"Are you a wedding minister or what?"

My clients ask me this question all the time; “What are you?  Are you a minister, a Justice of the Peace?  A ship’s captain?”    This is the answer; it’s not the quickest answer, but it’s the correct one.

I am a Life-Cycle Celebrant®, trained at the Celebrant Foundation and Institute in Montclair, NJ. I started my coursework their after my seminary and grad school.  It offered me something that neither could; explicit training in creating and performing ceremonies.

My colleagues and I have each worked hard, making sacrifices of effort, time, and tuition to earn that title. That title matters, and it’s a title that differentiates us from the myriad of other officiants that you might be considering. It means we’re uniquely qualified to marry you; and then welcome your babies and the possibly guide you through the passing of a loved one or beloved pet.  We offer—PERSONALIZED ceremonies for EVERYONE, regardless of their beliefs, heritage, gender, or the occasion. [*Of course, sign the paperwork according to your legal designation.]

We create  beautiful, personalized ceremonies for people like [you, your son/daughter, grandchild, coworker, friend]. Life-Cycle Celebrants® believe everyone deserves the dignity of a ceremony that is personally meaningful and reflects who they are.

In New Jersey, most of us are also ministers, which makes us legal to marry you. The effort towards legal recognition of Celebrant status alone has started here, but the goal is for us to have it everywhere eventually—in every state and province and country where we practice.

For now, all you might need to know is that  your officiant is legal and capable of marrying you in New Jersey; able to write and perform the perfect ceremony for you. And that’s fine. But the reason I can do that, and probably one of the reasons you’ll choose me for your wedding, is because I’m a Life-Cycle Celebrant.  Congratulations!