About
My approach is very couple-centered, while being inspired by God. The ceremony is yours and I am privileged to witness it and to facilitate it being everything you could hope for. I have been officiating weddings in New York City for 25 years and before that in Scotland for 7 years. I have worked with couples from many different backgrounds and am very skilled in blending different religious and cultural traditions into one ceremony.
It is a joy to share the journey with each couple towards the big day of exchanging vows and rings. Each couple's story is unique, the particular family backgrounds, the relationship history, getting to the place of deep commitment. Sharing this and celebrating it, finding language and expression for it in the ceremony is a big part of my vocation. I feek I am in the full flow of God's spirit when I am engaged in this work.
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
We will meet to discuss your expectations for the wedding ceremony.
I will guide you about the process with the Office of the City Clerk for obtaining your Marriage License, or the equivalent in your locality.
We will talk about possibilities for the wording of the vows and exchange of rings, scripture readings, other readings, and other spoken parts of the ceremony.
We will discuss music in the ceremony and talk about possible participation by family members or close friends.
We will discuss the possibility of a rehearsal and make plans for email exchanges about further details and ideas.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I am bilingual in Spanish and English. My education began with a Bachelors Degree in Chemistry followed by a Bachelors Degree in Divinity both from the University of Edinburgh. These were followed by a Masters Degree in Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. I have completed numerous continuing education programs throughout my ministry including advanced Clergy Clinics in family emotional process.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your services? If so, please share the details here.
I have a high personal standard for the services which I provide that is the fruit of many years of experience in this field. I would be glad to discuss my pricing for services once we are in conversation about the wedding. There are signficant factors to consider in coming to an agreement on the right price point. I do work with an all inclusive charge that includes all the preparatory conversations and discussions of the details of the ceremony, any travel expenses incurred, the rehearsal if any, and officiating the ceremony itself. There will be no hidden extas.
How did you get started in this business?
I am a Presbyterian minister and began as an ordained minister of the Church of Scotland in Kelty, in the Presbytery of Dunfermline in Fife, Scotland. For seven years there I officiated many weddings each year, because the parish minister was looked to to officiate the weddings of the whole village. Here in New York City I have officiated many weddings while being pastor of the West End Presbyterian Church for 25 years.
What types of customers have you worked with?
I have been pleased to work with couples from all walks of life, from different religious and non-religious backgrounds, with deep spirituality and faith commitment and with very little or none. I have found great delight in entering into the distinctive cultural expressions that have been brought into marriage ceremonies that I have officiated, and I have been happy to experience other languages being expressed in marriage ceremonies. I myself am bilingual in Spanish and English. I have been pleased to co-officiate with other religious leaders when appropriate.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
Officiating the marriage blessing of my second cousin's wedding in Cortona, Tuscany in Italy in the summer of 2018 was a special delight. The marriage itself was a civil ceremony that took place in Italian in the town courthouse. It was a quite dignified yet formal ceremony, but Elle and Don had asked me to come from NYC to give a blessing at the reception venue and as I did so under the Tuscan sun towards sunset, there was such a sense of purpose, such a sense of God's presence, such a sense of love across the generations and between the families, and such a sense of prayers offered and prayers being answered that in the words I was able to speak everyone felt blessed in a special way and I not least felt overjoyed in being there and then with everyone in the moment. Many spoke with deep gratitude for what the ceremony had brought them.
What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a pro in your area of expertise?
Look for someone who is natural in their way of speaking with you, warm hearted and interested in you as a couple. Look for someone who shows interest in what will make the ceremony meaningful to you as a couple and who is willing to listen to your story.
What questions should customers think through before talking to pros about their needs?
What kind of venue will provide the ambiance we are looking for for ourselves and our guests?
What kind of tone do we want our marriage officiant to strike in conducting our ceremony that will reflect who we are and put our family and friends at their ease and make them all feel welcome?
How religious or spiritual are each of us individually and together as a couple? How do we want this to be expressed in the ceremony?
How is our faith commitment different from that of our parents of our families? Will that make a difference in what we want in the ceremony?