On My Soapbox

Today I meet with two different couples about performing their weddings. Both meetings went pretty well, until the "cost" question came up. One couple simply chose not to commit to my doing the wedding yet, while the other acted so rudely that I refused to do their ceremony. Here's the thing... what makes people think that there should not be a cost involved for the minister? I asked both couples about the venues for the wedding, photographers, reception and so on. In both cases, my services would have been the least expensive thing about their weddings. BY FAR!  One was going to pay $500 to use the chapel they were getting married in, and the other one was paying $1200 for their facility. And that's just for the wedding ceremony. Then they have reception halls rented, caterers, bar, cakes, and so on. The second one told that their cake alone was going to be right at $1000.  When they started ripping on me because I was going to charge them a fee, I asked this second couple and their budget is a little over $22,000 for the wedding, and they thought it was outrageous for me to charge them my fee, which again, was the least expensive thing about their wedding day. I told them what another client of mine had told me almost 2 years ago. He said, "Darrell, your fee is the least expensive thing about our wedding, and the fact of the matter is that without you, none of this happens."  He told me that I should in fact charge more for my services. Sadly, most people think that the preacher loves spending his time and money preparing the ceremony, gas and food to get there and back (twice when there is a rehearsal) and that he does not deserve to be earn a living.  Well, I'm sorry if it offends anyone, but I'm just not going to be taken advantage of anymore. When you can pay thousands of dollars to provide drinks for your friends, then you have no room to complain over a small fee for my time, trouble and expenses.

OK... I'll get back off my soapbox again.