Most couples don’t think about the officiant until fairly late. You find the venue, sort the catering, pick a photographer, and then one evening someone asks who is actually going to marry you. That’s usually when the search starts.
We took that item off your list a long time ago. Officiant services are part of our Deluxe Wishes Come True Package here at Wishing Well Barn, and the ceremony is personalized rather than pulled off a shelf. Here’s what that changes about your planning, and about the twenty minutes that matter most.
When a wedding officiant is included with the venue, couples have one less vendor to hire and coordinate. The officiant can be incorporated into existing planning sessions, allowing ceremony wording, timing, vows, music, and setup to be coordinated together for a more organized and personalized ceremony experience.
Why an included officiant changes the shape of your wedding day
An officiant isn’t just the person who says the words. That person sets the pace of your ceremony, holds the attention of everyone seated in front of you, and shapes how the whole day begins. When the role is coordinated by the same team running your event, the ceremony stops being a separate booking you have to manage.
One less vendor to vet and chase
Booking an officiant on your own means interviews, contracts, deposits, and a fair amount of email. You’re evaluating someone you may only meet once before they stand between you at the altar. Because officiant services come with your package, that whole search disappears. The ceremony conversation happens inside the planning sessions you already have.
Your package includes unlimited planning sessions with a dedicated wedding designer and event coordinator. So the wording, the timing, and the setup all get talked through with the same person, well before your wedding week.
Your ceremony wording is yours
Personalized matters here. Some couples want something short, warm, and traditional. Others write their own vows and keep the rest simple. Some want faith woven all the way through. That’s a conversation, not a form to fill out.
Because we’re building the ceremony alongside the rest of your day, we already know the things that shape it. We know where you’ll be standing, how many people are seated in front of you, and how the property looks at that hour. That context is hard to hand to someone who arrives half an hour early and has never seen the farm.
The ceremony setup arrives with it
Your all inclusive package covers a fully decorated ceremony: a custom arch backdrop, aisle décor, signage, and ceremony music. That’s the same package the officiant sits inside, so nobody is coordinating across four companies to work out where the arch goes or when the music starts.
Our crew handles setup, service through the evening, and cleanup afterward. You aren’t carrying chairs at eight in the morning or loading a car at midnight. That was the idea when we opened the barn doors in 2012, not long after three of our sons married within one calendar year. We had seen what the alternative looked like.
Pick your spot first, then build the ceremony around it
We have several ceremony locations across the 50 acre blueberry and cattle farm. Lawn settings, lakeside spots near the fountain fed pond, and the wider farm around them with pastures, blueberry fields, and majestic oaks. If the weather turns, our air conditioned barn holds up to 299 seated guests, so the indoor option never feels like a fallback.
Choosing the location is usually the best part of a tour. Couples walk the property, stand in three or four places, and one of them just feels right. Then we build the ceremony to fit it. That order of operations only works when the officiant and the venue are the same team.
Where the day goes from there
After you’re pronounced, the celebration moves into the barn with its twinkle lights, chandeliers, and custom farm tables. Your package covers catering, appetizers, cake options, bartender service, entertainment options, photography options, silk florals, and a s’mores station, with a bonfire when the weather cooperates. A fourteen passenger shuttle runs guests to and from local hotels within twenty minutes of the farm.
All of it starts earlier than you’d think. Full day access to the property, the Bridal Cottage, and the Groom’s Tack Room comes before your six hour event begins. The Cottage has salon chairs, a refrigerator, a crafting table, and plenty of natural light. The Tack Room has a pool table, a poker table, a bar, and a full shower. Nobody drives anywhere between getting ready and getting married.
Conclusion
More than 1,500 events since 2012, and the ceremony is still the part we care about most. If you’re picturing your wedding here, the next step is simple. Walk the property and stand in the spots you’ve been imagining.
Tours are free and take about an hour. Contact us or call Michelle at (813) 478-6554 or email wishingwellbarn@gmail.com to find your date. We’re at 4302 Pippin Road in Plant City, about forty five minutes from Tampa and Orlando. You can also download our pricing guide first if you’d like the details in hand.
FAQs
Is the officiant really included?
Yes. Officiant services come with the Deluxe Wishes Come True Package, and the ceremony is personalized to you.
Can we write our own vows?
Of course. Your ceremony is shaped with you during your unlimited planning sessions.
Where can the ceremony take place?
Several locations across the 50 acre farm, plus the air conditioned barn, which seats up to 299 guests.
Who sets up the ceremony space?
Our crew does. The arch backdrop, aisle décor, signage, and ceremony music are all part of the package.