It's Sunday, March 15th and I learned that Oakland County, Michigan has now limited the capacity of all event spaces, restaurants, bars, etc. to 50% of their original capacity. 

We also know that we must protect our older relatives those over 65 and anyone with underlying health conditions. 

This is going to effect your wedding. 

But, I have some thoughts on how you can be a helper...

1. Allow yourself the grace to feel heartbroken, to feel overwhelmed and to feel upset. Now, give yourself the ability to take a deep breath and understand what you are about to do is for the greater good of all humans, those you love and those you don't even know. 
2. If at all possible postpone your wedding, I know these are not the words you want to hear, but it's what has been asked of us. We have all been asked to social distance ourselves and holding a wedding where people will be seated directly next to, behind and in front of each other is not social distancing. 
3. Work with your venue and vendors to find out what their plan B is, are you able to postpone, reschedule hold your funds for a future date? I will honor all payments towards a new booked date that I am available for. 
4. If you have made the call to postpone you can still get married on your wedding date. I will meet you and two witnesses at a park, in the open air and we can do an intimate ceremony, exchange vows rings, or do your original ceremony, whatever  you want and afterwards we will sign your license and file it. Then you can plan to host your reception when the time is right. I will offer this until we are told we may not do so any longer. 

We are all in this together and by working together we can all help each other, because that what love truly is supporting, helping and being generous and kind to each other. 

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Many couples choose a courthouse wedding, and then, call the courthouse only to find out that: 
     1. The courthouse no longer performs marriages 
     2. The courthouse only performs them on limited days
     3. The waitlist is months long 

Enter me, Nichole Bertucci, Ordained Officiant and Minister. I love to make couples happy. And so, if for you that means a quick meeting to sign the marriage license with no ceremony so you can simply get married then that's what we will do. 

I offer my Justice of the Peace, Signing only service for any couple that wants to keep getting married simple, or is getting married outside of the US or state or really for any reason they deem (it makes no difference to me). 

You will need to apply for your marriage license at your local court house, once you have your marriage license you have 30 days to make it legal! So call me, we'll schedule at time to meet and sign the license. Remember you will need to bring two witnesses over the age of 18 as they will need to sign the marriage license also. Heck, you can bring the whole family or all of your friends just make a dinner or lunch reservation, we'll sign real quick and then you can celebrate over dinner or lunch!

Whatever your reason know that I am here to help. I want your wedding day (yes even the simple ones) to be special to you and to meet your needs. 

​Getting married your way is what works best.  

Many couples in Michigan want to have a courthouse wedding but quickly discover that can be harder than they think. Many counties in Michigan no longer offer courthouse wedding's or if they do they have a 3 month or more wait list! So, if you called your courthouse to schedule a wedding and learned this news, don't fret, I am here to teach you how to have a courthouse wedding outside the courthouse. 

You may have wanted a courthouse wedding for the simplicity, low cost and speed in which you thought a courthouse wedding could provide. You can still accomplish all of those things and even more by simply hiring a wedding Officiant to marry you. Many wedding officiants offer services in small packages for just this reason, a courthouse wedding is no longer available. 

For example, I offer couples a few options that are very similar to courthouse weddings. One offering is an "elopement ceremony" for this service you would gather your closest 15ish family and friends find a venue that suits your needs and I would perform a simple and sweet marriage ceremony. Venues can range from your favorite restaurant to a free park or even your local greenhouse...ooh think of all the lovely pictures you could take. 

I also offer an even smaller service called a simple signing. For this service I meet with the two of you, your two witnesses and we simply sign the license to make it legal, there is no formal ceremony, I do however ask you if you promise to continue to love and then pronounce you married and you can even seal your simple signing with a kiss. 

Tips and tricks for your off site courthouse wedding: 

1. Hire a wonderful officiant who will personalize the ceremony to suit your needs. 
2. Hire a photographer, it's worth it! Get those pictures of your wedding day. 
3. Have it your way! Outdoors, inside, over dinner or brunch, you get to decide what you want for your courthouse wedding. 

Your wedding ceremony will set the tone for your wedding celebration and wedding reception. It is important to make sure your wedding ceremony is well drafted to include details of your love, the moments that brought you to the decision to marry each other. It's great if your wedding ceremony can include moments of laughter and love and sweet sentimental moments all things that will draw your guests into your wedding ceremony. 

But...there is one thing, one big thing that will make your wedding ceremony truly magical, are you ready? I've got the secret ingredient to making your wedding ceremony truly one of a king...here it is...

YOU

Yep, you read that right. If you want a wedding ceremony that is truly magical then you are the secret. I can write a magnificent wedding ceremony that includes all of the right things but...if you the two of you are not truly in the moment then your guests won't be either. 

So here is my suggestion to you on how to make your wedding ceremony magical. 

1. Be yourself, don't try to hold anything in or anything back. Your guests are watching and they want to see YOU, they want to know you are feeling all the feels that this day is as important to you as they know it is.
2. Let the tears flow, honestly if you hold back that's when the ugly cry face comes, so let it go! Just bring a handkerchief and don't be afraid to use that sucker. 
3. Laugh and smile and enjoy the your wedding ceremony. I've seen happy giggles take over, I've seen pure out spontaneous laughter and snorts that set a crowd on fire. If you can relax and enjoy the moment your guests will also. 
4. Look at each other, really look at each other during your wedding ceremony. Don't shy away because if you look you might cry, honey, you do you! In a world telling you to be authentic there is no more of a right time than the day you stand in front of each other and declare you are ready to take on the world as a married couple. 
5. Finally, breathe, yes, sounds simple but really relax and breathe in the moment that is your wedding ceremony. Your wedding ceremony is typically 30 minutes or less so breathe and relax and enjoy this little bit of stillness on your wedding day. 

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Cheers to getting married in Michigan! So now that you have decided to get married in Michigan, you may be wondering just how do I do this? Have no fear, you are not alone in your questions and wondering how to get married in Michigan. 

It's actually not that difficult to marry in Michigan. The state of Michigan requires you to apply for and obtain a marriage certificate. If you reside in Michigan you will apply for your marriage license in the county that you live in. If you live out of state you will apply for your marriage license in the county you wish to get married in. Each Michigan County Clerk's office runs a little differently so it is best to visit their website or local office in person to ask what their requirements for applying for a marriage license are. Most of Michigan County Clerk's require each couple to complete an application and to supply them photo ID, social security card, original birth certificate or certified copy and proof of residency. Some Michigan County Clerk's office's have a 3 day waiting period, most in fact! So, once you apply for your marriage license you must return 3 days later to actually pick up the license. And perhaps most importantly, the license is only valid for 30 days so once you've got the license in hand you must get married in 30 days or it expires. 

Now that you have your marriage license you will want to hire a professional wedding Officiant or Minister to assist with the marriage. However you choose to marry you must have two witnesses over 18 years old present during your wedding ceremony as they must witness your I Do's and then sign the marriage license as well. 

You've got your license, you've got your Minister now get hitched! You can have any sort of ceremony you like, elopement, intimate or grandiose, it's really up to you, the possibilities are endless. 

Once you have had your marriage ceremony your Officiant or Wedding Minister will complete the marriage license and sign it, and then ask the two of you to sign and well as your witnesses. The Officiant or Wedding Minister is responsible for filing the marriage license for you. They have 10 days to return the license to the County Clerk's office on your behalf. 

And lastly, you will need to make one more trip back to your local County Clerk's office to request the legal copy of your marriage license. It does not come to you automatically, you must request the certified legal copy yourself. Some County Clerk's offices will allow you to request this online, thus saving you the trip in person. 

So let's review how to get married in Michigan: 

1 - Apply for and obtain your Michigan Marriage License from your local County Clerk's office. 

2- Hire a professional Wedding Officiant or Minister to perform your wedding ceremony. 

3- Get hitched!

4- Sign your marriage license. 

5- Request your legal copy of your marriage license. 

6- Live happily ever after. 

Hiring the right wedding Officiant is a really important decision. Your wedding Officiant will help to set the tone for your wedding celebration. Your wedding Officiant is in charge of writing your entire ceremony and performing your wedding ceremony with emotion and feeling and love. Don't take the decision of hiring your wedding Officiant lightly. 

So, how the heck does one go about hiring a wedding Officiant? 

A good place to start is visiting two top performing websites THE KNOT and WEDDING WIRE 

These two websites have a great list of wedding Officiants local to Michigan. And best of all they have reviews from other couples, so you can read real reviews of their services and get a feel for which wedding Officiants you may want to interview. 

Yes, that's right, up next you should interview your top 3 wedding Officiant choices. Now, of course you're going to have to email them first to check availability for your wedding date, once that's settled I highly suggest you set a date to meet with them in person. You want to have a little moment of chatting in person to see if you...1 - like their personality, trust me their in a lot fo your photos and spend that intimate moment of saying I DO with you, so do they fit your feeling and vibe? 2- do you like their speaking voice? Your wedding Officiant is responsible for reading your wedding ceremony and you want to feel comforted and moved by their speaking voice. 

During the interview you will want to discuss what they will do for your wedding ceremony, here's some topics to discuss: 

Will they write the entire ceremony? 
Will they email the ceremony to you so you can review it and make changes? 
Will they do some sort of rehearsal of the ceremony with you? 
Will they arrive early on your wedding day to greet guests and you and make sure everything is ready to go? 
What is their fee and what does it include, are there any extra charges? 
What do they wear the day of the wedding? 
Are they flexible with the ceremony, will they allow you to make it your own? 

Trust your gut! Go with the wedding Officiant who speaks to you in a way that makes you happy, that reassures you they are in charge and will allow you to have a stress free wedding day. 

To book with Nichole email her at nicholebert@gmail.com 

It's a magical moment, standing up there looking at each other and entering into marriage with so much love and joy in your hearts. The person you choose to officiate your wedding is an important choice, one that should be made with the same thought as hiring a photographer or musician. 

The officiant is charged with writing your ceremony, putting words to your love story and reciting that ceremony with love and emotion, drawing your guests into the moment and making them feel the excitement and hope that you have. 

I want to share with you a story about the first wedding I officiated. My sister was getting married and had a hard time finding someone who was just right for her day, so I stepped up to the moment and volunteered to do the ceremony. You see, if Joey on Friends could marry his friends for sure I could do this! 

So, we wrote the ceremony short and sweet just what they wanted. On the day of the wedding I walked my sister down the aisle with my mom and then turned to begin the ceremony and....I....began balling! I'm crying, my sister's crying heck our whole family was crying, it was horrible!! We laugh now but so many emotions that day intruded on what should of been her magical moment. 

I can also tell you of all the phone calls I get of couples telling me the friend they asked to perform the ceremony has backed out...it's a big responsibility and not everyone is comfortable with public speaking or writing. 

So I say this with all the love I have in my heart, choose your officiant wisely, they will set the tone for your wedding day and you want it to be flawless. 

Every Day by David Levithan“This is what love does: It makes you want to rewrite the world. It makes you want to choose the characters, build the scenery, guide the plot. The person you love sits across from you, and you want to do everything in your power to make it possible, endlessly possible. And when it’s just the two of you, alone in a room, you can pretend that this is how it is, this is how it will be.”

From the little love picks that lined the aisle leading to the amazing macrame wedding arbor to the sweet little ones who walked down the aisle, nothing was left undone for this wedding. 

Or maybe it's more of a rustic love wedding vibe...either-way, the love was certainly the focus of the day and I was so happy to stand with them as they joined together for marriage. 

The venue: Grand Belle Holly Michigan where the owner pours his heart in soul into your happy day. 

A summer wedding in Michigan is a beautiful thing. And the venue Meadow Brook Hall and Gardens lends itself to creating an upscale, romantic and dreamy Michigan summer wedding. 

As a preferred vendor at Meadow Brook I am happy to say I have been at the venue many times to perform wedding ceremonies. I can tell you first hand that the staff is nothing short of perfection. They work so hard to create a unique and personal experience for each couple. The staff at Meadow Brook want you to enjoy your day! 

And when one of their own is getting married, let's just say the bar is set high and man did they nail it! 

On your wedding day it can be a little chaotic and stressful but not this day. Alexis and Andrew were calm and stress free! They truly enjoyed each moment. 

As a couple Alexis and Andrew were simply made for each other. They complement each other so well and their love is easy to see. It was a joy to work with them and stand with them on their wedding day.