We love to officiate weddings, vow renewals, handfastings, celebrations of Life and other similar occassions. Our standard service includes a free consult, 2- planning consultations, the rehearsal/run through, and the ceremony. As many additional consults as you like or need can be scheduled for additional fee(s). We are open to destination weddings – we love travel! Just share your ideas.
Our services start with a free in-person interview to ensure we are a good match for your vision. If we match, we’ll schedule the first consultation. Be warned! You’ll have homework.
At our initial consultations, we will discuss the type of service and ask questions about what you envision. We will ask about your favorite stories, anecdotes (please don’t share EVERYTHING, just enough!), likes & dislikes, personality traits, how you met – and more! We use that information to create your unique ceremony and draft the initial outline for you to review.
Our second consult will focus more on the flow of your service. Do you want to do a Unity action? Such as, light a candle, make a sand sculpture, plant a tree, mix wine, etc.. We will ask about family and friends participation. At this point, we will iron out the details of the actual ceremony. Once again, we will work on the verbiage and send it to you for your approval prior to the service. It is at this point that we can schedule additional consultations if needed (but we think we can do it in two!).
We’ll see you at the ceremony rehearsal to get ready for the big day. And of-course, we’ll show up for the ceremony itself. 🙂
About Us
Kris
I loved attending weddings as a child – they were fantasies and dreams come true for me. I continued to love them as I grew and after my own (which was a bit of a tragic comedy and logistical nightmare) I saw subsequent weddings as a reminder of the marriage I had committed to.
Thirty years ago, I married my favorite person. Over the next three decades, we built a bank of memories and created a family and a future. It has not been without heartache and a great deal of hard work, but alongside that, were shared adventures, laughter, reached goals and moments of serenity. Three kids, three dogs several cats, a few dozen chickens and one bobcat, innumerable sets of skis and pairs of mittens, homemade Halloween costumes and hand grown flower arrangements, broken boats, camping gear fails, gardening wins, five house flips and 7 kitchen remodels later, we still agree that despite the ups and downs, marriage is worth it! This is at the heart of my desire to officiate.
I have always adored being a – large or small – part of weddings. Helping couples craft their vision of coming together, feel seen and heard, celebrate their love and their personal story – this makes my own heart sing. Practically, the officiant’s purpose is to create a legal union. How that happens depends on the dynamic between the officiant and the couple. My goal is to help a couple create a moment that feels sacred, shares their unique story in a true to them style, and honors the bigger meaning and intention of marriage – that of choosing each other not just today but also for the life being built together. I want to help couples craft an authentic ceremony and be the calm presence in a day that can be exceedingly challenging. Committing to marriage shouldn’t be taken lightly but your day should be remembered with smiles!
Kris Grooms
Wife of one, mother of three, host mom to five others, facilitator to all things lovely
Paula
I officiated my first wedding for my best friend doing the usual online registration to officiate. I worked with my friends to create a meaningful personalized ceremony that was exactly what they wanted. To my surprise, I discovered that I absolutely love marrying people!
My husband and I had two celebrations when we decided to get married. We got legally married and we also got handfasted. The legal wedding was planned to be no stress, low-key and minimal. We lived in the Seattle area at the time and had arranged to meet our officiant at Gasworks Park, late in the afternoon. We spent the morning at Pikes Place Market. I picked the flowers for my bouquet from what the flower vendors had that morning. I had my makeup done at a Nordstrom makeup counter while my soon-to-be husband went searching for a ribbon to tie around my bouquet. We met our officiant and friends who would be witnesses at the park and walked to the top of the mound – a prominent feature in the park. In a beautiful ceremony of only 6 people, we got married outside, overlooking the water. We were in comfortable clothes and everything about the day was easy. My new husband and I went out to a favorite Indian restaurant for dinner to celebrate and then home. It was a wonderful day.
Our handfasting celebration was the big event we invited everyone to. We found a small non-denominational church perched on the bluff in Port Townsend, WA. We had the people who were responsible for us meeting, officiate the ceremony and we created the cords we would be using to tie our vows. We sang as we spiraled into the ceremony – men going one way, women the other. Our reception was at the Pt. Townsend beach house during the full moon. Candles in jars were strung up for soft ambiance, and semi-permanent sand castles decorated the tables.
Since that first wedding, I have gone through ordination studies to become an Animist Minister. It is a non-denominational ordination that at its core acknowledges the sacredness of all life. When I meet with a new couple, I bring this philosophy, creativity and out-of-the-box thinking to help shape your day into something unique and special. Each wedding that I have performed has been an absolute joy! Let me know how I can work to make sure your special day is everything you hope it can be.
