Vern Barnet
About
I enjoy designing customized weddings for the couples who wish a civil, a traditional, a multifaith, or a unique ceremony. My background includes
* officating at hundreds of weddings in my career at many local sites and beyond
* ordination and a doctorate (5-year graduate work at a prestigeous seminary, not a mail-order sham)
* special exerience in the field of world religions (I founded the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council in 1989)
* writing skills (I wrote a weekly column for The Kansas City Star for 18 years among many other publications)
* my bio appears on Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vern_Barnet
* my wedding checklist appears at http://www.cres.org/wedding
Although my formal name is the Reverend Vern Barnet, DMn, I prefer to be called simly Vern.
Working with a variety of people as they plan a happy occasion gives me additional joy in contributing my skills and experience to it.
Highlights
Photos and videos
No reviews (yet)
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I invite the couple to review the checklist and information on my website and then meet with them to plan the wedding ceremony.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Doctor of Ministry degree (earned, not mail-order)
Experience officiating at hundreds of weddings
Background in civil ceremonies and world religions
Do you have a standard pricing system for your services? If so, please share the details here.
My fee depends on the extent of planning required, whether the couple wishes a rehearsal, the involvement the couple wishes from me in associated festivities, and such. I suggest a sliding scale and respect each couple's financial situation. The quality of my work deserves appropriate recognition.
How did you get started in this business?
As a seminarian at the University of Chicago Divinity School, I learned how to conduct public ceremonies. I've been learning ever since from the wonderful people I've been asked to marry.
What types of customers have you worked with?
young people starting out
couples with previous marriages, often with children
same-sex couples as well as groom-bride couples
folks with no religious affiliation
Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and other traditions
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
I recently enjoyed doing an interfaith baptism for a couple I had married several years ago. The ceremony used waters from the Ganges, the Tiber, the Seine, the Missouri, the Yangtze, and other rivers of the world.
What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a pro in your area of expertise?
Look for an officiant who is able to respond to unexected situations, as sometimes arise in the best planned weddings, who makes guests feel comfortable, and who can establish and project the atmoshere the couple desires for the wedding.
What questions should customers think through before talking to pros about their needs?
1. What kind of event the couple desires -- civil, religious, traditional, unique, indoors, outdoors, formal or informal, with rehearsal or not, a reception or not, and when
2. Where the wedding might be held.
3. Who and how many might be involved as particiants (best man, musicians, etc) and who as guests.