Today we’d like to introduce you to Marty Younkin.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I officiated my first wedding on July 3rd, 1976. I was a singles pastor at a local church with a large singles class. People would meet and fall in love and they would ask me to officiate their wedding. When I left the church ministry in 1989, my wife asked me what I enjoyed most about my time with the church and I shared with her that I really enjoyed officiating weddings. She, being a professional musician, encouraged me to advertise in the same booklet that she herself advertised. And, couples began to call me to officiate their wedding. That was in 1990. In 1992, we combined out businesses and called it LoveNotes – DFW Clergy Services. We wrote a book of wedding ceremonies called “A Wedding Ceremony To Remember. So as a company we could provide the Music, the Minister, and A Manual. I felt bad when a couple would call me and I was not available because I was already booked for someone else’s wedding. So, I began to search for highly qualified people to come on board and join my staff. We have a motto that says: “No one helps you say I do, better than we do.”
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Those who fail to adjust to the ever evolving landscape of the wedding industry will not have a smooth road. It is imperative to constantly be aware of how to improve your presence and the constant need to connect with other vendors. My big struggle is how the wedding minister / officiant is perceived today. Today, the officiant is cast into the corner of wedding necessities. Every year I get calls from brides who say, “I’m getting married next week and I forgot to get an Officiant.” In the 1970’s thru the mid 1990’s, the only people qualified to officiate a wedding was an “Ordained” Minister, Priest, Rabbi, or duly elected or appointed Judge. My ordination lasted for 3 hours and I was grilled with questions from the elders of the church and 3 professors from the Seminary I attended. In the mid 90’s through the mid 2000s, an officer of a religious institution was added to the list of those who were deemed qualified to officiate a wedding. Lately, anyone and everyone can officiate a wedding. There is no Education, Experience or Expertise required. You can go online and buy your ordination for a few dollars. The Dallas County Guidelines are so lax, it boggles the mind. It states that even though you are not approved to officiate a wedding, if you look like you are, then that is acceptable.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I was a single’s pastor at a local church in Dallas. Our single’s class met “off site” and not on the campus of the church. We had an attendance that reached over 400 singles at times. Men and women would meet, fall in love, and ask me to officiate their wedding. After 20 years I left the church and started a wedding Ministry / Business. My wife and I wrote 4 books about Wedding ceremonies and these books are sold all over the world. Our motto is this: No one helps you say I do, better than we do. The one thing I am the most proud of Is our reputation. One Vendor has said this about me: He is “The Godfather of Wedding Officiants.” Someone else referred me as “Pastor to America’s brides. Those are nice complements, but I’m just a regular, ordinary and plain ol guy who loves what he does.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I cannot force people to collaborate with me or support me. You have to be proactive. This old adage proves to be so true: “People don’t care about how much you know, but how much you care.” Communication from other vendors is so important. When a wedding coordinator fails to communicate that there have been changes in the start time or date of the wedding, it creates a lot of problems. It’s important that the Officiant is brought into the loop of discussion and communication and is considered to be a major part of the vendor team and NOT a “necessary evil to make it legal”
Pricing:
- $275 military rate
- $300 for an elopement ceremony
- $350 wedding ceremony
- $475 for a rehearsal and a ceremony
- $575 for rehearsal & ceremony for CEO
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lovenotesweddings.com
- Instagram: lovenotesweddingofficiant
- Facebook: @LoveNotesWeddings
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marty-younkin-bb62b22
