Douglas A Smith

I first became a minister to marry my nephew and his girlfriend at an outdoor wedding in Ohio. Wonderful people, but neither are particularly religious or belong to any congregation, so they could not find a minister from any church that would marry them.

I'm originally from Ohio; grew up and went to college there. But I lived with my wife and two children in Florida for 20 years and now in Asheville, North Carolina for 20+ years.

Hundreds of people come to the Asheville area and the mountains of Western North Carolina to get married every year; lots of destination weddings. I discovered it's not easy to find a minister (outside of a specific local church or parish) to perform a ceremony here, or they are all booked up well in advance. There's so much to plan and worry about when getting married, and finding a good minister to officiate the ceremony should not be such an ordeal.

Before I retired, I was a professional speaker for 25+ years, founding and owning my own national speaking company and delivering more than 2,000 presentations to audiences of all sizes across the country during my career. I am well spoken, amiable, and know how to deliver a smooth, happy, on-point and memorable ceremony.

I always insist on spending a little time (10-15 minutes) on the phone in advance with the bride and/or groom to go over my Minister's Questionnaire to cover all the specifics. Then I follow up with my Confirmation Agreement Email that details everything we agreed upon. That way, there are no surprises or misunderstandings that can get in the way of a beautiful and well-planned event.