Before you can get married, you must obtain a marriage license in the state you plan to be married.

Some couples wrongly assume that the minister or wedding officiate will supply or bring the marriage license with him to the wedding.  That is a wrong assumption that could result in arriving at the wedding only to discover that you cannot be legally married on that day and it will most likely result in having to delay your marriage several more days.  The law in Texas states that a couple must obtain their marriage license at least 72 hours in advance of the wedding.

The place to obtain your marriage license is the local county clerk’s office.  In Greenville or Commerce you would go to the Hunt County Clerk’s Office and in Rockwall or Royse City you would go to the Rockwall County Clerk’s Office. The cost of a wedding license in Texas is $72.  At the time of this article a couple can get a $60 discount on the cost of the marriage license if they participate in pre-marital counseling.  For more information on this program go to http://www.twogetherintexas.com

Basic information is that the bride and groom will both have to be present in order to get the license.  You will have to pay the fee when you apply for the marriage license.  You will have to present your social security card and your driver’s license.  You may be able to pay with a credit card or debit card, however, since they may not be able to take all kinds of credit or debit cards, it is best to bring a check or cash to save yourself another trip.

And remember, you must bring your marriage license with you to the wedding so the minister can sign it and get it to back to the county clerk for filing.  This is what makes it legal and also assists you in taking care of official documents such as insurance and drivers license and official name change.  If you forget to bring the marriage license with you to the wedding, you or someone in your group will have to go and get it before the ceremony is over.  It is a good idea to bring it ahead of time and leave it with the wedding planner.

Click here to see the Hunt County Clerk’s Office on obtaining a Marriage License.

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Click here to see the Rockwall County Clerk’s Office on obtaining a Marriage License.

So, plan a day or a time when you both have several common errands to run in preparation for your wedding such as visiting with your wedding minister about the wedding ceremony, consulting with the photographer, or wedding planner, or just having lunch together.  Be sure to allow some time for waiting in line.

Technorati Tags: how, how to obtain marriage license in Texas, Hunt County Clerk, in, license, marriage, Marriage License, obtain, Rockwall County Clerk, Texas, to

After serving for 11 years in Chandler, Arizona where he pastored a church and performed about 250 weddings, Dr. Carr has relocated to Texas.

“I thoroughly loved my time in Arizona and was privileged to meet so many wonderful couples and work with a number of very excellent wedding professionals, but we have started a new phase of life and ministry.  The Lord has moved our family to Greenville, Texas which puts us closer to family.   I am now serving on the staff at Highland Terrace Baptist Church.  It is a great church that has a great Pastor and staff and a large ministry that reaches across the street and around the world.  My time in Arizona has taught me how to minister to many different kinds of people from many different backgrounds and walks of life.  It has taught me how to minister in some newer and more culturally relevant ways and I hope to be able to bring some of that knowledge back to Texas and put it to use in this strategic church.  I hope to be able to keep in contact with the many wonderful church members and also the precious couples I had the privilege of joining in marriage while in Arizona.”

He is now available to perform weddings in and around Hunt County and Rockwall County.

If you would like to contact him with any questions about your own wedding ceremony please click the link below.

Contact Dr. Carr

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Click Here to Download Dr. Carr’s Bio and Basic Wedding Vows

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Technorati Tags: Dr. Carr, Greenville, Hunt County, perform wedding ceremony, perform weddings, relocated, Rockwall, Rockwall County, Texas, wedding officiate

So you are the maid of honor and have the privilege of planning the bridal shower and finding some entertaining bridal shower games! Congratulations!

Well, you can relax because there is hope.  You can hit a home run at the bridal shower even if you are not a seasoned event planner or very creative when it comes to choosing games.  Printable games has a great selection of games for the shower including bridal shower bingo.  These are easy to print out.  You can download them and print them right from your computer.  You can play with up to 200 guests.  The instructions are easy to follow.  The graphics look great and it is easy to do.

These games will make YOU look great!

(If you are the Bride to be, you may want to suggest to the shower planner to take a look here.)

They have other assortments of Bridal shower games and even a Detailed Shower Planner!

This amazing guide will help you plan the perfect bridal shower!   If you are a professional event planner then you cannot afford to not be without this resource.  It is so cheap!  It includes planning guides, worksheets, to-do lists and guest lists.  You can relax and have fun with these inexpensive bridal shower party games.

As someone who has had to plan and prepare for many events over a long period of time.  I can tell you that having a resource like this at your fingertips makes a great difference.  There is nothing more frightening than coming down to the final hours before the event and finding that your entertainment has cancelled or double booked and it is up to you to come up with an amazing alternative!  You should consider getting this even if you use these printable bridal shower bingo games as a back up plan to your scheduled entertainment or activities.  Pros are prepared for problems!

It is also nice to know that you can come here quickly and download these games in an emergency!

Most of these downloadable and printable party games take about 10 minutes to play and involve everyone.  They have games for just about every taste whether reserved or rowdy.  Here is a list of some of the titles.

Click Here to See These Printable Bridal Shower Games:

A Symphony of Bit O’ Honey
Advice For The Newlyweds
All About Love Bible Verse Race
And The Bride Wore…
Animal Mates

Bachelorette Bingo
Bachelorette Well, I Never!
Bible Husbands & Wives
Bible Pairs
Bridal Bingo

Bridal Jeopardy
Bridal Lasting Impressions
Bridal Shower Charades & Pictionary
Bridal Shower Planning Guides
Bridal Shower Scattergories

Chick Flicks vs. Action: Famous Movie Quotes
Family Bingo
Famous Couples Match
Finding Mr. Wright
Finish The Bride’s Phrase

Gift Exchange Fun
Going To The Chapel
Guys & Dolls
Honey Do’s!
Honeymoon Blackout

Honeymoon Getaway
Husbands Are Made Of…
I Dare You!
Lasting Impressions: Bachelorette Style
Name That Wedding Cake

Opposites Attract Word Search
She’s Got Game NOW!
Sing Me a Love Song, Darling
Sketch The Bride-to-Be
Sketch-A-Date

Spanish Bridal Bingo – Bingo De Novios
The Newlywed Game
Things In The Bride’s Purse
Wedding Gift Bingo
Wedding Taboo

Wedding Word Scramble
Wedding Word Search
Well, I Never!
What Will The Bride Say?
What’s She Thinking?

Who Knows The Bachelorette?
Who Knows The Bride? Who Knows The Groom?
Worst Chore
You Know You Can Sing!

I just want to pass along a little advice from someone who has been there.  Hope you have a blessed day and a wonderful and memorable bridal shower party!

Dr. Carr

Click below to see a selection of games.

Printable Bridal Party Games and Planners

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save the date cards

One way to make sure that as many of your friends and family as possible can be at your wedding is to send out some “save the date” cards.  Coupons are available to help you do this very inexpensively.  One of the vendors I have worked with which designs a really beautiful card and is so easy to work with is Wedding Paper Divas.  They have a great staff and very talented designers.  I was browsing through their “save the date” cards recently and was really impressed with their designs and prices.

One advantage they have is that you can order cards with envelopes for a very classic way to say, “Reserve this date!”  Or, you can order a post card that screams “save this date on your calendar!”  You can even order a save the date magnet.  These are nice because your friends

save the date cards 2

and family can easily place them on their fridge, file cabinet, or any other metal surface to keep the date in mind and keep you in mind even after the wedding day.

Of course the save the date cards are not only available for weddings, but you can also use them to reserve the date for your bridal shower, or almost any special occasion.

I was also amazed that they had over 800 designs and they are all customizable with your information.  Some of them allow you to include your own photo.

If you would like to take a look for yourself you can click on the link or the picture below.  If you decide to order some then here is a coupon code that will save you about $15.    CODE = AFFSTD

Click Here to See the Best Looking Save the Date Cards!

Hope this helps.

Be Blessed Today!

Technorati Tags: cards, coupons, date, save, save the date, save the date cards, save the date cards coupons, the

Interested in getting a Huge Head Start on your Bride Speech for your Arizona Wedding? 

How would you like 20 Bride speeches that have been written by a real professional?  I know you want your speech to be unique and personal, and it will be, but you also want to get started in the right direction.  You want a wedding speech that will be memorable and inspiring. 

How about a step by step guide also written by a professional that will literally take you by the hand and walk you through the process of writing your own bride speech. 

After you have written your speech, you will need some tips from a professional on how to deliver your wedding speech in your beautiful Arizona venue in a way that will impress your inlaws and let your husband know how much you really love him! 

Sally Samuels, has written and compiled this amazing, easy to read and follow, and truly fun wedding speech preparation guide that will have you sounding like a pro in no time.  You can have it all on your own computer within 3 minutes.

I really encourage you to take a look at it right now!

Click here to take a peak right now!

PS  She also includes dozens of wedding toasts that are PERFECT for the Arizona Bride!

Technorati Tags: arizona bride speeches, arizona speeches, bride speech, bride speeches

You Make Me Smile by Uncle Kracker

    Sunshine

You’re better than the best
I’m lucky just to linger in your light
Cooler than the flip side of my pillow, that’s right
Completely unaware
Nothing can compare to where you send me,
Let’s me know that it’s ok, yeah it’s ok
And the moments where my good times start to fade

You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed, sing like bird
Dizzy in my head, spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Ohh, you make me smile

Even when you’re gone
Somehow you come along
Just like a flower poking through the sidewalk crack and just like that
You steal away the rain and just like that

You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed, sing like bird
Dizzy in my head, spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Ohh, you make me smile

Don’t know how I lived without you
Cuz everytime that I get around you
I see the best of me inside your eyes
You make me smile
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild

You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed, sing like bird
Dizzy in my head, spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Ohh, you make me smile

Sunshine Song Download

Technorati Tags: Sunshine, You Make Me Smile Like The Sun

blue swiss army knife

Carrying a pocketknife to a wedding ceremony might seem like an unusual practice for a wedding officiate, but it could come in very handy, even if you do not live in Arizona.  It has helped me and others more than once.

It was just a couple of months ago that I was performing a wedding for a young couple.  It was a second marriage for both of them.  The bride’s young son, about 4 years old, was the ring bearer.  As happens quite often, the ring bearer carried a pillow with the wedding rings tied on top.  He came in just right, stood in the right place and waited patiently for his cue. 

When the time came for the ring vows and the exchange of rings, I said to the groom as I always do, “What token do you have to give to your bride as a symbol of your love and affection and a seal of your marriage?”  He answered, “A ring.”  The Ring Bearer stepped forward perfectly and held up the pillow. 

Normally, the rings are tied on in such a way that when the bride or the groom can simply pull the ribbon and the knot is untied and the ring is loose and can be easily removed.  However, sometimes when the ring bearer is very young, the person who ties the ring on is afraid that the young child will accidentally untie the knot and the ring will be lost, so they tie the ring securely.  (This is a good reason to use ornamental or fake rings on the pillow and let the best man carry the actual rings.) 

myswissarmyknife

The person who tied the rings on the pillow on this day must have been afraid the little fellow would lose the rings or did not know how to tie the appropriate knot.  When the groom reached down to take the ring from the pillow, and pulled the ribbon, the ring did not come loose.  I think you can imagine the slight panic and embarrassment as he tried to untie the ring.  However, since he had pulled the ribbon, as he should have, the knot tightened instead of loosening.  The groom, had a nervous laugh.  People began to see what was happening and also joined in the laughter at his predicament.  He tried unsuccessfully to untie the knot for a few seconds which seemed more like a few minutes to him. 

Even though I could not see everything because his body was between where I was standing and the actual pillow, I knew what was going on.  As the wedding officiant, I try to never get flustered and help everyone up front to keep calm and accomplish their roles without being embarrassed.  I reached into my left pocket and pulled out my little Swiss Army pocket knife.  It has a small blade, a file, a small screw driver, a toothpick, tweezers, and scissors and is only about one and one half inches long.  I opened the scissors, and handed it to the groom.  He was so focused on untying the knot that he did not even see it, but the bride did and took it from me and handed it to her groom. 

He was very glad to receive it.  He cut the ribbon and proceeded with the ring exchange.  Obviously, we had to use the scissors for the groom’s ring, too, a few minutes later.  She was prepared to receive it.

I have carried a pocket knife like this for years.  It is just a $10 item and fits so easily in your pocket.  I have used it just like this in more than one ceremony.  I have used it before the ceremony to do any number of helpful things.  I would encourage you to get one and make it a habit to carry it with you at all times, unless you are boarding an airplane.  You might just be the hero the couple talks about for years to come.

Technorati Tags: Wedding Humor

Just found out that My Wedding Favors is offering a summer discount on all orders.  As long as the orders total more than $120.00.  But who can possibly spend less than that on wedding favors?

Check it out below.

 Summer Discount – Save 7% on orders of $120 or more. Use coupon code SUMMER7 at checkout.

Technorati Tags: coupon code, discount wedding favors, Wedding Favors, wedding favors coupon

I would be honored if you would leave a testimonial about your wedding ceremony.  If you are able to upload a photo, that would be very helpful.  It could be your engagement picture or a wedding picture.  Since your privacy is very important to me, I will only include your first names in the post unless you specify that you want more information included.  I will also send you a copy of your wedding vows in Word in case you would like to have them printed and framed.

Click on “Leave a Testimonial for Dr. Carr” above and write your testimonial in the box marked ”Leave a Reply”

Wishing you only the very best in life.

Blessings,

Kelly
Proverbs 3:5-6

Dr. Carr
www.ArizonaWeddingsPastor.com
Arizona Wedding Officiants

“We have been blessed to have had the pleasure to work with Dr. Kelly Carr over the past 3 years. We would never think of using or recommending anyone else! He has officiated dozens of weddings for us each with class, sincerity, and a genuine love for the service he provides. Each and every couple that we have recommended him to has been ever so grateful to us and he is our exclusive “resident” officiate now that we have our own location. We were thrilled to hear about the work he has done to provide brides and grooms with planning tools for the most important part of a wedding celebration. The information put into these useful booklets and kits will undoubtedly contribute to anyone planning a ceremony – even coordinators like us.”

Daisy Joy & Evelyn Comer
Aldea Wedding & Event Center
Tlaquepaque Plaza
Phoenix, Arizona
www.AldeaWeddings.com

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There are several real climactic moments in a wedding.  When the Groom slips the gleaming gem on his bride’s finger is one of those moments.  Another high moment is the “first kiss.”  Most often, there is a thunderous applause when the couple kisses.

The most climactic moment is when the wedding officiant presents the couple as Mr. and Mrs. for the first time.  This comes at the very end of the ceremony and is always a cause for real enthusiastic applause.  

Here is the actual process I use.  First, I remind the Bride to take her flowers. Then, I ask the couple in a very soft voice to turn and face the audience.  I will then say in an enthusiastic voice, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Jones.”  The crowd erupts.  The music begins and the couple is halfway down the aisle already.  Well, sometimes they are, if they did not listen.

I remind them before the wedding begins to stop after I present them and take it all in.  It is the first time during the entire ceremony when they are actually facing the audience and looking into the faces of their parents, families, and friends.  The natural tendency of people is to be nervous in front of a crowd.  They tend to want to rush down the aisle as swiftly as possible.  Instead, take a few moments and look into the faces of your friends and family, smile, and remember the moment.  Let the music play for a few measures, then look at each other and walk out hand in hand.

Aside from being a good moment for you and your guests.  It is also a very perfect opportunity for photos.  Your entire wedding party is present and in place and you are all facing the same direction.  So, think about it.  Discuss it ahead of time.  And don’t let your nerves take over and ruin what could be a very special moment.

Technorati Tags: presentation of the couple, wedding ceremony, wedding day, wedding tips, wedding vows