My Wedding Beginnings | Stepping into the Unknown

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What a pleasure to do what I do for a living. When I became a Notary Public in April of 2010, I would have never imagined that I would be in the position I am today when it comes to my wedding ceremonies. It wasn’t until two years into my tenure that I even thought about performing a marriage.

Scared to death, with teeth clenched together, I was about to embark upon a new path; a path yet undiscovered. A marriage ceremony, joining two together as one. Could I do this?

When you think about the position you hold as a Notary Public marrying a couple, there may be some doubt. What will people think? I am not a man or woman of the cloth. I am not a Minister. I am not a Pastor. I am not a Rabbi. I am merely a Notary Public.

For a long time, I thought that way. I was so unsure of my footing that I made the assumption that I wasn’t good enough to do it. I took a look at my life, the situations going on around me and definitely felt as though I wasn’t good enough for the job that I was about to perform.

Once I did start doing it, performing ceremonies, it came with ease. However, that very first ceremony in itself was a doozy.

I made the step at submitting my information to the Greenville, South Carolina County Square’s Probate Court Marriage Division list of notaries that could marry. This was my first step to getting calls. I hadn’t even yet made business cards. I was so unsure of my footing. I couldn’t even think how I would give people my business cards out of fear that they’d reject them. I wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing.

That’s where pure gumption came in. I said to myself, “I’m going to try this. I’m going to see at least what it’s like.” I jumped in with both feet.

My first ceremony was at an apartment complex, so, in essence, it was a home ceremony. At the time I performed the ceremony, the Notary Public Manual for South Carolina included a set of vows, traditional of course, that notaries could pattern their ceremonies by.

I arrived in a timely fashion, not knowing what to expect. Once I was in the door, I was still a bit nervous.

But then I saw something…

The couple I was about to marry was even more nervous than I was. I had an immediate realization that my position was an important one that I could not, would not drop the ball on.

Yes, I remained nervous throughout the ceremony and even a few others afterward, but as my business continued to grow and as I continued to marry ‘people’, it became like I was not just doing it like it was a part of the back of my hand, I was performing ceremonies because they were attached to my ‘heart’.

So, as a motivational push to anyone out there afraid to jump, go ahead and jump. Do it. You can either fail, or you can triumph.

Love,

The Marriage Notary Sonita M. Leak
Owner of WeddingsbySonita.com