Testimonials & Reviews

Celia and Cari saved my wedding!  And they didn’t just save it…they made it the BEST! CEREMONY! EVER! Three weeks before my wedding, I found myself anxious as the officiant I had booked was not replying to my emails and had not provided any information about our day. In a panic, I started looking for recommendations, and Celia Milton was recommended by both my venue and my town municipal office. We called Celia and had the most amazing time. She instantly made us feel at ease and excited. Celia was not available on our day, but luckily, Cari was. We had an amazing discovery call with Celia, who gave us many amazing ideas. A day or two later, we connected with Cari. We could tell immediately that Cari loved what she did and went out of her way to give us a beautiful ceremony on such short notice. She had a very thorough call with us, sent us a questionnaire, and, in a few days, had a rough draft of a script for us with multiple readings to choose from. We only had a few minor edits, and we had a perfect and personalized script. The day of the wedding, Cari gave us the most beautiful ceremony we could imagine. She read so beautifully – her ceremony was so beautiful and personal, and most of all uplifting. Her word choices were modern and constructive, and her delivery was incredible. She has the most beautiful voice – some of our guests were hard of hearing and we were told that they were able to hear her perfectly, she enunciated so well. My only regret is that I didn’t find Celia and Cari sooner so I could have spent even more time getting to know them. Amazing energy, amazing people. BOOK THEM! They are the best!

- Julianne W.

We originally came to Celia because we saw her marry friends of ours and loved her unique, personal, and creative take on wedding ceremonies. When we contacted her about our wedding, she was already booked for our date (she’s popular!), but connected us with one of her affiliated officiants, Cari Chrisostomou Schonfeld. Cari was wonderful. Things started with an in-depth (but fun!) phone call where she got to know my fiance and me, our story, and how we envisioned our wedding ceremony. In addition to being easy to talk to and personable, she brought a sense of flexibility and expertise to the ceremony design process. After the convo, we filled out a questionnaire that formed the basis of the ceremony Cari wrote for us. She met our needs on several levels: suggesting appropriate readings, building the right amount of spirituality, and accommodating our requests for live musical interludes and a handful of special readers. On the day of the wedding, Cari was the epitome of professionalism. She dressed gorgeously but appropriately–festive but still official in a dark-colored dress–and was calm, cool, and collected. She double-checked a few name pronunciations for us and was natural and engaging during the ceremony. We couldn’t have loved her more!

- Meghan and Mario

From the very start, Celia was amazing! She returned calls quickly, and she really wanted to get to know us. Celia even helped us when our photographer canceled on us! Celia matched us up with one of her associates, Michael Yelle, and he was fantastic. Before our wedding day, we had several conversations and emails about our ceremony. He wanted it to be perfect! On the day of our wedding, he showed up early to ensure there was nothing we needed. Michael ensured everyone knew what was happening and that everyone was calm. After the ceremony everyone kept asking if he was a friend of the family, that is how unique and personalized our ceremony was. It was all about us, and our friends said they had never been to a ceremony as unique as that. They even said they learned some things about us. When everything was done, Michael filed all the paperwork and handled everything. I had nothing to worry about. I can honestly say that I can not recommend these officiants enough. They made my wedding so special!

- Melody and Colt

My husband and I are not religious at all, so we were nervous about how we were going to find an officiant. We still wanted to have a “traditional” wedding, just without the religious aspects. It seemed like it was going to be impossible until we found Celia Milton on this site. I had a good feeling about her from the start! We contacted her right away, and we had a very nice conversation over Skype. Although she was already booked for a wedding at the same time as ours, she was able to set us up with another officiant she works with, Cari Chrisostomou. Cari was wonderful! She had a great personality and was fun to work with, and the ceremony she wrote for us was so moving. She did a great job getting to know us and our story, and putting it together very succinctly and beautifully. Knowing that our favorite band had a huge part in bringing us together, she figured out (without either of us telling her) the perfect song for “us” and included it in the ceremony! She even helped us figure out what kind of rituals to include, and she wrote an awesome wine sharing and hand-fasting ceremony for us. The ceremony was just magical. It had EVERYONE in tears! It couldn’t have been more perfect. Cari and Celia were both so sweet and helpful. In the week leading up to the wedding, we had a major crisis – we thought we could just go in and get a marriage license, but it turned out it was too late. Freaked out, I called Cari, and she calmed me down. My husband called Celia and she told us exactly what we needed to do to appeal the waiting period. The next day we went to the courthouse and got our waiver easily! They really saved our wedding. Whether you end up working with Celia, Cari, or one of their other officiants, I think you’ll be very happy with what you get. They’re great people, and they really understand how to capture “you” in the ceremony

- M and S

Hi Michael, I just wanted to extend a heartfelt thank you for doing such an amazing job on Saturday at our wedding at the Chart House. We had SEVERAL of our guests come up to us afterwards and say what a wonderful ceremony it was and how personal it felt and that you must have known us really well. You were great to work with from the very beginning throughout the process and it really all came together nicely in the end. We are very grateful for you making our important day so special. I copied Celia on this message so she is aware how pleased we were with your work.
Thanks again!

- Abigail (& Michael)

Dear Celia, I can’t tell you enough how lovely, eloquent, entertaining and charming you made our wedding ceremony. It fit our personalities and said what we wanted to say, to each other and to our friends and family. So many guests raved to us during the rest of the day, and since then. I was a bit worried because ours was the first in my family not to be held in a church. I thought some family members would think it not as meaningful, but the opposite was true. Thank you again. You were a hit! With love,

- Nicole and Mike

Thank you so much for following up with this email, the card in the mail, and for everything you’ve done in the past 6 months. We could not have been happier with how you took the time to get to know us , gave us words of support and encouragement, and executed everything flawlessly on the day of the wedding. You are a fun, caring, and kind person to work with and we will always keep you in our hearts and memories. Again, thank you! You are the best.

- J and J

Dear Michael, thank you so very much for all that you have done for us. The ceremony was extremely touching yet fun and exciting. We received many compliments directed towards you about how you involved the audience in the ceremony and our love story. The remainder of our day was packed with just as much excitement as the ceremony. We had a “wedding crasher” who fortunately was discovered and escorted out. We also had a half hour blackout as the entire neighborhood lost power. During that time the bar stayed open and people were having fun dancing to their own music and waving their lighters and phone flashlights around. At the end of the night, every guest said that our wedding set the bar pretty high for all future weddings in terms of fun and excitement. However, it wouldn’t have been as great without the ceremony and the wonderful way in which it was conducted. Thanks again,

- Jimmy and Amy

Long story short, Michael Yelle did an amazing job. Along with Celia Milton, he guided my husband and I patiently through the process of creating our perfect ceremony. Going into the process, all we knew is that we wanted a comfortable and romantic atmosphere – which, while that sounds nice, is admittedly not very practical. Leading up to the wedding, Michael used his experience and creativity to guide us to our vision. From our first phone call to five minutes before guests began arriving, he was invaluable – asking the right questions, accommodating our budget without question or judgement, negotiating my very divorced parents with ease and poise, suggesting last minute solutions to those pesky last minute problems (quietly, professionally, in other words, pretty perfectly!). I don’t want to get married again, but if I had to, at least I could work with Celia and Michael again.

- Sylvia

Hi Michael! We just wanted to take a moment to thank you for the wonderful job that you did in performing our ceremony. Everyone was very complimentary about the ceremony. Simple, funny, different, and definitely not boring. You have a very easy going personnality and a good sense of humor. As you promised, everything went on without a problem. We will be recommending you to others. Thank you! Proudly,

- Mr. and Mrs. M!!

Celia was an absolute pleasure to work with since day one. Her personality was the perfect fit for our non-traditional ceremony. Obviously, she cares about her couples and especially their stories, as she took all the questions we answered and neatly wove them into a beautiful ceremony that my friends and family have said is the best ceremony they’ve ever seen or heard! Celia was willing to spend time with us, perfectly tailoring our ceremony to be the most authentic to my husband’s and my personalities all the way up until the day before the wedding. I asked for laughs, tears, and warm feelings all around, and she delivered. She was also helpful in helping us prepare our vows! We are so grateful for her fun-loving attitude and her professionalism, which made our day PERFECT! THANK YOU!

- Abigail H

Celia, we cannot thank you enough for the beautiful ceremony you created for us. We both agreed that it was hands down the best part of our wedding day. Derek and I still get emotional thinking about it, and so many guests commented on how much they loved it. I think they also enjoyed hearing our story, both those who knew it already, and those who were hearing it for the first time. Many family members and friends are used to ‘church weddings’ so I think they were surprised at how lovely and meaningful our choice of ceremony was…probably even more so than the traditions they are accustomed to. I’ll thank you more profusely by phone and probably in several more e-mails, but until then, please know that you are so talented at what you do and brought a unique quality to the most meaningful ritual of our life. Everyone remarked that they could definitely tell you love what you do!

- Tricia and Derek

Our Officiant was Michael Yelle through Celia’s services. Celia was very helpful and directed us to Michael Yelle. Michael Yelle was fantastic. He was very thorough and took the time to get to know us. He customized our ceremony and added a lot of personal touches and it was a very personalized wedding ceremony. Everyone enjoyed the ceremony and they said how great it was that it was so personal. He really took the time out for us, skyping with us before the wedding and a lot of email exchanges. He offered up a lot of suggestions and gave us a lot of ideas. We were very pleased with our ceremony!! I also wanted to add, we had less than a month to look for a good officiant and we were very happy to have found Celia and Michael!

- M and A

How did we love thee as our officiant? Let us count the ways!  We loved your depth and breadth and presentation!  You absolutely fulfilled your promise to create a personalized ceremony. You were able to weave together important relationship details, funny anecdotes, reverent rituals and fun family shout-outs, into the most beautifully written, perfectly paced, expertly delivered ceremony of our dreams! All of that was gleaned from a phone convo and a short questionnaire! You and Celia made the process so easy for us. You guided and led us when needed while also staying creatively collaborative. The strength of your voice, your sense of purpose and warm inclusive spirit, allowed our guests to feel included as a part of our ceremony. That was important to us, thank you.  Our guests absolutely loved you, Michael. Your ceremony deeply resonated with us and our guests. You can’t ask for anything better than that! You were a magical wizard. (And then you disappeared:) We didn’t get a chance to tell you how wonderful you made our wedding! We are very grateful! Thank you!

- C and P

Throughout all of the craziness of wedding planning, my sister-in-law gave me a word of advice: “Don’t lose sight of why you’re doing this, the ceremony is the most important thing.” I’m glad we didn’t lose sight of the ceremony; ours was absolutely perfect, and that’s largely because of our officiant Michael Yelle. We found Michael through Celia Milton (our venue’s recommended officiant). From our first phone call, we just clicked. He is so personable and funny; he set me at ease immediately. After filling our questionnaires individually, Michael put together our “script.” It was funny, heartfelt, and personal, but I was a little concerned that it would sound like a script. All of my fears though were assuaged the second we walked down the aisle. He had everyone in the venue laughing AND crying (sometimes simultaneously), and when our parents’ gifts got delivered to the wrong room (I realized this during the ceremony and somehow telepathically communicated that to him!), he ad-libbed and covered for the missing gifts — no one even knew! During our reception, everyone wanted to know where we found Michael! I also received multiple texts and emails telling me that our ceremony was the sweetest and most personal anyone had ever attended. I feel so blessed that we found Michael and that he was there to celebrate the start of our life as a married couple!

- A. and M.

We had Celia Milton arrange the officiant services for our wedding in October, with her associate, Cari, presiding over the actual ceremony. Both Celia and Cari were terrific to work with, they were responsive, professional, and are positive and enthusiastic about everything they do. They both communicated with us frequently, answered any and all of our questions, and gave excellent suggestions and advice regarding the progression and design of the ceremony. Cari was perfect on the day of our wedding; she has a beautiful presence, voice, and her readings flowed seamlessly from one part of the ceremony to the next. Celia and Cari will also advise you regarding the procedure for obtaining your marriage license so you don’t have to worry about that. We thoroughly enjoyed having them at our wedding and highly recommend them if you’re looking for an officiant.

- Maria and Vincent

Hi Michael,I wanted to send a note along to thank you for the wonderful job you did!!!!! You did a phenomenal job and we received countless compliments on how the ceremony was different and fun and not your typical boring wedding ceremony! The jumping of the Broom was a big hit and I am so glad we added it to the ceremony. It was truly the best day of my life and I am so glad that you were apart of it. As soon as we get our wedding pictures, I will pass them along. Thanks again to you and Celia for everything. Kind Regards,

- Danielle and Luke

Michael, you have blown us away, truly so! Throughout this evening, a mutually felt feeling of awe lingers as we marvel over how perfectly the universe has brought everything together, and how it has brought you to us and we to you. We could not have imagined a reading more apropos than what you have so thoughtfully presented here.

- Nicole and Matthew

Hi Cari, on behalf of my husband and I ; ) we would like to say a huge thank you for making our day so special. You were truly amazing. We can’t tell you how many comments we had about how wonderful you were and how much everyone enjoyed the ceremony. It really set the tone for the day. John and I have spent most of our honeymoon talking about what a perfect day it was. We honestly had the best day of our lives, which I think we were actually surprised about given how stressful weddings can be! Thank you again!

- Rebecca & John

Michael was amazing. Everybody was talking about him and the ceremony. Thank you so much. You and your team have made our special day very memorable for us. It exceeded my expectations. I think people are going to be talking about it for a while. You took all the stress out of the day. Thanks again!

- Elizabeth

Hi Michael! We are back! Thank you once again I loved loved the ceremony and I cannot tell you how many wonderful compliments we got! Everybody loved it! Thank you for the book … It’s so funny and we loved it! Thank you once again. I would not change anything. You made it perfect! Thanks!

- Madeline

Can’t recommend Michael Yelle enough!! Michael Yelle was an absolute pleasure to work with, from start to finish. Before we even signed a contract, we had a Skype chat with Michael that went for easily over an hour. He spent a great deal of time getting to know us as a couple, so that our personalities would be reflected in the ceremony he wrote. It was incredibly important to us that the wording for the ceremony be a little more offbeat and less traditional–neither of us are religious and I wasn’t a fan of all the “honor and obey” language typical to vows–so having an officiant who was willing to really let us guide the tone was awesome. He was also great at suggesting alternatives to the traditional prayers, etc. We ended up doing a ring warming, and then a toast at the end! He kept up communication as we got closer and closer to the wedding, making sure we had all the right information to go apply for the marriage license, and going over in fine detail the drafts for the ceremony text. He arrived early the day of the ceremony and was incredibly instrumental in helping sort of direct traffic for the guests and bridal party. His advice and guidance was invaluable. We got nothing but rave reviews about the ceremony from the guests, and everyone loved how personal it all was. I can’t recommend Michael enough, he really made sure the whole wedding kicked off on the right note.

- Hannah

Contact

NJ Vows Now

Let's Start Planning Your Amazing Ceremony

MM slash DD slash YYYY