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About

Dear Ceremony is a wedding officiant service based out of Trumansburg, New York. I'm Benjamin, and I've been a legally ordained officiant for the past two decades. I was registered in 2001 by the City of New York to officiate ceremonies throughout the United States. My goal is to deliver a completely genuine, crafted, and personalized ceremony. My professionalism, experience, and expertise shine through in a joyful, positive, and supportive way. Writing original content for and with couples and performing your ceremony with elegance and warmth, I will strive to make the wedding day as beautiful as you have envisioned.

Description of Services Offered:

Dear Ceremony will meet with you one-on-one via phone, video call, or in-person to help you design the wedding ceremony that fits all of your expectations. I officiate elopements and traditional same-faith, interfaith, same-sex, intercultural, interdenominational, and interracial wedding services. My creative process includes getting to know my clients and their histories, ensuring that each ceremony is very personal and real.

Personalized Ceremonies, written with excellence and a truly caring, expressive touch, are drawn from the features that define you both as a couple. We will create the perfect fitting ceremony, celebrating the life you have already made together, the connection you treasure, and the embrace of your future - with all the anniversaries to come. Gathering your guests of family and friends, we will offer the display of your loving relationship through a professional and well-spoken voice.

With many options available and a true craft for original and specifically written-for-you content, we will create the whole picture, leading to a customized ceremony that speaks for your lives together. Whether your preference is romantic and sweet or lighthearted and fun, I am here to write the words in any way that suits both of you.

After speaking on the phone and getting to hear each other, making sure your officiant is a good match for your vision, we can set a date to move forward with a process where I will take notes on what you're both looking for (even if you're not exactly sure at this time) and walk you through the whole ceremony, from walking down the aisle, to the kiss and cheering guests.

After this, I construct an outline with the information gathered, we have our base for proceeding with the arranging and adding of content over the next few months. There's no sense of rushing and no feeling of "homework" - rather a sense of grounded confidence and trust as we move along in tailoring the perfect ceremony for your wedding day.

Always available, kind-hearted, and helpful, my 21 years of experience will make this a fun and easy process.

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Frequently asked questions

Does starting price include the ceremony rehearsal?

No

What is the starting price for ceremony rehearsals?

$225

What types of weddings and events do you provide services for?

Non-religious
Interfaith
Ceremony Rehearsal
Vow Renewal
Civil Union

What religious affiliations do you serve?

Anglican
Baha'i Faith
Baptist
Buddhist
Catholic
Episcopalian
Evangelical
Hindu
Islam
Jainism
Jewish
Lutheran
Methodist
Mormon
No Denomination
Orthodox Christian
Presbyterian
Quaker
Shinto
Sikhism
Taoist

On average, how long are wedding ceremonies you officiate?

Less than 30 mins.

In which states are you licensed?

AL
AK
AZ
AR
CA
CO
CT
DE
DC
FL
GA
HI
ID
IL
IN
IA
KS
KY
LA
ME
MD
MA
MI
MN
MS
MO
MT
NE
NV
NH
NJ
NM
NY
NC
ND
OH
OK
OR
PA
RI
SC
SD
TN
TX
UT
VT
VA
WA
WV
WI
WY

What languages do you speak?

English

Reviews of Dear Ceremony

This AI-generated summary gives you a snapshot of the overall ratings and feedback from the reviews this vendor has received.

Review summary

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Ben has received glowing reviews as an officiant for weddings, praised for his kind, professional, and approachable demeanor. Reviewers appreciated his attention to detail, personalized ceremonies, and ability to provide a calming presence during the planning process and on the big day. They highlighted his warmth, guidance, and ability to make ceremonies special and memorable, making him a highly recommended choice for couples seeking an officiant for their wedding.

Review summary

Powered by AI
This AI-generated summary gives you a snapshot of the overall ratings and feedback from the reviews this vendor has received.

Ben has received glowing reviews as an officiant for weddings, praised for his kind, professional, and approachable demeanor. Reviewers appreciated his attention to detail, personalized ceremonies, and ability to provide a calming presence during the planning process and on the big day. They highlighted his warmth, guidance, and ability to make ceremonies special and memorable, making him a highly recommended choice for couples seeking an officiant for their wedding.

T
Tim C. Sent on 10/11/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Exactly what we wanted

This is was exactly what we wanted for our wedding. The flexibility and care that was taken over the several months leading to wedding helped make our big day fantastic. Benjamin offered a calming presence, arrived early, and handled the little things without guidance like talking with the DJ, signing the marriage license, and organizing details of the ceremony to make it as perfect as possible. My wife and I also wrote own vows and Benjamin took time to read them over and provide us with printed write ups. I appreciate everything he did and would highly recommend.
Jessica
Jessica Sent on 09/30/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing! Highly Recommend!

Ben is awesome! We were running behind prior to the ceremony, but he took charge to help get everything squared away and ready for us. The ceremony went beautifully. He is super nice and his services are very affordable. My husband and I are very appreciative that he could take part in our special day!
Jess
Jess Sent on 11/15/2024
5 out of 5 rating

An Amazing Officiant Who Made Our Day Perfect!

We couldn’t have asked for a better officiant for our wedding! From the very beginning, Ben was so kind and approachable that it felt like we were working with a close friend. He took the time to review every detail with us, answering all our questions and ensuring we were completely comfortable. His warmth and professionalism made the ceremony truly special. We are so grateful for his guidance and presence— he genuinely cared about making our day perfect. Highly recommend!
K
Kris Sent on 11/02/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Wonderful officiant!

We are so happy we chose Ben to officiate our wedding! He is kind and has a calm and confident presence. He is also a total professional we felt we could trust from the first time we spoke to him by phone.

Ben helped us personalize our ceremony, and the process of working with him flowed effortlessly. He did an amazing job officiating our recent elopment at the arboretum at Cornell. He exuded a heartfelt presence, with space for humor, and helped us make our ceremony an incredibly special experience.

We recommend Ben to anyone looking for an officiant who can guide you through the preparation of your wedding and the big day!
B
Betsy Sent on 11/01/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Wonderful Wedding Day w Benjamin

We couldn't have asked for a better officiant for our wedding! From our first meeting, Benjamin was absolutely amazing. He took the time to get to know us and hear our story, giving us an incredibly personal and meaningful day.

On the day of the wedding, Benjamin brought such warmth and joy to the ceremony. It was beautiful and so much fun.

We also appreciated how organized and professional Benjamin was throughout the entire process. He provided several ceremony plans with us, and worked with us to choose the words and style to fit our personalities. He told our story as if he had known us from the beginning.

If you’re looking for someone to officiate your wedding, we highly recommend Benjamin! He truly helped make our day unforgettable.
D
Dylan Sent on 10/29/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Excellent!

Benjamin was very helpful and flexible throughout the whole process. He presented us with options for our ceremony and let us steer it the way we wanted. He performed a beautiful ceremony that our guests remarked multiple times how much they enjoyed.
S
Stephanie Sent on 09/03/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Ben was great to work with!

Ben was great to work with! Easy to talk to and understood what we wanted for our small wedding.
When we found out my parents wouldn’t be able to come to our wedding, he was willing to do an impromptu virtual ceremony for them the weekend before. They really appreciated it, and we appreciated him doing the ceremony twice!
D
Donna Sent on 06/02/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Private Elopement

My partner (now husband) and I had been together for 20 years and finally decided to get married. We wanted a private, but special ceremony that we could video and photograph to later share with friends and family. Ben helped us to create a ceremony that was also a celebration of all our years together. He provided sample readings, helpful suggestions, and guidance. On the day of the service he was prompt, professional, and worked well with the photographer and videographer. He is truly a kind person and a professional. We highly recommend him!
E
Emily Sent on 12/04/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Wonderful!!

Ben was wonderful. We had a stressful event happen just a couple of months before the wedding, shortly after booking with him! I was worried about not having enough time to get the details of the ceremony the way we wanted, but he assured us that he would be able to make it work and he definitely delivered! My mom, as well as many other family members, could not believe we “just found him online.” They raved about what a beautiful ceremony it was and were very impressed with him from start to finish! I am so happy we chose him to officiate our wedding and will always be grateful to him for making our marriage official in such a beautiful way.
S
Sonya Sent on 11/27/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Ben was wonderful!!

We highly recommend Benjamin Marlin to anyone looking for an officiant. He's very kind, easy to talk with, listens to you and helps guide you through the process if like us, it's your first time :)
The ceremony he created for us was perfect. Short and very sweet! He helped us incorporate our families and friends into the I Do's and we were so touched by what he had written, we used it as a keepsake that we'll cherish forever. Thank you Ben!!
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Awards

87
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2024 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2023 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2022 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2021 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2020 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2015 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2014 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2013 Winner

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