MY STORY
Where It All Began
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My journey to becoming an officiant did not begin as a great calling but has grown to be a great joy. A friend of mine was planning her wedding in 2008 and asked me to officiate. My reply? Make me a reverend and we can talk. Well, she is a resourceful gal and the next thing I knew, I received correspondence addressed to Reverend Browand from the Universal Life Church!
Ultimately, I did not oversee her ceremony, but did enjoy toting the Reverend moniker. Fast forward and when the Marriage Equality Act passed in New York, my best friends opted to get married in a small family-only ceremony. I, not so subtly, indicated I would love to attend as a member of the “friend-family”. One of the grooms eventually said, in a quick sidebar conversation, “you’re in” and I thought how lovely that they wanted me to attend! It took a subsequent thank you card from one of their sisters saying how nice it was that I was officiating their wedding in 10 DAYS TIME to know I had some planning to do!
I figured out quickly how one becomes an “official officiant” in NYC. That beautiful day marked my first ceremony, now 10+ years ago. The best compliment I received was from the (rather intimidating) mother-of-the-groom, who said I was a natural and it was like I had been doing this for years! I still have that thank you note to remember the rather unplanned start of my journey.
I can proudly say my skills have developed substantially over the decade and it has been a true joy to work with each of my couples. My role is to build a ceremony reflective of who you are as both individuals and as a couple, creating the right tone to begin your official married lives together. The goal is always to keep the process CALM, SIMPLE and MEMORABLE. But, I also serve as counselor, referee and ringmaster if/when the day requires it!
Let’s design the start of your HAPPILY EVER AFTER together!