Justice of The Peace / Officiant Fees










JUSTICE OF THE PEACE FEES ARE REGULATED BY MASSACHUSETTS
STATE LAW
(http://www.mass.gov/legal/JOPguidelines.html)


  • My fee for officiating a wedding ceremony / renewal of vows is $125.00.  
    (This is the minimum fee set by Massachusetts Law)

  • If however, the ceremony takes place in my hometown of Malden, the couple also resides in  
    Malden, and is getting married in Malden, my fee is $75.00 (also set by Massachusetts Law)  If
    you live in Malden, and your ceremony is outside of Malden, the fee is $125.00.

  • My one time, face-to-face meeting, regardless whether it is called a"Pre-nuptial",
    "Planning", "Consultation" or "Interview" meeting is $50.00.  This payment is due at the
    completion of our meeting.  This also applies to meetings with me when you are, what is
    known as, "shopping around" for an officiant.  While I absolutely respect you for trying to
    "find the right officiant" who you will feel most comfortable with for your special day, as you
    should, at the same time, my time is precious to me, as well as very limited, but it is still time
    that I am providing to you, regardless of your hiring me.

    You should also feel comforted in the fact that what you see on my website is me.  This is my
    personality.  I like to consider myself as being unique, fun, and very caring.  Each and every
    one of my clients have, and are, treated as individuals and with special care.  While some of
    my clients have required lots of my time, and others have not, each couple has always been
    treated with my utmost respect and attention.

  • My fee for a rehearsal is $100.00. (There will be no additional cost if your wedding party
    arrives on time.)

  • A 50% non-refundable deposit to reserve your wedding date on Carol's calendar is required

  • The only additional charge is for parking fees and tolls.  If your ceremony is being held in a
    hotel where you are charged a parking fee, that fee, whatever it may be for that particular
    hotel / function hall, should be included as well.

  • Payment for a pre-nuptial meeting, a wedding rehearsal, or the wedding ceremony is expected
    on the day that it is scheduled.


    IMPORTANT NOTES:

    Marriage License and Officiant Payment are due before the ceremony
    begins.  There are two reasons for this. First, and most importantly, I cannot perform
    your ceremony until I view the expiration date on your Marriage License.  Secondly,
    once the ceremony ends, couples are very excited to go and take part in the picture
    session of their wedding.  An officiant does not feel comfortable, nor do they want to
    interfere in this special part of your wedding.  In addition, most JPs must leave to
    perform other ceremonies.  Therefore, to make it easier for all, it is best to put the
    officiant payment in the same envelope with the Marriage License and give it to the best
    man to hand to the officiant upon arrival of your ceremony.

    I do not charge for writing your wedding vows.  I believe that this should be included in
    your ceremony fee. However,

    Ceremony Vows  

Ceremony Vows that are written by me, an officiant, are the sole property of Carol J. Merletti, Weddingofyourdesire.
com and are copyrighted.  Sadly, a scam has developed – since the "one-day-marriage / special license to marry"
has become allowed by some states -- some individuals, certainly not all by any means, "pretend" to hire a Justice of
the Peace to officiate over their wedding ceremony.  Once they lock in their date, they receive vows written by their
officiant. Later, they contact their officiant to inform him / her that they have decided to apply for the “one day /
special license for a friend / family member to marry them.  “We love your vows, however we no longer need your
services.” is the usual line, but not always. While this is, of course, a special day for them to always remember, what
is not being remembered is that these vows were not written by their friend or family member, and therefore, these
vows, are not their property to use. Nor should they feel good about themselves for using them.  If a friend or family
member wants to perform the ceremony, that is wonderful and of course, very special, however that friend or family
member should write the vows.

In addition, the officiant, very kindly, and without taking a deposit -- based on “trust”, locked in the date of their
ceremony in his / her calendar, believing that his / her services were now booked on that specific date and time. In
turn, they tell other potential clients who really want their services that they are not available, because they believe
that they are not.

Having said that, effective immediately, while I do not charge for vows, I now require a $50.00 non-refundable
deposit, which is part of your $125.00 ceremony fee.  Should you decide to cancel your wedding date in my calendar,
regardless of your reason, this fee will not be returned.  Once you have hired my services, I ask that you
immediately send out a check payable to: Carol J. Merletti (Address will be given upon our initial conversation.)

I feel horrible that it has had to come to this. I have always been known to work with my clients based on their word,
trust, and commitment, because I truly love what I do.  But I have learned quickly that I can no longer depend on this
because of a certain few who took advantage of my trust.  My time, and my efforts that I provide to my clients are
very valuable and precious to me. It is a great feeling knowing that I am known for the good work that I provide to
my clients.  I take great pride in the vows that I have written for each and everyone one of my clients to make them
personal. But now I can no longer over look the small number of people who have taken advantage of my good
nature. Therefore, I can not, and will not, allow others to take credit for materials that I have written, and will,
without a doubt, pursue the matter legally.  If you are using materials written by Carol J. Merletti – I will pursue it.
(c) Copyright – Carol J. Merletti – Weddingofyourdesire.com.  All rights reserved.

The information on this page may not be reproduced, republished, used by another individual, or mirrored, in whole or in part,
on another webpage or website without the expressed written consent of the copyright holder and is strictly prohibited
by International Copyright Law.