Where Can I Find a Seattle Justice of the Peace?

Many brides and grooms want to have a simple or civil wedding ceremony and they often look for a Justice of the Peace or Notary.

In Washington State, only ministers/priests and judges may "solemnize a marriage." (RCW 26.04.050 defines who may solemnize a marriage: "Justices of the supreme court, judges of the court of appeals, judges of the superior courts, superior court commissioners, any regularly licensed or ordained minister or any priest of any church or religious denomination ...")

Judges or ministers may perform a civil ceremony, some may prefer not to. You need to ask.

The exact wording of the ceremony is not defined by state statutes. You get to choose, depending on the person who is officiating.

We prefer to call ourselves "wedding ceremony officiants," letting couples know we enjoy all types of ceremonies: civil, spiritual, nondenominational, multicultural, multifaith and religious.

Your ceremony is a reflection of you. The wording of the ceremony should reflect you also!

Thanks to La Vie Photography!

To see how you can create the ceremony you want, check out our wedding ceremony services.

Wedding Reception Idea - Photo Booth

Recently, I enjoyed having my photo taken during a wedding reception at a "photo booth." It is always great fun and definitely entertaining. I think it was one of the more popular activities of the evening.

Yes, there are many different types of booths. There are the ones that you rent (you know the kind ... you get in the booth, adjust the height of the stool or camera, close the curtain and snap away).

Kent and I had fun doing this at Margo and David's wedding last summer. (I was honored to officiate for them.) We always have to squish together and scrunch down. (Kent is 6'7" so it can be quite a challenge stuffing ourselves into the space.) The nice part of that is we had photos to take home with us (ours are on the refrigerator door) and the bride and groom get a copy too.

Anastasia Chomlack brought in her set up for Colin and Liviya's wedding at the Golden Gardens Bathhouse. Guests lined up as individuals, families and groups of friends to have their picture taken. Anastasia encouraged people to express themselves so the images could be wild and fun.

Red Fish, Blue Fish also offers this option. If this idea intrigues you, ask your photographer if that is a service they provide.

And, of course, you can set up a DIY booth. You need a background (perhaps a sheet), a tripod for the camera, the camera itself, and someone to operate the shutter or a remote shutter release. Polaroids offer instant results, digital pics can be posted online.

Enjoy!!!

For creative and fun ideas for your wedding ceremony, check out our website: www.aheavenlyceremony.com.