Today we’d like to introduce you to Todd Rodarmel.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My Story
I was a pastor in California for over 30 years. I led a church through seven moves to different facilities and finally landed in a permanent facility just before the pandemic. Trying to lead a church through such a divisive time eventually led to me rethinking my life and calling and eventually making a change in 2022.
I had always done weddings for people I knew, but in 2007 a friend who was also a pastor told me about his side hustle officiating weddings for local wedding planners and hotel venues. I started advertising myself as The OC Wedding Guy and ended up doing 40 – 50 weddings a year for about ten years before my job as pastor took over too much of my time. I slowed my wedding business down a lot in my last few years in California.
When I moved to Nashville in 2022 I was ready for a break from leading an organization, so I decided to focus on doing weddings and premarital counseling. I visited venues, met planners, and started advertising my services now as Nashvows.com and got back up to doing about 50 weddings a year pretty quickly. But what I have loved about my work know is that I still get to pastor people and care for couples relational and spiritual lives without all the politics and responsibility of leading a congregation and board.
My wife Traci and I have been married for 38 years. We were high school sweethearts and have been in love for over 40 years so coaching couples on marriage and relationships comes naturally. I love what I get to do helping couples get and stay happily married.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nothing about marriage is smooth. Any time two people dance, someone is getting their toes stepped on. You need to learn grace, forgiveness and tenderness to care for one another.
Wedding business, on the other hand is pretty smooth. Though Tennessee has a different wedding season and a lot more variation in the types of weddings and venues than California. Fall and Spring are busy here.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m the guy you call if you want guidance with your wedding AND your marriage. There are cheaper options and there are other people who specialize in telling your story. My specialty is talking about marriage and its meaning and telling couples in front of God and witnesses what it will take to make it work for a lifetime. I have used the same basic marriage talk thousands of times, and though I have some different variations of it, I don’t change it because it is true and it works. If you nurture the three loves I talk about for the rest of your lives, you can have a marriage that goes the distance!
Though I don’t require couples to go through my premarital counseling, I do recommend it. Your wedding lasts a day but your marriage needs to last a lifetime. Preparing for your marriage is a solid investment. Plus, the weddings are so much more intimate and connected when we have gotten to know each other and had all the important conversations.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I love getting to know other vendors and referring one another. I’m a preferred vendor at several venues and planners love to work with me because I am professional, on time and come with a ton of experience. People can reach out through instagram @nashvows or through my website nashvows.com or email todd@nashvows.
Pricing:
- Weekend weddings from $800
- Premarital Counseling from $400
- Midweek elopements from $400
- Marriage Coaching from $200
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nashvows.com
- Instagram: nashvows
