It all started with a joke.

Josh explained, "It all started with a joke. I said we should get married in Central Park, NYC, kind of as a joke. That's what happens, I make a joke," His wife Nicole finishes his sentence by saying "and I make it happen." Josh continued saying "So then I said we should renew our vows in every state, and here we are."

Josh and Nicole are from South Dakota and were married for the first time at Central Park in New York. In their almost five years of marriage they have renewed their vows in North Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Nevada, Missouri, Kansas, Wyoming, Colorado, Texas and now, Oklahoma. Interestingly, they have not yet been married or had a vow renewal in their home state of South Dakota. However, according to Nicole, it's definitely in the plans.  

The couple's Oklahoma Vow Renewal occurred at The Lighthouse at Lake Hefner the morning of June 1, 2013. The Lighthouse location was a tribute for this couple to the bride’s mother who recently lost her battle against cancer and loved Lighthouses of all kinds.

The family arrived looking super cute wearing matching black and white t-shirts that said "OK Renewal May 31st, 2013". Unfortunately, the evening of May 31st the Oklahoma weather was less than ideal for an outdoor wedding or vow renewal. This is a family of troopers. They withstood the Oklahoma tornadoes and flooding and had their special moment when the sun came out the next morning. Heck or high water will not stand in the way of what this family sets their mind to doing. 

Josh and Nicole truly seem to understand that a good marriage takes effort and they are putting a lot of effort into keeping their marriage fresh, unique and a priority above other things.  

I received an email from this Nicole after the May 20th tornadoes inquiring as to our well-being and asking how can they help in our community while they would be here for their vow renewal.  

This couple and their family inspire me. I very much enjoyed meeting them all and I am so honored that they chose me to officiate their Oklahoma Vow Renewal.

A wedding in the rain, almost!

Congrats to Steven and Dina!

This was an evening to remember. The couple had chosen this evening for their sunset ceremony at the Lighthouse at Lake Hefner. Two hours before the ceremony is scheduled, it began to rain. I called the couple expecting that they'd want to reschedule or choose a new location. I was advised, they had no plan B. They were willing to have an abbreviated ceremony if it was still raining at sunset but they wanted to proceed as planned.

A few minutes before I was scheduled to leave for their ceremony, the rain stopped. The bride was lovely, dressed in a creme colored dress. Two of her friends each carried an 8x10 photo, on a stick. The groom and his friends were each wearing their Air Force Dress Uniforms.

Soon after meeting everyone who was personally in attendance I learned that the men whose faces were carried as signs were the grooms best friends and fellow airmen who were away on temporary duty. As we began to prepare for the beginning of the ceremony many more family and friends joined us via Skype and Face-time from California and Georgia.

The ceremony was simple and beautiful with emotion accenting the personally meaningful moments for both the bride and groom.

When the ceremony was complete the newly married couple and their friends released balloons in celebration. It was something impressive to behold.

The rings are exchanged, the first kiss has occurred, the license is signed, genuine well wishes have been offered and my evenings work is done. As I drive away and point my car toward home, the rain returned.

Hello again!

I've spent some time concentrating on my website over the last several months, a necessary task, but I have missed posting here. I am happy to say, things have been busy and I have lots of new ideas, stories and photos to share.

First things, first. Please take the time to visit my websites. I'll be continuing to blog and talk about each of these websites. I'll be discussing how they came to be, my vision for each site and my experiences as I take this journey of uniting special couples in marriage across the state of Oklahoma.

MarryMeOK.com
ElopeInOKC.com
OklahomaCityWeddingOfficiant.com
OklahomaCourthouseWedding.com

Breaking News!!

We have launched our new website!

Please visit us at http://www.MarryMeOK.com

This has been an exciting experience and the website is improving everyday. Please visit us today and come back again soon to see how we've grown. We have big plans for www.MarryMeOK.com and we would love for you to be a part of it.

Feel free to contact me at Joy@MarryMeOK.com to be considered for a link exchange. Also, if you are one of my brides/grooms and would like to have your wedding featured on our site, I'd like to invite you to email your photos for inclusion.

See you around the web!

Weekend of Love

I performed two weddings over the previous weekend. Each was very different from the other in every way except love.

The first couple had planned for an outdoor wedding, the venue they had chosen was lovely but as the day arrived it became apparent that it would rain all day. This caused a last minute venue change to the brides parent's home. The bride was strong and beautiful, willing to roll with whatever came her way and completely focused on the purpose of the evening, to become man and wife. Their love was all that mattered. Watching the bride and groom saying their vows to each other, framed by the fireplace and mantle behind them seemed as if it was meant to be that way all along.

The second couple had rented and decorated a beautiful ballroom on Main Street in a small Oklahoma town. Due to unforeseen circumstances within the wedding party this ceremony began about an hour later than planned. The bride was patient and kind and had a support system which jumped into action to make certain she had the perfect ceremony that she had worked so hard to plan and in the end she walked down the aisle to meet her sweetheart. These two were married in a dim ballroom under a magical archway of tooling and twinkle lights.

Both of my brides this weekend faced adversity with grace and I am proud to have been a part of each of these events, to know these charming women and to have witnessed the strength of love each of these couples shared.

The Lighthouse at Lake Hefner

Imagine this as the setting of your intimate wedding ceremony. Your family and friends gather around the Lighthouse at Lake Hefner and watch as you walk your way down this amazing, beautiful path to greet your groom and say, "I do" at the foot of this local landmark.

Our romantic ceremony is ideal for this casual or formal outdoor Oklahoma wedding venue. Contact us today to reserve the minister for your wedding date.


Update:

Lighthouse Permit information:
Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation

Drew Winston 405-297-2691

Officiant Services:
Rev. Joy Huber
Joy@MarryMeOK.com
405-259-6304

Rose Garden at Will Rogers Park - Wedding Venue

If you are looking for a beautiful and affordable outdoor venue to host your special Oklahoma wedding consider the Rose Garden at Will Rogers Park. Imagine the view here as the bride and groom say "I do" accompanied by the fragrance of roses and possibly even a serenade from the treetop singers. Sunrise or sunset, this is a gorgeous setting to take your traditional or non-traditional marriage vows in a casual or formal style.

http://www.okc.gov/parks/will_rogers/rental.html

Will Rogers Park

Parks & Recreation

The Charles E. Sparks Rose Garden is the picture-perfect outdoor location to hold your wedding or special event.

The Rose Garden can be rented from May to September. Peak months for roses are May, June, September and October.
Fees for weddings are $75 for the first 2 hours. Each additional hour is $25. In addition, wedding rehearsals may be scheduled from Sunday through Thursday. The rehearsal fee is $75 for two hours. A non-refundable deposit of $20 will be charged for each rental.

The Sparks Rose Garden is available for weddings.
The Senior Activity Center, just a short walk away, can host your reception.

Looking for a close, indoor facility to host your reception? Consider renting Will Rogers Senior Activity Center. This large community center rents for $70 per hour plus a $100 cleaning and security deposit. It has approximately 3600 square feet of activity space and the rental fee includes the use of the kitchen and a limited number of tables and chairs.
To rent the rose garden or senior center for weddings or receptions, call Will Rogers Senior Activity Center at 405 942-4339 or e-mail Patty McDoulett @ misspatty.mcdoulett@okc.gov.
To rent the Garden Exhibition Center for meetings, call 405 943-0827.

An evening with a special couple

Earlier this week I received a phone call from a young woman who after several years in a relationship was ready to get married. The timeline was short because the couple wanted to get married on the anniversary of the date that they had met, an idea that I love! She had called the church where she attended as a child and requested that their minister perform her ceremony. She was denied because the pre-wedding counseling she and her fiance had attended was performed by an organization which was not within that church.

This very sweet young lady was practically in tears when she called me, she felt scolded and belittled which I think is the opposite of how a minister or their office is supposed to make anyone feel. Her wedding date was coming quick and she was fearing that she may not be able to pull it off. I was happy to help by officiating their ceremony. It was a sweet ceremony by the pond at the groom's grandmother's home with parents and grandparents in attendance. The brides' grandfather was happy to give her away, everyone in attendance was armed with a camera one of the grandmothers had made a beautiful wedding cake. Their family was loving and kind and I was so blessed to be a part of their special day.

Quick Oklahoma Weddings

I can provide immediate wedding services for those who desire it.  There are many reasons why a couple may be interested in a marriage ceremony within days or hours such as:

Passion-This needs no explanation.

Family Planning- Some couples find nature has accelerated their family plan and choose to marry on an accelerated schedule as a personal preference.

Immigration- Committed loving couples may choose to have a quick ceremony to immediately address deportation issues and have a larger formal ceremony with their friends and family later.

Property- Occasionally the need to assure ownership of property will encourage couples to have a simple, quick ceremony.

Military Deployment- Deployments can be long and return dates can be uncertain. Couples often choose to marry before deployment which does not always allow for lengthy engagements.

Busy Schedules- Often couples have full calendars with business and personal demands that prevent them from planning a formal wedding.

I'm sure that there are many more reasons to be married with short notice. Please feel free to leave any reasons you can think of in the comments area.

Whatever your reason, I am happy to be a part of your special day. There is no need for an expensive chapel rental. I will come to you, wherever you are in Oklahoma. You can be married weekdays, weekends, even holidays. Would you like to be married at sunset or sunrise? Do you want to get married during lunch? I'll be there any day, anytime to help you celebrate and officiate your commitment.

Military Couple

I just married a young couple in a mall food court. This evening, I experienced the true meaning of simple and sweet. The gentleman is in the military and currently going through AIT. After completion of his training he will be stationed in Japan. His sweet bride arrived in Oklahoma 3 days ago and is now preparing to move to Japan with her groom. The two of them were hoping to get married yesterday afternoon but he was not released from training until after the local chapel had closed. They did not care where or how they were married, they just want to be together. I received a call about 5 o'clock this afternoon asking for my help. Within 20 minutes I was on the road to Lawton and they were married approximately two hours later.

I consider it a great pleasure to be a part of their moment and I will remember them always.

Oklahoma County - No JOP Weddings

A call to the marriage license department of the local court clerk’s office revealed that Oklahoma County has not had the option for Justice of the Peace weddings in approximately 6 years.  A person without a church home or a person who simply does not want a religious ceremony can no longer modestly go before a judge to be married in the local courthouse.

In my opinion, this is not entirely bad. Who wants such a stuffy setting for such a nice occasion anyway? This does not automatically mean that you cannot get married quickly in Oklahoma or that you must pay the expensive costs of renting a chapel. This gives us the chance to think outside the box.

I can think of many local places that would be beautiful for a small civil ceremony. I personally enjoy outdoor weddings and one of my favorite spots would be near the lighthouse at Lake Hefner. I also think a simple park wedding can be beautiful and intimate.

There are options and I am glad to help.