Without a recommendation from a trusted friend, it can feel like you’re looking in the Yellow Pages for a place to get married. I decided to consult the pros — people in the wedding business, people in the know about what works and what doesn’t, people who have their own favorite places with their own special memories of working there. I turned to a wedding officiant, florists, musicians, photographers and caterers to tell me where they’ve really enjoyed doing their jobs.

Recently a friend asked me: “If you could perform a wedding, what would it be like?” Let me see….

He wanted it to be real, Jack Warren explains, and sometimes it was