It must take an extraordinary person to perform thousands of weddings without losing emotional involvement or intensity over time. But Don Perron of Pastoral Services of Guelph, has never lost his love for weddings, nor his power to perform them. Don has performed ceremonies all over Southwestern Ontario, from The Medieval Times Dinner & Theatre and reality weddings on the Slice Network to just about every local ceremony/reception site.

While he is native to Guelph, we met with Don at the Waterloo City Hall, where he works by day. We guessed from speaking to him on the phone that Don smiled a lot. We were right. Don greeted us with a big smile, handshake, and took us around the corner to a nearby café. As we walked, he seemed to know everyone that we passed by name. We sat down over coffee to talk, Don never losing a drop of energy throughout our nearly two hour interview. With his enthusiasm for wedding ceremonies and great ideas on how to incorporate children and personality into his ceremonies, we walked away feeling like we had made a new friend and felt very inspired.

Choosing an officiant is personal

When you are designing the day that marks a rite of passage in your life, you want to make sure that the most important part - the ceremony - is right for you. You want to choose a wedding officiant who can respect your wishes, beliefs, and spirituality (or lack thereof) in the ceremony that will bind you to another human being 'for as long as you both shall live'.

Don Perron is an Ordained Minister, licensed by All Seasons Church of Canada and the Government of Ontario to officiate weddings. He is also a major part of a widely-known group of ministers who perform thousands of local wedding ceremonies over the years. Don recently officiated a wedding that was featured on the TV show Four Weddings on the Slice network.

His couples unanimously agree that Don is open, friendly, easy-going, and willing to do just about whatever it takes to make your wedding day as personal, meaningful and fun as you want it to be. "It is important to me that the bride and groom feel comfortable with me and with the ceremony we create together... Planning a wedding is a very special time in one's life, and I want to help you create a service that is you, with the dignity, warmth, celebration and solemnity it deserves. My interest and desire is to make your wedding day as perfect as possible."

Ryann and Mat Blenkiron had Don perform their wedding. "We called Don right after we booked our hall to make sure he was available. Don comes highly recommended, not only in The Ring, but by the thousands of couples he's married! From our first meeting with Don, he had an endearing quality, and his focus on our promise to each other transcended any paperwork that needed filling out - leading Mat and I to trust he would take good care of us," Ryann told us.

Frances Seeley says Don made her special day unique, "We received many compliments on how wonderful (Don) was and the personal touches we were able to add to our ceremony. We are still receiving compliments even though it has been almost three months now. Not only was the service excellent, Don also helped us calm down and relax. The fact that he was able to walk my dad up to me as he couldn't walk the whole way was very special to me and I can never thank him enough for that."

It's your ceremony

Don Perron has spent a lot of personal time developing different ways to incorporate children and mixed families into the ceremony, methods of drawing the guests into the ceremony, and ways of just knowing what the couple really wants to get out of their ceremony - apart from the piece of paper. Don says that he has found success through the years because each ceremony is designed just for the bride and groom. There is no generic step-by-step wedding offered, unless the couple specifically asks for it. Don is open to anything just so long as the dignity of the ceremony is kept.

Don has several ways to incorporate children into ceremonies for couples who are blending a family. An example of this would be the way he alters the end of your ceremony, by saying, "I now pronounce you husband... and wife... and family," and adds a special token as per family wishes.

Don places a lot of focus on the vows. This is where couples really can make the ceremony their own. "If you want to say 'I take you, Honeypoo, to be my husband...' then that's okay with me. As long as it means something to you," says Don. It seems wrong to class a minister in the category of someone who is working for you, but Don pointed out that, "Ultimately, the bride and groom are my clients, and I am providing a service for them. It's my job to give them the ceremony they really want."

Annette and Andrew said that Don really contributed to their special day, "(Don) did such a great job preforming our ceremony, it was exactly what we were looking for!".

Christine and Gavin agree, "Our ceremony was more amazing than we could have imagined. Everyone felt Don's kindness and warmth. Thank you for making us husband and wife."

Experience and attitude

We're firm believers that since the ceremony is the most important aspect of your wedding day (without it, there would be no wedding), we also think that your officiant should have experience, and Don Perron certainly does as he has performed thousands of weddings. That said, he keeps himself involved in more than just the officiating end of things. Don has made just about every aspect of his life, in some way, about weddings and about taking care of people. This told us that he is not just 'doing a job'. This is his path in life...

• One of a widely known circle of officiants that have performed thousands of weddings over the years, including his partner, one of K-W's highly respected ministers the Rev. Paul Ellingham.
• Performing pastoral services with St. John's Ambulance services of Guelph.
• Affiliated with All Seasons Church of Canada, a network of wedding officiants.
• Works in the City of Waterloo City Clerk's office, so he is experienced in all aspects of the marriage act.
• Performs non-denominational, spiritual, religious, same partner ceremonies, among others.
• He also performs ceremonies for renewals of vows, christenings, and funerals.

Kevin and Melissa Hallock loved Don so much that they've continued to use his services for other life events, "It is so nice to know that Don has been a part of the most important times in our lives, our marriage and the Baptism of both of our children. Thank-you for everything you do. You are a wonderful man and we are so happy you've been there to bless all the special times in our lives."

Going to the chapel... (or beach... or gazebo...)

When you hire Don Perron as your wedding officiant, you will get what can sometimes be lost in the mix of wedding planning - to be inspired about your ceremony, to design that twenty to forty minutes in a way that really speaks to your heart. But, like with any wedding services, you need to meet Don first.

In a pre-wedding consultation, you will get a chance to sit down together with Don to discuss what you're looking for, what ideas you have, what ideas he has, and then ultimately decide if Don is the right officiant for you. If you choose to go ahead, you will lay out a brief idea of how the ceremony will be performed.

One week before your wedding, Don will contact you to make final arrangements and details. Following that, the next time you see him will be about a half hour before your wedding ceremony. Unless you request it, Don doesn't usually require a rehearsal ceremony the day before the wedding.

Ryann told us, "What we loved best about our ceremony was that our guests had a great time - many of them commended Don on a job well done, and told us that the ceremony was a great reflection of our personalities. We could not have had such a warm, meaningful, light-hearted (yet classic) ceremony without Don's help! He orchestrated every detail. During the rehearsal and the ceremony, he was the guiding hand for not only Mat and I, but everyone involved - he pulled my parents aside and gave them tips for bringing me down the aisle and let Dad know the queues, he helped the girls with how to hold their bouquets, and ebbed everyone's nervousness by cracking a joke or two. I'll never forget Don coming into the room I was waiting in before taking that long walk down the aisle, putting my hands in his and saying, 'Your hands aren't even clammy, kiddo!'"

Maggie and Michael were married July 9th, 2011, "Thank-you for the wonderful wedding service you conducted on our special day. We appreciate all the guidance and counsel you provided for our wedding ceremony; your experience and relaxed nature helped ease our worries and stress."

Details, details, details

• Don performs non-denominational, spiritual, religious, same partner, mixed ceremonies and many more customized ceremonies that you can have designed to your satisfaction. They can include your ideas and your chosen vows to fit your personal needs or customs.
• Don has options for incorporating children, parents, grandparents or anyone else special to you into ceremonies.
• He has options for unity candle ceremonies as well as alternatives to the unity candle ceremony, such as various sand ceremonies, and a beautiful parental service.
• Don can add a tastefully customized memorial service for a loved one to your special day.
• He provides a variety of options and information when you meet him. Don is an expert on the Ontario Marriage Act and can help answer all of your questions.
• Will travel anywhere within Southwestern Ontario, focusing mostly on the Guelph, K-W, Cambridge and surrounding areas.
• Don recommends booking as far in advance as possible.
• Honourariums are approximately $275 for your complete package (excluding rehearsals) with no hidden fees to worry about. For off-hour, private legal ceremonies, honourariums are based on the services you may or may not require, the location and the day of the week. Rehearsals, if required, are extra. "My interest and desire is to make your wedding day as perfect as possible and the only way I can do this is by meeting you first."
• Don always dresses in formal attire - without a collar.
• For peace of mind Don has back-up celebrants to fill in, in case of illness, etc.

In other words...

"Hi Don, Steve and I just wanted to send you a quick thank you for the lovely ceremony you provided, we will send a proper thank you note later. We received a lot of compliments on the service, which is usually such a rare thing since I find most ceremonies tend to be quite boring to the guests. It was light-hearted but still sentimental and emotional at the same time. You gave us such great guidance that we didn't need to worry about the logistics of it. I usually have a very short attention span and I honestly thought that I would not pay attention to your words (even though it's my own ceremony), but I heard and felt every word you spoke. A sincere thank you for making the ceremony very special for us." - Swan & Steve

"Thanks for the wonderful ceremony you gave us at our wedding. It was so nice to have someone who could speak both English and French for our families and especially with such a great sense of humour! We had a perfect day." - Rachel and Jérôme

"Thank you for being such a great 'director' for the production of our lives. The wedding was fantastic and the ceremony, with you at the helm, was terrific. Your help guiding us with what we ultimately 'knew' we wanted to say (but didn't know how) was very special..." - Claire & Andrew

"Thank you so very much for all your help over the past couple of months. Your guidance and expertise has allowed us to experience the wedding ceremony we wanted." - Karen & Dana

"What a fabulous ceremony! Thank you so much for making it so special. We've had a number of compliments on our ceremony... I also wanted to thank you for encouraging us to write our own vows... What a fabulous experience!" - Amy & Vernon

"Thank you so much for performing our wedding ceremony. It was beautiful and everything we wanted it to be. We will hold the memories of that day in our hearts forever. Thanks again for being part of it." - Doug & Becky

"Thank you so much for officiating our wedding and guiding us through the ceremony. It was important to us to have someone who would be fun, energetic and help us enjoy our day. We found that in you." - David & Gwen

"Don, Thank you so much from Jeremy and I. We had so many compliments on our service. You made our day extra special, and we can't thank you enough. We had two weeks and you would think we had two years to plan with the service you presented. When we have friends to get married, we will be sure to suggest them to you... You will truly make every couple's ceremony special. Thanks so much for including our son in the service and making him feel like he was apart of our life commitment. Lots of love and blessings." - Jeremy, Shashonnah and Tristan

"Thank-you very much!!! You are a wonderful person to work along side with, thank-you for making it so nice."- Nancy and Martin Foster