Wedding of Your Desire by Carol J Merletti: Mass JP Officiant Fees

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE / OFFICIANT FEES

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

Wedding Ceremony / Renewal of Vows
(This is the minimum fee set by Massachusetts State Law.)
$150.00

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
$100.00

If you live in Malden, and your ceremony is OUTSIDE of Malden, the fee is

$150.00

Face-to-Face Meeting

$50.00

This is a one time fee regardless whether it is called a:

* Pre-nuptial
* Planning
* Consultation

OR

* Interview

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 looking to "find the right officiant" who you will feel
most comfortable with for your special day, as you should, because this is a very most important day in your life, 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. In addition to working full time, marrying couples, and attending wedding rehearsals, I meet with lots of couples. I could
not possibly do this without charging. I know of no other wedding officiant who does not charge a fee for meeting with
couples.

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. With my experience of marrying over 460 couples, I am confident in my
ability to provide all couples with a high quality wedding of their dreams.

Rehearsal
$200.00

There will be no additional cost if your wedding party arrives on time.
There is a lot involved in a wedding rehearsal, therefore, because most rehearsals are held on a weeknight, it is very
important to inform your wedding party that they must keep weekday traffic in mind. If they are aware that a rehearsal
starts at 7:00 p.m, it is wise for them to leave at a reasonable hour to arrive by 6:45 p.m. This also gives the couple
getting married plenty of time to drop off any items that they will need to leave at their ceremony venue beforehand.

Deposit
$50.00

A $50.00 non-refundable deposit to reserve your wedding date on Carol's calendar is required.

Additional Charges

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, must be included as well.
Finding a parking spot in Boston is extremely difficult, and in order to keep me from being late, it is always best to be
able to park at the venue where the ceremony is taking place.

NOTES:

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

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.

Ceremony Vows

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

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 $150.00 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.

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Carol J. Merletti