You can find twenty-eight officiants in Anniston on one website. You can’t find one who knows which venue fights you at four o’clock, which vendors show up, and what to do when the ring bearer bolts.
1
Send me your date
And where you’re leaning. Takes a minute.
2
One free call
I tell you who to call for everything else, and whether I’m the right fit.
3
We write it together
Your ceremony, a rehearsal, and I show up early.
Who You’re Hiring
Pastor first. Musician second. Both at the same wedding.
An ordained minister who has kept plenty of nervous rooms steady, and a classically trained bass-baritone with an acoustic guitar. One person, start to finish.
Officiating
Standing up front
Every ceremony gets written from scratch with you. I’m a Christian minister and the ceremonies I lead are Christian ones — how much scripture and prayer is in yours is entirely your call, and plenty of mine are gentle about it. If you’re looking for a fully secular ceremony, I’ll say so early and point you to someone good.
Simple
$200
Elopements, courthouse-style, backyard — about 25 guests or fewer.
- A warm, short ceremony, personalized to your names and your story
- One 30-minute planning call
- Help with the Alabama marriage certificate so it records cleanly
- Travel within 30 miles of Anniston
Custom
$350
A ceremony written from scratch with you.
- Your story, your words, your family's traditions
- Two planning meetings and unlimited edits
- Help writing or shaping your vows
- Rehearsal included
- Travel within 30 miles of Anniston
Custom + Tend
$500
Everything in Custom, plus the part that outlasts the day.
- A copy of Tend: Before the Wedding for each of you
- Three pastoral conversations — money, family, faith, conflict, expectations
- A six-month check-in after the wedding, on the house
If the price is the only thing between you and a pastor at your wedding, tell me. We’ll land on a number that works for both of us. No forms, no explanations.
I’m a pastor, not a licensed counselor. The Tend conversations are pastoral, not therapy. If something comes up that needs a professional, I’ll say so and help you find one. Beyond 30 miles, mileage at the current IRS rate, quoted up front.
Vow renewal or symbolic ceremony
Already legally married, or marking ten years, twenty-five, fifty. No paperwork — just the part that matters.
Music
Music that belongs in the room
Live voice and acoustic guitar. Not a packaged playlist, and not louder than the moment calls for.
Ceremony music
Prelude, processional, ceremony songs, and recessional. Live voice and acoustic guitar, or voice only with recorded accompaniment.
Reception set
30–60 minutes of background music during cocktail hour or dinner. Acoustic and understated — conversation stays in the room.
Musicians booked for you
When you want more than one voice and a guitar, I book the right local players, confirm sound, and run the music schedule the week of. You pay the musicians their full rate; my fee covers the work.
Book officiating and music together
One person to coordinate with, one rehearsal, one arrival time. $75 off officiating plus ceremony music, $150 off when you add a reception set. That discount is real logistics, not a markdown.
Hear It & See It
“Garden” — live
Voice and acoustic guitar, recorded in the sanctuary at Anniston First United Methodist. This is what a ceremony sounds like.
Ceremonies in Alabama and beyond — mountainside, beachfront, and backyard.
Questions
What couples ask first
Why hire you instead of a notary?
A notary signs the form. Alabama doesn’t require a ceremony at all, and the probate filing is the legal part. What you’re paying me for is a ceremony written for the two of you, a rehearsal, and a pastor who’s still around in six months.
Do you do non-religious ceremonies?
I’m a Christian minister and the ceremonies I lead are Christian ones. How much scripture and prayer is in yours is your call. If you want a fully secular ceremony, I’ll say so early and point you to someone good.
Do you travel?
Within 30 miles of Anniston is included. Farther than that, I quote mileage up front, and I do destination weddings too.
What if the price is the problem?
Tell me. We’ll land on a number that works for both of us. No forms, no explanations.
Book
Tell me your date
Send your date, where you’re leaning, and whether you want officiating, music, or both. I respond within 24 hours — with whether I’m the right fit, and who to call for the rest either way. I run the bridal show, so that part is free.
Prefer email? Write matt@theaisle.app. I recommend vendors I’ve seen do good work — including ones who aren’t at the show. Nobody pays to be recommended.
Funerals, worship and preaching → Ministry