A Sweet Start

a Maine wedding officiant
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A Maine wedding officiant performing marriage ceremonies + helping couples getting married in Maine with the best Maine wedding blog!

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A great idea for making the time right before the wedding ceremony extra special. Bonus: introverts will love this idea! Photo by  Álvaro Serrano

A great idea for making the time right before the wedding ceremony extra special. Bonus: introverts will love this idea! Photo by Álvaro Serrano

an idea for Making the pre-wedding time Extra Special

A Sweet Start February 11, 2019

As a professional wedding officiant, I arrive to your ceremony at least an hour early. That means I get to see the finishing touches of the hair and makeup team (if you’re not doing a first look and already ready). The ladies are often in colorful robes, drinking champagne and laughing at inside jokes. I get to observe the catering staff and wedding planner finalizing the tablescapes and decor. And, I get to check in with the groom and his groomsmen (if there is one) to see how they’re getting ready. Sometimes it’s loud music, shots of whiskey and maybe even lawn games. It’s such a relaxed and happy time!

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In advice, getting ready, trends, wedding planning, vows Tags wedding day, wedding day timeline, wedding day preparations, wedding day schedule, wedding trends, vows, wedding vows, nontraditional wedding vows
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Six tips for planning the best honeymoon ever. Photo by  Ibrahim Asad

Six tips for planning the best honeymoon ever. Photo by Ibrahim Asad

Tips for Planning Your Honeymoon in 2019

A Sweet Start February 4, 2019

I collaborated with Sam Johnson from Sandals Resorts to bring you these six awesome tips for planning your honeymoon. This post is packed with useful information, so read it carefully before making your honeymoon plans.

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In advice, honeymoon Tags honeymoon, honeymoon destinations
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Ideas for including a dog in your wedding from an experienced wedding officiant. Photo by  Leslie Swan Photography

Ideas for including a dog in your wedding from an experienced wedding officiant. Photo by Leslie Swan Photography

Ideas for including a dog in your wedding

A Sweet Start January 21, 2019

I’ve been officiating weddings here in Maine since 2011 so you can bet I’ve seen lots of weddings that included dogs. There’s nothing cuter than a dog all dressed up for the special occasion with a floral crown around its neck or a fancy bow tie attached to its collar. We’re lucky that many of the barn wedding venues in Maine allow leashed and well-behaved dogs on site, which means you can include your pet in your wedding. In this post, I offer you some things to consider before asking your furry friend to be in your ceremony and some tips for making their participation the most successful it can possibly be.  

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In advice, ceremony, wedding planning, vows Tags dogs in weddings, wedding ideas, wedding planning, wedding planning tips
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Best days to get married in 2019

Best days to get married in 2019

A Sweet Start December 31, 2018

As I do ever year, I’m sharing the best days to get married in 2019. I find this information in the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Up here in New England, the Farmer’s Almanac is a relied-upon publication and has been for many decades. It’ll tell you things like best days to cut your hair and best days ask for a loan. But you’re here to find out the best days to get married in 2019, so here we go.

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In advice, engagement, wedding planning Tags best days to get married, maine wedding officiant, maine wedding officiants, get married in maine, getting married in maine, when to get married in maine, just engaged, newly engaged, engaged, wedding planning, wedding planning tips
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5 questions your wedding officiant might ask you during the inquiry call. Info provided by A Sweet Start | Photo by  Tiko Giorgadze

5 questions your wedding officiant might ask you during the inquiry call. Info provided by A Sweet Start | Photo by Tiko Giorgadze

5 Questions Your Officiant is Going to Ask You

A Sweet Start December 24, 2018

Really the title of this post should be 5 questions I’m going to ask you. As your wedding officiant, I want to get to know you and your sweetie, so when we meet for the first time there are certain questions I’m definitely going to ask. I can’t say this is true for all professional wedding officiants, but my approach involves forming a relationship with my clients so these are some of the things I want to know about you two.

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In advice, ceremony, wedding planning Tags hiring a wedding officiant, when to get married in maine, when to hire the officiant, wedding planning, wedding planning tips, wedding advice, maine wedding officiant, wedding officiant
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18 ceremony program ideas you might not have thought of. Photo by  Greta Tucker Photography .

18 ceremony program ideas you might not have thought of. Photo by Greta Tucker Photography.

18 wedding ceremony program ideas

A Sweet Start December 10, 2018

Let me start by saying, I love wedding programs, but maybe not for the reason you think. Sure, it’s nice to see who is involved in the ceremony and how the ceremony will unfold, but my main reason for liking programs is that they serve many purposes. One purpose is, of course, to list out the couple getting married and their wedding party (and even sometimes the wedding officiant).

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In inspiration, wedding planning, advice, ceremony Tags wedding ceremony ideas, wedding ceremony processional, wedding ceremony timeline, wedding ceremony planning, wedding ceremony, wedding ceremony program, wedding planning, wedding planning advice, ceremony readings, custom wedding ceremony
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Wedding day tips for grooms and groomsmen answered by A Sweet Start, a Maine wedding officiant. Photo by  Windy Hill Photography

Wedding day tips for grooms and groomsmen answered by A Sweet Start, a Maine wedding officiant. Photo by Windy Hill Photography

Wedding day tips for grooms and groomsmen

A Sweet Start November 26, 2018

As a professional wedding officiant, I spend a lot of time with the groomsmen right before the ceremony starts. Many times the groomsmen need my help with some last minute details like affixing the boutonnieres, tying ties, deciding which suit button to button, etc. Because these questions come up again and again, I thought I’d write a special blog post for all the grooms and groomsmen out there.

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In advice, getting ready, wedding planning, beauty Tags groom style, groom tips, groomsmen, wedding day, wedding planning advice, wedding advice, wedding planning process, wedding day preparations, wedding trends
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Never do these three things at a wedding

3 Things No One Should Do at a Wedding

A Sweet Start October 29, 2018

In order to achieve the fun and festive atmosphere you want at your wedding, there are a few things that you should never do. Actually, these are things that should never be done by anyone on wedding day, not your wedding vendors, wedding party, family members or anyone. In the past, I’ve talked about how to create a calm, relaxed environment on wedding day and how to calm your nerves on wedding day, but today I’m talking about three things to definitely avoid doing.

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In advice, ceremony, getting ready, lessons i've learned, reception, wedding planning Tags advice for brides, wedding advice, wedding planning, wedding planning tips, wedding planning advice, wedding day, wedding day preparations, wedding planning resources, wedding tips, wedding planning process
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13 nontraditional wedding processional options | Photo by  Stephanie Vegliante Photography

13 nontraditional wedding processional options | Photo by Stephanie Vegliante Photography

13 Nontraditional processional formations

A Sweet Start September 3, 2018

Are you looking for options for your wedding processional? Many couples are open to new and interesting processionals for their wedding. When I meet with my couples to plan the processional, I often find that they haven’t really thought about how everyone will get down the aisle, so it’s my job to offer them options and let them choose the one that fits them best. There are myriad options for nontraditional processionals formations. Here are just a few.*

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In advice, ceremony, wedding planning Tags wedding planning, wedding processional, wedding processional ideas, wedding ceremony processional, planning the processional, wedding processional process
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5 wedding day tasks that take more time than you think | Photo by Katelyn Mallett Photography

5 wedding day tasks that take more time than you think | Photo by Katelyn Mallett Photography

5 things that take more time than you think

A Sweet Start August 20, 2018

My friend and fellow wedding professional, Jessika Brooks Brewer came up with this list of seven things that happen on wedding day. Jessika is the owner of the glorious wedding venue French’s Point and has been involved with weddings since 2001, so she knows a thing or two about what happens on wedding day. I’ve been officiating weddings since 2011, so together she and I have your covered.

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In advice, getting ready, lessons i've learned, reception, wedding planning Tags wedding planning, wedding planning resources, wedding day timeline, wedding timeline, wedding dress, boutonnieres
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A Maine wedding officiant serving couples getting married in Maine

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A Sweet Start
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A Sweet Start Reviews
 
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© 2019 A Sweet Start |PO Box 984 | Bath, ME 04530 | (207) 380-2444 | maria@asweetstart.com | privacy policy

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A Sweet Start

a Maine wedding officiant

An experienced wedding officiant collaborating with couples getting married in Maine to craft a  personalized and heartfelt wedding ceremony

A Sweet Start | PO Box 984, Bath, ME

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