The Officiants at Church of Ancient Ways
Full wedding (ceremony and reception) pricing
Prices start at $100
About The Officiants at Church of Ancient Ways
The Officiants at Church of Ancient Ways
We take all the worries out of planning the perfect wedding ceremony.
Founded by Pastor Marie April Gismondi in 1997, and now helmed by Reverend Joe Iadanza, The Officiants at Church of Ancient Ways is an award-winning team of joyful, seasoned, and professional Pastors, Ministers & Rabbis, recommended by many of Long Island’s most amazing venues. All of our reverends and ministers hold Church of Ancient Ways ordinations and are 100% fully legal to perform marriage ceremonies in all jurisdictions of New York State and beyond. We primarily serve Long Island and the greater NYC Tri-State area, but destination wedding requests are welcome too.
The Officiants at Church of Ancient Ways offers everything from fully custom originally written wedding ceremonies all the way to simple signature services and elopements in our offices. Whether you want us to craft and perform your ceremony, co-officiate, just write, sign your marriage license, help you elope, or coach your friend or family member so they can know what they need to legally marry you without making a mess of your photos and timings with your venue… We’re here to help make your wedding ceremony exactly what you always dreamed it could be.
In three words: Confident, Creative, Supportive
Services
Ceremony types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Legal License Signing
- Multicultural Weddings
- Non-religious Ceremony
- Other
- Religious
- Vow Renewal Ceremony
Religious affiliations
- Buddhist
- Catholic
- Christian
- Hindu
- Interfaith
- Jewish
- Muslim
- Other
- Pagan
- Secular
- Sikh
- Spiritual
- Unitarian
- Wiccan
Reviews
Write a review5.0 out of 5
2 reviews
The best person we could have asked for
Words cannot express how amazing Joe is, after all is said and done, you feel like you’ve gained a new friend in the process. He truly brings your love to the fullest extent during the ceremony, not a dry eye as well. If you go the route of crafting your own ceremony, I highly recommend it because just sitting with him for an hour he crafts the best ceremony for you, which you get to keep after it's all done. Joe is so funny, kind, sweet and overall just the best person we could have asked for to officiate our wedding.
Joe was absolutely amazing!
Joe was absolutely amazing! He made sure to make our ceremony worth every penny and oh so special! He took the time to get to know us and personalize our ceremony. You would have thought Joe has known us for years. The ceremony was so beautiful thanks to his creativity and words. He was a pleasure to work with, cannot reccomend him enough!
Preferred vendors of The Officiants at Church of Ancient Ways
Church of Ancient Ways was founded in 1997. We've been officiating weddings for nearly thirty years.
As a team, we've performed over 10,000 ceremonies.
Yes, we are 100% legal. None of our team are ordained online. Please note that while New York State does not license officiants to marry couples, a proper credential is essential to perform ceremonies. New York City does require officiants to Register with them. However, that registration states right on the face of the issued document that it is only valid for ceremonies that take place physically in New York City. If you are planning a NYC wedding, know that we are all registered with the Office of the City Clerk and are happy to share our ordinations and registrations with you.
Yes!
Yes!
This really depends on your comfort levels. Many couples book a year and a half to two years in advance, especially if they know their date is a popular one. With an originally written ceremony, many couples like to have plenty of time to go over the draft and fine-tune what will be said. On the other hand, with the world as it is now and with plans changing, shorter notice has also become popular too. Every relationship is different. The golden rule these days is, “Whatever Works!”. But with any vendor you have your heart set on, it is always better to book early.
Because we know how to marry people! We have creative writing ability, a knowledge of options, traditions, and structure, as well as a talent for public speaking. People think that it will be more personal if a friend or family member marries them…And while they do love you, they have no reference points for the task at hand. Most of our last-minute requests are from couples who enlisted a friend or family member only to realize they were in over their head and backed out at the last minute.
It is up to you but we usually try to run no more than 20 minutes. Any longer than that and we run the risk of sounding like “blah, blah, blah, blah….”
All kinds! Civil, Religious, Interfaith, and Multi-Cultural Weddings... We can even create new original writings for unique occasions! Twenty years ago, there really wasn’t a name for the kind of writing we were doing, so we started to call them “Couple Centered Ceremonies”, because we keep all the traditional aspects that you are connected to, and toss out the things that make you cringe. We have the writing skills to turn your thoughts and feelings into those personal sections that will make everyone present feel closer to you and to one another, sharing a side of you and your relationship that they wouldn’t see on any other day.
Not at all. You don’t have to do – or not do – anything with us. If you see your personal vows to each other as the center of your ceremony, if you are traditional and want the words you have always heard as the ones that make you married, or if you want a short and sweet civil ceremony… These are all great reasons to keep it simple. We even have an Unscripted level of service that may be perfect for your needs.
Yes. I have been getting this question often lately and while there are officiants who overbook and then farm out the overspill, we do not do that. If you book me you get me. If you book with one of our other officiants, you’ll get them. The only way that would change is if there is an illness or unforeseen emergency that requires us to replace the officiant. In that case, another team member will be there with everything you were promised, including the ceremony you picked or had created for you.
Of course it is! I always say that “Life rolls in real time”. Write them anyway and if you speak them publicly or privately it will always be your choice.
For our top two levels of service, we don’t schedule closer than 3 hours in between events, unless of course they are in the same town or at the same venue. Included in your time on our calendar is a buffer for “just in case”. Know that you will never lose any part of your day because we are late and we will never schedule so closely that you feel rushed in any way.
We are very fortunate to have a wonderful team of truly gifted professionals. Should any of us have a fever or be unable to perform, we are replaced immediately with a team member who has everything you have been promised, in print, ready to knock it out of the park for you.
Absolutely not, when it comes to working with other professional vendors. We want your photographer to get you the best shots possible. These pictures are how your great-great-grandchildren will know and remember you. Your vendors should all be working together to help give you the best of what we each have to offer. – With that said, many are choosing to have an unplugged ceremony where guests are asked to put their phones and camera away till after cocktail hour. If this is you… We can help!
Our services are all tailored to fit your needs. Our custom ceremony level of service includes a meeting and yields your first draft, ready for you to approve or edit. Or, if you take the “Skip the Meeting Discount”, it’s a ceremony assembled or chosen from our sample ceremonies section or our builder application. On your wedding day, arrive 45 minutes to an hour before the ceremony start time. You get to keep the final printed ceremony book that is read from with a keepsake Certificate of Marriage. We sign and process the real Marriage License, which is always returned using certified mail, with a copy and a tracking number provided to you.
Never! We don’t micromanage fees and ceremony content. We’re with you for the same amount of time on the calendar no matter what you include or how big your bridal party is. The couple is, however, responsible for purchasing any materials for that aspect of the ceremony on their own.
As much or as little as you want. Some couples edit and finish everything themselves, then send it all back. Others want to talk about the options for every decision they make. Either way is great, however you can expect a check in call every now and then. All calls and emails are answered within 24 hours, quicker midweek when we are in the office and a little slower on the weekends when we are marrying.
With a ceremony taking place at a catering hall, the rehearsal is run by the maitre-d. It’s usually sometime in the hour before the ceremony starts on the wedding day. That way, you have everyone, including us, there already in the real space with the real dress to practice fluffing and so on. Sometimes couples go on a different night, but most don’t choose to add the cost of us being there to our service. Usually, they get more information from the maitre-d, who will also answer any questions you have about the whole event.
Believe it or not the answer is usually “Yes!”. As long as the 24 hour grace period from issuance that it takes to become valid has passed, you are all set! We have (subject to officiant availability) locations in Old Bethpage, East Northport, Plainview, and Glen Cove, so give me a call and we’ll get you married!
Date, ceremony start time, and location. Any thoughts you already have about what you want (style, theme, religious/non religious) are welcome too. Please feel free to call any time!
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