Nikki and I are finally shaking off the procrastination and getting down to planning our wedding (late) and looking for an officiant! If anyone knows, or has any recommendations for an officiant, we’d love to hear them! The ceremony is being held in Leif Erikson Park this September and we’re looking for someone who’s either non-denominational or generally open-minded Christian. We’ve emailed a few people from the various directory websites but would be much more comfortable with first-hand experience or recommendations.
42 thoughts on “Duluth Wedding Officiants”
Ooooohh! I would like this info as well! 😀
My wife and I were married on the shore by John Hartwick. Super awesome and easy to work with, performed a great non-religious ceremony.
https://mnbride.com/featured-vendor/john-hartwick-officiant
You can’t do much better than Lawrence Lee, aka Ironic1. You can find him on Facebook.
Hi Chris, Nikki & Bad Cat,
My name is Dana Parvey and I am a christian non denominational wedding officiant in Two Harbors. Last year I won Onewed.com’s Best of Clergy and Officiants award for my ceremony services. For more information on my officiating services please check out my web site at http://www.socialgracesmn.com. I would love to help you celebrate your special day.
NateL and gorplady, thank you! I’ll drop them a line for availability this evening!
Dana! Thanks for the response as well, unfortunately you were the first person we tried and you’re all booked up for our Saturday.
Derek Snyder, co-owner of Lake Ave. Cafe’. He married my wife and me, and he was/is awesome.
You can always have a friend or family member do it – Have them get their ministerial license online from the Universal Life Church (https://www.themonastery.org/) and then file their requisite paperwork at the county courthouse. The paper ordination credential from ULC is $7 and there may be a small filing fee at the courthouse.
Oddly enough, I actually just got my ULC ordination (and official Letter of Good Standing allowing me to perform weddings in the state of MN) about a week ago. I will be performing the ceremony for some friends next summer, but I would be more than willing to let you be my test run.
So, if you want the biggest day of your life officiated by the scourge of PDD (and DCB, and plenty of other local online forums) hit me up.
Wow, think I’ll pass. But thanks for the offer Danny…….
No prob. The offer’s always out there.
Praise Jebus
Hey, I might be able to help. I’m an “open-minded Christian” pastor and I’ve done a lot of weddings in the area. My name is Lawrence Lee and you can email me at pastor@ucth.org.
@Tamara – Thanks!
Agree with ULC idea. Whatever, also, too.
Unitarian church? JP?
Lo and I were married by a JP by a courthouse.
I am licensed in Minnesota, but am relatively new to this field. I am non-denominational and am pretty open to whatever the couple prefers. If you are interested, let me know. I can get you references!
Gina K
One thing to think about is that a lot of ministers require that you meet with them prior to the wedding to go through some premarital counseling of some type. The nice perk of this is that you can save some money on your marriage license if you find someone who is using the right kind of materials. Check with the county about that…
@Mere – That’s correct. I require 4 sessions, each about 1.5 hours, which includes a discussion of expectations for the wedding day, Myers Briggs inventory, Genograms (family tree), creating a household budget, and, of course, mapping out and customizing the wedding service. I typically like to begin this at least 2 months previous to the wedding because the out of session work takes time. This saves the couple $70 off the marriage license.
If I were getting hitched, I’d ask Ironic1 to do the honors!
I do not require any counciling. Just saying.
John Hartwick was the officiant at our wedding at Enger Tower almost two years ago and he was great. I would recommend him to anyone. He works with you and makes the ceremony just how you want it. He also did an excellent job at the rehearsal, bossing people around in a polite way 🙂 so we were all ready for the big day. Seriously, give him a call you won’t be disappointed.
https://mnbride.com/featured-vendor/john-hartwick-officiant
Ginna – did you do Shelly’s north-shore wedding?
I should rephrase. I do not require that couples do premarital sessions with me, except for those that directly pertain to the wedding service. I do require that couples have premarital sessions with someone though.
When we got married 6 years ago, we had Dale Wolf do our wedding. Dude came in on wedding day and read exactly what we put together. No need for marriage counciling/sessions. Why in the hell would anyone require that? Who cares. Those who require sessions, need sessions of their own.
Agree x100
Lumpy G.
Lumpy G. The luminary Lumpy G. He does blended weddings, combining many traiditons from Christianity, Paganism, etc. They are short, succinct, respectful, and truly awesome.
Chris Marshall on Facebook.
I require preparation sessions because I do not marry strangers. I want to personalize the service to the couple and that requires getting to know them. There is no shortcut to that.
None of my business. Wanna get married, tell me when to show up.
My wife and I have performed a few ceremonies as well. But just as ironic1 does, we only do it for people we know. We do not do it as a business, more of a service to our friends and family.
To the OP– follow the advice from mickeypearson get a friend to be ordained and “keep it in the family”
congratulations and best of luck.
And that, Danny, is where we disagree. I’m not a hired hand. I’m a professional and this IS my business. I’ve been doing this for almost 2 decades and I didn’t get my certification from the back of a magazine. I’ve learned the ins and outs of creating meaningful and personal ritual by doing it over and over and, yes, I find it is important to get to know the people whose ritual I’m designing, whether it be a wedding, a baptism, a funeral, or any other threshold moment. Maybe that’s old fashioned of me, but if that’s the case, I’m happy to be old fashioned.
That’s cool. We just have different opinions on the whole thing. Keep in mind I haven’t even done one yet.
BadCat, yes I officiated Shelly’s/Jeremiah’s wedding at Temperance. Their minister canceled at the last minute and I literally wrote the ceremony on the way up. It was a beautiful, stormy, Lake Superior wedding.
Like I said earlier, I am fairly new to this, but I am an accomplished public speaker (I used to teach it, and do it in my current day job.) I’ve also written/personalized several wedding ceremonies for other officiants to use.
If you want someone affiliated with an actual church, I’m not the person for you. If you want someone independent, I’d love to be considered.
In my opinion, “premarital sessions” are voodoo.
A big plus one for premarital counseling and for Ironic1. Both are even better than you might’ve imagined.
I know a great DJ if you need one, too. Most of August and all of the fall is pretty much wide open …
Ironic1, didn’t you officiate at Russ & Danielle’s wedding, i.e. the wedding of the decade?
LumpyG/Chris Marshall did our wedding at Amnicon Falls and was great!
I would love to have Lawrence Lee do a wedding for us. Ok, we’re long married, but one day a vow renewal. He’s the right combo of fun & quirky and this is real so let’s do it right.
I would like to point out that the website for the ULC is ULCHQ.com, not the monastery. The monastery is “a ulc” church, which was once linked to the ULC, and now pretends to be the original church. It may not matter which one a person a person chooses for ordination, but I have issues with the monastery and their practices, so I want to make sure people understand the difference.
Judge Shaun Floerke – St. Louis County Courthouse. 218-726-2475
He did a beautiful job marrying my husband and I on the shores of Lake Superior.
Congrats.
This has nothing to do with an officant and I am sure you have a wedding photographer already that is not my cup of tea. I have done some fun things at one of my friends and my cousins weddings.
I have wondered if other people would be interested in this style of wedding photography. I did this for fun but my cousin was able to add the link to her tour on her Thank You cards for people who were not there that day to see what the events were like. They also have a CD archive so 20 years down the road they can “relive” the day all over again. No better way to capture the entire wedding in my eyes. Combine it with the real wedding photographers photos and it makes a very memorable package.
https://www.virtualnorthland.com/panos/jenny/
https://www.virtualnorthland.com/panos/jeff/
Could you contact me? My fiancée and I are hoping to elope within the next two or three weeks. Hoping for simplicity. joniherdrich7 @ gmail.com or 651-717-8373
I have officiated weddings all over Minnesota and Wisconsin, in the middle of the lift bridge on Lake Superior as well as weddings at the Kitchi Gammi Club, Madeline Island, Park Point, Enger Tower, back yards, grandma’s family room, the shore of Lake Superior, as well as in most state parks up an down the North Shore, just to make a few. I have written ceremonies, hand fasting ceremonies, commitment ceremonies as well as helped the couples write their ceremony. It is your special day … you should have your wedding your way and not the way someone says you should! Just my thoughts! ReverendCrystal@hotmail
Rollergirl,
Could you contact me please, if you still perform weddings?
Mrs.ToBe2013 @ gmail.com
Thanks!
Kristi
Rollergirl,
Can you share your contact info so that I can get ahold of you?
Thanks!