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smithers's Profile

August 23, 2008

Ceremony Location:	Hudsonville, MI
Reception Location:

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My Reviews (2)

Freethinker Ceremonies
Allegan, Michigan 49010

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Review Date: 09/12/2008
Services Used: Officiant

3.3 out of 5.0	Quality of Service:	(2.5/5.0)
	Responsiveness:	(4.0/5.0)
	Professionalism:	(4.0/5.0)
	Value For Cost:	(2.0/5.0)
	Flexibility:	(4.0/5.0)

You can tell Chuck is very new to officiating. We loved that he let us really create the ceremony based on some samples he gave us. However, Chuck didn't really act like he knew what he was doing at the rehearsal because he hadn't done too many. I had to get everybody moving and in their places. Also, on the wedding day everything was fine, but he forgot to tell everyone to sit down after I came down the aisle. I think that Chuck just needs more practice to be really good. I hate to mention this, but it was a huge deal for me changing my name... He also forgot to sign our marriage license so I had to mail a copy back to him and have him sign it to then mail back. I work full-time + some, am taking grad classes and travel a ton so this was extremely inconvenient to have it be 3 weeks after the wedding and just now getting our signed marriage license. Chuck is an extremely nice person and overall needs some work. I also thought he was a little pricey considering we figured out the whole ceremony, met him once, sent about six emails back and forth, did the rehearsal and spent about an hour on the wedding day. Although I know officiant's are expensive. For a casual wedding I would definitely recommend him, but for a more formal wedding I would go with someone with more experience. Please keep in mind that we knew he hadn't done many weddings when we selected him. I decided to take a chance because of the limited choices for a non-religious ceremony.

Freethinker Ceremonies responded with the the following comments:
There are some valid complaints here.I did forget to sign the souvenir copy that is left with the couple, but the official documents that are filed with the county were signed when they were sent in. Those are the ones that are needed for any official uses. I also did forget to ask the guests to sit after the bride came down the aisle - I caught it a few minutes into the ceremony, but it broke the flow of the ceremony. I'm sorry about that.

As for cost - All I can say is that my fees aren't out of line for the services that I provide in this region

I provide all of my clients with sample ceremonies to look over and they can pick and choose from those samples to come up with a wedding ceremony of their choice, OR I can write something completely from scratch, or something between those two. It's their choice. If I had known that you wanted more of my help with the ceremony, I would have been happy to provide it.

The rehearsal - the coordinator at the wedding site seemed to have a plan that she was following - I let her go with it. Two people trying to run a rehearsal can be a disaster, and it was her venue.

My goal is always to exceed what the bride and groom want, and for the most part, I do that. I'm sorry that your experience didn't meet your expectations.

Rogers and Hollands
Grandville, Michigan 49418

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Review Date: 09/12/2008
Services Used: Jewelry

3.8 out of 5.0	Quality of Service:	(4.0/5.0)
	Responsiveness:	(4.0/5.0)
	Professionalism:	(4.0/5.0)
	Value For Cost:	(4.0/5.0)
	Flexibility:	(3.0/5.0)

I LOVE our rings. Mine is a custom piece from the Platinum collection. I had one minor problem with it when I first got it, but they fixed it right away and we haven't had any other issues.