The first person your guests see and hear on your wedding day is your officiant. That person sets the tone for the rest of your wedding. Just because your best friend is great at parties doesn’t mean they’ll be the best MC. Often times, a friend officiating results in more of a toast than a ceremony, and I’ve seen relatives whose nerves get the best of them when suddenly faced with the reality of public speaking— the ceremony become a jittery, awkward mess. Also, when you ask someone you know to do it you end up spending a lot of your time & energy helping them figure out what they’re supposed to do! Leave it to me. I promise you that after a few short conversations, I’ll be able to capture your vibe in a ceremony that perfectly fits the tone you envision for your wedding. And you won’t have to worry that I’ll forget something or get cold feet. My feet are always warmed up and ready to go.

To learn more about me, my values, and the benefits of going pro, check out my “Why Hire a Pro?” page.

Short answer: nothing!

Long answer: The term “celebrant” is popular in the UK & Australia and is more historically rooted.

“Celebrants” traditionally officiate a variety of ceremonies, where as in America the term “officiant” is used more specifically in relation to marriage ceremonies. I prefer the term celebrant to officiant because “officiant” sounds so formal and stuffy, where as “celebrant” captures the spirit of what I do: I celebrate your love while hosting your family & friends during the most fun-filled, heartfelt, and joyous moment of your life! And I also officiate more kinds of ceremonies than just marriages, but the term “officiant” is more commonly used here in the states. Seeing as the United Kingdom and Australia are widely known culturally for having a good time, let’s take their suggestion by putting the “celebration” back into wedding officiating!

Emphatically, yes! Love is love is love, and is not beholden to cultural narrow mindedness, gender normativeness, or traditional constructs of sexual orientation. Love who you choose! (And then choose me to marry you.)

Yes! Depending on the details and date(s) of your ceremony, I’m available to travel. In particular, I enjoy officiating weddings throughout California, as well as in my home state of Connecticut, which is where I was married. Please note that traveling comes with many variables and so ceremonies outside of Southern California require a custom quote, but contact me and let’s discuss the details of your event!

Generally, once you’ve set a date and booked a venue. A good rule of thumb is to hire your officiant around the same time as your photographer and entertainment. Remember that a good celebrant requires prep time in getting to know you, writing a custom ceremony, and legalizing your marriage. Professional officiants are often overlooked, but we’re wedding vendors too!

You can see a detailed list of my Services & Fess on my “Services” page.

The best answer I can provide is... teamwork. Let’s openly discuss what you envision for your ceremony, what precautions that may or may not entail implementing, and how to deliver you and your guests a SAFE gathering. I do request that couples abide by the latest CDC health and safety guidelines for indoor and outdoor gatherings, as well as state and county regulations. I myself am fully vaccinated and continue to take all necessary precautions to safeguard my young son, who is not yet eligible for a vaccine. I believe the best policy is honesty and transparency, and together we can sort out the details to create a ceremony in which everyone feels protected and can check their worries at the door in order to be present in each moment.

I will help guide you through the process. It seems daunting at first but it’s not too complicated, and I will file the signed marriage certificate for you after the ceremony. To familiarize yourself with all of the details & information in advance, check out my “Marriage License” page.

For the “RomCom Wedding Ceremony,” you will meet with me three times. We’ll meet twice, and then I will meet each of you individually for a one-on-one session.

For elopements, we will only meet twice. Once for me to get to know you and learn your love story, and again to check-in briefly and solidify details before the big day.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.

Of course! This is your ceremony! After I’ve met with you, I will get to work writing your personalized ceremony. Upon request, I will send you the ceremony script ahead of our 90 day check-in so that you can provide me with feedback and we can make changes.

That said, I strongly encourage couples to let me withhold the section of the ceremony in which I recount your love story in RomCom fashion. You are going to have every detail of your wedding day planned down to the minute, and I speak from experience when I say that the best memories from my own wedding were the moments I hadn’t anticipated- the surprises. Not being privy to this section of the ceremony in advance will allow you to experience it in the moment and connect with your partner as you relive your love story through each others eyes. But, as Westley says to Buttercup in The Princess Bride, it’s “as you wish.”

For weddings in Los Angeles County, I will attend your rehearsal at no additional cost.

For weddings outside of Los Angeles County, I do charge an additional fee to cover milage expenses and travel time. Let’s discuss if the particulars of your ceremony are worth my attendance. Here are some examples in which my attendance at your rehearsal might be beneficial:

1) You do not have a wedding planner or day of coordinator. If there is no professional to run the rehearsal and plan the coordination of the ceremony, I can run it for you.

2) The ceremony has many aspects to it that require a bit of choreography, and folks need help knowing what they are supposed to do and when. This would include unity ceremonies, special readings, family & friend involvement, etc. If there are many moving parts, so to speak, it’s best that I be there to make sure everyone knows the timing and feels comfortable with what will be happening on the wedding day.

3) You have a particularly untraditional wedding processional planned. In which case, I should be there to learn what my involvement will be in whatever you are envisioning.

If none of these apply, I should be able to fall seamlessly into step on the wedding day without being at the rehearsal. This is one of the reasons why I arrive early the day of, so that I can connect with the planner / coordinator and learn the desired cues for my entrance and exit.

I’m humbled and grateful for invitations to the reception, but it is by no means necessary. I know from experience that budgets are tight when planning weddings and you shouldn’t be responsible for feeding your celebrant. I usually stay for a bit of cocktail hour to wrap things up and then leave you to celebrate with your guests. That said, if I’ve traveled a great distance for weddings outside of my usual service zone, or if you insist that I stay, I’m happy to continue celebrating with you as long as I’ve been invited in advance and am available. Let’s chat about it.

Payments can be processed via Zelle, Paypal and Venmo. Let’s schedule a free consultation and I’ll run you though all the specifics.

Schedule a free consultation with me so that we can meet! I’m sure you’ll have me at hello.