loved her!” – Maeve and Jarvis, Ponce Inlet Beach
“I don’t even know how to begin to say how much we loved having Catherine officiate our Sunday Brunch wedding. From start to finish, she was a joy to work with, despite the fact that my husband and I live in Kentucky and thus had to rely on phone, Skype, and email to communicate. She took the time to get to know us, and then wrote a beautiful ceremony script that really matched the laid-back, no religious frill ceremony we were going for.
“Not only did we love her, but our family and friends did as well! We had so many people come up to us at the wedding and say how great they thought Catherine was, and how perfectly she captured our love story. We could not have been more pleased with how the day went, and we have Catherine to thank for a large portion of that! :)” – Katie and Alex, Dr. Phillips House
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