Looking for an Officiant that is Right for You and Your Gulf Coast Beach Area Wedding?

Rev. Steve Durkac

If you are looking for an actual vocational pastor to officiate your simple, quickie, elopement, beach, home, park, traditional, casual, chapel or formal ceremony at a Mobile, Dauphin Island, Point Clear, Fairhope, Fort Morgan, Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Alabama or Gulfport, Biloxi, Mississippi or Pensacola, Gulf Breeze, Pensacola Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Florida areas – read on!

I am an ordained minister who has been involved in church ministry for 30 years, within three different denominations, as a church pastor and as a hospital chaplain.

Today, I serve as the pastor of West Mobile Bible Fellowship, the officiant of Steve Durkac Weddings, proprietor of the Mobile Wedding Chapel, a Premarital Counselor, a sometimes Banquet Comedian and of course… I enjoy giving couples an excuse for a honeymoon!

Experience & Perspective

Steve Durkac Weddings provides the do-it-yourself bride with clergy officiating, digital photography options, and coordinating assistance for beach elopements, simple ceremonies, and use of our Mobile Wedding Chapel for weddings that are convenient to plan, affordable to do, meaningful to the groom, and memorable forever!

You get my experience and knowledge of officiating over 1200 weddings along the Gulf Coast, and if needed, selected associate officiants here and other areas of the Southeast. I enjoy helping the DIY brides experience their ceremony and my experience in pastoral ministry and officiating weddings helps bring all that together.

I will freely share my experience and destination planning tips with brides who book me. I believe that a casual, yet attentive, wedding can offer a more intimate ceremony with lasting memories and I want to make that planning process convenient and less stressful, for you.

If you choose me to have the honor of officiating your ceremony, you’ll get my help in several other ways, without additional costs, so your destination wedding or elopement can be as stress-free as possible. My Bridal Testimonials page will give you the scoop from other brides, too.

Support & More

You’ll have my ear and guidance on making your ideas work, because I will be available to answer your questions anytime as you prepare for your big day. I am always available to answer your planning questions, help with bridal party coordination, or even to take photos with your camera – no additional fees.

I also want you to know that my eldest daughter, Stephanie Fowler, has joined the Steve Durkac Wedding team and is now helping with the growing demand for additional services like digital photography, coordinating, bridal planning, and is also a licensed officiant who may be available when I’m booked.

The fee for my services is for my time, getting in my schedule, and receiving assurance that I will certainly be there to make your wedding ceremony happen - legally and lovingly! The little extra bonus that you get for giving me the honor of officiating is planning help, coordinating assistance, photography options, and a lifetime of pastoral availability!

Laid-Back & Comfortable 

A few years ago while standing on the beach with a wedding party, I was asked by a guest what denomination I was with. A friend of the party who previously attended one of my weddings, said “He’s Parrot Head Baptist!”

From time to time, I’m still accused of that, but it really means that I’m not your typical stuffy-stressed-got-to-save-the-world kind of minister (I do get stressed and believe the world needs saving, but I’m thankful that my Lord is working on that and I want to cooperate with Him, but the beach reminds me to just chill-out and enjoy the moments He’s given us). And you have to remember, I’m not only a minister but I am also a banquet comedian, and since I am a father of four children whose ages span 16 years, all I can do is pray and laugh.

As you may know, most pastors require you to be a member of their church or make 12 trips to their office to talk about your ex-spouses complaints, problems with your past, issues with communication, bla, bla, bla,…but I’m guessing you’re not looking to get married by the Pope or seeking sainthood status before your honeymoon.

You probably just want the dignity of an ordained Christian minister to add an authentic touch to the moment, while being meaningful and respectful to your day, with a dash of humor and some fun!

I have been featured on radio programs, magazines, and on several national television programs, including Fox News, Christian Television Network, and a special Valentine Day Event feature on ABC’s Good Morning America when I officiated a 450 couple vow renewal ceremony, hosted by Lucy Buffett, Jimmy Buffett’s sister, at Lulu’s Restaurant in Gulf Shores, Alabama. You can see a clip at my Video page.

Flexible & Unique

I’ve officiated weddings with budgets that have ranged from $50 to $50,000. I’ve had them at restaurants, parking lots, churches, bars, dance clubs, hotels, homes, Walmart’s, McDonalds, truck stops, interstate rest areas, city parks, the beach, and even had one the U.S.S. Alabama battleship.

I’m very comfortable officiating for various church backgrounds, too. I grew-up Catholic, and become Protestant, after a miracle conversion experience (personal testimony) and have served in ministry as an ordained minister and pastor with Adventist churches, Nondenominational churches, with Southern Baptist, and most recently as a Hospital Chaplain.

It was while working as a hospital chaplain that I began to receive requests to officiate weddings for couples coming to the beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama. I had to put up this web site to help curtail the phone calls that were interrupting my patient visits!

While my talent as a banquet comedian should assure you of my ability to work last minute changes and adaptations, my background, education, and experience as a local church pastor and chaplain assures you of my commitment to a professionalism you count-on.

Choices & Themes

I will gladly add, change, or use your script for your ceremony, although most couples go with the Traditional Ceremony, which is not too long, not a Baptist revival nor a Roman Catholic mass, it’s a nice blend of spiritual and romantic, but not an over-kill on either.

You can always ask me about a courthouse-like quickie ceremony or a Theme Ceremony like a Love-Story or Comedy ceremony.

I will come to your location of choice, rather than asking you to come to my spot on the beach, I’ll go to where it is convenient for you – your home, your condo, hotel, beach house, public beach, etc. At the beach you have parking access areas or the beach just outside where you are staying is usually the best spot.

Everyone on the beach respects a wedding and if you are down at a busy time, you’ll hear a loud applause when the groom kisses the bride. If it is a rainy day, which is not that often and usually passes quickly, but if it is a rare bad rain day, there are a few public gazebos where I’ve done a few weddings, before.

I offer, but do not require pre-maritial counseling. I do not require any specific church or faith affiliation, nor do I care if you have been married 6 times before, been living together for 32 years, or are soon to be the next octo-mom. I have no objections to officiating for couples of mixed-denominations, mixed-race, or mixed-minds. If you can get a marriage license, I can officiate.

Check On Availability

After you surf around, read some testimonials, see my officiating fees, view some videos, and feel comfortable with the prospect of me officiating your wedding, visit my 1st – Availability Form page. When I respond that I’m available, I’ll ask you to book me by going to my 2nd – Booking Form page to secure your date in my schedule.

I understand if you would prefer to call me and verify that I exist and am able to pronounciate a few words, so feel free to telephone if you’d like. If you do call, please leave a message if you get my voice mail and I will return you as soon as I am able.

If you call and don’t hear back, please call again, email, or Facebook. Sometimes I miss calls when I’m traveling, officiating, or counseling, and digital communication is always easier for me to track on my phone and laptop.

If I’m already booked on your date, I have a network of several ministers that I can refer to you. However I can help or answer any question, just contact me!