We never do polls, here's one we'd like to know!

[SRUAlmn]

Who do you think we should choose for our officiant and why?

 

[princessdisneybelle]

I am using Rev Tim, because he did my parents vow renewal. He trys to make each wedding different.

 

[afinter1]

I'm surprised how many people voted Jack Day. If you look around, there are a lot of girls who had issues with him. Because of that I decided to book Kevin Knox, and although our wedding hasn't happened yet he's been excellent to keep in touch with from the very beginning. I can't say the same about Jack Day. He took a long time to respond and when he did it didn't feel as professional or put together like Kevin Knox. Plus everyone who's had Kevin only has high praise about using him!

Just my two cents.

 

[hiwaygal]

I voted for Rev. Kevin.

He was our officiant and we were very happy with his response times and "performance" and willingness to work with us for a very casual atmosphere.

I think there are several reasons so many use Rev. Jack:

(1) he used to be listed first on the contact info Disney sent out
(2) he is seen most often in the Weddings show on cable tv
(3) he just has that 'grandfatherly' look and appeal

When I was trying to decide, I sent an email to the three listed choices on this poll...

Rev. Kevin was the first to respond back (within hours on a weekend). His response was friendly and appreciative.

Rev. Jack was the second to respond (the next day or so) and he was already booked, but his response was friendly.

Rev. Tim responded about 5 days later with not very much "enthusiasm" (and I know that seems unfair considering it's hard to read emotions in an email...but compared to Rev. Kevin's response, it seemed "pale").

 

[luvsmickey]

I voted for Rev. Kevin.

He was our officiant and we were very happy with his response times and "performance" and willingness to work with us for a very casual atmosphere.

I think there are several reasons so many use Rev. Jack:

(1) he used to be listed first on the contact info Disney sent out
(2) he is seen most often in the Weddings show on cable tv
(3) he just has that 'grandfatherly' look and appeal

When I was trying to decide, I sent an email to the three listed choices on this poll...

Rev. Kevin was the first to respond back (within hours on a weekend). His response was friendly and appreciative.

Rev. Jack was the second to respond (the next day or so) and he was already booked, but his response was friendly.

Rev. Tim responded about 5 days later with not very much "enthusiasm" (and I know that seems unfair considering it's hard to read emotions in an email...but compared to Rev. Kevin's response, it seemed "pale").

Thanks for posting your reasoning. I too might need to decide on a outside officiant. As of right now, we're hoping one of our family memebers can perform the ceremony.

 

[SRUAlmn]

I'm surprised how many people voted Jack Day. If you look around, there are a lot of girls who had issues with him. Because of that I decided to book Kevin Knox, and although our wedding hasn't happened yet he's been excellent to keep in touch with from the very beginning. I can't say the same about Jack Day. He took a long time to respond and when he did it didn't feel as professional or put together like Kevin Knox. Plus everyone who's had Kevin only has high praise about using him!

Just my two cents.

That's why I started this poll! He seems so highly regarded, yet there are MANY threads with people who chose him and were disappointed. Thanks everyone so far for the detailed input. We REALLY appreciate it

 

[sunsh1ne]

i have already contacted jack day and he has me penciled in i did not send any money or chose things from jacks pack. If i like kevin better which i think i might do you think it ok to cancel jack???
help

 

[hiwaygal]

Thanks for posting your reasoning. I too might need to decide on a outside officiant. As of right now, we're hoping one of our family memebers can perform the ceremony.

I strongly recommend Rev. Kevin but then I'm a little biased!

But I know someone here used a family member (but for the life of me, I can't remember who ). There are certain things they have to do to be legally able to perform ceremonies in Florida, but it can be done.

Good luck getting that working the way you want it too!!!

 

[hiwaygal]

i have already contacted jack day and he has me penciled in i did not send any money or chose things from jacks pack. If i like kevin better which i think i might do you think it ok to cancel jack???
help

Yes...this is YOUR wedding

If you decide not to hire Rev. Jack, just let him know as soon as you've made your decision.

 

[Tammy32]

We used Jack Day and we liked him. My mom wrote our ceremony and vows. She was going through breast cancer at the time and it really helped her take her mind of things. Plus my parents have been married for 39years and in fact their anniversary was the day after the wedding. Jack Day followed the ceremony she wrote but added some funny stuff in there, which we loved. Some people might not like that and I have actually read somewhere on here that was the case with some other brides. I guess he tends to add things but it didn't bother us. We loved that he made everyone laugh because it really fit us. He made it a good balanced ceremony....people cried and people laughed. The thing is we never told him to do that, so if you use him then you may want to talk to him about the whole feeling of the ceremony. I am sure if you ask him not to add things he won't but I can't be sure on that.

All in all I am glad we used Rev. Jack and if I could go back and do it again I would use him again. I am glad he did what he did at our ceremony.

I never research any other officiant, so I can't tell you about anyone else. I just heard Rev. Jack name on here and went with it.

 

[Belle1981]

We are using Rev Miller. He did my parents vow renewal and he made it magical. We are so excited to have him there for our special day!

 

[Summer-Caitlin]

Another vote for Rev Miller . He has been so sweet in his correpondence to us, and he has been recommended by other brides on this site. He is set to make our day truly memorable.

 

[pixie08]

We are using Rev Jack...I can't say I have had any peoblems with him in fact quite the opposite. He responded quickly, he has had great communication with us, pencilled us in then once we had our date my dh2b had a long talk with him and loved him. he sent the pack quickly and even contacted us about our rehersal. So I guess everything is an individual experience. Jack seems very friendly and warm and that is why we chose him. I am sure there are many good officiants it is just a matter of who fits your personality.

 

[JoD]

We used Rev. Jack Day and I can't say enough about him. He made everyone feel so comfortable and I loved our ceremony. You would have thought we new him for years. He is such a kind and wonderful man and I highly recommend him.

 

[Skylarr29]

I voted for Knox just because I have heard many bad reviews on Rev Day and although I have heard some excellent things as well he seems hit or miss.

 

[sunsh1ne]

thank you for your in put. i appreciate all of the responsed.
This is a hard one i just want somone who i will be comfortable around and they both seem nice. Kevin seemed more happy and active and jack was sweet but seemed a little bossy. i would love to hear more responses
thanks again

 

[JandJ]

I can only go by our experience, and we LOVED Rev. Jack Day. I only communicated with him via e-mail and one phone call, and later found out his granddaughter or other family member handles his e-mail for him, but all communication was friendly and professional. On our wedding day he made me feel like we'd known him our whole lives. He made a joke that calmed down DH, did the ceremony I put together from his Jack's Pack, kept it very non-denominational for us, gave our toast, shared cake and cider with us, gave us some marriage advice, and took extra pictures with us after the ceremony and cake cutting! I can't speak to other people's experiences, but DH is very difficult to impress and he really liked Rev. Jack which says a lot

 

[Maggimus]

I liked Rev Jack, however....

I did have a slight run in with him before our wedding. He kept insisting that my vows were wrong (when he had never seen a copy of them before). I kept telling him that they werent finished, hence, he didn't know if they were wrong or not- he had never seen a copy. He kept insisting. This got me frustrated (as if i didnt have a million other things to get frustrated about)- but it all worked out and my ceremony ended up being fine.

He did the job for us on our wedding day- we got our marriage liscense back, and thats all I care about!

However, I do feel that if you are looking for a real religious type preacher- he didnt fit the bill for me. He didnt remind me of one. Im not sure its something about southern baptist preachers that just makes you know who they are.

HAHA- but one funny thing DID happen with Rev Jack!! I must tell you!! He gave us the toast after the wedding and he just barely sipped out of the glass. I cant remember exactly what DH said but it was something along the lines of "drink up!" right after he toasted, and Rev JAck said "No, I cant drink much- I have to drive!" haha!! We both kinda laughed under our breath and we still kinda laugh to this day. Heck, the glass of champagne, had we drank it all, wouldnt have been enough to give us a buzz.

GL! This is an important topic of conversation and I hope you make the right choice that best suits you!

 

[SRUAlmn]

Thanks for all the advice so far! We are really getting down to the wire and need to make a decision, but feel this is a pretty big important one to make since your officiant sets the tone for your entire ceremony. Maybe if I write what we're looking for it would help people give advice.

We are both very lighthearted, child-like people (obviously, we're getting married in WDW!) We want someone who is going to be funny, make jokes, etc... We don't want a really serious, stuffy, deeply religious ceremony. Don't get me wrong, we love God, we love church, we just feel that some ceremonies that get so deeply religious can tend to have a somber overtone. I, personally (my DF doesn't care so much,) would like the person to also be very warm and comforting. Someone that will hold our hands through everything and care for us. Someone that will make it seem like they've known us forever and not perform the ceremony coldly like they are just there to do their job.

Any help?
Thanks

 

[bridegirl]

Just another thumbs up for Jack Day - I can't compare him to the others because I don't know any of them.

We are in the unique position, because we do a yearly VR, of having had Rev. Jack MANY times and each year he makes it special, and touching, yet light hearted and fun. We always feel like he really knows us and wants us to have a memorable and heartfelt experience.

Over the years, as our family has grown, he manages to change the ceremony just enough to make it specific to us, but to still feel very traditional.

Can't say enough good things about him! Feel free to PM if you have specific questions and good luck with your decision.

Pixie dust,

Susy