Something New Ceremonies – Personalized Vows & Ceremony Scripts

I design custom ceremonies for couples who’ve chosen a friend or family member to officiate their wedding. I’m a writer and an ordained minister trained in ritual arts, so I know from experience that A LOT of prep goes into officiating a wedding! As an officiant, I believe everyone deserves to have a wedding with any officiant they choose, as well as a ceremony that reflects their values and celebrates the magic of their unique love story. More couples are choosing a loved one to officiate their wedding because it adds a personal touch to their big day, and my job is to make sure you have the best of both worlds: an intimate wedding officiated by someone you already know and love, plus full support from an experienced officiant as you plan every aspect of your wedding ceremony. I’ll work with you to write your ceremony script, compose your vows, design personalized rituals, navigate the marriage license process, and coach your officiant. The best part is, your love story already contains all the necessary ingredients for a moving, one-of-a-kind wedding ceremony. I just help you find the words* for it.

*Plus the music, rituals, readings, processional order, seating arrangement, altar configuration, or anything else you may need for your ceremony to feel like you.    

APW couples know that the only “perfect” wedding day is one that makes you feel like you! You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t know you have choices when planning your wedding, but it can still be challenging to know just what choices you have when it comes to planning your wedding ceremony. I love working with couples who know they want something a little (or a lot!) different from the traditional wedding—even if they can’t yet picture what it is they want. My mission is to help couples explore possibilities and discover new ways to share their love story through every detail of their ceremony.

I especially love writing ceremony scripts for couples who are “rewriting the script” on what marriage can be—whatever that means to them! I know that “untraditional” couples (queer, neurodivergent, interreligious, multicultural…) often feel alienated by a wedding industry that idealizes relationships between straight, white, able-bodied supermodels. For everyone else, it’s my job to help you feel amazing crafting the ceremony that’s perfectly you.

I consider wedding ceremonies to be an opportunity to tell a story—the once-in-a-lifetime love story that only you and your partner can tell. 

My approach is pleasure-oriented (what makes you feel good and “in the moment”?), grounded in your values (what matters to you?), culturally informed (which traditions are important to you?), and personalized to every couple (what does marriage mean to you?). 

Your wedding day can be whatever you want it to be, and it can mean whatever you want it to mean. If it’s meaningful to you to put things in your words or have a loved one officiate your wedding, I’ll help make it happen.  

It’s up to each couple how involved they want me to be in their planning process. Some people may contact me as soon as they book a venue—to get help sorting through what marriage means to them, then figuring out the ceremony details together. Others may know exactly what they want but call me in at the last minute when they realize they need help tying it all together in a ceremony script that guests won’t forget. No matter what support you and your first-time officiant need from me, I’ll always take the time to get to know you, your story, and what you want out of your wedding day. 

I can help you write your ceremony script, compose your vows, design personalized rituals, navigate the marriage license process, coach your officiant, and do anything else needed to make your ceremony you. 

I’ve written many weddings and funerals, as well as poetry, book reviews, and nonfiction essays. My writing has been published in books and magazines and draws inspiration from the things I love reading: poetry, romance novels, science fiction, theology, horoscopes, and advice columns.

I’ll always start dancing (and singing) when Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” comes on! That song ages gracefully and never gets old. 😉