The Uncommon Officiant

The Uncommon Officiant Social media hub of The Uncommon Officiant. I specialize in fun, interesting, unique, and generally non-religious wedding ceremonies.

Being a professional public speaker and Celebrant is an extraordinary job, but sometimes the event I am asked to lead is...
02/04/2025

Being a professional public speaker and Celebrant is an extraordinary job, but sometimes the event I am asked to lead is a bit more somber. In the last year, I've had the honor of leading 3 different celebrations of life, the most recent having taken place this past Sunday. It's a tough task, but in each one I've done my best to help people laugh, cry, and highlight a life well lived as hopefully they find some closure.

Page, we'll miss you. Shine on you crazy diamond.

Boy, howdy Connor and Emily's wedding yesterday was simply a blast. From our first meeting like a year ago to yesterday,...
02/02/2025

Boy, howdy Connor and Emily's wedding yesterday was simply a blast. From our first meeting like a year ago to yesterday, it was clear we were all on a similar wavelength. Fun-loving and goofy, we celebrated all of the wonderful things that make them the incredible couple that they are: From glowstick dance parties, to singing Disney songs in the kitchen, to collecting what I will generously call a herd of cats. We had a lovely handfasting and a ton of laughs along the way!

August 17th was a whirlwind of a day last year. The forecast could not make up it's mind on this big ominous rain cloud,...
01/27/2025

August 17th was a whirlwind of a day last year. The forecast could not make up it's mind on this big ominous rain cloud, so we made a game time decision to take John and Karissa's outdoor wedding and place it under the big pavillion at The Brook. An officiant sometimes wears many hats and occasionally that means spearheading the transportation effort of a ceremony space minutes before a wedding is going to take place. But everyone helped and even though it started a little late, we had a beautiful wedding take place. It took them 13 years to decide to start dating, so what was an extra 10 minutes in the grand scheme of things. 😁

Paul and Amanda were my adventure-loving couple from August of last year. They started as upstairs and downstairs neighb...
01/25/2025

Paul and Amanda were my adventure-loving couple from August of last year. They started as upstairs and downstairs neighbors, which made dropping each other off after dates a really easy situation, and 10 years later they found themselves up at the altar saying "As you wish" to each other. It was beautiful and the color coordination in all their wedding decorations was exquisite.

3 words: Korean Wedding Ducks. I had the wonderful opportunity to marry Laura and Lee in September of last year and they...
01/24/2025

3 words: Korean Wedding Ducks.

I had the wonderful opportunity to marry Laura and Lee in September of last year and they introduced me to this Korean wedding tradition where the bride and groom are gifted with a pair of hand carved wooden ducks. Ducks mate for life, so that symbolism is an easy read. BUT! They also have this unique feature where colored string is tied around their bills to remind both the bride and groom that silence is a virtue. I laughed delightedly at that.

Sammie and John were a beautiful addition to 2024 for me. From their unassuming beginnings at a dental supply company, t...
01/23/2025

Sammie and John were a beautiful addition to 2024 for me. From their unassuming beginnings at a dental supply company, to the birth of their daughter, (who made an exquisite flower girl) to their wedding day with me, life has been pretty grand for these two. While they were fun in and of themselves, they happened to be good friends with 3 other couples I had already married. So being at their wedding was this awesome little reunion for me. And I am pleased to report that all of those couple are still married, so that's a feather in the ol' cap.

My 600th wedding actually happened in September, but I was so entrenched in the height of wedding season that I neither ...
01/15/2025

My 600th wedding actually happened in September, but I was so entrenched in the height of wedding season that I neither noted it nor posted it at the time. But, Ethan and Emily were an extraordinary amount of fun to work with; including their unique take on a unity ceremony. As fans of fantasy, they asked me to do a U-Knighty ceremony where they bowed and I used my really ornate sword to knight them both as husband and wife - with Shrek references by request There was lots of joy and celebration and laughter. (Also my nails matched my tie, which I thought was great)

Would I do a holiday elopement at the YMCA? You betcha. All the congrats to Joseph and Marlene.
01/14/2025

Would I do a holiday elopement at the YMCA? You betcha. All the congrats to Joseph and Marlene.

First wedding of the year! A wonderful little elopement in the beautiful snow-covered gardens of the topiary park at sun...
01/13/2025

First wedding of the year! A wonderful little elopement in the beautiful snow-covered gardens of the topiary park at sunset. Sebastian and Carolina were joined by their beloved dog, Peter. (I secretly love it when dogs have normal people names) It's been 10 years in the making, so thank you for allowing me to help you tie the knot!

With my mini-hibernation over the holiday break coming to an end, it's time for my yearly wrap up! I know some people wi...
01/10/2025

With my mini-hibernation over the holiday break coming to an end, it's time for my yearly wrap up! I know some people will jump out of their chairs to decry that I'm like a week and a half late, but I am a wedding wizard and a wizard posts precisely when he means to. So here are a few fun stats:

*2024 was the 2nd busiest year I've ever had with 81 total weddings performed. (85 was the most)

*Of my 81 weddings, 25 of them were elopements.

*October remains my busiest month with 14 weddings performed in 4 short weeks.

*17 of my couples were from out of state. A new record!

*I drove over 5,100 miles for wedding related activities.

*I officiated my 600th wedding in 2024. (seperate post for that to come)

I've also had a wonderful start to 2025 with 16 weddings already on my calendar. I love what I do so much and I can't wait to see who I get to meet and marry in 2025!

I get number really fun moments where I run into people I've married just out and about in the world. But this is the fi...
01/03/2025

I get number really fun moments where I run into people I've married just out and about in the world. But this is the first time it's been in the ER. Kayla was both my last bride before COVID shut the world down almost 5 years ago and my X-ray tech this evening following a hockey injury. She helped me chuckle despite the pain in kinda the same way I helped her laugh when she was nervous before her wedding.

I had to brush up on my French pronunciation for this wonderful wedding back in September. But Sarah and Max have enjoye...
12/22/2024

I had to brush up on my French pronunciation for this wonderful wedding back in September. But Sarah and Max have enjoyed a relationship which spanned both the US and Europe over the years, but ultimately life brought them back here where they finally had a chance to toe the knot. And I got to help them in that endeavor. We had a beautiful ceremony to kick off the rest of their lives together!

I am blessed to work with really awesome couples and I always adore these little notes when they come my way. I keep abs...
12/13/2024

I am blessed to work with really awesome couples and I always adore these little notes when they come my way. I keep absolutely all of them.

I'm jumping back to September for a few weddings that I missed posting. It's just the kinda thing that happens during th...
12/11/2024

I'm jumping back to September for a few weddings that I missed posting. It's just the kinda thing that happens during the busy season. But Joe and Leeanna were absolutely the kind of people I vibe with. Fun, laid back, and out to have the best time on their wedding day. It was even by their request that we did the "at the alter' selfie! But we laughed and celebrated throughout the ceremony, which culminated in a sand blending ceremony for them and their kids. It was a delight to be a part if their big day.

Behold! Sàndor and Jessyca. They met at the Marine Corps birthday party and basically immediately fell for one another r...
12/09/2024

Behold! Sàndor and Jessyca. They met at the Marine Corps birthday party and basically immediately fell for one another right then and there. So they gathered their immediate family at a cabin in Hocking Hills and I came to help them make things official. We even did a handfasting with military paracord!

Abby and Christian were another lovely couple who just wanted an intimate micro-wedding with a few close friends and fam...
12/07/2024

Abby and Christian were another lovely couple who just wanted an intimate micro-wedding with a few close friends and family. So I helped get them hitched at the end of October and there was a ton of joy to be had!

BONUS PHOTO! This is Vader: handsomest ring dog and very good boy. He brought all the right vibes to Bryn and Brandi's h...
12/03/2024

BONUS PHOTO!

This is Vader: handsomest ring dog and very good boy. He brought all the right vibes to Bryn and Brandi's hallowedding with his little skull tux and top hat.

Brandi and Bryn were my Hallowedding this year. On the 31st we celebrated their love with a few friends and family in th...
12/03/2024

Brandi and Bryn were my Hallowedding this year. On the 31st we celebrated their love with a few friends and family in their back yard. Though it didn't end up in the picture, there was a shotgun placed on top of the wedding arch. (Only as a visual gag. It was a well planned event) May the future smile upon you both, Harrises.

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Videos

OutnAbout Columbus Interview
OutnAbout Columbus Interview

I was interviewed as part of OutnAbout Columbus's 2021 Weddiing special that aired this past weekend. I've never been featured on a morning show before and I will admit to having been a little nervous, but I think I did alright. :) My thanks to Mike Kilburn for sitting down with me.

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