Since I began thinking about beginning my business, I have envisioned more than one phase. The first phase was to bring my Character Programs to as many schools and students as I could. Yesterday, I began phase 2 which is to bring my characters to other events, in this case weddings. In my eyes, all teachers are ministers to children every day! Several years ago, I decided to make that official and received my Ordination from The Christian Harvest Church, which is an online ministry. I never really intended to preach, however, I wanted to be able to minister to others in a more formal way and I wanted to be able to officiate at weddings, funerals and other life changing events. However, as with almost everything in my life, I wanted to add a twist, and now that has come true!
The idea to bring a different kind of wedding option to people came to me 5 years ago when I married my sweet, beautiful wife Phyllis. We were both older, both divorced and neither one of us needed a huge ceremony to show our love. What surprised me was that we were rejected by 3 ministers and 4 churches when we asked about doing out wedding because we were divorced. I had never even thought about that and it truly disappointed me. We found our special place and my best friend was able to officiate, but I decided then and there, people should have another option, This is not to say I won’t marry people for the first time, but my primary goal here is to offer those who are going down the aisle for the second time an option to have a memorable wedding without spending a fortune and without being judged by others. It is also my mission to give those who are a little more adventurous and maybe a little crazy like me, the chance to have a very unusual wedding experience. I will also marry you in a traditional ceremony, but that won’t be nearly as much fun!
The first thing I needed was a guinea pig to try my idea out on. In walked Leah Tidwell. Well, she didn’t really walk in, she posted on Facebook a question about getting married at the courthouse, but that just wouldn’t do. She and her past and future husband (That’s her story to tell!) Erin Tidwell, were just looking to get married and not spend a ton of money. Both were former students of mine. I hijacked her from Facebook by offering a better idea than the courthouse! To my great happiness and surprise, she loved the idea and agreed to be my guinea pig and talked Erin and her kids into it as well. The stage was set and my imagination took over.
The Wedding
I gave Leah and Erin several choices, which I will mention later, but the one she liked the best was a 1920s Gangster Wedding! I would play Al Capone and everyone would dress as gangsters. Before I describe the wedding more, a couple of disclaimers: all guns used in the Program are non firing prop guns; the stereotypes of the Italian and Irish Gangsters are from the time period; the slights against the Irish are time appropriate as Al Capone hated the Irish and had just killed Dion O’banion and wiped out the rest of the Irish gang in Chicago in the St. Valentine’s Day massacre. None of these are meant to slight anyone in today’s extra sensitive society. They are designed to be realistic to the time period. And now for the wedding.
Since the wedding was going to be a family only affair, I decided to do it at my home The setup used could accommodate up to 15 guests if you desired. For future weddings, a venue you choose is fine and I will bring the wedding plan to your venue. Again, I wanted to add something to the event, so we had to have food. What better choice than my, “Al Capones’”, homemade spaghetti. Again, we could accommodate up to 15 guests as well. For the actual ceremony, you can see the pictures for details, but I carried the whole thing out as Al Capone. The bride, groom and all the kids were involved as well. For older, blended couples, this allows for a fun event that the kids can truly be involved in! Leah, Erin and the kids did a great job and everything went very well. I found some things that worked great and some others I would like to add to. It was a great day and I will be forever grateful to Leah, Erin and the Tidwell Family.
The Future
I am here for you! If you have an idea for a character wedding, I will help you develop the perfect plan for you. If you are looking for something different, I will give you some ideas. I already have several wedding plans set up. They include a Cowboy Wedding with me marrying you as Jesse James, a Roman Wedding with me marrying you as Julius Caesar, The Gangster Wedding, an Egyptian Wedding with me marrying you as Ramses II, a Civil War Wedding with me marrying you as either Robert E. Lee or U.S. Grant depending on which side you prefer, a Hippie Wedding with me marrying you as Timothy Leary, and I am developing many others. Almost any character I do for schools could be modified for weddings. In addition, I am working on Luke Skywalker and a Star Wars Wedding, a Lord of the Rings Wedding, A Harry Potter Wedding, and a Princess Wedding (I won’t play the Princess!) As with my school Programs, YOU ASK FOR IT! And I will do my best to bring it to you!
Lastly, I wanted to assure you I am a legally ordained minister and I am legally qualified to marry you in the State of Georgia. While I do play a character for the wedding, I add serious prayer and moments to your ceremony to allow for those special emotional moments. If you have questions or want to talk about ideas, I am ready to go. I realize that many people will think this is crazy, but if you are a little crazy like me, maybe this is for you.
Footnote:I had another idea, but my wife said they would lock me up. CHARACTER FUNERALS-My first thought was a Walking Dead theme and have mourners dress up as Zombies. As an extra surprise, wire the body to sit up in the coffin halfway through the ceremony! TOO MUCH? Probably! I may save that for my own funeral. I have always wanted people to laugh and smile at my funeral rather than cry and mourn! I am also available for traditional funeral services as well.
Footnote Two: Phase Three of my business plan will be coming soon! Look for future posts! Have a great day!
