"I am Pam Armstrong and I love my job as a Wedding Officiant! I have discovered that I like all kinds of weddings, from the very formal to the very relaxed and everything in between! You set the tone for your service and I am willing to work with you until it feels right to you." Choosing a wedding officiant can be quite a task. It is so important to find someone with whom you feel comfortable.

"While I work as a Youth and Christian Education Director at a local church, my church connection should not influence YOUR choices of the elements for YOUR wedding."

"If I seem like someone who fits your criteria, please call me at 651-983-0676. God bless your search and may your wedding be all that you hoped it would be!

"Make choices that fit YOUR faith and feelings. I will help you to plan so that your 'Wedding is Done Your Way' with the content that you choose for your service from my Sample Service and/or the SaintSavers Wedding Service Planning Tool. Included there are hundreds of elements of wedding services that thousands of other wedding celebrants of many denominations, faiths and traditions have used. Choose what YOU like, write your own, make all the decisions - you are in charge. Tell me what you want. I will work for you."

"I have sung solos (acapella and accompanied) for many occasions and I would be able to sing at your wedding as well. For an additional $100, I will sing two solos - one during a candle or sand ceremony (or wherever you choose) and one before the vows begin. You can work with me to choose songs that you like. To hear how I sing, CLICK HERE."

"My husband, Gary Ritner, and I use the title 'SaintSavers' for our services logo to emphasize a point. Paul said that 'saints' are not people who are perfect. They are people who believe in God's acceptance and love for them. Becoming a 'saint' does not happen when one follows the rules of a church. Becoming a 'saint' is something that God does for us - loves us and accepts us. I want to assure those who may feel that they have not been perfect and that the church might not accept them because they have not been following the rules of some church, that they are loved and accepted and worthy of God's blessing for their family, their love and their relationship. We use the word 'saver' to emphasize that seekers after a spiritual blessing of their relationship are worthy of being counted among those who are acceptable in God's sight."

"Some couples prefer to have a man officiate. My husband, Gary Ritner, officiates at weddings and he is wonderful! Feel free to contact him instead of me. It is all in the family. We want what you want."

  • My Wedding Officiant Fees
  • Reserve-a-Date Deposit
  • My Wedding Officiant Schedule
  • Inquire About Date of Your Wedding
  • Wedding Officiant Referrals
  • Meeting Face to Face
  • Wedding Reception
  • Wedding Rehearsal
  • Wedding Service Planning Tool
  • Sample Wedding Service
  • Recommended Wedding Services
  • Wedding Resources and Locations
  • Feedback on Pam's Services

    • SUMMARY OF LINKS AND STEPS
    TO SET UP YOUR WEDDING OFFICIATING SERVICES WITH PAM ARMSTRONG


    (Click on Links Below to See forms, etc.)

    1. Fill out a form to ask me if I am available to officiate at your Wedding

    2. Send a $150 check (or use PayPal - see below) made out to 'Pam Armstrong' to reserve your date and time and send it to:

      Pam Armstrong
      7957 77th St. Ct. S.
      Cottage Grove, MN 55016

    3. Fill Out your Wedding Officiating Services Agreement Form

    4. Get Directions to my office to Meet Face to Face

    5. Plan Your Service with my Service Planning Tool. (Login in with 'help' as the user and 'me' as the password.)

    Need a wedding minister referral? Twin Cities or elsewhere? CLICK HERE

    CLICK HERE to go to my video clip page and view my officiating at a service.

    LET'S CELEBRATE YOUR WEDDING TOGETHER

  • MEETING FACE TO FACE - Feel free to meet face to face with me before you make a deposit, if you want to do that.
    		• Click here for more information about my background.

    The best location for a face-to-face meeting is my office in Newport (9 miles southeast of downtown St. Paul).     CLICK HERE for directions. The best time for me to meet that is often best for couples is on a Saturday morning around 10 am.

    FEES

    Fee for Officiating at Your Wedding Service - $400

    Includes:
    1. a rehearsal on a separate day or a rehearsal the same day of the wedding 90 minutes before
    2. face-to-face sessions as needed
    3. Unlimited follow-up arrangements by phone or email until the ceremony is just the way you want it.
    4. Unlimited submissions from the SaintSavers Wedding Planning Tool
    5. A Word file of your service that you can print out and save with your wedding scrapbook/photos
    6. Signing and sending of your wedding license
    7. Cell-phone access to me at any time

     $0.50 per mile for mileage if the wedding is more than 20 miles from where I live. Use the address 7957 77th St. Ct. S., Cottage Grove, MN 55016, to figure the mileage from my home office to your wedding location on Mapquest. I allow 20 miles each way, so deduct 20 miles each way.

     Background Information about fees: The standard fee in the Twin Cities seems to be around $400 for clergy who officiate at weddings for persons who are not contributing members of their local churches. There are many expenses for officiants that must be paid out of such fees: costs for a web site, advertising, dry cleaning, travel and office supplies and equipment. Weddings used to be performed (and still are) for nearly no fee by clergy serving churches because the church (including the couple) financially supported the clergy and the clergy used weddings as a way to recruit members who would support the church. The movement toward independent clergy who perform services without such strings attached has meant that some of the expenses that used to be carried by the local church are now part of the fee for officiating at the wedding by independent officiants like me. Couples who contribute to local churches regularly usually have their weddings performed there, but the average amount they contribute for clergy services (and specifically for their wedding) is much higher than $400.

    DEPOSIT

    A $150 non-refundable "earnest fee" (also known as a deposit) should be paid when the wedding date is confirmed by the couple with me. I will turn down other weddings for that date if we confirm the date with this fee. Otherwise, I may accept another wedding for that date. The fee helps to clarify the situation in ways that a verbal agreement does not. This fee will be applied to the total costs and is not in addition to them. I will send a receipt for your deposit by email. Request a receipt by postal mail also, if you wish.

    Send a $150 check (or use PayPal - see below) made out to 'Pam Armstrong' to reserve your date and send it to:

    Pam Armstrong
    7957 77th St. Ct. S.
    Cottage Grove, MN 55016

    The remaining balance of the fees should be paid at the beginning of the rehearsal (if there is a rehearsal on a day other than the wedding) or when I arrive before the service. This helps all parties to avoid an awkward moment later.

    CLICK HERE TO READ AND/OR FILL OUT
    YOUR WEDDING OFFICIATING SERVICES AGREEMENT FORM

    PayPal Option

    Instead of sending a check, you can send your deposit or wedding officiating service payment to me by PayPal. If you have used PayPal, you know that it is a great system for moving funds from one person to another with good documentation and security. If you have not used PayPal, but would like to do so; CLICK HERE to go to the PayPal web site and sign up. You use your bank account or credit card to transfer money into and out of your PayPal account.

    If you have a Pay Pal account that is set up for NON-Credit Card transactions (through your bank account), send a payment to the account for my business partner/husband at garyritner@comcast.net (this is our free personal account for wedding fees) and you will receive a receipt from PayPal. There is no charge to me or you for this transaction.

    However, if you want to use a CREDIT CARD to pay through PayPal, send payment to this email address for our Pay Pal BUSINESS ACCOUNT - gary@garyritner.org. For your deposit, make the payment for $155 to cover the credit card processing fees that I will be assessed.


    CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR WEDDING SCHEDULE

    To be sure that your tentative date is not taken by someone else, I encourage you to send a deposit as soon as possible.

    In most cases, I will arrive an hour before your wedding begins so that we can work with the wedding license for a few moments and so that you can rest easy that I am there and we can discuss any last-minute changes or details.

    Your wedding should start at approximately the time for which it has been scheduled. My services are provided for up to one hour and I may have to leave after that to officiate at another wedding. As a courtesy to guests who are waiting, the service should start at approximately the scheduled time.

    When the deposit is received, the date and time of the wedding are set in stone unless some later agreement is reached between us to change the date and time. Any changes in the dates and times without mutual agreement between me and the couple may nullify our agreement. If my services cannot be provided due to a change in the date or time by the couple, then the deposit will be forfeited and I will not be obligated to officiate at the wedding. While I will attempt to be flexible on the rehearsal date and time for our mutual benefit, the wedding date and time must be fixed at the time of the deposit so that I am free to schedule other weddings around it.

    The rehearsal date and time may be decided after the wedding date is set, but if the rehearsal date and time is left undetermined at the time of the agreement on a wedding date and time, then you will have to be flexible about the rehearsal date or I may not be able to be at the rehearsal because of previous commitments.

    The schedule below is the combined schedule for Gary Ritner and Pam Armstrong, with Pam's weddings indicated by her name in front of her weddings.

    I encourage you to secure your date with a deposit as soon as possible, even though it seems like a long way off. The wedding scheduling season is upon us and dates go fast. I have some pending requests that are not on the calendar, so I encourage you make your plans soon.

    If you see a confirmed reservation already on your wedding date, talk to me or email me anyway. We can refer you to someone who can officiate at your wedding.

    Click on the button above to fill out a simple form
    to ask about the date of your wedding.


    or, CLICK HERE to email me regarding these wedding dates - pamrarmstrong@comcast.net

    If you decide not to use my services after we have discussed a date, please inform me as soon as possible so that I can make other plans as well. On a few occasions, I have contacted couples some time after our conversation and they had made other plans for their wedding without informing me. They assumed that if they did not send a deposit, then I would know that they were not planning to use my services on that date. Some people have just delayed sending their deposit, so this assumption is not always true. Therefore, I ask that you inform me if you have made a decision not to use my services so that I can make other plans as well.

    Important Note:

    Even if I am not available, I can help you to find an officiant of a similar theology/philosophy as mine if it is at least two months before your wedding date.

    Referrals: SaintSavers frequently schedules weddings with couples after we have been introduced through referrals from other clergy, churches, caterers, hotels, etc. We have been sharing with those who make a successful referral. For a referral that results in a wedding scheduled by a deposit, we will share $50 with the person providing the referral. Perhaps you are clergy and you have been asked to do a wedding, but you are already scheduled for a wedding on that date. Refer them to SaintSavers and you will be compensated and the couple will be served by your finding them someone to perform their ceremony. Perhaps you have liked my services for your wedding and you would like to refer someone else to me so that I can perform their ceremony. You too can receive $50 for this referral. I have found that this incentive helps everyone concerned. More couples find a clergyperson, more churches find an alternative, and more clergy are connected with the people who need their services. We refer couples from all over the country through our Wedding Ministers web site, so feel free to visit that web site and ask us for a wedding minister referral wherever your wedding is being planned.

  • My Involvement in Your Reception - If you want me to say a prayer before the meal at your reception, that may be possible if your reception is soon after the wedding and not far away from the wedding site and I do not have another wedding service within a couple hours after your wedding. My busy schedule makes it very difficult to take a few hours of travel time and waiting to attend your reception and I hope you will understand if I cannot make it. If your reception begins within an hour of the wedding and is not more than ten miles from the wedding site and you want me to come to the reception, feel free to invite me or not. Feel free to ask me to say a prayer if you wish. Assume that I will NOT be at your reception unless you send me an invitation or you invite me and we have agreed that I can be there.

  • My Involvement in Your Rehearsal - I am happy to conduct your rehearsal if you wish to have one. If you are having a private, small or home wedding, you may prefer NOT to have a rehearsal. If you plan to have a rehearsal, be sure to agree with me on the time of the rehearsal as soon as possible to be sure that I can be at the rehearsal. It is not always necessary for me to be at the rehearsal. Most of what happens at the rehearsal involves the bridal party walking in and out and some related details for ushers. The couple often has clear ideas of what they want to do and can direct the bridal party in these details. I will help wherever needed and defer to anyone who wants to direct anything. If you want to have a brief rehearsal on the day of the wedding, I recommend 90 minutes before the wedding and I will be there if you wish. Just be sure to arrange with me for this time. Rehearsals are sometimes held on a day other than the night before for various reasons when the bridal party or family is not flying in the day before. If I have two weddings on the day of your wedding, then a rehearsal the night before at an earlier time, like 4 pm or a later time, like 7 or 8 pm - or another day - may make it possible for me to be at your rehearsal as well as the other rehearsal. Otherwise, rehearsals often happen around 6 pm and finish by 7 pm to allow for travel and your rehearsal dinner afterward. It is NOT customary for me to be at the rehearsal dinner and I do not expect to be invited.

  • This web page - For your convenience, I have included all of the vital information about my services on this one web page so that you can easily find the information and print it out. Use less ink by selecting the whole page, copy and then paste the text to a word processor and print.

  • Music - I have no restrictions on the use of secular music.

  • Photography - I have no restrictions on the behavior of the photographer. That is up to you. (Many clergy restrict the photographer from taking pictures during the service, but I do not.)

  • Wedding License - The license should be requested at least a month before the wedding date. (Once requested the license is valid for six months). A license is required from the state where the wedding is performed. Two witnesses are required. I am responsible for its proper signing and returning it to the county where it originated. If you need a certified copy, you can take the license to the court house and have them make a certified copy for you. This is not needed, usually, but some legal circumstances may require it. The Best Man and Maid of Honor are the usual witnesses, but others can be the witnesses. You can apply for your license from any county in Minnesota or Wisconsin. (You do not have to live in that county!) I can perform weddings in Wisconsin as well as Minnesota. CLICK HERE for more license info.

    • Reduced Rates for Some Service Times

  • Reduced Rate Before Noon -- $350 for Officiating at a wedding service any day when the service will begin by 11 am and end before noon. (Add $50 if your wedding was referred to me and I pay a $50 referral fee)

  • Reduced Rate Sunday through Thursday -- $350 for Officiating at a wedding service between Sunday and Thursday. (Add $50 if your wedding was referred to me and I pay a $50 referral fee)

  • Reduced Rate for a Private Wedding at your location -- $350 (fewer than 10 people attending) (Add $50 if your wedding was referred to me and I pay a $50 referral fee)

  • Reduced Rate for a Private Wedding at my church - $400 includes all costs for a private wedding (fewer than 10 people involved) at my church between Sunday and Thursday between 10 am and 2 pm. See the church on the web at Newport UMC - www.newportumc.org.

    • SaintSavers Wedding Service Planning Tool

    I highly recommend your using our SaintSavers Wedding Service Planning Tool - CLICK HERE. Login in with 'help' as the user and 'me' as the password.

    There is so much information available in the SaintSavers Wedding Service Planning Tool that might save you a lot of time searching elsewhere. We have searched for years to find these service resources. Click on items and they are automatically assembled into a web page for you and an email is sent to me. Try it as often as you like. Fill in as little or as much as you like. You can set up your service using this tool. When you select the items that you want in your service (or add your own in the edit boxes), you will get a web page that looks something like this one - CLICK HERE. Then I will put it into a Word file and place that online as the current version that we have agreed upon for your wedding.

    Your wedding service will be available for you to look at on the web at any time. It will be password protected so that you can see it and you can let others see it if you give them the password. I will start your file with the sample service and then make changes as you give them to me with the SaintSavers Wedding Service Planning Tool or by email. I will give you a username and password by email as soon as I receive your deposit. CLICK HERE to see the sample service web page. This page is like the one that you will view with your personal service details. You can also print out that page with your wedding service on it. (If you have been viewing your service on www.easywebpagetools.com, just change the domain to www.garyritner.org The rest of the address is the same and the login and password are the same. Server changes required this move recently. Thanks for your patience.)

    Here is another alternative approach to putting together a service. It is a cut and paste approach. View 13 services and cut and paste the parts that you like to assemble your service. These are Word documents from a variety of services that people have assembled in the past few years. After you have cut and pasted together all that you want to use, send me the Word document. Login in with 'couple5' as the user and 'look' as the password.

    Service 1|Service 2|Service 3|Service 4|Service 5|Service 6|Service 7|Service 8|Service 9|Service 10|Service 11|Service 12|Service 13

    Sample Religious Wedding Service

    Click Here to see My Sample Non-Religious Wedding Service

    (Here is another easy option if you wish. Take this sample service and make a few changes wherever you like. Email me the changes and I will make them on the Word file that will be online for you.)

    Processional (the groom and groomsmen may choose to meet the women at the front, coming in from a side door. Or the groomsmen may walk down the aisle with the women of the bridal party).

    (At this point, the Bride may choose to kiss her father or mother or both or give flowers to parents; or both parents may hug and kiss the bride and groom. Some choose to do this. Some do not.)

    GREETING
    Dear friends and family,
    We are gathered here in the sight of God, and in the presence these witnesses, to join together Groom and Bride in marriage.

    Each of you has played an important role in their lives and each holds a special place in their thoughts and affections. It is appropriate and meaningful that they call upon you on this occasion to take part in celebrating this important event.

    We are here to bless Groom and Bride in this decision and to celebrate with them in their union.


    (At this point, the parents of the bride may be asked "Who gives this woman in marriage." And their reply would be... "we do" or "her mother and I do" or whatever you choose. Some choose to do this. Some do not.)

    Music/Solo May Be Inserted Here

    SCRIPTURE (or your choice)
    (Adapted from I Corinthians 13)
    Love is patient and kind.
    Love does not envy.
    Love does not boast.
    Love is not too proud.
    Love is not rude.
    Love trusts in all situations,
    Love hopes on all occasions,
    Love endures through all circumstances.


    WEDDING MESSAGE (5 minute talk on marriage)

    Music/Solo May Be Inserted Here

    INVITATION TO EXCHANGE VOWS
    (Addressing Groom and Bride)
    I invite you both to exchange vows before God and these friends and family. Be assured that if you keep these promises and attempt to respond to God's calling you to love each other, then God will bless your marriage, grant forgiveness for your failures, provide fulfillment in your days together, and will establish your relationship as a source of compassion and courage.

    EXCHANGE OF VOWS
    Groom, will you have Bride to be your wife, to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love Bride, comfort her, and care for her and all that she holds dear?
    (Groom answers): I DO.
    Bride, will you have Groom to be your husband, to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love Groom, comfort him, and care for him and all that he holds dear?
    (Bride answers): I DO.

    (Groom and Bride join hands, turning toward each other and repeat after me)
    I, GROOM, TAKE YOU, BRIDE,
    TO BE MY WIFE.
    TO HAVE AND TO HOLD
    FROM THIS DAY FORWARD,
    FOR BETTER, FOR WORSE
    FOR RICHER, FOR POORER
    IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH,
    TO LOVE AND TO CHERISH FOREVER.

    I, BRIDE, TAKE YOU, GROOM,
    TO BE MY HUSBAND,
    TO HAVE AND TO HOLD
    FROM THIS DAY FORWARD,
    FOR BETTER, FOR WORSE
    FOR RICHER, FOR POORER
    IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH,
    TO LOVE AND TO CHERISH FOREVER.

    EXCHANGE OF RINGS
    (I receives the rings from the best man)
    The wedding ring is the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace signifying to all the uniting of Bride and Groom in marriage. Bless the giving of these rings, that Bride and Groom may create a haven of love and a place of peace for each other.

    (I deliver the ring to Groom who holds the ring and repeats after me):
    IN TOKEN AND PLEDGE
    OF MY CONSTANT FAITH
    AND ABIDING LOVE
    WITH THIS RING I THEE WED.

    (I deliver the ring to Bride who holds the ring and repeats after me):
    IN TOKEN AND PLEDGE
    OF MY CONSTANT FAITH
    AND ABIDING LOVE
    WITH THIS RING I THEE WED.

    PRONUNCIATION OF MARRIAGE
    (I put my hand on the joined hands of Groom and Bride and say): Forasmuch as Groom and Bride have consented together in marriage, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, have pledged their faith to each other, and have declared the same by joining hands and by giving and receiving rings; I pronounce that they are husband and wife together, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

    LIGHTING OF THE UNITY CANDLE (some choose to do this ritual and some do not)
    (Music during lighting)

    (Groom and Bride kiss each other after I say, "You may kiss.")

    BLESSING OF THE FAMILY
    (I say) "I present to you a new family joined in love and blessed by God."

    RECESSIONAL

    POSTLUDE

    Bulletin Sample Order of Service

    (If you wish to have a bulletin or program... some do not)


    PRELUDE
    PROCESSIONAL
    GREETING
    Music/ Solo May Be Inserted Here
    SCRIPTURE
    WEDDING MESSAGE
    Music/ Solo May Be Inserted Here
    INVITATION TO EXCHANGE VOWS
    EXCHANGE OF VOWS
    EXCHANGE OF RINGS
    PRONUNCIATION OF MARRIAGE
    LIGHTING OF THE UNITY CANDLE
    Music/Solo May Be Inserted Here
    PRESENTATION OF THE FAMILY
    RECESSIONAL
    POSTLUDE

     You might also include the following items on the bulletin:
    Names of people in the wedding party
    Parents of the Bride and Groom
    The date and time and location of the wedding
    Directions to the reception may be included as an insert

    Your Bulletin - I highly recommend that you run the details of your wedding bulletin by me before you have it printed. I have run into a few complications when bridal parties used an order of service from some other wedding thinking that it was always that way only to find out that this was not the order of service that they had chosen for the service. Other possible complications suggest that the bulletin should not be printed before I have seen it. You can just email the text. That usually works best.

    Are you looking for a location for your wedding? A reception hall? A Caterer? Music?

    Recommended Wedding Services

  • Wedding Soloist: Perhaps you are looking for a soloist. I can sing at your wedding for an additional $100 for one or two selections. To hear me sing, CLICK HERE.

  • Wedding musicians? You would be very pleased with the romantic and elegant atmosphere created by the music of The Baroque Trio. CLICK HERE for their web page. Or, String Quartet con Passione is an excellent group of experienced professionals who play so beautifully! A string quartet is the ultimate in classical elegance for wedding music!

  • Caterer and Reception Hall? For over 100 guests, I highly recommend Ideal Hall in St. Paul and the excellent food prepared by TST Creative Catering. CLICK HERE for their web page. Or, have TST cater your wedding wherever you want it. It is the best food that I have experienced.

  • Want to have a church wedding? My favorite place is Newport United Methodist Church. CLICK HERE to see all of the details. I work there and you are welcome to be married there.

  • Want to have a church wedding in a building with Catholic sculptures and atmosphere? Look at this historic museum - the St. Boniface Church, located at Little Log House Pioneer Village south of Hastings, MN. This is not a 'working' Catholic Church, but it feels like one for a wedding that I can officiate for you there.

  • Want to have a small wedding of 15 or less and dinner afterward in the same location? You would be very pleased with Forepaugh's in St. Paul. CLICK HERE for their web page.

  • Want to have a wedding with 75 guests at an elegant dining place? You would be very pleased with The St. Paul Hotel,

  • Want to have a wedding with 50 guests at an elegant and historic dining place? You would be very pleased with The Lowell Inn in Stillwater, where you can have a room for your wedding that is also your room for dinner. Beautiful and historic decor - first class. Stay in a room overnight too if you wish. Walk around Stillwater and along the riverfront a few blocks away.

  • Want to have a garden wedding with a reception there and also have a rain backup right there? You would be very pleased with Cedarhust Mansion in Cottage Grove, MN.

  • Want to have a wedding in the midst of natural beauty? About 75 can be seated in ampitheater seats overlooking the St. Croix in the midst of the woods. You would be very pleased with the Carpenter Nature Center northeast of Hastings, MN.

  • Want to have a small wedding of 35 or less and reception afterward and have selected guests or the bride and groom stay overnight at a bed and breakfast inn - in the same location? You would be very pleased with the Phipps Inn, in Hudson, Wisconsin. CLICK HERE for their web page.

  • Want to have a small wedding in the country with a colonial atmosphere and reception afterward and have selected guests or the bride and groom stay overnight at a bed and breakfast inn - in the same location? You would be very impressed with the Hungry Point Inn. CLICK HERE for their web page.

  • Want to have your wedding at a beautiful mansion? My favorite is The St. Paul College Club.

  • Want to have an elegant wedding at one of the finest reception areas in MN? You would be very pleased with The Carlson Rotunda, where you can have your wedding outside by the pond in the amphitheater and then move inside for an elegant dinner.

  • Looking for a wedding officiant in the Twin Cities or anywhere else in the country? See my Wedding Ministers Referral Service Web Site .

  • Want to take a quick look at a huge list of Twin Cities locations and resources? Then CLICK HERE.


    • Click on the button above to see lots of helpful hints and
    resources on our Links page for planning your wedding.

    Click on the button above to fill out a simple form to ask if I am available to officiate at your wedding on the date that you have chosen.


    or, CLICK HERE to email me regarding anything else - pamrarmstrong@comcast.net

    Phone:(651) 983-0676

    SaintSavers Wedding Officiating Services

    is a service of SaintSavers Inc.