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Wedding Officiants on Vancouver Island for 2023

November 1, 2022 By admin 1 Comment

As I write this, we have just completed the busiest wedding year ever with a shortage of officiants on prime Saturday afternoons, and it looks, from the number of requests I have been receiving, that  2023 and 2024 will likely be the same.

Remember, the only thing you actually need (other than someone to marry you) is someone to marry you…:) The purpose of this post is to help you find someone (beyond me) to marry you.

This is NOT a recommended list….I’ve NEVER seen ANY of these folks in action!  But I do know that they can ALL legally marry you.

And please remember, my comments are strictly my own opinion. Use the links to do your own research.

 

Door #1: Marriage Commissioners

I won’t go into a lot of detail about Marriage Commissioners, since most people are already familiar with them. In my 12+ years of leading weddings, I’ve found that they are either exactly what you want, or exactly what you don’t want.

Here’s the link on the government website.

Also, Vital Statistics posts recent updates about covid and marriage commissioners here.

 

Door #2: Wedding Officiants

When you think of ministers, you may think of the centuries old traditions of the Catholic, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish or other religions. But there are actually over 700 registered spiritual and religious groups certified to offer wedding ceremonies in the province of BC.  Some do community outreach through Lay Chaplains or Youth Pastors. Some are retired folks.  The range is wide, and each group runs on its own. So you can get a broad range of ceremonies.  Here are some of the ones that I come across in my travels.

Spiritual/Religious Groups

These folks do ceremonies as an outreach/community service of their ministry or as one of a variety of services. If your budget is limited, they can be an alternative to a Marriage Commissioner.

The Unitarians.  Well trained, inclusive and broad-minded, each congregation has 2 Lay Chaplains who offer ceremonial services. In Victoria, there are 2:  Saanich  and  James Bay.   Amanda Tarling is perhaps the most well-known Lay Chaplain…you can reach her directly here.

You can also find Unitarian Lay chaplains in Nanaimo and the Comox Valley.

World Tree Ministry provides handfastings and wedding ceremonies in the Oceanside area.

Within the Metaphysical community, most officiants provide weddings as part of a full range of services. Check out Reverend Michael Ireland and Rev. Andria Winter in the South Island area.  In the Comox Valley, Rev. Sherry Ellis-Bell.

 

 

Wedding Ceremony Companies

Most officiants are better at delivering ceremonies than marketing themselves…:) So a few businesses have jumped in to market wedding ceremonies. Most use the terms “personalized” and “customized.”

Young Hip and Married    from  Vancouver has Chris-Ann Lake and Melinda Orlowski in Victoria and Jordan Shaw covers everything else??

Vancouver Officiant, has a handful of officiants in Victoria, and one in Tofino/Ucluelet, and 2 who cover the lower Gulf Islands.

All Seasons from Ontario has 7 officiants in Victoria. I’ve found that Cecelia Penner (Victoria/Sooke/Metchosin) is quite responsive and very popular. The most affordable option of the 3 companies listed.

 

You’ll find reviews for many celebrants and officiants on Wedding Wire.

Door #3: Celebrants

Celebrants are ordained officiants with a twist…specifically trained in the art of ceremony. If you want something different or really personal, you will be in good hands with a celebrant. If you have a really good story that wants to be told, if you are blending faiths or cultures, we can do it (we’re Metaphysical Ministers, which includes a broadly spiritual focus). If your family situation is….complicated….we can help smooth out the wrinkles.

Some of us come with extras i.e. our own PA system, a musical accompanist, pre-marital counselling, etc. as part of our service package.  Pricing here cuts a pretty wide swath, because of these things, and because we each market individually. In many cases, you will get a “personal/custom” ceremony for the same price or less as the “personalized/customized” provided by wedding ceremony marketing companies.  And some of us provide a premium kind of experience that you can’t get elsewhere.

While the mantra “your ceremony your way” is part of the credo, it can really help to work with someone who shares your vibe.

On the south island:

Linda Nelson is popular with young couples.

Morgan Brooks  offbeat. edgy. pagan, animism, LGBTQ. nature hikes (not taking bookings until January 2023.)

Penny Allport. A deeper, more spiritual, profound experience.

Tracy  Stoessiger spiritual, paganism. animism. nature. hike in and stand in the rain. (not taking bookings right now…likely in the spring)

If you want a marriage preparation package along with your ceremony, Sarah Nakatsuka  is a Victoria-based therapist/minister who provides that.

Central Island:

Jane Good  is a wonderful presence who is comfortable with real and organic. Travels everywhere.

Ceri Peacey has a pretty great sense of humour, works in the Oceanside area.

James Latour is a stylin’ guy with some of the coolest jackets you’ll ever see. Locals love him! Works the east side of Vancouver Island.

And in the Comox Valley, Jennifer Lee is a lovely storyteller and calming presence.

Katie Brennan is a newer celebrant with a backgrond in the arts.

Looking for someone who travels to the West Coast? That would be Jane Good,  Jennifer Lee, or Katie Brennan.  Or Lianne Fitzpatrick, below. 

If you have chosen a popular date and are having trouble finding someone, perhaps check out these celebrants, who are either new in their practices or not as visible on social media/in search engines:
South Island: Elaine Stuart.  Shannon Linden.
Cowichan Valley:  Wendy Wawrysh    Gail Peekeekoot
Central Island/Oceanside:  Shannon Rosnau,  Karen Arends,  Colleen Kendall.  and Cheryl Pedley does elopements.
Central Island/West Coast: Lianne Fitzpatrick,  cell 250-203-1203, email: Fitz [at] Shaw.ca  (no website yet)
Courtenay/Campbell River: Carol Elliot,  Shafia Jamodien

You’ll find reviews for many celebrants and officiants on Wedding Wire.

 

Door #4: Do it Yourself (sorta)

In some parts of the United States, you can get a friend or relative to marry you with a special one-day pass.  It doesn’t happen here in Canada.

But if you’ve booked everything other than the one thing you need to get married (hey it happens), and now you are stuck, consider this option.  Use one us legal folks to marry you ahead of time (when we are open), and then ask one of your people to deliver the ceremonial ceremony the day of.

Just a little heads-up that officiants have the chops to make it look easier than it is, the first ceremony you perform is utterly terrifying (so ask someone who is up to the challenge), and many of the ceremonies you can lift off the internet, frankly, are pretty beige…:) (which is perfectly ok if beige is your colour..:)

That said, I write ceremonies that can be delivered by someone with little/no experience and even let them shadow me at the legal ceremony before handing them my script. More on that here. I may be able to help you with that. Or ask your officiant of choice if s/he/they will do the same for you.

***

I hope you find your best fit!  And if you have any questions or feedback, just post below!

Best,

Barbara

Filed Under: Weddings

Comments

  1. Evan Batchelor says

    February 1, 2023 at 4:08 pm

    Hello Barbara.

    I just wanted to let you know how AWESOME I think it is that you would leave an alternative option for lookers on your personal business page. The help you provided MIGHT save my wedding day…lol Thank you so much

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Barbara Densmore Celebrant
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Caitlin Barnes
Caitlin Barnes
2022-12-05
Barbara is so amazing to work with. She curates the most perfect re-telling of couple's love stories that have them laughing and crying - sometimes at the same time! Barbara has a presence that puts everyone at ease and immediately allows guests and couples to feel grounded to appreciate every moment. If you want a ceremony that tells your story and allows you to truly soak up every word - there is only one person :)
Jasmina Omri
Jasmina Omri
2022-10-28
Barbara was excellent to work with. She helped us have a wonderful wedding ceremony by supporting both of us and by telling our love story so beautifully! Thank you again for making our day feel extra special! T&J
Jen C
Jen C
2022-10-27
Barbara is amazing to work with! At first I didn't think much of the ceremony part, but having someone like Barbara put together a unique and personalized ceremony really makes the day even more special. So many of our guests said their favourite part of the wedding was the ceremony! So worth it.
Courtney Hutson
Courtney Hutson
2022-10-21
There aren’t enough words to say how appreciative my husband (still so exciting to say!!) and I are for Barbara. Right from the moment we started working with her she was thorough, relaxed and made us feel so comfortable. She guides her couples, provides them with helpful tips and tools and made us feel incredibly supported. On the day of, she delivered a ceremony that felt like us. We are forever thankful for her and would recommend her to anyone looking for an officiant - especially for those who are less traditional and choose an adventurous elopement like we did! Thank you, thank you and thank you again Barbara!
Spence
Spence
2022-10-12
Having Barbara as our Wedding Officiant was absolutely incredible. She made us feel so comfortable with the process leading up to our special day, which made it easy and very straightforward. This reduced much stress couples experience preparing for their wedding. On our Wedding Day, the experience was magnificent. Barbara truly made our wedding day an amazing experience. Highly recommended - she'll make your wedding day incredible too.
Cherylann Nesbitt
Cherylann Nesbitt
2022-10-04
Barbara was AMAZING to work with. We couldn't be happier with the final outcome of our ceremony. Our guests were all very impressed. We kept hearing guests say how unique and special the ceremony was. And how it was a refreshing update from what they had seen at past weddings. Which was exactly what we had asked for when we first met Barbara! Barbara spent a good amount of time getting to know us and that allowed for a really personalized ceremony. She was organized and always one step ahead of us (which was super helpful with life being so busy). She was an excellent collaborator. She listened to what we wanted, and then gave us a few different options for each section. Shen helped with our vows and made sure we had everything we needed every step of the way. It was the perfect ceremony and we can't imagine having done it with any other officiant! -Cherylann & Luke
Jeramiah Morris
Jeramiah Morris
2022-10-03
Barbara was the celebrant at our wedding and she was absolutely wonderful! She worked closely with us ahead of time to create a ceremony that was specific and relevant to us - one that reflected who we are individually, as a couple, and in our lives together. The result was a ceremony that felt natural, comfortable, welcoming to our guests and family, and full of love and laughs. Her skilled ability to combine logistics know-how with holding the energy of the space had us relaxed and well taken care of. We were in the best hands with her. We laughed, we cried, laughed some more, and left with hearts full! Thank you Barbara!! Michael & Jeramiah
Heather Campbell
Heather Campbell
2022-10-03
Barbara is a celebrant extraordinaire! Everything was perfect from start to finish, she truly brought our wedding ceremony alive and tailored made the most beautiful day for us. Throughout all the preparation and on the day she was encouraging, kind and supportive. Before the wedding we used Barbara's wonderful website and 'welcome package' to helps us layout our ceremony, choose our 'moments', and gleam inspiration for writing our own vows. It was truly a wonderful day and we're so happy to have had Barbara officiate over us.
Courtenay Lennox
Courtenay Lennox
2022-09-27
Barbara Married us and was so wonderful and helpful in what seemed a daunting process. Let me tell you she did all the hard work, had wonderful suggestions and I just cannot say enough about her service. She wrote us a sweet, funny and very memorable ceremony. My husband and I highly recommend her!! Thank you so much Barbara!
Celine Sauve
Celine Sauve
2022-09-26
Barbara was a dream to work with- I cannot say it enough! Prior to our wedding, she had me and my husband fill out a little questionnaire about each other and worked our secret responses into our ceremony. This was such a personal touch that brought many laughs and touching moments. We wanted sweet and simple and Barbara did that AND MORE. With little surprises along the way, I couldn't have asked for a better ceremony. Even our guests mentioned how wonderful and entertaining she was. A million thank-yous to Barbara!

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