James was PERFECT throughout the entire wedding planning and wedding! Very responsive and flexible! He listened to what we were looking for (blend of humor and seriousness without religious tones) and ran with it. I have full confidence he could perform any type of ceremony. I HIGHLY recommend him.

James was ideal for us-- we had a great time meeting with him at the Chapel pub, and his fun-loving attitude was infectious. He was enthusiastic and willing to make major last-minute edits to the ceremony based on fun things I found and wanted incorporated. He was a blast throughout the ceremony. My husband and the groomsmen all wore black converse allstar sneakers (aka Chucks), and James told us he wished he had known, because he would have bought a pair to match the guys.

Loved, loved, loved having James as our officiant!! (and so did all of our guests!)
He did a wonderful job creating a ceremony that fit my husband and I perfectly. It was original to us with enough humor and love to make it just perfect.
His cocktail ritual was a big hit and he stayed and shared the evening with us. He had no problem meeting with us several times before the ceremony and was easy to get in touch with.
For us, he was a non-traditional and perfect choice that made our wedding unique. Highly recommend James aka Manhattan Monk!

As a Portland bridal consultant looking to have a unique and fun ceremony, and since neither my husband nor I had a Pastor, we knew we needed the perfect person to officiate our wedding. After meeting with two other nice but very traditional officiants, we met with James. We knew after that first meeting at McMenamins Blue Moon, over a beer and yes, a Manhattan, there was no better match for our big day! James was not only open to our crazy ideas, but able to perfectly translate our vision into a reality, while making it an absolute blast each step of the way! He listened very closely to how we met and incorporated it into a fun upbeat story that was a true reflection of our love for one another. Our ceremony was the most memorable part of our entire wedding (you don't hear that too often considering the cocktails haven't been served), and much of this can be credited to James. My husband read the most sincere and heartfelt of vows to me and each time he got emotional James was right there to lend a hand (or glass of wine) to help him get through it. We truly could not have chosen a better officiant for our very special day and we continue to hear praises about the guy dressed in the monk's robe who married us! I can't wait to work with James again at future weddings and give him the highest of recommendations!

We wanted our wedding to be laid back and fun and James helped to provide that! We knew he was the one when we first met him and even though he strongly suggested we check out other officiants, we never did. He's a great guy, ready to meet your needs and how you want the wedding to be. Even my husbands very devout Catholic Hungarian grandfather loved James. You could not do any better than James :)

If James is available on the date of your wedding snatch him up. James officiated our wedding (in suit, not in monk robe) in 2005 at the Kennedy School and was simply amazing. He wrote (and re-wrote) a wonderful ceremony that was perfect for us, had a fun and warm attitude, and was a fantastic orator. We could not have been more pleased.