Illuminating Ceremonies

Full wedding (ceremony and reception) pricing

Prices start at $900

About Illuminating Ceremonies

Chris Shelley

Chief Mood Booster

I am your guests' favorite thing about your wedding. Since 2011, I've been writing and performing personal, meaningful and refreshingly engaging ceremonies for couples just like you and couples who are nothing like you. Couples work with me with an easy, collaborative process during which I become your favorite part of wedding planning. I take guest experience and your wishes very seriously. Your families will thank you for getting somebody who makes the ceremony light while still making clear how beautiful it is that you found each other. I officiate all over the US.

I am the funniest wedding officiant in the country. I know! Such chutzpah! But my goal is to be the best, to find that perfect balance of humor and dignity that makes a wedding ceremony a wedding ceremony. My experience as an actor, a writer, a workaholic and a spouse to a very smart wife have led me to be someone whom couples can trust with their ceremony. I've lived a lot, I've actually been married since 2002, so I know a thing or two about having a happy marriage. I'm a professional who can get along with your parents and grandparents as well as your friends. I've done ceremonies all over the country and on TV. I love my work!

In three words: Collaborative, Confident, Fun

Services

Ceremony types

Civil Union
Commitment Ceremony
Elopement
Interfaith Ceremony
Legal License Signing
Multicultural Weddings
Non-religious Ceremony
Other
Vow Renewal Ceremony

Religious affiliations

Interfaith
Other
Secular
Spiritual

Reviews

Write a review

5.0 out of 5

14 reviews

Write a review

Outstanding Officiant!!
•Verified review
•Alison B.•3:00 am
Don’t hesitate to hire Chris! He’ll make sure your ceremony is truly authentic to who you are as a couple & wonderfully memorable for all to witness!
The best officiant!!
•Verified review
•Brittany B.•Apr 15
Chris does an amazing job creating highly personalized ceremonies for couples. As a wedding photographer, I have seen so many wedding ceremonies and the way Chris does ceremonies for couples is unique, funny and poignant all at once. It’s a creative wedding experience like no other! I recommend Chris to absolutely everyone!!
Response from vendor•Apr 16, 2025
Thank you Brittany! I do work pretty hard at this work and it's satisfying when the work gets noticed. You are pretty amazing yourself, you're so good with wedding parties. See you at the next one!
Chris is simply the BEST!
•Verified review
•Alexis C.•Apr 14
We are so lucky to have had Chris officiate our wedding in July! Throughout the wedding process Chris took the time to get to know us and our story, and he incorporated special bits about our relationship into his story telling. It felt like we were being married by a family friend—so special and authentic. We would recommend Chris to anyone who is looking for a special officiant who really cares about his couples. Thank you, Chris, for making our day so special!
Response from vendor•Apr 15, 2025
Ahhh! Alexis, thank you so much!!! I really appreciate your kind words. The only downside of officiating weddings is that you only get to marry people once - unless they renew their vows! Hey, keep me in mind for a vow renewal...
A planner's dream officiant to work with!
•Verified review
•Marian V.•Apr 13
Chris from Illuminating Ceremonies is an incredible wedding officiant. As a wedding planner, I am always excited to work with him because he is a confident, enthusiastic orator who is able to capture the attention of the audience of friends and family. Chris takes the time to get to know the couple throughout the planning process through phone calls and in-person meetings, which allows him to deliver a personalized and well-put-together ceremony that feels incredibly special. I've had multiple wedding guests come up to me after the ceremony just to rave about how wonderful the officiant was. Chris's punctual, informative, and celebratory approach provides exceptional value and a 10/10 experience for the couple's special day.
Response from vendor•Apr 15, 2025
Marian, you are a joy to work with, or to be more grammatical, you are someone with whom it is a joy to work! Thank you so much for these kinds words. I look forward to working with you again later this year!

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As of early April, 2025, I have officiated over 640 weddings.

The first wedding I officiated was at the end of 2011, in New York City, at Rockefeller Plaza. It was cold and loud.

Yes of course! Let's make the ceremony uniquely you.

Yes of course! Let's make the ceremony uniquely yours. My entire process is designed for you to personalize it.

I have often run rehearsals myself, but usually they are a coordinated effort between me and someone from your venue. I am the rare officiant who enjoys doing them. I think they can be really useful and a really enjoyable part of the whole experience. I offer my help in rehearsals that take place within 2 hours of the ceremony. If you are having your rehearsal on a different day, I have a fee for that, and would only be available if I am not officiating another wedding at that time.

Yes of course! Doing my due diligence, I'd need to see your marriage certificate. But yes, people do this all the time - they do the legal part on one date and do the huge celebration on another date. Yes.

Nope. I am not a priest, religious figure or social worker. That said, I've been happily married since 2002, so I can talk your head off about marriage if you want. But who would want that?

Yes, duh, of course. That's officiating 101. No joke: it's the first thing I learned in this business.

I’m so glad you asked. The assumption is that officiants just show up, do their twenty minutes and that’s it. People have no idea how many hours go into getting to know a couple, finding the right words to say about them, editing, rehearsing delivery, re-writing, keeping the flow going, managing different moods you want to hit. Each couple gets 20 hours of prep, easily. And then there's the wedding day - another 2-3 hours plus travel time.

I’m usually with the couple until the 3rd day of the honeymoon, then things get awkward. Kidding! I leave on the 2nd day of the honeymoon. Kidding! I stay for part of cocktail hour, then I make an Irish exit.

Top-notch Classical Voice and Speech training and years of performing plays with no microphone. If a microphone conks out, I can still project really well. Also, indefatigable charm. And perfect timing. And humbleness, whatever that is.

Yes -- you would do the same thing if you were trying to save time.

I went to a lot of wedding ceremonies that weren't personal or even connected to the couple and I thought 'there must be a better way to do this.' It looked like a fun thing to do, so I interviewed other professional celebrants and officiants who confirmed that it was great fun. I studied at the Celebrant Foundation & Institute, set up this website, listed on big wedding platforms and here we are.

Yes. Also, I need people to keep spending too much money on weddings. Specifically, they need to spend more money on wedding officiants.

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Illuminating Ceremonies

Full wedding (ceremony and reception) pricing

About Illuminating Ceremonies

Chris Shelley

Services

Ceremony types

Religious affiliations

Reviews

Outstanding Officiant!!

The best officiant!!

Chris is simply the BEST!

A planner's dream officiant to work with!

Preferred vendors of Illuminating Ceremonies

Frequently asked questions

How many weddings have you done?

How long have you been in business?

Can we personalize our ceremony?

Can we personalize our ceremony?

Do you do rehearsals? Is that included in your cost?

We’re legally married already. Can you still do our ceremony?

Do you provide or require premarital counseling?

Will you get out of the way at the end so you are not in our kiss photo?

How many hours of preparation do you do for a wedding ceremony?

How long do you stay after the wedding?

What is your secret weapon as an officiant?

Chris, aren't some of these FAQs lifted directly from your own FAQ page on your website?

How did you get into this business?

Are people spending too much money on weddings?

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