Take out everything that isn't the story

A letter to the best wedding creators in the world by Josh Withers

Writing a marriage ceremony is like any other form of writing, with one big difference: in a few weeks, you'll present it publicly just once, never to be repeated. Gutsy work.

Stephen King, in his book On Writing, said, "When you write a story, you’re telling yourself the story. When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not the story."

Rewrite those ceremonies a few more times until you've distilled them to their essence, their brass tacks.

That's a wedding ceremony that packs a punch – not a snooze. All bang, no fizzle.