Choosing an Orlando Wedding Officiant

Few things are more important to your wedding than your wedding officiant. From guiding you through your vows to pronouncing you legally married, your officiant is entrusted with important responsibilities. Here to share insight and advice is Lon Tosi, Orlando wedding officiant and vice president of Sensational Ceremonies, the largest officiating company in the United States.

A Serendipitous Move

After moving to Florida to enjoy a life of semi-retirement, Lon took a job as a director at the YMCA Aquatic Center on International Drive. There he met several prominent community members including Harris Rosen of Rosen Hotels & Resorts. He also met a local minister, Reverend Glynn Ferguson, and eventually recruited him to the board of directors. When Reverend Ferguson started Sensational Ceremonies, he invited Lon to join him.
“I had had a background of being in front of people,” explains Lon. “I was in training and development, I was also a national sales manager for a company, so I had a lot of experience in front of people so it seemed like a natural transition to me.”
In his nine years at Sensational Ceremonies, Lon has officiated over 2,000 weddings. “I’m working more than I ever did but I’m having a good time doing it. I’ve never enjoyed anything in my life more than being with the couples and doing their wedding ceremony,” says Lon.

Delivering Happiness

As a wedding officiant and licensed Florida state notary, Lon says his main responsibility is to pronounce the couple legally married. However, he says he also has a responsibility to present a beautiful ceremony for the couple. “I’m a notary, but I’m a performer – I’m a presenter. So I’m in front of people presenting something that is supposed to be solemn and humorous and beautiful and memorable, so my job is to perform an outstanding ceremony,” says Lon. “My job is to deliver happiness.”

Creating Custom Ceremonies

The key to delivering happiness is creating moving and personalized ceremonies, which Lon does by getting to know the couples, preferably in person. However, meeting in person isn’t always possible. Orlando is a popular location for destination weddings which means very often engaged couples won’t be in the city until right before their wedding. Lon says he uses FaceTime, Skype, email, and text to communicate with couples who aren’t in the area.

Advice for Couples

As for advice on choosing a wedding officiant, Lon stresses the importance of a wedding officiant with a plan. “How am I going to make your day a success? How am I going to make your day beautiful? How am I going to bring happiness to you?” Lon asks. He says that these are questions couples should be sure their officiant can answer.
His greatest advice to engaged couples? Hire professionals – not just for your wedding but as a general rule of thumb. “Hire people that know what they are doing,” he says, with a chuckle. “It makes things so much easier.”

Create Your Unique Orlando Wedding

At Rosen Inn Lake Buena Vista, you’ll have all the tools you need to create a one-of-a-kind wedding that tells your story. Our wedding professionals work with you to customize and build the wedding you’ve always dreamed of just steps from Walt Disney World. From your choice in wedding officiant to décor, your Orlando wedding at Rosen Inn Lake Buena Vista will reflect your personal style. To find out more, call (407) 996-7344.