Interview with Paul of De Novo Pastoral Services

We had a great time interviewing Paul of De Novo Pastoral Services! If you haven’t met Paul yet, you are surely missing out. He has a constant and contagious smile on his face and he radiates joy more than most people we know! If you are looking for a Pastor to officiate your wedding ceremony, Paul is your man. He is professional, kind, charismatic, and will help your wedding ceremony go off without a hitch! It’s so important to have someone like Paul who can highlight the bride and groom without stealing the show with long and unwanted stories, unnecessary lulls, or awkward transitions. Pre-marital counseling is also very helpful in relieving pre-wedding jitters and the council you’ll receive during this time will help sustain your marriage for years to come!  As wedding DJs, we’ve attended many ceremonies and cannot stress enough how important it is to have a knowledgeable pastor leading the ceremony. We’ve seen couples use an inexperienced officiant and there are almost always hiccups. More than once we’ve seen totally avoidable things such as the “family friend officiant” forgetting to ask the guests to sit down after the bride walks down the aisle so the guests are left standing, sometimes for the whole ceremony! Or unsure of what to do they slowly sit down one-by-one as the oblivious officiant continues their speech and everyone is left feeling a bit embarrassed by the incoordination. Don’t let this happen at your wedding! Let’s hear what Paul has to say…

1. Tell us a little about yourself and your company: De Novo Pastoral Services provides Concierge Pastoral services, specifically in the areas of wedding officiating and pre-marital coaching.

What made you want to start your company? I love to tell people’s love stories. A wedding allows me the opportunity to share a couple’s unique love story with their family and friends. I also want marriages to go the distance which is why I offer pre-marital coaching—it gives couples the tools they need to communicate better, resolve conflict in a healthy manner, and live a fulfilled life!

What do you love to do when you’re not at work? Family and friends are important to me, so as long as I’m doing something with my wife Stephanie, or my kids, or friends…it’s great! It could be as basic as going to a movie or taking the dog for a walk, or it could be traveling across the country. I’m a voracious reader, I love to cook breakfast and make desserts, and I love traveling! I also love writing bios that make it sound like I’m on match.com. LOL

How long have you been in business? I’ve been officiating weddings for over 25 years in my role as a pastor of a church. Three years ago, I started De Novo Pastoral Services to specifically serve as a Concierge Pastor.

How do you hope your company will look in 5 years? I fully expect to have several other officiants contracting for me, and I definitely plan to expand into destination weddings!Photo by Think Harris Photography

2. What would your ideal event look like? What would it include? My ideal event is crafting a wedding ceremony and officiating it, so that it perfectly encapsulates each couple’s personality and relationship. It would include meaningful elements that express each couple’s uniqueness, whether that is something like a Wine Box ceremony, a Unity Cross, or other element that they choose.

3. What makes you’re company unique/different? I believe that I connect with each couple in a meaningful way that goes beyond simply providing a service. In addition to custom-designing and then crafting their perfect ceremony, I love building a true relationship and friendship!

4. What do you love most about weddings/events? As I stated previously, I love to tell people’s love stories in a way that makes their day exactly what they want. And for me, I get to have a front-row seat in sharing their amazing day!

5. What tips do you have for clients? Ask a lot of questions, even about seemingly insignificant things. The more informed a client is, the better. And the biggie—hire a professional! It’s worth the time, the money and the effort!

6. What is something you hate seeing in your industry? When wedding professionals don’t deliver top-quality, stellar service. For wedding professionals, a wedding may be their third, fourth or fifth of the week…for a couple it’s their once-in-a-lifetime!

Thanks again Paul for this great Q&A discussion! We look forward to working with you again soon!