Vendor Spotlight: Perfect Day Ceremonies & Affordable I Do's

While planning your wedding there are factors you are absolutely certain of right away (and probably were before you even got engaged), such as the colors you want, where you want to get married, when you want to get married, etc. But, there will be other factors that hit you later on in the planning process, such as "Who the heck is going to marry us??". If this seems like a daunting task, and you are unsure of who to ask then look no further. Meet Susan Lee-Wright, an officiant and the owner of Perfect Day Ceremonies & Affordable I Do's. Susan has been officiating weddings for over a decade now, and loves the opportunity to meet new couples and tailor their wedding ceremony to exactly what they want. No matter what the couple desires, Susan is ready to make it happen so they can have the most memorable ceremony ever! We were able to chat with Susan via email and here's what we found about her business and why she loves what she does! 

Tell us about your business.

I started the business in 2005 when I realized that there was a great need for a wedding officiant who would tailor the ceremony to the couple rather than try to have the couple fit into the traditional idea of what a wedding ceremony should entail. At that time I thought it would be a fun “hobby” and part time summer business, however, the demand for my services grew fast and within 18 months I quit my job to devote all of my time and attention to creating and officiating beautiful, custom weddings!

What do you love most about being a wedding officiant?

Helping couples to create and refine their vision for the wedding and then making it a reality that goes beyond their dreams!

What are your favorite wedding trends right now? As in, do you prefer writing the vows, quotes, readings, unity ceremonies, passages, couples reading their own vows, etc?

The vows are the very heart of the wedding and they are after all what it is all about! I love it when the couple writes a personal vow to one another but, when they aren’t up to that task, I have so many different vow choices and fun ways to make this part special that we can work together to create a unique vow that captures their love and devotion for one another!

 Tell us about your most memorable and fun wedding.

Over the 13 years I have been officiating I have done countless weddings, including several Hindu/Christian Fusion weddings done in collaboration with a Hindu priest, which were amazing and beautiful!  It’s hard to choose just one but, I would have to say the most memorable was a full musical production at Calhoun Beach Club that told the couples story! One of the grooms was a singer and they hired professional musicians and singers. I narrated the production to set the scene for each of the three “acts” of the production and then conducted their vows as the grand finale!

What is your favorite quote, passage, or reading?

I have literally dozens of beautiful readings in my ceremony ideas collection so it is difficult to choose just one! For those who want to include a bible scripture, my touchstone verse is I Corinthians 13:13, “Faith, Hope and Love are eternal, but the greatest of these is Love.”

I created my logo from this verse using the letters FHL and crossing the H with an infinity symbol.

For wedding readings I like to follow that verse with a passage from earlier in chapter 13, verses

4-8a: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails...”

Another of my favorites, which I like to use as a prelude to the vows, is this excerpt from “The Chaos of Stars” by Kiersten White

“I didn’t fall in love with you. I walked into love with you, with my eyes wide open, choosing to take every step along the way. I do believe in fate and destiny, but I also believe we are only fated to do the things that we’d choose anyway. And I’d choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I’d find you and I’d choose you.”

What makes you unique from other wedding officiants? 

For me every wedding is a work of art! I custom create each ceremony to suit the couples style and personalities and with my team of associates we have a guaranteed back-up officiant in case of emergency. While the need to call in a back-up is rare, it offers tremendous peace of mind to the couple!

 Can you tell us about your packages and price point? 

We offer services from a private vow and marriage certificate signing for $80 all the way to the Perfect Day package with rehearsal and planning meetings included. Our most popular package is the Basic Ceremony package for $345 where everything is done by phone and email making it really simple for the couple to have a custom ceremony without taking additional time in meetings, etc. Of course, meetings and rehearsals can be added to the package should they desire!

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