John Rosendale, Wedding Officiant

06/11/2024

This summer was perfect for weddings! I had planned to perform no more than fifteen ceremonies, but in the end, I conducted twenty. It's hard to say no to a couple in love!

Among the most memorable ceremonies were a Russian wedding in Seattle, one at Mount Peak Farm in Enumclaw, a Hindu wedding at Snoqualmie Ridge, and a hike to Lena Lake in the Olympic Mountains, which was 6.4-miles round trip with an elevation gain of 1,532 feet over thirty-seven switchbacks.

I also had the privilege of officiating many traditional yet inspiring weddings, held at the chapel on Fox Island, The Red Cedar Farm in Lofall, Kiana Lodge on Sandy Hook Road near Poulsbo, and in various homes, parks, and backyards.

Overall, it was another wedding season filled with excitement, adventure, and the joy of standing before two people as they exchanged their vows in a lifelong commitment to each other.

21/06/2024

We hiked 6 miles with an elevation gain of 1500 feet yesterday to perform a lovely wedding ceremony at Lake Lena, in the Olympic National Forest.
It was the first day of summer, the longest day of the year, and I needed a good part of it to get to the event and back. It was a serious test of my new hips and knees, and they served me well. Albeit, I was a bit sore this morning.
The newlyweds were joined by a photographer, a musician, two best friends, a brother, myself, and my wife, Denise.
The weather couldn't have been better. There couldn't have been a nicer, friendlier, or happier group of people in attendance.
This was truly a special event. Thank you, Ward and Chelsea!

18/04/2024

"A love affair has to do with immediate personal satisfaction. But marriage is an ordeal; it means yielding, time and again. That’s why it’s a sacrament: you give up your personal simplicity to participate in a relationship. And when you’re giving, you’re not giving to the other person: you’re giving to the relationship. And if you realize you are in the relationship just as the other person is, then it becomes life building, a life fostering and enriching experience, not an impoverishment because you’re giving to somebody else … This is the challenge of a marriage."
-Joseph Campbell

13/04/2024

I have returned from our winter home in Thousand Palms, CA., and am again booking just a few weddings for the summer. As mentioned last year, I intend to spend more time enjoying summer weekends with my lovely wife, Denise.
Participating in wedding celebrations has been a wonderful experience! I may never retire from this altogether. But as I have officiated nearly 400 weddings, I'm ready to slow down. 🙏

13/04/2024

When you love someone, you do not love them all the time, in exactly the same way, from moment to moment. It is an impossibility. It is even a lie to pretend to. And yet this is exactly what most of us demand. We have so little faith in the ebb and flow of life, of love, of relationships. We leap at the flow of the tide and resist in terror its ebb. We are afraid it will never return. We insist on permanency, on duration, on continuity; when the only continuity possible, in life as in love, is in growth, in fluidity - in freedom, in the sense that the dancers are free, barely touching as they pass, but partners in the same pattern.
The only real security is not in owning or possessing, not in demanding or expecting, not in hoping, even. Security in a relationship lies neither in looking back to what was in nostalgia, nor forward to what it might be in dread or anticipation, but living in the present relationship and accepting it as it is now. Relationships must be like islands, one must accept them for what they are here and now, within their limits - islands, surrounded and interrupted by the sea, and continually visited and abandoned by the tides. ~Anne Morrow Lindbergh
(Book: Gift from the Sea [ad] https://amzn.to/3Jgbk7o)

01/03/2024

30/09/2023

I'm going to try and publish a favorite quote periodically. I hope to make them inspiring. Consider them for a moment, if you will.

30/09/2023

It's been a great year for summer weddings! I just closed my scheduling book for 2023 with twenty weddings for the year. That was my "quota"; enough to feel nothing short of blessed and thankful to be a part of so many special days; not so many that it begins to feel like a job - that would never do!

This last wedding was done by both Denise and myself. It was an "All-Inclusive" wedding service in which we provided a custom-written ceremony, a bouquet of flowers for the bride, a minimum of twenty-five cropped & edited wedding pictures, a table setting to include champagne, champagne flutes, more flowers, and a decorated wedding cake. It was really quite lovely.

I might just do this again next year. The compensation I receive is greatly appreciated and used exclusively to pay for our romantic adventures. I don't think I'm ready to give those up yet!

Thanks to all who have followed my FB postings and have provided me with so much support in 2023.

22/08/2023

Tia Cooke
Married on 08/5/2023
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars 5.0

John was amazing
John was so professional and well spoken. He made our ceremony unique and even included our fur son. He made us feel comfortable and gave us the wedding we wanted. It was perfect. I definitely recommend John. He was super easy to communicate with and made everything so simple.

22/08/2023

Stephanie and John Segalle
Married on 08/12/2023
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars 5.0

Amazing ceremony!!
Our experienced with John Rosendale was amazing. He made our wedding more meaningful with his quotes.

31/07/2023

On July 30th, I was privileged to be a part of my most elaborate ceremony ever. It was held at Thornwood Castle and included testimonials from the groomsmen and bridesmaids, prayers, scriptural readings, a "foot washing", personal vows, a ring ceremony, a poetry reading, and the release of white doves. All of this was followed by a horse-drawn carriage ride.
Congratulations Anthony and Vee!

30/07/2023

Justine and Benjamine were married July 24th at Scenic Beach State Park.
The wedding was staged for a beautiful day with chairs on the lawn and a beautiful backdrop of hood canal behind a flowered wedding arch.
Then the rain came and with it an omen.
Rain on your wedding day signifies that you will have children, be cleansed of the sadness and tough times from your past and be given a new chapter in your life. It also symbolizes that your marriage will last. Just as a wet knot is more difficult to loosen, so is "tying the knot" on a rainy day.
I personally loved the rain and the Northwest weather. You couldn't plan on a day like this; not in the middle of July. I considered it special; an impromptu opportunity to be spontaneous in response. The wedding party adjusted and the result was beautiful. I know the pictures, memories, and stories of the event will be cherished!

29/07/2023

It was a beautiful wedding on July 28, 2023, held at a breathtaking and picturesque venue!
Yashar and Samantha blended their faiths of Christianity with that of Bahai', at the golf course in New Castle, Wa.
The bride and groom, with their family and friends, were dressed in tuxedos, suits, and beautiful gowns. The bride's dress was nothing short of spectacular!
They were lovely people. I was particularly impressed with the bride's father, Miguel, as he walked his daughter to the wedding altar, gave her his love, and delivered a blessing to his soon-to-be son-in-law.
Being a part of these weddings never fails to fill me with the true meaning of togetherness.
Congratulations Yashar and Samantha!

YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/WY-YsCZebko

20/07/2023

Kara Kunkel
Married on 07/15/2023
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars 5.0

Wonderful, warm, friendly, officiant
John was incredibly warm, calm, friendly, and experienced. He made our wedding day an amazing and loving day. We loved the ceremony he wrote. He was very accommodating and supported any plans we wanted.

26/06/2023

You can see this and other reviews John Rosendale on WeddingWire.
https://www.weddingwire.com/reviews/john-rosendale-wedding-official-bremerton/e7f69edbae0008ac.html

Jordan E. married on 6/17/2022
Brinnon, Wa

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars 5.0
Quality of service-Excellent
Responsiveness-Excellent
Value-Excellent
Flexibility-Excellent
Professionalism-Excellent

We are so happy with the way John officiated our wedding. He went above and beyond our expectations and communicated clearly with us the whole way. He even went as far as making it out to our wedding a week after having surgery. He made sure everything we wanted was included in our ceremony and really made our wedding special. 10/10 would highly recommend John for any wedding!

Read the latest reviews for John Rosendale, Wedding Official in Bremerton, WA on WeddingWire. Browse Officiant prices, photos and 135 reviews, with a rating of 5.0 out of 5.

12/04/2023

A new quote I've discovered from from THE CHAOS OF STARS by Kiersten White 🥰

“I didn't fall in love with you. I walked into love with you, with my eyes wide open, choosing to take every step along the way.

I do believe in fate and destiny, but I also believe we are only fated to do the things that we'd choose anyway.

And I'd choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you and I'd choose you.”

13/03/2023

I'm starting to get excited for another summer and fall of weddings. I have my first ceremony booked for May 1, and at this point another nine for the summer and fall. I'm going to limit my weddings this year to just twenty.

My "Complete Wedding Package" designed for an elopement with a party of four to eight people has been very popular. It includes a ceremony, flowers, up to twenty-five wedding photographs, a wedding cake, champagne or non-alcoholic bubbly with keepsake flutes, and filing of the marriage certificate. The location is according to your choice, but I can be helpful in finding a beautiful venue, often at no addition cost.

... It's about the Love ...

18/10/2022

Katie A. married on 10/15/2022
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars 5.0
Fall Wedding

John was great. He responded to every email in a timely manner, and answered all my questions- even repeated ones- as the mother of the bride I was a bit frazzled! With all the details we juggled during the planning process, John’s professionalism and attention to detail made that part absolutely stress-free!!