Today we’d like to introduce you to Glynn Ferguson.
Hi Glynn, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I had been a pastor for about 20 years when I decided to start Sensational Ceremonies. In the beginning, I had to work a part-time job with the Walt Disney World company to make ends meet. I carried bags, checked people into their resorts, worked in the back office, worked with high-profile guests, and so much more. Several of the attributes that I tried to instill in my company came from my time at Disney and many more came from watching my parents grow a medical business in rural Louisiana into one of the largest practices in the South. At first, I would take a wedding here or there and as my business, I realized two things. First, I needed help here. I was turning away weddings because I just didn’t have enough available time and yet at the same time I didn’t want the quality of my services to falter. So, I brought on board a friend I had known through my volunteer work with the YMCA and we didn’t just see the numbers double, but really triple or more. The second thing that I realized was that if I could duplicate what I was doing in Orlando, then why not expand to another market.
Over the course of my second full year, I laid the groundwork to expand into the Tampa/Clearwater area. I began doing weddings over there. I met lots of great vendors in that wedding market, and eventually I began a team of officiants for that market. It was a bumpy start, but in the long run that was the catalyst to me being able to do this full time. When we opened a team of officiants on the Space Coast and then in Chattanooga, Tennessee I realized that I needed to give Sensational Ceremonies more of me. At that time, The Walt Disney Company approached me again and asked me to be an Official Walt Disney World Wedding Officiant and I realized that I needed to quit my day job at Disney to do what I really loved. I am still an Official Walt Disney World Wedding Officiant (as it is an independent contractor position,) but now Sensational Ceremonies has grown to 18 markets. Markets as far West as Dallas/Fort Worth and North as Cincinnati. We typically officiate over 2000 weddings a year, not including other services we offer such as baptisms, funerals, and speaking engagements. It has truly been a huge blessing and I wouldn’t change a thing.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There are always obstacles and challenges. When you look back on them, they seem so trivial, but at the time they really felt like mountains that we had to overcome. How do you trust the people in the markets so far away to really keep up the brand we’ve built, provide the excellence we are known for, and see the vision for the future? How do we advertise in the varied markets? What works in Orlando may not work in Houston or New Orleans. How do we find ministers to come alongside us and build the brand in their market?
We’ve been impressed with Sensational Ceremonies, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are the largest Wedding Officiant company in the United States. We work with couples to create custom ceremonies that are filled with both laughter and tears, ceremonies that touch the heart, and ceremonies that have the couple’s guests talking about how incredible the ceremony was. We have teams in 18 cities across the country from Houston and Dallas to Cincinnati and Orlando. We officiate weddings on beaches, in the mountains, on boats, and even in balloons. We have a lot of fun and really believe that our couples are our family.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Dream big, start small. Eat the elephant one bite at a time. Don’t go into debt to chase your dream. Save for it and dream bigger dreams.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@sensationalceremonies.com
- Website: sensationalceremonies.com
- Instagram: sensationalceremonies
- Facebook: Sensational Ceremonies LLC
Image Credits:
Rhodes Studios
Snap Fine Art
That First Moment
