You’ve heard that business and family don’t mix, right?  Don’t lend money to family members; don’t blend business and pleasure, etcetera.  If we believed that, the opportunity to have your wedding and reception at Stonebrook Manor would be non-existent.  You would just have to go somewhere else.

Lucky for you, at Stonebrook Manor, we believe that business and family DO mix.  We mix it everyday.  And by everyday, I don’t mean Monday through Friday, 8a.m. to 5p.m.  I mean 24/7/365.  Holidays, birthdays, Sundays.  Everyday that our family gathers, business is on the brain and in the conversation.  And it works for us.  

I imagine that some families would never even consider working together, let alone starting a business together.  Some families just don’t have what it takes, I suppose, especially when you throw stepfamilies and in-laws in the mix.  Yep, we’re a blended family to boot.  Would you want to work with your greedy step-sister, or your menacing mother-in-law?  Me neither.  Fortunately, none of us have to.  There are attributes that each family member must possess for this to work: a good work ethic, selflessness, humility, and a SENSE OF HUMOR.  If we didn’t have these, it would be a recipe for disaster.

I’m not saying that we don’t have our occasional disputes, disagreements, and even blow ups (don’t tell my mom I just admitted that), but we don’t let our differences at the office upset our family gatherings.  We just don’t. 

From our very first business meeting 7 years ago to today, we have maintained a common goal.  I don’t think we have a concrete mission statement per se, but we all agree on the purpose for Stonebrook Manor as our family legacy: to be a blessing.  We want to be a blessing to the community in which we do business, to the brides and grooms who choose to say their vows in our home, and to their witnesses.  And if we are successful at this, then our vision is that our children and possibly grandchildren will work here and prosper as well.  We believe in the biblical law of sowing and reaping.  If we bless others, then we have no choice but to be blessed in return.  We hope that if we serve our clients and do the best that we possibly can for them, we will prosper. 

Rest assured that if and when you book your reception at our facility, we will treat you with the same respect that we treat each other.   We have high standards and our quality of goods and services show that.  On behalf of my family and myself, welcome to Stonebrook Manor.

In recent years a trend has become common among couples planning their weddings-the use of personal friends and family members to officiate ceremonies.  At first, this may seem like a good idea and is even occasionally promoted in bridal magazines and on the Internet. Unfortunately, many brides and grooms end up regretting this decision once their wedding day arrives.  In order for someone to conduct a beautiful and organized wedding ceremony, that person must have a specific amount of skill, knowledge and experience.

Your wedding officiant must have:

• The experience to organize and coordinate the dozens of details concerning your wedding ceremony. (Including the ability to run an organized rehearsal if necessary).
• Excellent public speaking and communication skills in order to convey the beautiful message of your ceremony to your invited family and friends.
• An extensive knowledge of ceremony styles, formats, options, placement, timing and flow.
• The necessary experience to stay cool, calm and collected when things ‘may not’ be going as planned. And the knowledge of “what to do” when things are “not” going as expected.
• The experience to effectively communicate with all of your other vendors-and to coordinate the ceremony with your DJ, photographer, florist and caterer-allowing everyone to work together and on the “same page” during the wedding ceremony.
• An extensive and detailed understanding of wedding licensing, legal matters, county documents and other important ‘paper work’ issues.

It takes years of training, study and experience to become a good wedding officiant.

Unfortunately, “inexperienced” friends and family members are just that-inexperienced.

However well intentioned, they often do not possess the knowledge, experience or skills necessary to perform the type of wedding ceremony that most brides and grooms want (and expect) on this very special day. Inexperienced friends and family members are often visibly nervous, uncomfortable and ultimately ‘unsure’ of what they are doing-leading to a wedding ceremony which is often ‘not very good.’ Keep in mind that all of this will be taking place in front of your closest friends and family members!

The person officiating your wedding will, simply put, “make” or “break” your ceremony-the centerpiece of your entire wedding day!

If you select an officiant who has years of experience and hundreds, if not thousands of weddings ‘under their belt,’ you will likely have a beautiful ceremony that is professional, organized and memorable in a positive way.

If, on the other hand, you select an officiant that does not have the necessary experience, skills or knowledge to conduct a beautiful and organized ceremony-you may end up wishing you had made a different choice. (Regardless of how special that person is in your life).

So choose your wedding officiant wisely, make sure they have the years of knowledge and experience that will lead to a beautiful and organized wedding ceremony.  You will only have one opportunity to perform this service, so select an officiant who is an experienced professional.