Meet your Officiant, Pastor David
How It All Started
As a pastor in the late 1980s and 90s, I found myself doing one or two weddings a year, almost always affiliated with my church or a church family. They were always fun, uplifting events, but I never dreamed about what was about to happen.
The Phone Call
Soon after moving to a Chicago suburb, at about 1:30 p.m., driving home from a Chamber of Commerce meeting, my cell phone rang. It was a Chicago number – and I answered it as I was driving down the road.
She said, “Hi! This is Cassandra, and I hope you are Pastor David!”
I said, “Yes – I am – how can I help you?”
She said, “Do you happen to have any plans for tonight?”
I said, “No, it is just a quiet night for me.”
She said, “I am in a pinch – I am a wedding planner, and the officiant I had contracted with for my wedding tonight has just cancelled because he is too sick to work.”
My response was: “Oh no. I am so sorry. I can probably help you. Where is it?”
She said, “Have you ever been to Navy Pier?”
“Often,” I replied, thinking, “Oh crap. All the way downtown.”
She says, “Can you be here by 6?”
I said, “Yes.”
“What are you paying for tonight?”
“Well, our officiants all get at least $400 per wedding, and we pay for everything.”
I said, “Where do you need me to meet you?”
And my wedding business was born!
The First Wedding
That first Wedding Business wedding was aboard the Chicago-based Odyssey – a deluxe cruise ship – off Navy Pier!
Since then, I’ve had the joy of officiating over 650 weddings—number 650 happened in July 2025!
