The Madison Organization
Formally Austins Corner
Being ordained by The Church of Dude, I am happy to offer my service as a wedding officiant. Dudeism is an interfaith religion that teaches taking it easy and not taking life so seriously. There are a few different services I am happy to offer should they be needed.
Among them is not counseling, as I am not a licensed marriage counselor, although there are a few books I strongly recommend couples to read in the six months before the wedding.
First meeting - The first meeting will be a chance to hang out and see if we are a match. I like to try and keep this more informal and a time where we can talk about any particular issues you want to discuss and see where the conversation takes us.
Marriage Counseling- I am not a licensed counselor and won't try and act as one. If I see some red flags or something that could use a professional marriage counselor's steady and experienced hand, I will give you a few numbers and some encouragement to reach out.
Ceremony Planning & Editing – Following our planning meeting, I will write a complete draft of the ceremony and share it with you as a Google Doc for your review. You can revise your draft ceremony as much as you'd like until it is the actual wedding ceremony you want.
Rehearsal Dinner - If requested, I enjoy practicing with everyone during the rehearsal dinner. I feel it is essential to establish good positive vibes and expectations for the ceremony.
Wedding Day. – I will arrive on the day of the wedding early to help coordinate with your attendants and vendors and get ready for the ceremony. I am also happy to take pictures as requested.
The Marriage License – This is one of the more specific parts. You obtain the marriage license from the county clerk's office a week or so before the wedding and bring it to the wedding, and I sign it after the wedding, and I take it back to the clerk's office and file it.
I offer a judgment-free zone and am happy to help with any pre-marriage jitters.
"I like to try and focus on setting up healthy expectations for the bride and groom and reminders for the friends and family during the ceremony."
I am happy to provide the following types of ceremonies:
Non-Denominational: Neither the bride nor groom is active in any particular denomination but still identifies as Christian.
Religious: Couples who share a common religious background in a particular faith. I am happy to offer ceremonies specific to most religious denominations.
Catholic Based: Couples who are not able to get married by the church but still want the look and feel of a Catholic Wedding.
Secular: Couples who wish to incorporate a number of personal spiritual elements into their wedding ceremony.
Interfaith: Couples from different religious backgrounds who wish to incorporate elements of two denominations into their ceremony.
My Services Are Free
As officiating is not my full-time job, I don't require payment, but I will accept a donation; the amount is up to you. That doesn't mean I will half-ass this, or not take it seriously. I just don't do this for the money. I have an 8 - 5 IT job with time during the day to answer a quick phone call and be available for questions.
I understand the stress of trying to find someone to help. This is why when a friend of mine from college asked me to marry them, as I was the "religious" one of the group, I decided to get ordained online. I looked around and there are a few different organizations the ordain online.
Dudeism really stuck out to me for its inclusiveness, its laid-back attitude, and nothing that interfered with my Christianity. It is just a group that wants to help those who want to help others, and I dig it. As they didn't charge me anything to get ordained, I won't charge anything either.