Member- Miss Smallville
- 8 years ago
- Wedding: September 2010
This post is not meant to attack my vendor personally. This is to inform future brides that may have to deal with what I went through.
Months ago, my fiance and I met up with Lance Orndorff, a wedding officiant to be at my wedding. I was attracted to him because his website actually had a Filipino Catholic wedding ceremony sample so we met with him at the Starbucks in Gainesville, VA (29 and 66) for some coffee. I ended up liking him, he was funny and seemingly down to earth and he kept it real for us. Did detect a small sarcasticness and hint of a diva brewing underneath, but nothing that worried me.
Fastforward to last week, last Tuesday to be exact. I’d emailed Lance about my rehearsal time this past Friday (got married this past saturday 9/18). He says he cant make it because he’s booked friday, but that my venue staff would help with the logistics.
Mind you, i’m not upset he can’t make it. It was my fault not to confirm with him sooner that he was available Friday at 5pm before my wedding. However, now im in a panic b/c i have 30 people coming to a rehearsal where we wont know what to be rehearsing… so my sister (and MOH) suggests we ask to meet with him thursday just to ask for tips on how to run rehearsal friday… this is his response:
From: Lance Orndorff [email protected]Sent: Tue, September 14, 2010 10:25:36 AMSubject: RE: Wedding, Sep 18 2010
I know you are excited about the day, but you’ve hired professionals to handle the details.
May I ask, what is the concern?
Let me tell you, my jaw dropped at the tone he took with me. But i took a few deep breaths, and responded with:
From: Miss SmalllvilleSent: Tuesday, September 14, 2010 10:41 AMTo: Lance OrndorffSubject: Re: Wedding, Sep 18 2010
Ok. Sorry, I was originally concerned because of the rehearsal, because of the cues for the secondary sponsors (Sand, cord, veil) and readers and such during the ceremony.
But we can take in our hands and print out the ceremony document I sent you for all the ceremony for those who need to know their cues. The Clubhouse staff just emailed me to let me who will be on staff and i informed them that you wont be there for rehearsal, so they have the ceremony document so they will help with the cues as well.
It was a just a thought by my maid of honor that we meet to be on the safe side. Thursday’s meeting or phone isnt necessary if you don’t think it is. We’ll handle it from here.
Sorry to bother you.
Thanks!
His response… just take a look:
From:Lance Orndorff
To:Miss Smallville
This is definitely not something you need to be thinking of.
I’ve officiated 1300 weddings and conducted a thousand or more masses/services.
Believe me, I have this under control!
NO ONE needs to know “cues”. It doesn’t work that way. I simply ask them to come up. Plain English.
This is really nothing for you to “handle” except for being beautiful and showing up!
Not that i wasn’t already frazzled that I wouldnt have anyone help me with rehearsal, i had him come down on me like that. I was in tears at the office from the stress and how horribly he spoke to me.
Apparently I’d offended his “professionalism” but it wasnt that at all. I was confident in his abilities, contrary to his take on my request to meet him. I just wanted to feel assured that I could deliver a good rehearsal without him.
Anyway, I didn’t respond. I figured i’d just deal with it. Mr. Smallville and I already had our real and private (Catholic) ceremony on August 21st, and this ceremony was just for show, and I worked on that reasoning alone that i would just stick with him. NOt to mention i was 4 days away from the big day!
It was too late to turn back, because he requires you to pay him his full fee 10 days in advance of your wedding. So he had my $500 by then, and it was too late to turn back.
I’ll post later about how the wedding day actually went.
