And then, usually about five minutes later, comes the realization:
Oh. I actually have to marry them.

You’re responsible for one of the most meaningful parts of the day. You need to tell their story without embarrassing them, make people laugh without turning it into a roast, create some genuine emotion, handle the important ceremonial pieces, and somehow remember to tell everyone to sit down.

I can help.

This coaching is specifically for friends, siblings, parents, cousins, mentors and other loved ones who have been asked to officiate a wedding. It is not professional officiant training. You don’t need to become an expert in ceremonies. You just need to know how to create and deliver one beautiful ceremony for two people you know and love.

“I want tears, but they can’t be mine, and they need to be real.”

That may be my favorite description of the job.

A beautiful wedding ceremony should feel personal without becoming overly sentimental, polished without sounding scripted, and meaningful without taking itself too seriously.

My coaching is specifically for friends, siblings, parents, cousins, mentors, and other loved ones who have been asked to officiate a wedding.

This is not professional officiant training. You do not need to become an expert in ceremonies. You just need to know how to create and deliver one beautiful ceremony for two people you know and love.

That’s where I come in.

What We Can Work On

The ceremony itself

Structure, storytelling, transitions, readings, rituals, vows, family acknowledgements, and all the little pieces that make a ceremony feel complete.

What to say and what to leave out

Sometimes the difference between a lovely story and a five-minute inside joke is an editor. I’ll help you find the details that belong in the ceremony and let the others stay at the rehearsal dinner.

Delivery

Pacing, voice, body language, where to look, where to pause, what to do with the microphone, and how to read from a script without looking like you are reading from a script.

The emotional moments

How to let the ceremony have feeling without getting swallowed by your own. Because yes, you are allowed to cry. You just need to still be able to talk.

Traditions and family dynamics

Jewish, interfaith, intercultural, secular, blended-family, or wonderfully specific-to-this-family traditions can all be thoughtfully incorporated.

We can also talk through sensitive family relationships, complicated histories, and anything else that needs to be handled with a little care.

The rehearsal

Who stands where, who walks when, what happens with the rings, when everyone sits down, and the dozen tiny logistics nobody thinks about until suddenly everyone is looking at you.

You don’t need to become an officiant.

You just need to be wonderful at officiating this wedding.

The reason couples ask a friend or family member to marry them is because you already bring something no professional can manufacture: history, affection, and a real relationship with the people standing in front of you.

My job is to give you the ceremony-writing tools, practical guidance, and performance coaching to turn that relationship into a ceremony everyone else gets to feel, too.

How Coaching Works

Coaching is private and completely tailored to the wedding in front of you.

Sessions are held one-on-one over Zoom at $600 per hour. Most friend officiants benefit from two-three sessions, with additional coaching available if needed.

Depending on where you are in the process, you can send me your ceremony draft, notes, questions, or even a rehearsal video ahead of our session.

We’ll spend our time on the things that will make the biggest difference.

You’ll leave knowing what you’re going to say, how you’re going to say it, and what happens next.

And then you can get back to the important part:

Being someone they wanted standing beside them when they got married.

Ready?

Bring me the script, the nerves, the complicated family situation, the weird transition you can’t figure out, or the ceremony you’ve rewritten twelve times.

We’ll get you ready for the aisle.