vendor reviews: ministers & officiants

Kettle Creek Weddings earns popularity by helping couples plan their wedding ceremonies from scratch

Reviewing Ken and Patti Lofgren of Kettle Creek Weddings, London Regional Office

Kettle Creek Weddings is a well-known, well-loved name for many brides across Ontario and in the local area. They say they specialize in Motivational Moments, performing wedding ceremonies that are made from scratch by their brides and grooms, and giving the flexible, personal approach that couples want.

Staff at The Ring met with the owners of several regional offices of Kettle Creek Weddings, including Ken and Patti of the local London office. Let us explain...

About London's Kettle Creek Weddings
Ken and Patti Lofgren have been happily married for 26 years. They have three children together and seem to share an easy, visible connection that makes living your own personal love story seem natural. That's why it made perfect sense to us that this couple owned the London region's Kettle Creek Weddings office.

Today, Ken and Patti work with a team of nine officiants in order to meet the demands of the couples who come to them. These couples are looking for Kettle Creek Weddings to help design ceremonies that will mean the most to them on their wedding day. Patti says that one of the things she loves most about her work is collecting couples' love stories. "When a couple comes to see me, my first question is always 'How did you meet?'"

Weddings from scratch
Kettle Creek Weddings was originally designed to fill a need for flexibility in the marriage ceremony. "It's your day, it's your ceremony, it's your choice... The entire ceremony is designed by you."

Lisa Pryce-Arciszewski and Jonathan Arciszewski saw Kettle Creek Weddings at several of their friends' weddings. Lisa told staff at The Ring that they chose Ken and Patti for their own March 1st, 2008 wedding day because, "We had the opportunity to select and mix and match our own vows from many samples. We were able to personalize our ceremony including choosing the length of it. There were many creative options and a lot of flexibility."
 

Kettle Creek says there are actually only three parts to any ceremony that are required to make a wedding legal; the vows, the declaration, and of course, the signing of the marriage license. At the time of our interview, Patti was in the midst of planning to perform a fairytale ceremony for a fairytale wedding... Literally. "The wedding party and all of the guests will be dressed up as fairytale characters!"

Aside from the three mandatory parts of the ceremony, Kettle Creek Weddings officiants say you can change the ceremony order, content and any other particulars that you like. "It's important that the bride and groom are able to personalize and customize their ceremony. It should reflect the people that they are." By allowing their couples to have as much involvement in the creation of their own ceremonies as possible, the Kettle Creek Weddings' name has continued to grow in popularity over the past five years.

To further help you along, Kettle Creek has amassed an enormous database of ceremony resources & ideas on their website, covering all areas of your ceremony - from vow samples for different types of families to romantic readings and unity candle or sand ceremony traditions.

Kettle Creek Weddings has performed weddings for a variety of religions and cultures. One officiant explained, "I preformed a ceremony for a Vietnamese couple. There was a teenage boy translating for me since he was the only person who spoke English. But it was lovely and we stayed to eat with them as is their custom. It was a privilege to be invited into their lives."

Walking you through your wedding
Ken and Patti say they use a flexible, relaxed approach to wedding ceremonies… "We want to put the bride and groom at ease, to be comfortable and confident, when we put their wedding ceremony in their hands."

For Lisa and Jonathon, this personal approach helped make planning their wedding ceremony a great experience. Lisa told us, "Ken and Patti were very friendly, kind and professional. They always took their time with us and made us feel important. Patti was very efficient and able to co-ordinate an eighteen person wedding party with ease. I felt like I had known Patti for a long time. She really listened to what we wanted."

In your first meeting with Kettle Creek Weddings, a lot can happen. You will talk a lot about your own love story, and what you visualize for your ceremony. For your reference, you'll briefly review the client resource section of the Kettle Creek Weddings website and take a username & password away with you so you have access from home as well.

As the bride and groom, you're the focus of your wedding ceremony. Kettle Creek Weddings supplies you with a ceremony planning guide that helps you to wrap your head around the sentiment, flexibility, and options involved in planning your personalized wedding ceremony.

In your second meeting with Kettle Creek Weddings, you'll review the content of your day and walk through the ceremony. They consider themselves to be there for you, helping in any way they can to make sure that your day runs smoothly. By the time the wedding day arrives, Ken and Patti say they always have a full script worked out, one that was created by the bride and groom. "We won't be swayed from your plans and arrangements by your guests or parents. We always stick to your plan and act as your advocate in all things."

Hallmarks of Kettle Creek Weddings
There is a moment during every Kettle Creek wedding that is referred to as the Motivational Moment. This is the time when your officiant will speak directly to you - speaking about what is important and relevant to you and your marriage. They speak from their hearts, primarily to the couple, but also to everyone in attendance. "Your guests are present on your wedding day because they believe in love, and weddings remind us of how wonderful love and intimacy is."

Humour is another hallmark of Kettle Creek Weddings. "Your wedding ceremony should be warm, not stiff. It's a celebration... we like to breath life into the ceremony when we can." Lisa agreed, saying, "Our day would not have been the same with out Patti!"

Having met several husband-wife couples who are, or have been, owners of a Kettle Creek Weddings regional office, it has been easy for staff at The Ring to see that weddings are a passion for them, not a job. They seem to truly love what they do, taking pride in providing services that are high in quality and heartfelt in nature.

Kettle Creek Weddings' officiants say they have no set rules in relation to your other wedding professionals. "We always ask the photographer where they want us to stand during the kiss." They admit this is likely one of the reasons Kettle Creek is so often referred and preferred by other local wedding professionals. In return, they often refer to their own extensive Rolodex of top quality vendors when asked for recommendations.

Good to know
All Kettle Creek Weddings' officiants are ordained ministers, legally licensed to perform marriages. While they do believe in bringing God into a marriage and family, they respect your beliefs first and foremost and perform civil ceremonies as well. Officiants at Kettle Creek understand the magnitude of their role in the day. "Your officiant is the least expensive part of your day, yet the whole day is about the ceremony. Without us, it's just an expensive party."

Kettle Creek Weddings marries couples seven days a week, any time of the day. That said, they recommend booking your officiant at the same time as you book your ceremony location. "Book us as soon as you know that you would like us to be your officiants. Everything else can usually come after," Patti told us.

To meet demand, most KCW officiants perform an average of two wedding ceremonies per day. On popular or trend-driven dates such as 07/07/07, more may be taken on so as not to have to turn down couples who have their hearts set on Kettle Creek.

At the time of our January 2008 interview, Kettle Creek Weddings had limited 2008 dates still available but suggested that couples sometimes need to be flexible with timing. For example, they say, "Three o'clock in the afternoon is the most popular time for a wedding."

Kettle Creek Weddings has The Wedding Room, located in Northwest London, where you can schedule your small ceremony. Patti and Ken also have room for small ceremonies in the living room of their lovely home. Every officiant shows up for your wedding dressed professionally. However, they can accommodate special requests such as casual.

Prices & Packages
Wedding ceremonies are $375 plus GST with a deposit of $150 plus GST due to book your date. The balance is due two weeks before your wedding.

Officiants at Kettle Creek Weddings will be the first to admit that rehearsals are often unnecessary. "We try to accommodate rehearsal requests; however we're at your ceremony site at least thirty minutes ahead of the wedding to help coordinate everyone." The cost for a Kettle Creek Weddings officiant to attend your rehearsal is $125 plus GST.

"We Just Want To Get Married" Package | This package was designed by Kettle Creek Weddings for weddings without the fuss – which are usually second marriages and couples who are getting married in another country (but want to take care of the legal details before they leave). Regardless of the size or location, every ceremony is still a very emotional and moving experience. Founder, Wayne Prevett, told a story about a couple who, after 15 years together, called him to see if he would marry them. He said the husband got off his tractor, came in from his fields and told his wife, "I want to marry you today." So they got married that day, thanks to Kettle Creek Weddings. You can get this package for $150 plus GST, and that includes rental of their Applewood Room located in their London location.

They offer a Pre-Marital Preparation Course for $375 plus GST. During the course you cover important areas such as Conflict Resolution Skills, Financial Issues, Intimacy & Sexuality, Values & Beliefs, and Goals (Personal, Couple & Family). Five one-hour sessions at customized times and dates cover what you need to know and should think about before getting married.

About Kettle Creek Weddings' Founders
Kettle Creek Weddings was originally founded by Wayne Prevett and his wife, Rosanne, in 1998. In 2003, they took their wedding ceremony business to a more official level. Wayne Prevett has been marrying couples for over 20 years - by starting Kettle Creek Weddings, it was to fill a need for personalized wedding ceremonies that put the bride and groom at the lead of their own heartfelt vows, and "to see lives transformed."

Last year, between all of their officiants, Kettle Creek married over 1,000 couples. "We know more great love stories than anyone else in the industry, more than Hollywood can dream of," says Wayne, adding, "that's why we do it." Rosanne agrees, "We're complete strangers who are invited into a family for their greatest life celebration. It's very humbling and gratifying at the same time." Wayne and Rosanne's home, office, website (and even their Facebook pages) are filled to the brim with photos of their latest wedding ceremonies - all of which are inspiring.

Wayne and Rosanne also have a not-for-profit organization called Celebrating Life that specializes in helping you celebrate life. They offer baby celebration ceremonies, coming of age ceremonies for adolescents, wedding ceremonies and marriage coaching, memorial and funeral services, resources to help strengthen your life, and a charity called Prepare a Child for Life.
 

In other words...

"Without fail, Kettle Creek Weddings is my first recommendation to any client looking for a wedding officiant. I have had the honour of working with Wayne, Rosanne and their associates on many occasions. Out of the hundreds of weddings I have witnessed as a photographer, the ceremonies performed by Kettle Creek are always the most memorable and touching. Whenever I find out a client has booked Kettle Creek Weddings, I know that I can make a mental note that their ceremony will be perfect and, in turn, that the whole day will be smooth sailing. I believe the right wedding officiant is so important to a couple's day as not only do they set the tone for their celebration, but also for their marriage. Wayne brings just the right amount of personality and humour to his ceremonies to engage the guests while still respecting the sanctity of the day. Roseanne's calm and warm demeanour brings a wave of serenity to even the most hectic of wedding days." - Heather MacEachern, Owner/Photography of HRM Photography

"Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making our day so special!! The words you used during the ceremony where like they where said just for us." - Juliana & Norm, married in the living room of Ken & Patti's lovely home

detailsdetailsdetails
• A $150 plus GST deposit books your wedding day with a Kettle Creek Weddings officiant
• The $225 plus GST balance is due two weeks before the wedding
• Book Kettle Creek at the same time as you book your ceremony location, or, as soon as you know you want them to perform your ceremony
• They perform ceremonies seven days a week, at anytime during the day
 

First steps towards your personalized ceremony

Kettle Creek officiants love to meet their couples in person for an initial consultation. You can make an appointment by calling 519-936-0076 Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm or emailing info@kcwlondon.com anytime. You can even book Kettle Creek Weddings online! Check out their 'Book Online' form at www.kcwlondon.com.

- The Staff at TheWeddingRing.ca

* Prices are all approximate and are subject to change and verification by authorized staff and management of Kettle Creek Weddings, London Regional Office.