As a celebrants I’m a professional life-cycle ceremony officiant. I believe in the power and effectiveness of ceremony and ritual to serve basic needs of society and the individual. I collaborate with my clients to create and perform personalized ceremonies that reflect the clients’ beliefs, philosophy of life and personalities; not mine.

As a celebrants I officiate at all types of life-cycle ceremonies and rituals including baby namings and adoption ceremonies, coming of age ceremonies, weddings, civil unions and commitment ceremonies, funerals and memorials. I also develop ceremonies to enrich daily life and for community, corporate and civic events.

Each ceremony is personal, reflecting who the honorees are either as individuals or as a couple or family. I will take the time to understand the honorees’ beliefs and values and what makes their ceremony unique.

In a Celebrant ceremony, the honorees are empowered. Nothing is imposed on them. Instead, in a collaborative process, I will guide you in choosing rituals, readings, symbols and music to fulfill the ideals and vision for your Ceremony. No two Celebrant ceremonies are the same.

Anyone and everyone! Whether you are secular, religious, spiritual, nondenominational, part of an interfaith or multicultural couple, or if you simply wish to express yourself in a manner of your own choosing, a Celebrant can help you create a ceremony that respects all that is meaningful to you.

Life is a journey for us all. It is a growing process. We all go through many physical stages in our lives: infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and maturity. We go through personal, sentimental and emotional stages as well: we might find a partner, build a career or have children, live through illnesses or the loss of family and friends. There is a deep human need to find some sort of stability in this ever-changing state. Since ancient times, humans have used ceremony to mark these rites of passages and create a space and place to express our humanness in all its simple glory.

Rites of passage are those moments when an individual or group pauses, through ceremony or ritual, to acknowledge an important life change. Such changes include birth, adoption, coming of age, graduation, marriage, moving to a new home, becoming a parent, starting a new job, opening a new business, surviving an illness, or death. Ceremonies to mark such rites of passage include baby welcoming ceremonies, weddings, commitment ceremonies, housewarming ceremonies and funerals.

Many of the important and common rites of passage are connected with the biological stages of life: birth, puberty, maturity, marriage, reproduction and death; other rites celebrate changes that are wholly cultural. These rites of passage serve to bridge critical stages in the life process and to help the individual confront certain uncontrollable aspects of the world he or she inhabits. By providing a predictable, communal context for individual experience, rites of passage act to alleviate the inevitable anxiety that accompanies change.

I Do! I am delighted to speak with you about a meaningful vow renewal, commitment ceremony, or civil union.

Suggested locations include: at home, in a garden, a beautiful park by a lake, a restaurant with a private room to accommodate guests. Incase your ceremony involves a child, definitely ask the child where he/she would like to have the ceremony, as their thoughts and feelings are the most important part of the ceremony in every way. Wherever the ceremony takes place, make sure privacy will be respected, that everyone will be comfortable and be able to hear and see the ceremony. And don’t forget to have an indoor venue as a back-up if you are planning an outdoor ceremony. If it’s a hot and sunny day, place the guest chairs and have the ceremony under a shady area.

I do have a short, concise contract that I ask my clients to sign. It is straightforward and primarily outlines my responsibilities to you with respect to ceremony preparation and revisions, participating in a possible rehearsal, and other ceremonial details. It is designed to help you think about my services for your celebration and help everyone feel assured that we are working together as a team.

There are a number of variables at play in the determination of my fees. A full service ceremony generally runs between $400 and $700, depending upon rehearsal requirements and the complexity of the ceremony. Last-minute and simple ceremonies will cost $200-300.

Normally, I request that half of payment be paid when the contract is signed. The other half of the fee is due when the ceremony is over.

I am pleased to say that I have never missed a ceremony. Typically, I arrive very early for the event and stay through the entire celebration and any photographs you might want. Under catastrophic circumstances, you will be served by another celebrant trained by the U.S. Celebrant Foundation and Institute. I am part of a strong network of highly trained and caring celebrants throughout the Northeast and America.

As with all aspects of the ceremony, my goal is to please you. I am happy to wear a sophisticated and appropriate dress or suit that blends with the color and style of the bridal party. If you prefer, I will wear a conservative black, dress or suit. Likewise, I can accommodate more specialized ceremonies with a beautiful robe or ceremony-specific attire. I am happy to photograph several clothing options and allow you to choose exactly what you’d like for me to wear.