About
Since 2009, I have been honored to officiate well over 100 weddings. I get so much joy from meeting new couples and walking with them down the road of ceremony preparation. I have presided over weddings of almost every size and shape, from just a few people gathered in a living room or backyard, to hundreds assembled in churches or outdoors. Regardless of the size, I treat each and every wedding with the same care and attention it deserves to ensure that every couple has a beautiful, memorable ceremony that they love.
Specialties
Ceremony type
Service type / affiliation
Number of guests
Need help writing vows
Ceremony language(s)
Officiant needed at rehearsal
Photos and videos
Reviews
Tony F.
Bernadette F.
Crystal W.
Jennifer H.
Crysandra M.
Joy B.
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I start by meeting with a couple, in person or via phone/video, to learn more about them, hear their story, and get a clear understanding of the type of ceremony they're looking for. Then I use the information provided to create a unique, powerful, memorable, and engaging ceremony tailor-made to fit the couple and match their personalities.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have been serving in full-time vocational ministry for the last 15 years and am an ordained non-denominational pastor legally permitted to solemnize marriages in most US states.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your services? If so, please share the details here.
The base price for officiating a wedding is $350. This includes the initial "getting to know you" meeting, the collaborative ceremony writing, performing the ceremony on the day of your wedding, and ensuring that the marriage license is properly completed and submitted.
Occasionally additional fees apply for travel beyond 25 miles (roughly $25 per every additional 15 miles), excess re-writes or revisions to the ceremony, or if you require me to be present for the rehearsal (additional $50-100 depending on distance and time).
I want to make sure that every couple gets the ceremony they want. I will make every reasonable effort to work within your budget.
How did you get started in this business?
Back in 2009, some friends of mine from high school got engaged. They knew that I worked on staff at a church and asked if I would officiate their wedding. At the time, I was not a pastor or ordained, but was honored that they'd ask me to play such an important role in their wedding. I did some research online and got a "quickie" online ordainment so that I could legally officiate their wedding.
But before I had even performed the ceremony, another couple of friends asked me if I would officiate their wedding. Again, happy to do it, I accepted. And in that first summer of 2009, I officiated two weddings.
At each of those, guests at the wedding asked if I would officiate their weddings. And at those weddings, more guests recruited me for their weddings. And so it went, with friends of friends reaching out to me, and by 2011, I'd already officiated roughly two dozen weddings!
In 2012, a friend and mentor who had been in the wedding business reached out to me. He told me that he was forming a group of wedding officiants and invited me to join the team. I was thrilled with the invitation and even more surprised with how many weddings our group was able to accommodate in a year. In my first year, I officiated over 20 weddings. I officiated about 30 more the year after that. I lost count after 100 total weddings, but I'm well over that now.
In September of 2020, my family and I relocated from the San Francisco Bay Area to Spokane, Washington. I'm excited to start officiating weddings in the beautiful Inland West and meet new couples as they begin their journeys toward forever together.
What types of customers have you worked with?
You name it! The couples I've worked with are about as diverse as it gets: various ages, races, backgrounds, religious affiliations, and cultures. Being from one of the nation's great melting pots, the San Francisco Bay Area, I celebrate diversity in every way and welcome the opportunity to serve couples from all walks of life.
What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a pro in your area of expertise?
As you search for a wedding officiant, the most important thing to focus on is how well you connect and relate to them. This person is going to be walking with you through THE single most important decision of your life. It's important that you feel comfortable with them. It's also important that they can represent you well as they share some of your story during the ceremony.
Most reputable wedding officiants charge roughly the same price ($200-350). If you find someone who is especially inexpensive, there's probably a good reason why. All that to say, you're gonna spend about the same amount regardless of whom you choose, so find the person you connect with the most and who seems to have the best understanding of what your needs and desires are.
What questions should customers think through before talking to pros about their needs?
Some important things for every couple to discuss as they begin the search for their wedding officiant is to define the type of ceremony they want to have. What elements do you want to include? Do you want a unity ceremony (candle, sand, ropes, coins, etc.)? Will you be writing your own vows? Do you want a traditional ceremony or something more modern? Is it okay to add humor to your ceremony? Any good officiant will walk through these questions with you as well, but it certainly helps to have talked about it a bit before you meet with them.
Good questions to as your wedding officiant might be:
• How many weddings have you officiated?
• Are you legally allowed to perform weddings in my state?
• How much control will we have over the content of the ceremony?
• Are you comfortable with including/not including religious or spiritual content?
• What is your cost/rate for service? Any additional fees?