Interview with an Orlando Wedding Officiant: Creating a Unique Ceremony

Hiring the right wedding officiant is the best way to take your wedding ceremony to the next level. Lon Tosi, an Orlando wedding officiant and Vice President of Sensational Ceremonies, recently shared his insight and advice for couples selecting an officiant. Today, he shares how he creates ceremonies that capture the unique love story of the wedded couple.

Celebrate Your Love Story

Weddings are a celebration of the couple’s love story and ceremonies should reflect that. In order to create a customized ceremony, Lon uses Sensational Ceremonies’ wedding planning kit. Delivered to the couples electronically, the kit features plenty of customizable options.
“There are so many options in this kit,” explains Lon, “There’s ceremony styles, there are readings like poetry and prose, there’s different vows, and then we have another section that has things like a sand ceremony. The most popular now is called a wine box ceremony where they [the couple] put letters in a box with a bottle of wine, and then they open them and read them on their anniversary.”
Of course, couples are welcome to add their own suggestions for the ceremony, such as a particular reading or tradition they want to include. After officiating nearly 2,000 weddings, Lon says that no two ceremonies have been alike.
Both religious and non-religious ceremonies are included in the kit. Lon also offers interfaith weddings, noting that he’s performed a variety of ceremonies including Muslim-Jewish, Christian-Jewish, and Muslim-Christian weddings. “I have spoken Hebrew at weddings and I don’t even speak Hebrew! Very difficult to do that, by the way, and nerve racking,” he added.

Get Hitched…Without a Hitch

To make sure everything goes smoothly on the big day, it is wise to have a rehearsal. Lon especially recommends rehearsals for intricate ceremonies or for weddings with a larger bridal party. “I can honestly say that wedding with rehearsals are always better than weddings without rehearsals,” says Lon.
When presiding over the ceremony, Lon prefers to stick to the script to be sure he tells the couple’s story as they’ve selected. However, he isn’t above an occasional humorous ad-lib if the situation calls for it. “I use a little bit of humor to create a comfortable situation for the bride and groom so that they aren’t too stressed out,” he says. “It’s always very stressful for them, you know, they’re afraid of being in front of people or they are crying, or they are a little nervous, or whatever, so my job is to make them comfortable.” Although it doesn’t happen very often, Lon said he will also use humor to smooth past any minor hiccups that may occur during the ceremony.

Share the Joy

Planning the perfect ceremony takes time but the effort is definitely worth it. You and your fiancé, as well as your guests, will enjoy sharing that special moment together as you hear the beautiful words you’ve handpicked. Don’t be surprised if you or your guests get a little caught up in emotion. In fact, Lon says being part of moments like these are what he loves most about celebrating weddings. “I can’t imagine anything more fulfilling than doing that,” he says. “It’s just wonderful.”

Personalized Orlando Weddings

Your ideal ceremony will not only include heartfelt words and a talented officiant, but a beautiful venue as well. At Rosen Inn Lake Buena Vista, we provide the perfect setting for your Orlando wedding that happens to be just minutes from Walt Disney World®. Our wedding professionals make planning your dream day simple with personalized, quality service. Learn more about our Orlando wedding venues by calling (407) 996-7344.