Wedding bells and bucks

So the state says it's OK for a mayor to collect a fee for performing a wedding ceremony. Most of us didn't even know it was an issue, but one former Bedminster public official challenged the propriety of the current deputy mayor charging a fee, saying he was already paid for his service to the town. The Department of Community Affairs now says it's all right to accept a wedding payment.

But there's no formal fee schedule, so how much is appropriate? One mayor asks for a donation of at least $25 to the local first aid squad. Another asks for $50 to be placed in a municipal fund for charitable causes. Yet another is paid what he calls a "fair tip'' of $50. A decade ago, the Executive Board of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors recommended that no fee be charged by full-time mayors if the wedding was performed during business hours. But it suggested a fee of $100 for weekend ceremonies outside of town and up to $150 for part-time mayors.

Those $25 and $50 fees seem reasonable, especially with the money going to charity or nonprofits. But $100 or more is rather steep. What do you think is a fair fee if a fee should be charged at all?