DEAR ABBY: My fiance and I are being married in Wilmington, N.C. The pastor who will perform the ceremony lives two hours away in Raleigh. He will have to arrive in Wilmington on Friday afternoon in order to supervise the rehearsal that night -- and stay in town overnight, as our wedding is the following afternoon.
Are we required to pay for a hotel room on Friday night for the pastor and his wife? If he stays Saturday night after the wedding, should we also pay for that?
We're also unsure if we should tip him in addition to the officiant fee. None of our friends or family has ever dealt with this dilemma, so we are hoping you can set us straight, Abby. We want to do the right thing. -- ALMOST NEWLYWEDS
DEAR ALMOST NEWLYWEDS: Since the pastor will be in town officiating at your wedding, the gracious thing would be to see that the hotel bill is taken care of. If he and his wife are staying on Saturday to attend your wedding reception, the room should be included. However, after compensating him for the ceremony, I see no reason to add a gratuity.