About Meredith
Meredith became a non-denominational Ordained Minister with the Universal Live Church in 2010.
As a graduate of the Celebrant Foundation & Institute, the only U.S certifying organization for Celebrants, Meredith has earned the classification of being a 'Life-Cycle® Celebrant'. This signifies her education and dedication to creating the most remarkable and unique ceremonies for a wide variety of occasions. For more information about the Celebrant Foundation & Institute, visit their website: www.celebrantinstitute.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How long have you been writing ceremonies and how did you get started?
CC: Creative Celebrations began in October 2010. It was after watching a family member craft and deliver my niece's marriage ceremony that I discovered an enthusiasm for creating ceremonies. Every previous job I've held was always working directly with the customer or client from over 35 years in the public relations, marketing and real estate fields. I've always loved helping others, whether it was at work or during my leisure time, and I've always really enjoyed writing stories. This is a vocation where I can do both! I feel as if I've finally found my passion, something that I was always meant to do and never knew it!! I am grateful to have the opportunity to bring joy to others and be a part of their happiness. I feel truly honored every single time I am asked to craft and deliver a ceremony.
Q. What sets you apart from other officiants?
CC: I received my training from the prestigious Celebrant Foundation & Institute (www.celebrantinstitute.org). Celebrants are trained to focus on the values and priorities of the honorees. The client-centered ceremony is a reflection and an extension of the desires and wants of the couple being married. To help me do that, I chat with a couple to glean information from what they share with me, their 'love story', then I intertwine it within the marriage vows. In a Celebrant ceremony, your guests can get to know about you, just by listening to your marriage ceremony... how you met, fell in love, and some other fun details about your courtship. No two Celebrant ceremonies are alike!
To a certified Life-Cycle® Celebrant, personal beliefs are immaterial to creating a personalized, meaningful ceremony. Celebrants believe that customized ceremonies are an important way of conveying a couple's happiness and the connection they have with each other, their friends and families and with society.
Q: This all sounds wonderful, but are we going to be able to afford it?
CC: You have waited a significant amount of time to have a ceremony which celebrates the special milestone in your life! Why not do it right? Yes, you will find officiants who offer cheaper ceremonies and noone can beat the price at the City Clerk's Office. The underlying question is 'What is the ceremony's value?' Sometimes saving a few dollars just costs too much. My ceremonies consist of much more than simply a 10 minute ceremony. When comparing officiants, consider all the preparation and attention to detail that goes into creating and delivering a ceremony that's being crafted just for you!! Everyone these days is budget conscious, so I offer several packages to help you decide what best suits your desires, needs and finances. Check out my WEDDINGS page to get more details about all the services I provide.
Q: Who would you say you work well with and who would best benefit from working with a Celebrant?
CC: I work well with people just like you! They are perhaps in an interfaith or multi-cultural relationship, spiritual but not religious or strictly secular. They are people who usually don't want a traditional ceremony. I am extremely flexible and able to put myself in the place of the client from the perspective of creating the vision they want for their ceremony. With that mind, I work well for couples who are seeking a truly unique, one-of-a-kind ceremony.
Celebrant couples come from every walk of life. The one thing they have in common is that they are seeking a ceremonial experience that is distinctly their own. I offer unparalleled attention to detail and pride myself in creating a ceremony that is personalized and expresses what a couple feels in their hearts and what they want to share with their guests. I craft ceremonies that will be delivered with heart, enthusiasm and gusto! I take my job very seriously and strive to deliver to each and every client exactly the ceremony they envision for their wedding day!
Those who would benefit most from working with a Celebrant is anyone who is seeking a ceremony with an open-minded officiant that honors secular, civil, non religious, inter-faith, multi-cultural, or part of the LGBT community and love the idea of a ceremony that honors all that is meaningful to them!
Q: Will I lose control of my ceremony if you are creating it for me?
CC: Absolutely not! I collaborate with you to craft your ceremony. You have complete and final approval of every single word in it! Your ceremony, Your way!
Q: Will you work with the other vendors I already found and really want to work with?
CC: I happily consult with any other vendors you have chosen so we are on the same page regarding your ceremony. I become another piece of the puzzle that fits right where it's supposed to be.
Q: Do you belong to any Professional Organizations?
CC: Yes, I am on the Board of Directors of The National Association of Wedding Professionals, Inc., Charlotte chapter, a diverse collection of talented and experienced vendors within the wedding industry. In addition, I am a premier vendor on TheKnot.com and won Wedding Wire's 2012 Bride's Choice Award for excellence that recognizes the top local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism.
Q: Do you take credit cards or have a payment plan?
CC: I have three payment options available. Although at this time, we cannot accept credit cards.
- Full payment at signing of the contract.
- Payment in two installments: 50% deposit due at contract signing and 50% balance due at the rehearsal.
- A monthly installment plan is also available [exact numbers to be determined plus a $25 processing fee and includes a minimum $200 deposit.]
Q: What if I want you to officiant my ceremony in another state or an airplane flight away?
CC: Not a problem! I am happy to accommodate short term, months of planning, destination weddings, or ceremonies where travel is required. [additional fee may apply]
The only ceremony I would hesitate to perform is under water or jumping out of a plane... other than that, the sky's the limit!!
Q: May we contact some of your previous clients to see what it's like to work with you?
CC: Yes! I encourage you to go to my Testimonials page and read them over. If you would like to move forward from there, I will gladly offer you contact information for a few of my previous clients. Then feel free to email or call them and ask what their experience was working with me.
Q: This sounds like everything we've been looking for, how do we start the process?
CC: Wonderful! I would love to work with you to create YOUR remarkable ceremony! Simply fill out the 'INFORMATION FORM', send an email to info@yourcreativecelebrations.com or give me a call at 704-517-6070. Be sure to let me know the date and time of your ceremony. We can check our availability and set up a consultation. Let's see if we're a good match and which package best fits your personality style, budget and overall needs. I look forward to speaking to you soon about creating the ceremony of your dreams!!
A Celebrant is...
...a professional ritual-maker, a community-minded person who is professionally trained to perform a variety of ceremonies to mark life’s milestones..., to include weddings, vow renewals, same sex unions, commitment and other ceremonies such as new baby and adoption welcomings, house blessings, coming of age, step-family tributes, birthdays and other rites of passage, graduations, job transitions, special achievements and civic and corporate events.
The Celebrant’s mission is to create a ceremony that reflects our client’s needs, beliefs, cultural background, values and tastes.