custom ceremony

Fully vaccinated – Resuming All Celebrant Services

 in Ceremony / COVID-19 / Memorial services / Uncategorized / Weddings / Welcoming Ceremony  tagged ceremony services / COVID-19 / custom ceremony / memorial services / wedding ceremonies / welcoming ceremonies by

Fully vaccinated – two of the most encouraging and freeing words in the world these days. I completed the COVID-19 vaccination series on April 1st, and am considered fully vaccinated as of the day this blog posts. Therefore, I am resuming all celebrant services.

Being fully vaccinated allows me to move more freely in the world. As more Minnesotans get vaccinated, it will be safer for all of us. I’m encouraged by the rate of vaccinations happening in the Rochester area and throughout the state. The governor has eased restrictions on gatherings, and my phone and email are busy again.

Custom Weddings

Clients are planning ceremonies for later this year and for next year, and I’m happy to book a full range of ceremony services for August 2021 and later. So if you’re looking for a simple Certificate Signing or Vow Exchange in Rochester I can help. If you want a custom ceremony in Rochester or throughout southeastern Minnesota, please take a look through this website, and contact me. I’d love to learn more about what you want in your wedding ceremony, a welcoming ceremony for your new baby, or a special memorial service to honor a loved one. I can offer options and suggestions based on the more than 400 ceremonies I’ve officiated over the past 11 years.

Custom memorial services

I’m still offering no cost, no obligation initial consultations via video at this time. Until more of the population is able to access vaccines and become fully vaccinated that’s the safest way for us to connect. As the weather warms we can arrange to meet in person outside, too.

Family puzzle for Child Welcoming ceremony.

As ceremony planning starts to pick up, and we look forward to gathering with loved ones to celebrate the important moments in life, please know that I am here to support you, to work with you to craft the ceremony you want, and to authentically celebrate your milestone moment!

Ceremonies to Remember: Unique Wedding Processionals

 in Ceremony / Personalization / Trends / Wedding processional  tagged custom ceremony / custom wedding ceremony / processional / wedding ceremony / wedding processional by


Unique wedding processionals offer the opportunity to be true to yourself, to your relationship as a couple, and to the relationships within your family. This post is the second in the Ceremonies to Remember series where I reflect on some of the special moments I’ve experienced and some of the creative parts of the more than 400 ceremonies I’ve conducted over the last 10+ years. The last post, on ceremonies for family members, can be found here .

Traditional wedding processionals have the bride being escorted into the ceremony space by one or both parents. If you have close relationships with your parent(s), this can be a lovely tradition to include in your ceremony. But more and more couples are choosing a different entrance for their wedding, for a variety of reasons.

One of the most unique wedding processionals I’ve seen was the bride who wanted to be escorted by her brother and sister-in-law and their two young daughters. Her parents had died years ago, and her brother and his family were truly her family. She spent lots of time with them, had a special bond with her nieces, and was very close to her brother and his wife. It made perfect sense for this group to escort her to her groom.

Speaking of children, I’ve seen many children of all ages and genders escort their moms into the ceremony space. This demonstrates a special level of support for the new marriage, and trust in the groom as a new, blended family is formed.

Recently I’ve been having more brides who want to enter without an escort. This occurs and makes sense for a number of reasons. In some cases the bride is established professionally and personally and doesn’t like the appearance of being “given away” by her parents. Other times the bride doesn’t currently or possibly has never had a relationship with her father and wishes to be authentic and enter alone. Sadly, sometimes the bride’s father has died and she doesn’t wish to have anyone “stand in” for him, and so chooses to honor him by entering alone.

A lovely option I’ve seen couples choose is to enter together. Some view this as authentic if they’ve been together a long time. Others use it as a statement of love and commitment. This option can also be chosen if the bride’s dad isn’t available for whatever reason to escort his daughter.

Two final thoughts: First, grooms traditionally just appear at the front of the ceremony space. Most often these days, the groom escorts his parents to their seats and then joins the celebrant in front. But children can escort their dad or he may choose to enter on his own, too. Second, same sex weddings have thrown lots of wedding traditions out the window. Couples choose all aspects of the ceremony including unique wedding processionals to match their personalities and reflect their relationship. How perfect.

Choosing a Custom Ceremony Starts Your Wedding Day on a High Note

 in Celebrant / Celebration / Ceremony / Guests / Personalization / Weddings  tagged custom ceremony / custom wedding ceremony / wedding ceremony / weddings by

Choosing a custom ceremony allows you to begin your wedding day celebration on a happy, high note. You will likely start your day with hair and make-up sessions, possibly a first look photo session with your partner, and some family photos before the ceremony. But your ceremony will be the first event you share with your guests, and will set the tone for the rest of your celebration.

Working with a professional celebrant you can define the elements of your ceremony, including those that are meaningful for you and leaving out others. For example, you may want to include a reading that reflects your perspective on love or marriage. You may choose to include any children you have with a special family ritual. You may choose to write your own vows, or you may choose to select from various “repeat after me” style vows.

Perhaps you don’t want to have a parent or parents walk you into the ceremony and prefer to walk in with your partner. And if you prefer a shorter ceremony you may opt to leave out a memorial ritual honoring loved ones not with you on your wedding day and to pass on a statement of community support from your guests.

Whatever choices you make on the elements of your ceremony, your celebrant can work with you to reflect your history, your personalities, your hopes for your future, and how you feel about the commitment you are making to each other in marriage. Your thoughts, feelings and even quotes can be woven through a custom ceremony so your guests leave with a greater understanding of who you are as a couple and what you find so special in each other. They will feel connected to you and ready to move into the rest of your wedding day full of warm feelings and good cheer.

Choosing a custom ceremony requires your cooperation and collaboration with your celebrant as you let her/him get to know you, define the elements of the ceremony you want, and then review and provide feedback to achieve the wedding ceremony that uniquely reflects you and honors the commitment you are making to each other in marriage. Choosing a custom ceremony guarantees an authentic, unique start to your wedding day.

Why Opt for a Custom Wedding Ceremony?

 in Ceremony / Personalization / Weddings  tagged custom ceremony / custom wedding / custom wedding ceremony / wedding ceremony by

Why opt for a custom wedding ceremony when a pre-written ceremony is easier and cheaper? Because your wedding day celebrates the two of you and the love you’ve found together. That love is unique to the two of you, and deserves more than a “fill in the names” ceremony. You’ve invested long months making many decisions about napkin colors, centerpieces and name cards. Doesn’t your ceremony deserve some focus and investment, too?

There is no question that if you opt for a custom wedding ceremony you will need to invest some time and attention. You’ll need to provide information on yourself and on you as a couple to allow your celebrant to create a ceremony that authentically reflects you. You’ll need to review a draft or two to ensure that they have the facts right and have captured the tone you want for your ceremony. But many couples have shared that the time they invest working on their ceremony has been time well spent. When they’re busy and stressed by the myriad decisions and tasks associated with planning a wedding day, taking an hour or two to think about their love, their past experiences together and the future that is in front of them can be an opportunity to focus again on the big picture. To focus on what’s really important about the day and why it is even happening.

When you opt for a custom wedding ceremony it puts you in the drivers seat. You select your own music (without limitations imposed by religion or officiant). You select your own reading(s), can decide not to have any at all, or can request assistance in identifying a reading that reflects some aspect of your story. The choice of unity ritual and the choice to include one are also yours, with customization to make it relevant to you a great option. With your vows the centerpiece of your wedding ceremony it only makes sense that you have the option to write your own, or to select ones that speak to the promises you want to make to each other in marriage. When you opt for a custom wedding ceremony you choose which ceremony elements to include and control how they come together.

Opt for a custom wedding ceremony to ensure it reflects you as a couple.

More skill, resources, knowledge and time are required from your celebrant when you opt for a custom wedding ceremony and it will accordingly be a bit more costly. When viewed as a percentage of your wedding budget your ceremony is still one of the smallest expenditures you will make, though, and is really what your wedding day is all about… the two of you professing your love and commitment to each other in front of your family and friends. All the rest is just a great party, so give your ceremony the time and attention needed to make it the perfect beginning to your marriage adventure.