Publisher's Synopsis
#1 Wedding Officiant Gift! A relevant and thoughtful surprise for whoever performs your ceremony!
Phillip Waring felt slighted while attending a wedding ceremony as a child. Thrust into a setting that is understood and enjoyed by adults, Waring quickly decided that it was the adults' fault for not explaining everything he was to experience before attending a wedding at ten years old. In a new suit ready for a celebration that included a buffet, dance band, and an enormous cake, he found himself immersed in elaborate liturgy and a rigid environment entirely unable to have the fun anticipated from listening to adults. That night he made up his mind that he would grow up wearing nice suits, speaking eloquent words, and performing beautiful weddings without making children feel out of place or unimportant. His unconventional education had begun.Waring's education continued by working with turbulent churches and difficult hospitals right out of Bible college and graduate school. His clergy peers criticized him for cheerfully performing weddings outside of the church at resorts, golf clubs, and homes of people who did not even attend church. Leaving the ministry for a brief period, he continued performing occasional weddings until he was introduced to the Internet. From the fast-growing tourist destination of Arizona, his wedding ministry became known globally on the worldwide web. Marriages were performed from the rim of the Grand Canyon to the pitcher's mound of the 2001 World Series-winning Arizona Diamondbacks in front of 38,000 fans and live on ESPN.Wedding PhD chronicles some of Waring's personal life, including a revelatory meeting with former President Ronald Reagan, along with stories and humorous anecdotes about some of the 17,000 weddings he performed for the famous and infamous. Wedding PhD also explains his experience inside the business of weddings and his thoughts about the future of marriage in American society. The short read reveals his motivation and philosophy that garnered his reputation as Arizona's Favorite Wedding Officiant.Waring's first book, Signs of Arizona, was designated an Official Arizona Centennial Legacy Project by the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission in 2012.