Original post date: January 19, 2013
Unlike Miss Janet, I barely had time to sit and read the paper today. The Hall is closed on Monday. Perhaps that is why so many couples chose today to get married - 15 in all, and 3 more to be done after I left! To top it all off, the clerks were shorthanded thanks to the megaflu, yet they still managed to keep bringing me ceremonies. My desk was like the room in The Sorcerer's Apprentice - I'd have 5 weddings to do, get done one, and still had 5 weddings left. They were multiplying!
There were examples of just about every kind of wedding: "just doing the paperwork", "we came in to get the license and thought what the heck and have the coffee stand attendant as a witness", several "we're having a baby", and a couple all-out shows.
Standouts include the couple who had been dating 2 weeks (the groom made it clear they had been close friends for a long time – wonder what flipped the switch?), the bride who held the couple's sleeping daughter throughout the ceremony (I normally ask the couple to join hands - the groom gently took hers without my prompting) the little girl woke up in time for the pictures, the bride who smiled and cheered and did a little dance after the pronouncement ( I love a happy bride), and the pregnant bride who chewed gum all the way through the wedding. I'd be cross except I bet it's to fight nausea, so she has my sympathies.
For some reason, at least 4 brides had turquoise necklaces. As far as I can tell, garnet is January's stone, so go figure. Beautiful dresses all day long, including a few standard wedding-type dresses in shades of white and off-white, with and without adornment. A few noteworthy ones: a lilac full-length prom-type dress with a lacy corset, a red & black Japanese-patterned maternity wrap, and a gorgeous black and white sheath with ruching on the front.
I hope some of this bounty of brides spills over to Miss Janet's next shift, and I also hope all the sick little clerks are feeling better when I get back next week!
Showing posts with label pictures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pictures. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
My Name In Ink
Original post date: October 5, 2012
It only took me 4 years at the Hall of Records to get tired of printing my name, which I do 2 times for most ceremonies. I decided that a stamp would be much more legible, if not easier. (This is for my spelled name, not signed name. That is still unreadable.) My lovely wife Sue got me the stamp and wouldn't you know it, the next week at the Hall of Records was rather slow. I only used my stamp about 5 times, and one of the clerks had to reprint a license because I stamped a little off-center. Practice will make perfect, I'm sure.
The main problem with being able to perform Spanish ceremonies will be familiar to anyone who knows a bit of a different language. The people for whom I perform the ceremony assume I understand Spanish. I can get the gist of most conversations, but not at the speed at which most people speak their native language. I need to learn more and better Spanish.
Photo sharing as a way of saving effort and space is obviously not catching on. The group at one ceremony had 9 different cameras & phones going at once, with some people working 2 in tandem. There's no squashing the feeling that someone else's pictures won't be the ones we would've taken.
Fashion report
Cutest rings: matching Scrabble tiles with the mate's initial - hers had his first initial, his had hers. Both were worth 1 point - nice and equal.
A few lovely asymmetrical, flowing dresses, one beaded with a beaded headband, like an understated tiara.
So much ink, including a bride with a breastplate tattoo of a winged heart. Still not tempted to get one myself. She wore a lovely black dress, but kept a denim jacket over it.
It only took me 4 years at the Hall of Records to get tired of printing my name, which I do 2 times for most ceremonies. I decided that a stamp would be much more legible, if not easier. (This is for my spelled name, not signed name. That is still unreadable.) My lovely wife Sue got me the stamp and wouldn't you know it, the next week at the Hall of Records was rather slow. I only used my stamp about 5 times, and one of the clerks had to reprint a license because I stamped a little off-center. Practice will make perfect, I'm sure.
The main problem with being able to perform Spanish ceremonies will be familiar to anyone who knows a bit of a different language. The people for whom I perform the ceremony assume I understand Spanish. I can get the gist of most conversations, but not at the speed at which most people speak their native language. I need to learn more and better Spanish.
Photo sharing as a way of saving effort and space is obviously not catching on. The group at one ceremony had 9 different cameras & phones going at once, with some people working 2 in tandem. There's no squashing the feeling that someone else's pictures won't be the ones we would've taken.
Fashion report
Cutest rings: matching Scrabble tiles with the mate's initial - hers had his first initial, his had hers. Both were worth 1 point - nice and equal.
A few lovely asymmetrical, flowing dresses, one beaded with a beaded headband, like an understated tiara.
So much ink, including a bride with a breastplate tattoo of a winged heart. Still not tempted to get one myself. She wore a lovely black dress, but kept a denim jacket over it.
Smile For The Camera
Original post date: August 12, 2012
An average day at the marriage factory - one or two typos, a few crying brides, and a couple folks struggling with cameras.
A lot of couples are surprised at how nice the wedding room is. I think they expect a bureaucratic office with beige walls and a plain desk and file cabinet - which is exactly what the clerk's office is.
The room itself if very warm and inviting, with rich wood pew-like benches, a lovely carved podium and wall-high folky tapestries. There is also a lovely garden arch woven with plastic vines and flowers. Couples can imagine they're being married in a bower.
Two couples had restless kids this week. That wouldn't be so bad if the benches didn't resound so when kicked and weren't so smooth the kids can slide back and forth across them. I get it, though. A wedding is very boring if you're 8 or 9 and not a part of it. Still, can't they sit still for 10 minutes? I used to be annoyed when parents would give a child a handheld video game to keep him distracted. Now I think the county should invest in a couple, for the sake of peace.
I don't like posing for pictures in real life. Since I donned the robe, I would guess I've been in more than 500. The secret to looking good in a picture is to stare directly at the lens, not at the person taking the picture. When there are multiple cameras, swivel your head from camera to camera as best you can.
Anyone who thinks that easy photo-sharing will reduce the number of people who want to take pictures at an event is naive. Now that everyone can be a photographer, everyone wants to be a photographer.
Fashion report
The bride wore a leopard-print knee-high dress with jet-black hair and red lipstick - totally worked.
An average day at the marriage factory - one or two typos, a few crying brides, and a couple folks struggling with cameras.
A lot of couples are surprised at how nice the wedding room is. I think they expect a bureaucratic office with beige walls and a plain desk and file cabinet - which is exactly what the clerk's office is.
The room itself if very warm and inviting, with rich wood pew-like benches, a lovely carved podium and wall-high folky tapestries. There is also a lovely garden arch woven with plastic vines and flowers. Couples can imagine they're being married in a bower.
Two couples had restless kids this week. That wouldn't be so bad if the benches didn't resound so when kicked and weren't so smooth the kids can slide back and forth across them. I get it, though. A wedding is very boring if you're 8 or 9 and not a part of it. Still, can't they sit still for 10 minutes? I used to be annoyed when parents would give a child a handheld video game to keep him distracted. Now I think the county should invest in a couple, for the sake of peace.
I don't like posing for pictures in real life. Since I donned the robe, I would guess I've been in more than 500. The secret to looking good in a picture is to stare directly at the lens, not at the person taking the picture. When there are multiple cameras, swivel your head from camera to camera as best you can.
Anyone who thinks that easy photo-sharing will reduce the number of people who want to take pictures at an event is naive. Now that everyone can be a photographer, everyone wants to be a photographer.
Fashion report
The bride wore a leopard-print knee-high dress with jet-black hair and red lipstick - totally worked.
Lessons Learned Pt. 2
Original post date: July 23, 2012
1. Don't be afraid to ask how names are pronounced. Gone are the days of Steve and Cindy. Welcome, Abraxia, Shevvonne, and Reandeal.
2. Ask everyone to silence cell phones. This prevents the interruption as Dad calls to congratulate the couple and "I like big butts" rings out across the wedding room.
3. Have any photographers take a couple test shots, so the happy couple will be in focus, and you'll be ready for any interesting camera noises.
4. Wedding rings can cause a lot of confusion. 3 simple rules:
5. Wash your hands after every couple ceremonies, or if anyone coughs or sneezes. I don't know how the clerks avoid being sick all the time.
From Miss Janet:
I would add to number 4:
1. Don't be afraid to ask how names are pronounced. Gone are the days of Steve and Cindy. Welcome, Abraxia, Shevvonne, and Reandeal.
2. Ask everyone to silence cell phones. This prevents the interruption as Dad calls to congratulate the couple and "I like big butts" rings out across the wedding room.
3. Have any photographers take a couple test shots, so the happy couple will be in focus, and you'll be ready for any interesting camera noises.
4. Wedding rings can cause a lot of confusion. 3 simple rules:
- Get the rings ready before the ceremony begins. Finding them at the bottom of a purse really puts a crimp in the proceedings.
- The groom's left hand is opposite the bride's right hand. This is surprisingly challenging to remember.
- Rings often don't fit, especially when you're nervous. It happens a lot and means nothing - don't worry about it.
5. Wash your hands after every couple ceremonies, or if anyone coughs or sneezes. I don't know how the clerks avoid being sick all the time.
From Miss Janet:
I would add to number 4:
- Rings hit the floor, no big deal. Someone picks them up and we finish the ceremony.
- I can't tell you how many times I have said, "other left".
Monday, March 23, 2015
First Musings
Original post date: July 16, 2012
Does age matter? The first couple were 20 years apart, but obviously in love. The groom had not expected the ceremony to be so moving. He even asked for a copy of it.
The second couple was the opposite - both young, the bride chewed gum, the groom put a no-doubt-intended-for-ironic-effect pause between "lawfully wedded" and "wife". They both laughed during the vows, and not the nervous laughter that occasionally comes out as tears.
A word about cameras: Can't someone get cameras so they all work the same? So much time is taken up with a bride or groom teaching a witness how to use the phone camera. Also, how about a longer pause before the picture disappears from the viewscreen? The current time is just enough for me to take the picture (which I offer to do for groups) and almost get the camera into someone's hands. It goes like this: snap, step step step, "take a look", fumble with camera trying to get back to the image that was visible 1.5 seconds ago.
The most interesting clothing of the morning was a bride who wore a mid-thigh trench coat. I tend to get more conservatively-dressed folks than Miss Janet, so the young lady's attire made me a little nervous. However, when she took off the coat, she was wearing a lovely shoulderless white dress with beading, appropriately cut. To make things even more enjoyable, the witnesses were twins with the same name except for one letter, like Eddie and Teddy, both also well-dressed. An altogether pleasant experience.
Does age matter? The first couple were 20 years apart, but obviously in love. The groom had not expected the ceremony to be so moving. He even asked for a copy of it.
The second couple was the opposite - both young, the bride chewed gum, the groom put a no-doubt-intended-for-ironic-effect pause between "lawfully wedded" and "wife". They both laughed during the vows, and not the nervous laughter that occasionally comes out as tears.
A word about cameras: Can't someone get cameras so they all work the same? So much time is taken up with a bride or groom teaching a witness how to use the phone camera. Also, how about a longer pause before the picture disappears from the viewscreen? The current time is just enough for me to take the picture (which I offer to do for groups) and almost get the camera into someone's hands. It goes like this: snap, step step step, "take a look", fumble with camera trying to get back to the image that was visible 1.5 seconds ago.
The most interesting clothing of the morning was a bride who wore a mid-thigh trench coat. I tend to get more conservatively-dressed folks than Miss Janet, so the young lady's attire made me a little nervous. However, when she took off the coat, she was wearing a lovely shoulderless white dress with beading, appropriately cut. To make things even more enjoyable, the witnesses were twins with the same name except for one letter, like Eddie and Teddy, both also well-dressed. An altogether pleasant experience.
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