Client
This is my experience booking Andrew and Susan Schmidt to officiate my wedding. First and foremost, it was troubling that you mispronounced my name and were unsure of my husband's name during the ceremony. You made a remark during our ceremony to him stating, "And your name is...? Well, you know your name, so what is it?" In front of 100+ of our wedding guests. These are significant details that were mishandled, which showed us your lack of preparation and care. Additionally, your late arrival to the ceremony caused considerable anxiety, as we were left scrambling to find a potential backup officiant out of concern that you might now show. This added unnecessary stress to an already emotional and important day. We were also surprised and disappointed by parts of your speech, particularly the tasteless reference to Afghanistan. Several guests in attendance have lost loved ones in that conflict, and your remarks were hurtful for them. What may have been intended as humor, fell flat and came across as inappropriate which detracted from the tone we hoped for during such a special moment. I believe it's important to offer this feedback not with malice, but in the hopes that it may inform your future ceremonies. A wedding is one of the most cherished days in a family's life, and we were left feeling that the service did not reflect the care and respect the occasion deserved. When I reached out to discuss this in private, I was met with an aggressive tone, along with excuses as to why all of this happened, many being that Andrew "just likes to have fun." We also like fun, a wedding is a great day to showcase that. There's a difference between fun and being disrespectful, unprofessional, and inconsiderate.