Wedding Blog

Friday the 13^th + Valentine’s Day = The Perfect Time to Say, “I Do”? 💍✨

Tomorrow is Friday the 13^th A day some folks cross the street to avoid black cats and refuse to walk under ladders. But here’s the thing: The REAL bad luck would be letting superstition stop you from celebrating your love!

Because guess what comes the very next day? Valentine’s Day! The most romantic day of the year. 💕

If you’re planning to pop the question this Valentine’s weekend (or if it’s someone special, just put a ring on it), congratulations! You’ve just dodged the ACTUAL bad luck: Living without your perfect person.

Now here’s where I come in...

Don’t Let Finding an Officiant Be Your “Bad Luck”

You’ve found your forever love. You’ve got the ring. You’re ready to make it official. But wait! Who’s going to actually marry you?

That’s where this Justice of the Peace saves the day!

Whether you’re planning:

A spontaneous Valentine’s Day elopement (Sorry; Town Clerks’ Offices aren’t open on Saturday for you to get your marriage license; sigh. Maybe on Friday or Monday?)

An intimate backyard ceremony;

A simple courthouse wedding;

Or something beautifully unique to YOU.

I’m here to make your ceremony personal, meaningful, and absolutely stress-free.

Why Trust Me With Your Big Day?

✅ Professional yet warm and friendly;

✅ Flexible scheduling (yes, even for Friday the 13^th ceremonies; I’m not superstitious!);

✅ Custom ceremonies tailored to YOUR love story;

✅ No cookie-cutter vows (unless that’s what you want.)

Ready to Make It Official?

Don’t leave finding your officiant to chance (or Friday the 13^th luck). Let’s chat about making your wedding day exactly what you’ve dreamed of, minus the stress and plus the joy.

Reach out today and let’s start planning YOUR perfect ceremony!

P.S. Friday the 13^th superstitions aside, there’s nothing unlucky about marrying your best friend.
In fact, that might just be the luckiest thing you’ll ever do. 🍀💕

Here’s how to contact me:

Phone: 860-543-2334 (call or text)

Email: Ernest@RomanticWeddingCT.Com

Website: Go to

Planning Your Wedding Ceremony.

Writing your own vows is easier than you may think:

You might awaken from your deep feeling of love and realize that your closest friend is The One.

The One you longed for, to have by your side always, to share your dreams, secrets, and all of life’s surprises.

In short: The One you want to marry.

Now you are newly engaged!

Now the time has come. You’ve asked (or been asked) to share someone else’s life. To join in marriage. To make promises that you intend to keep: your Vows.

Will you share your vows before your wedding or keep them secret from each other?

There are benefits to each approach.

If you write your vows together, or share what each of you has written, you two can agree to follow the same pattern, such as beginning and ending with “I love you”. And you can agree on the length that your vows will be; for example, 45 seconds or two minutes (or whatever timing you agree on). The benefit is that you may sound similar; the downside is that there will be no vow surprises on your wedding day.

If you don’t share your vows before your wedding day, you can still make the same agreements. The benefit (or drawback, depending on how you look at it) is there will be no surprise vows on your magical day. You and your beloved will naturally be more emotional on your happiest of days; some people don’t mind public displays of emotion and others are uncomfortable with it.

All of these things emphasize that you two are working together to create a cohesive ceremony.

Footnotes: Thoughts on vow length, timing, and speaking:

When writing your own wedding vows, the general rule of thumb is to keep them between 45 seconds and 2 minutes long. In terms of word count, this usually translates to roughly 150 to 250 words.

Why this length works:

• Impact: It is long enough to be personal and emotional without losing your guests’ attention.
• Pacing: It allows you to speak slowly and clearly, accounting for pauses for breath or emotion.
  • Embracing your emotions is a natural, beautiful part of the day. Your guests are there to witness your journey, and seeing you share your emotions without reservation often becomes the most moving part of your ceremony for everyone involved.
• Balance: It ensures that the ceremony remains moving and focused on your union itself rather than becoming a lengthy monolog.

Quick Tips for Timing:

• Coordinate with your partner:
  • You don’t need to share the content, but it’s helpful to agree on an approximate word count so one of you doesn’t speak for thirty seconds and the other speak for three minutes.
• Practice out loud:
  • Reading silently is much faster than speaking aloud. Try to use a slow, conversational pace when timing yourself.
  • It’s natural to speak more quickly when feeling nervous or stressed, and taking a moment to slow down will help your words resonate more deeply with your loved ones.

The last step of vow preparation:

• Print your vows out:
  • Using one or more physical cards or paper is the secret.
  • If you’re going to use a vow booklet, please don’t hand-write your vows! Trim the printed card(s) or sheet and tape it into the booklet. (Please don’t use glue.)
  • Never trust a cell phone or tablet! Technology is wonderful until it is out of power or breaks or you can’t find your vows on your device. (I speak from personal experience.)

Return to reference

Whatever you do, don’t try to memorize your vows!

Your wedding day will be a happy day (possibly the happiest day of your life so far), and it will be stressful, too. Please don’t make it more stressful by trying to remember the beautiful words that you wrote.

When it is time for your wedding:

• You can put your vows into your coat pocket, if they will fit. (Don’t force them! They won’t come back out easily!)
• If you aren’t going to be wearing a coat, or your vows won’t fit, you can give your vows to me temporarily and I’ll give them to you at vow-reading time.

Writing your own vows is a deeply personal journey, ...

... one that marks the beginning of a lifetime of shared promises and love. Whether you choose to share your vows with each other before the ceremony or keep them as surprises, what matters most is that your vows come from your heart.

If you’re ready to take the next step and craft a ceremony that truly reflects your unique story and values, it would be an honor to walk alongside you during the process.
Together, we can create a wedding experience filled with meaning, authenticity, and joy — one that you and your loved ones will remember for a lifetime.

Please reach out anytime, via a call or text to 860-543-2334 or use the Contact Us Page.

Let’s make your wedding day as extraordinary as the love you share.

Ceremony Element Update: You may enjoy adding this to your ceremony.

After your guests have been welcomed and asked to turn their cell phones off, and before your ceremony is fully underway, you might like to have me ask you both to turn and look at your friends and family gathered to share their love with you on one of the happiest days of your lives. There are choices of what I can say to you, of course, and you should feel free to make your choice from among the samples I can give you or you could write your own heartfelt feelings for me to say.

Of course, there is no requirement for you to have me say anything about your reaction to your guests!

Some people fear that they will become overwhelmed with emotion as they look out at their guests assembled. If you have concerns at all, we don’t have to do it!

Your wedding day is exactly that: Your wedding day. You are in charge. I’m just here to help as part of your team of wedding professionals.

Update: You will need to make an appointment to apply for your marriage license.

You still must get your marriage license in the town / city where you will have your ceremony.

Connecticut’s policy is still that no blood tests are required to get your marriage license. If your coming marriage will not be your first marriage or civil union, you do not have to provide proof of divorce or death of your previous spouse.

You are most likely to be required to download your marriage license application and print it out at home; if you do not have a printer, public libraries will enable you to print there for a nominal charge.

It is possible that the Town Clerk’s Office where you will apply for your marriage license may ask you to apply online without needing to print your application.

When you apply for your license, the Town Clerk or her assistant will have you take an oath as to the truthfulness of the information which you provided on your application.

For each of the Wedding Venues shown on this website, there is information provided for the town / city office where you will apply for your marriage license. If your Venue is not listed there, please use the Contact Us Page to tell Ernest that he needs to add it!

Work has nearly been completed on the updated version of this website!

Thank you for your patience while the upgrade continues!

No wedding website would be complete without a blog.

You’ll find thoughts and ideas about touches that may enhance your wedding, and news about real 21^st century weddings.

Blog entries are in reverse chronological order, most recent first.