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Weddings

About

Dreams Made Real is a wedding officiant company based out of Belmar, New Jersey. Joe and Kathy McLaughlin are ordained and certified wedding celebrants that will orchestrate a beautiful and personalized wedding that reflects your style and lets your love be the focal point of the day.

Experience
Joe started out as an ordained fire chaplain with his local fire department, then started performing wedding ceremonies in 2003. Kathy has been a certified bridal consultant since 1994, and became certified through Weddings Beautiful, Inc. She is now a member of the Association of Bridal Consultants and International Association of Wedding and Event Professionals. She is also a certified ordained minister, and has written and published many articles on the aspects of planning a wedding.

Services Offered
Dreams Made Real offers many services for a smooth and memorable experience, and can incorporate different elements including a sand ceremony, a rose ceremony, hand-fasting and a family unity ceremony. The types of ceremonies they can perform include:

  • Non-religious
  • Interfaith
  • Ceremony rehearsal
  • Vow renewal
  • Civil union
  • Single religion
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Frequently asked questions

Does starting price include the ceremony rehearsal?

No

What is the starting price for ceremony rehearsals?

$75

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?

Agnostic
Baptist
Catholic
Episcopalian
Jewish
Lutheran
Methodist
Mormon
No Denomination
Presbyterian
Quaker
Unitarian

On average, how long are wedding ceremonies you officiate?

Less than 30 mins.

Reviews of Dreams Made Real

T
Tammy Sent on 12/21/2010
5 out of 5 rating
We couldn't be happier with the service you provided. You were very professional but personal and thoughtful. Even though it was a winter out door wedding, near a lake no less, you provided us with the service we wanted without hesitation. It was a pleasure to deal with some one so knowledgeable and considerate, I would highly recommend your services to anyone. Thank you once again for doing such a wonderful job! Sincerely, Tammy Vreeland
D
Deanna Sent on 09/19/2010
5 out of 5 rating
everyone loved our ceremony, we loved being able to have so much input
J
Jennifer Sent on 03/25/2010
5 out of 5 rating
Both Kathy & Joe were great! They helped me along with the process with such ease! Great recommendations on vendors! Thanks guys!
C
Carissa Sent on 11/09/2009
5 out of 5 rating
Kathy and Joe at Dreams Made Real were fantastic. They were extremely helpful and responded right away with all of our questions/concerns. They went above and beyond to make our day special. Thank you again for a perfect ceremony!
V
Vanessa Sent on 10/13/2009
5 out of 5 rating
Joe and Kathy were wonderful to work with. They were helpful in designing the ceremony exactly how we wanted it. Our wedding was perfect! I would absolutely recommend their services to anyone.
D
Denise Sent on 08/19/2009
5 out of 5 rating
My fiance and I needed to find an officiant very quickly. I found Dreams Made Real online, and contacted them via email. I received a quick and detailed response, and confirmed our date. Kathy was a great help in putting together our vows and everything was ready for our wedding day. They were beyond helpful and patient on our day (the bride and groom were late!!!). But everything went as planned, and we are extremely satisfied with Dreams Made Real and definitely recommend them to officiate any ceremony.
L
Lauren Sent on 07/19/2009
5 out of 5 rating
We found Kathy and Joe through Wedding Wire when we were looking for a non-traditional officiant for our wedding. Neither my husband nor I are very religious, and we wanted something meaningful and personal for our wedding. Kathy and Joe met with us at our wedding site and discussed many non-traditional ceremony options with us. They were kind and personable and extremely helpful from the first day we came into contact with them.

One of Kathy and Joe's strengths is their responsiveness. Kathy would get back to me within a day- and most of the time, within hours- of my emails to her. I cannot express how grateful I was for this aspect of working with them. Kathy is wonderful to work with- always optimistic and supportive and working hard to find exactly the right words to express exactly what we wanted.

Though we only met with them in person once, Kathy and Joe acted as if we had known them for years. I honestly got to the point where I felt that I was emailing back and forth with a friend. I would recommend Kathy and Joe to anyone looking for a wedding officiant, and their price was extremely reasonable considering the amount of time and work they spend helping and preparing for each ceremony.

Thank you, Kathy and Joe!
D
Daniella Sent on 06/22/2009
5 out of 5 rating
Kathy and Joe are amazing to work with. Everybody is talking about how beautiful my ceremony was. I was very happy with everything and I highly recommend them for your wedding.
Our ceremony had to be strictly "non-religious" due to differences of faith within he family and it worked out amazing.
S
Susan Sent on 01/18/2009
5 out of 5 rating
Due to my wedding date, we were unable to use their services. They referred us to another officiant and we couldn't have been happier with them.
I'd like to thank Kathy for all of her help with helping us get in touch with the other officiant.
She was such a great help and had an excellent referral.
Thanks Kathy!
Sue
S
Billie Sent on 10/06/2008
5 out of 5 rating
We met Joe & Kathy to discuss their services and after telling them what we wanted and haearing what they do we knew they were the perfect fit for us. We are both not religious and wanted a purely non denominational ceremony. They provided us with exactly what we wanted. They provided us with sample ceremonies and there was one in particular that we loved. We chose that ceremony but they made it personal by adding a little story in the beginning of the ceremony. I provided Kathy with details about our relationship and she came up with a paragraph. She let my change what I wanted and I was very pleased. We received many comments about how great Joe was. My father in law was especially impressed by the beautiful ceremony. He is a hard person to please. All in all they were outstanding the whole length of our planning process. I highly recommend them.
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Awards

17
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2011 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2010 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2009 Winner

Professional Network & Endorsements

4 Endorsements
PeterJames Floral Couture PeterJames Floral Couture Wedding Florists

Unique personalization....2 words that best describe the helping hands and minds of Dreams Made Real. Actuallly those hands and that beautiful mind belong To Kathy....she will guide you and deliver that special day that you have been dreaming about.

Calligraphy by Angela Calligraphy by Angela Wedding Invitations

I recommend the services of Dreams Made Real to make your Wedding Day that very special day you always wanted,that will be remembered and cherished by you and all your guests for many years to come. ~~ Angela Neik, www.calligraphybyangela.com Dallas Calligrapher

Uniquely Yours Wedding Services Uniquely Yours Wedding Services Wedding Officiants

Joe and Kathy are true professionals and two of the nicest people that you will ever want to meet. They will do an amazing job making your wedding a day you'll always remember.

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