Chris officiated our 1/20/24 wedding. He did a fantastic job, people laughed, people cried, and everyone asked about him afterwards. He came highly recommended on just about every website we found him on, and for good reason! His process is great, he's asks the right questions and wants feedback along the way. He wanted to make sure our ceremony had the vibe we wanted. He was punctual and was flexible with the plan, making sure everyone knew what they were doing. Would highly recommend his services.

We set out to find the best officiant we could, and we found him. From the start, Chris put in real work to get to know us. His questionnaire pulled out details and history from our relationship that we never would have thought to include on our own, and it gave him real material to work with instead of generic filler.

The ceremony itself was exactly what we asked for. Not too long, genuinely funny, sincere where it counted, and it kept all our guests fully engaged the entire time. My father-in-law told us it was the first wedding ceremony he's ever stayed awake for. Another family member said she had heard bits and pieces of our story over the years, but hearing it all at once, told the way Chris told it, made her understand for the first time how special it actually was.

Every single person who complimented us on the wedding also complimented Chris. Not most. Every one. Multiple guests said it was the best wedding ceremony they had ever seen.

We were anxious about this part of the day. We wanted someone who could represent us well and not lose the room, and that's a hard thing to trust a stranger with. Chris delivered completely. If storytelling matters to you, book him.

Hands down—best day ever! We had the absolute pleasure of having Chris marry us in the beautiful gazebo in the gardens at the Hilton Garden Inn. It was 10 days ago and everyone is still talking about how amazing and wonderful Chris is. Even though the sun was beating down on us in that hot gazebo, he treated our love story with so much care and professionalism, and delivered the most beautiful words. Our guests were hanging onto every moment. He has a very unique approach to marrying couples and his skills definitely shine. His delivery was heartfelt, humorous, and thoughtful. He made our ceremony so personal that our guests were coming up to us during the reception asking if he was our lifelong friend. He truly goes above and beyond. It was a spectacular day that began with an absolutely wonderful ceremony that people will be talking about for a long time to come! Excellent! We couldn’t be happier!

I am so glad we had Chris officiate our ceremony. Beyond his questionnaire, he took the time to meet us in Manhattan to get to know us a bit better as a couple. He was able to understand what we wanted and didn’t in a ceremony. Chris’ script was personal, lighthearted, and really captured our story the way we wanted it conveyed. Chris collaborated with us to make sure we were on board with the script and that it covered everything we wanted. He even worked with us and our band to coordinate the Jeopardy song to give guests 30 seconds of photos before the unplugged ceremony kicked in. He also included some personal advice about married life for us in the ceremony (while planned in the script, the advice itself was kept as a nice surprise for us to hear at the altar). Our guests loved him too – we got a good number of compliments about Chris’ ceremony during cocktail hour and a few questions about how we know him. Guests assumed he was a long-time friend based on how personalized he made our ceremony. Chris truly did a great job of making our ceremony unique to us, fun, and heartfelt!

We found Chris on YouTube while searching for an officiant who could make our DC wedding in November 2024 truly special—and he exceeded all our expectations! From the start, Chris was an expert partner in helping us bring our ceremony vision to life.

He guided us through a fun and insightful couples questionnaire, including some secret questions that added a personal and unexpected touch. His insights, humor, and charisma shone through in every interaction, making the planning process smooth and enjoyable.

On the big day, Chris delivered a ceremony that was everything we dreamed of: intimate, special, and light-hearted. It was the perfect blend of tears, laughter, and joy—a true reflection of our relationship and the love we share.

We couldn’t have asked for a better officiant and would wholeheartedly recommend Chris to any couple looking for someone who can beautifully balance professionalism, warmth, and creativity. Thank you, Chris, for making our wedding day unforgettable!

We were overjoyed to have Chris as our officiant! He did a phenomenal job at creating a personalized ceremony that centered around our story while still ensuring that . We loved the result and received multiple compliments about the ceremony from our friends and family.

My wife and I enjoyed the process of working with Chris almost as much as the result. If you are looking for a ceremony that tells your love story, has the right amount of levity, but also has the professionalism and structure behind the scenes to make it seem "effortless" then he's perfect. We are among the last of our friends to get married, but would recommend him to anyone looking for an officiant!

Thanks Chris!
Jack

We had the absolute pleasure of having Chris as our wedding officiant, and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience. From the moment we started preparing, he was professional, thoughtful, and incredibly easy to work with. On the big day, Chris truly stole the show with his humor and storytelling—our guests, including my family, couldn’t stop raving about how engaging and heartfelt he was. He made our ceremony feel unique and special, and his delivery was flawless. Chris absolutely crushed it, and we’re so grateful for the role he played in making our day unforgettable!

Not only was he extremely flexible and understanding, we could tell how much time he spent preparing for our special day.
He tailored our ceremony to highlight our unique circumstances and story, and perfectly executed it to set the exact mood we wanted.
During the reception, half of our guests were talking about him instead of us!
All in all, an absolute joy to work with.

we are SO lucky to have found chris and to have used him for our wedding on october 11, 2024! my husband and i had so much fun filling out his questionnaire which really helps him to understand the couple and their love story on a deeper level. he then takes the questionnaire to create a cohesive, beautiful script which you can edit to your liking, and then you can offer feedback and he will execute any adjustments you'd like. we also met chris for coffee one morning which helped him to get to know us even better! our love story is incredibly special to us and chris absolutely NAILED it on our wedding day. we had multiple people approach us throughout the night saying it was the best ceremony they had ever been to, and let me tell you, it really WAS!! hiring a professional officiant truly makes such a difference. he helps with rehearsal and the flow of the ceremony, and handles everything with your marriage license too! the ceremony was such a highlight of our wedding day. THANK YOU CHRIS :)

If you're looking for an officiant who will make your wedding ceremony truly special and tailored to your unique story, look no further than Chris Shelly. From start to finish, working with Chris was an absolute delight. He is not only incredibly kind and personable, but also exceptionally skilled at what he does. Our ceremony was a huge hit with our guests, and we cherished every moment. Chris's ability to craft a ceremony that felt deeply personal and meaningful was nothing short of remarkable. We cannot recommend him highly enough—he truly made our day unforgettable.