Wedding Officiating

A Family Legacy Since 1920

• Family and Locally Owned

• Compassionate Legal Experts

• Attorney Schmidt Has Performed Over 1000 Weddings

• Wedding Fees Are Based on When and Where the Wedding Will Take Place

• Reservations Available up to One-Year in Advance.

• Check Out the Sample Wedding Vows in This Section of This Website

• Family and Locally Owned

• Compassionate Legal Experts

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Officiating Your Important Day

Marriage officiating is one of the more unique services Schmidt and Schmidt S.C. offers. Attorney Andrew Schmidt is available for civil wedding officiating, primarily in Marathon and Lincoln County, but also anywhere else in Wisconsin. Typically called a justice of the peace or a court commissioner, Andrew can perform the solemnization required for a legal marriage or can officiate wedding vows so that you can become married.

If you have not yet decided on the vows you and your fiancé(e) will take, we have a number of sample vows for you to choose from if interested. Two of these vows were authored by Mr. Schmidt himself. To a large extent, all of these vows can be modified, except for the portion of the vows where you promise to take your partner as your spouse in marriage.

Costs or Honorarium

Fees, or honorarium, are typical for wedding officials. Judges cannot ask for fees during their normal business hours, but at other times, fees and gratuities are permissible.

Generally, the cost to have Andrew officiate ranges between $100 (in his office on weekdays) to $175 if the ceremony is in the city of Wausau or its surrounding townships. Outside this area, to perform your ceremony, he typically receives $200 or more mostly due to time and travel. If you are outside of Marathon or Lincoln County, please ask for a quote. These prices are valid until December 31, 2015.

Andrew’s Suggestions for a Great Wedding

  • Keep it fun!
  • Call or write far enough in advance to reserve the wedding date. Please call as soon as possible to check on date and availability. My schedule is planned about 1 year out.
  • Please DO NOT CHANGE the wedding time or date without first talking to Andrew to ensure availability.
  • Telephone calls are preferred as Andrew can answer your questions faster.
  • Please have your guests arrive 15-20 minutes early; maybe having drinks and a light snack will allow increased socialization.
  • Reserve a place and make necessary deposits.
  • The actual ceremony will take about 10-20 minutes and the receiving line will take between 20-40 minutes. Signing your marriage documents is typically done before the ceremony, but before can also work.
  • Call and write your family and friends with the date, time and location have a map to your wedding and reception.
  • Review the sample wedding vows. You may use your own vows. You must send them to Andrew in advance. Andrew needs to review them for proper formatting. Please avoid the “cut and paste” approach. This always leads to long wedding vows.
  • If outdoors, a tent or other alternative location is absolutely necessary in the event of hot, cold, or bad weather. See Andrew’s favorite outdoor locales in Marathon County.
  • Plan for a style, and keep it simple. If outdoors – avoid anything very fancy, go light on the decorations and have something for the kids to do. HINT: No runners on grass! Heels get caught!
  • If you have children you want to include in the wedding you can have them also pledge to become a part of the new family or if they are younger they can be with you during the ceremony. Children’s vows are ad-libbed depending on the age and shyness of the children.
  • Within 20 days of your wedding please call Andrew to get his weekend telephone number, firm up on the ceremony details and which wedding vows you would like.
  • Please let us know what you have in mind to see how it will fit.
  • Please remember to have FUN!
ANDREW'S VENUE SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR WEDDING

STATE PARKS including Amphitheater top of Rib Mountain at Rib Mountain State Park; Park Ranger: 715-842-2522. Council Grounds State Park, Merrill; Park Ranger: 715-536-8773.

CITY/COUNTY PARKS: Wausau/Marathon County Parks System; Park Office: 715-261-1550. Sylvan Hills City Park, Eau Claire Dells County Park, Eau Pleine County Park, Oak Island/Isle of the Ferns City Park, Cherokee County Park, Stewart Park City Park, Riverside/Picnic Island City Park, Pleasant View City Park, Marathon Park (East Gate Hall, Big Kitchen, Gazebo, Big Woods).

TWO SISTERS WEDDING CHAPEL, Moon, Wisconsin (SW of Mosinee). 715-359-4425. Search: “Two Sisters Wedding Chapel, Mosinee”

WILLOW SPRINGS GARDENS, Town of Maine, 715-675-1171. Andrea & Peggy Gilbertson. www.willowspringsgarden.net/

FLOWERS OF THE FIELD, MOSINEE, WI, 715-693-8800. www.FlowersoftheField.us.

WESTWOOD CONFERENCE CENTER, Wausau, Wisconsin. 715-847-9200. https://www.visitwausau.com/account/westwood-conference-center

MARATHON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY – YAWKEY HOUSE GARDEN, Wausau, Wisconsin. Office 715-842-5750. www.yawkeyhousemuseum.org/

JEFFERSON STREET INN, Wausau, Wisconsin. Banquet Hall or in a Luxury Suite. 715-845-6500. 

ROTHSCHILD PAVILLION, Rothschild, Wisconsin. 715-359-3660. 

FIRST UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH, Wausau, Wisconsin. 715-842-3697. http://www.uuwausau.org

The “back yard” of family or friends.

At the family cabin as long as it is in Wisconsin.

Anywhere in the Caribbean! As long as the vows are performed in Wisconsin.

How To Book A Wedding With Andrew Schmidt

Please review your calendars for possible dates. Your photographer, hall rental, and officiant reservations should be made about the same time. You may call (866) 514-1627 for more information.

When you CALL me please have the following information:

1. Location of the wedding
2. Time and date of the wedding
3. Names and mailing addresses for both bride and groom
4. Other contact information: email addresses, alternate phone numbers, etc.

I often perform more than one wedding on a Saturday; therefore, I do need to know the above information to allocate proper time for drive and last-minute pre-wedding details.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What are your rates to officiate?

    1. Weekdays: the least expensive rate is when the wedding is held in my office


    2. Weekends: the rate is based on the distance I drive. Wausau and the immediate surrounding townships and villages have a lower rate. The price rises for longer distance from Wausau. Please CALL me at (866) 514-1627 to get a firm price.

  • When do I pay you?

    When you receive my confirmation letter, a self-addressed envelope is included. Please put the check, payable to “ANDREW SCHMIDT” in the envelope, and return to me. Please pay by cash ONLY in my office. Please stop in or call to pay by credit card: Visa, MasterCard, and Discover are accepted.

  • When and how do I buy a wedding license?

    In Wisconsin you purchase your wedding license at the County Clerk’s office where you live. This must be done personally! Bring your driver’s license, birth certificate, your divorce decree from a prior divorce (no matter where you were divorced), and money to purchase the license.


    Buy it no more than 30 days from the date of the wedding. There might be an extra fee for a wedding license purchased the week before. Bring my letter to the clerk to show who is officiating your wedding.

  • What should I remember when planning my wedding?

    I like to say, “Why get married if you can’t have fun?!” I know that when planning a wedding things can go wrong and there will be miscommunications. Please use lists. Please keep it simple.

  • What is the best way to make a reservation?

    CALL! I cannot state this enough. I sometime do not get to my e-mails for several days. Leave a message if I am with a client or out of the office, or talk to Susan, my assistant. Please leave a number for me that I can call early or late. Otherwise, please tell me when you are to call back. Reservations are typically made up to a year in advance.

  • How do you confirm our wedding appointment?

    I will send to you a letter with information given to me. Please verify it. If there is an error let me know promptly. If you change the time or location, you MUST CALL ME ASAP! Do not assume I have free time on either side of your initial date and time.



  • Are deviations allowed from a traditional wedding?

    Traditionally, most weddings with lots of family and friends have three parts: a processional, the vows, and the recessional. Alternatives are welcome as long I know about them in advance and there is no mean-spiritedness towards anyone. By the way, I do not like getting wet as dry cleaning gets expensive.

  • How far does your imagination go?

    I have performed weddings in a working dairy bar, on sand bars, in a bar, on a sandy beach, side yards, front yards and in the house, in the garage under a single bare lightbulb, in a corn field, in a town hall, church, temple, a gazebo, in the garden, under a grape trellis, on a rock on Rib Mountain, or on a rock in the Eau Claire Dells. The possibilities are endless!

  • What about wedding vows?

    Please let me know of your vows ASAP. State law requires that I get few necessary words out of you to be legal. The rest is… well "fluff!" This is not a religious wedding. I am not a minister. But we can insert prayers, blessings, and other readings from scripture in the vows. I have several wedding vows on my website. Vow numbers 9, 10, and 14 were written by me. If you would like to say something to your love, please let me know to see if it can be inserted and how it would be best used.

  • How long are your ceremonies?

    That does really depend on you, but the wedding vows themselves are not that long. If you do not insert a long reading or a song, then the ceremony is typically 20 minutes from the Processional to the Recessional.

  • When do we sign the wedding license?

    I typically like to do this just after your receiving line. But due to time constraints we can do this before the wedding. Please bring two adult witnesses – as required by state law.

  • What other useful tips have you seen at weddings?
    1. Water and soft drinks on ice on hot days.
    2. Chairs that are in the shade.
    3. No cameras in front of the first row of chairs or behind the officiant during the vows.
    4. No sweet perfumes in August or September as they attract yellow jackets.
    5. The bride and groom need to speak up or have on a small wireless microphone.
    6. Be aware of your location for road noise can really interfere with a fun ceremony.
    7. If using a city or county park, you are best advised to reserve your site ASAP.
    8. Be early to set up. People arrive about 30 minutes early.
    9. Choose the theme for dress. From dress to "Impress" to "just-washed" casual. Western, country, Harley, swim beach, formal, outdoors, hunting, skiing/winter can all leave fun memories.
    10. DO NOT put down wedding runners on the grass. You are asking for tripping hazard. Use paper Rose Petals instead.

    REMEMBER – Why get married if you can’t have fun?

Call for an Appointment

Appointments Accommodated for Emergency Consultations

Please call us for date availability as soon as you can. Please call us for a quote as soon as you know your wedding date.

(877) 757-6995

(877) 757-6995

Sample Wedding Vows Available

Click on the button below to find sample wedding vows for you to review.

Sample Wedding Vows

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Schmidt & Schmidt S.C.

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