Custom Weddings

Virginia, Maryland, DC Wedding Officiant Non-Denominational Minister

One of the most fundamental differences between a ceremony from any other source and a ceremony created by a Lifecycle Celebrant is the importance of Story

Using your story

I use your stories to create not just a ceremony but a meaningful ceremony experience. Sharing your story stirs and creates connection between the gathered family and friends.

Personal Ceremony

The impact of a personal ceremony is often in the ability of the ceremony to "speak to" people. Story puts ceremony in context. The journey is as important and sometimes even more important than the destination.

Wedding Ceremony Options

Modestly Simple Ceremonies

A Basic wedding ceremony

Do you want to get married on your lunch hour? Is your fiancé shipping out tomorrow in service for his/her country? Maybe you are a fascinating couple leading simple lives and just want a simple ceremony to mark your captivating commitment to each other.

I can be available on short notice to perform a simple ceremony of matrimony. No caterers, florists, wedding planners, venues booked a year in advance. No one to helpfully suggest ideas about how you should do this or that.

As a Celebrant and ordained non-denominational minister, I am steeped in many faiths, beliefs and cultural traditions. I find them all rich in spirit. I can help you make your simple ceremony meaningful without complexity.

Custom Crafted Weddings

Non-denominational wedding ceremonies in Northern Virginia, Maryland, and D.C.

Congratulations on your engagement! Everyone loves a love story and what would be a wedding without your friends and family hearing the special story that brought you two together. It would be my honor to guide you in co-creating your personal, authentic, custom-created wedding ceremony.

Let me work with you to create your unique celebration ceremony for your marriage, civil partnership or same sex union. Together we can craft a ceremony that will be unforgettable. It can take place anywhere and anytime you want. It can contain anything that you wish. You might like to have some symbolism or keep things more traditional.

As an ordained interfaith minister, I honor all traditions, faiths and beliefs. Whether you want a traditional order of service from your religious faith or honor the force of you union in the costumes from Star Wars I will enjoy working together to make your dreams come true! As a couple, you choose the location, music, readings and unity rituals that are important to you. You have final approval over the ceremony content and will receive a Keepsake Copy of your final ceremony.

Let me know when and where you want to tie the knot and a little about what your hopes for ceremony are and if it seems like a good fit we can meet for a no-obligation meeting to get to know one another and discuss in more detail your vision for a perfect day!

Romantic Elopements

Romantic elopements in Virginia’s unique natural and cultural surroundings

Sometimes a big wedding, while wonderful occasions for both family and friends to celebrate your love and commitment as a couple, is not was a couple wants. Sometimes a couple will choose to elope, wanting to have a more private and intimate wedding ceremony with just the two of them, or with immediate family or closest friends.

An elopement can be as casual as a quiet dinner together with a wedding for dessert, or as crazy as getting married while wreck diving in Palau.

Virginia is for lovers and has many beautiful locations to cement your special bond together. Beaches, mountains, lush valleys and dramatic waterfalls can be found throughout the Commonwealth and provide gorgeous settings for your nuptials. Rich in historical sites, many iconic monuments, buildings, cities, and sites would symbolize the timelessness of your love. As a career Park Ranger, I have an intimate knowledge of Virginia’s parks and historical sites and can be your resource for local getaway gems.

Whether close to home, atop the Eiffel Tower, or hiking the Kalalau trail along Nā Pali Coast I can help you plan a quick getaway and collaborate with the symbols and words to express the perfect notes for the beginning of your beautiful symphony of life together.

Vow Renewal Ceremony

Reaffirm your love for each other by renewing your vows of marriage or commitment

A wedding vow renewal is a way to commemorate a love that has deepened between a couple. It is not meant to be a second wedding but an opportunity for a couple to renew the vows they made to each other when they first got married.

A Vow Renewal Ceremony of a personalized and intimate affair that tells a deeper love story than can be told for newlyweds.

A vow renewal ceremony is perfect for marking milestone wedding anniversaries, cementing a reconciliation after a rough patch, or making up for not having a complete wedding when you were younger.

Commitment Celebration Ceremonies

Symbolize a couple’s union with a public declaration to celebrate your long-term commitment

A commitment ceremony is a ceremony where a couple commit their lives to one another without the involvement of laws or government agencies. It can include all the trappings of a full wedding with vows, exchanging rings, hand fastings or any other desired rituals common to weddings.

Since a commitment ceremony is not legally binding, anyone can marry you. It can be a close friend, a family member or a religious leader. But getting your cousin or best friend to officiate your wedding is like asking them to design and build the landscaping around your home.

Sure, they have great outgoing personalities, are good extemporaneous speakers and love you dearly, but will they have the knowledge and skills to help you create a beautiful tapestry of color and texture that will thrive in any season?

Blended Family Ceremonies

Creating new families together

Do you and your fiancé have children from previous relationships? Sometimes a wedding is more than two people committing themselves to each other, but the creation of a whole new family.

Let me guide you in ways you can include your children in your vows, thank them for being open and welcoming to your new marriage, and design ways that they can be special participants in your wedding ceremony. Together we can custom-craft a unique and creative wedding ceremony that will include every member of your new family.

Contact me to tell your Love Story and create a unique, one-of-a-kind Ceremony.