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Weddings

About

Jeddah Vailakis is a trustworthy and beloved New York wedding officiant and Interfaith Minister. When working with Jeddah, she will guide you through your inner journey leading up to the day of your wedding, and help you to connect to what matters most. Jeddah has a passion for storytelling, and will narrate your love story in ways that are meaningful and memorable for you and your guests. Her calming nature will guide you through the tough parts of planning, and will keep you centered on the big day. Choosing Jeddah as your officiant is a great first step for planning your wedding.

Experience
Jeddah Vailakis was ordained as a minister in 2002, after a close friend and mentor asked her to fill in as the officiant for a wedding of 350 guests. She fell in love with the role, and has been helping couples on their journey to marriage ever since. Jeddah has been featured twice in Martha Stewart Weddings, offering sage wisdom to couples about the planning process and what to expect during the ceremony itself.

Services Offered
Jeddah offers religious, non religious and interfaith wedding ceremonies and civil unions. Jeddah believes that ceremonies should reflect the couple's love rather than adhering to strict traditions. She invites couples to choose their own reading materials and write their vows, and will help them to create the perfect wedding as they envision it. Jeddah also offers pre-wedding counseling for couples.

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Frequently asked questions

Does starting price include the ceremony rehearsal?

Yes

What is the starting price for pre-marital counseling (per session)?

$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
Anglican
Buddhist
Catholic
Earth-Based
Episcopalian
Hindu
Islam
Jewish
Lutheran
Methodist
No Denomination
Orthodox Christian
Pagan
Presbyterian
Quaker
Shinto
Sikhism
Taoist
Unitarian

On average, how long are wedding ceremonies you officiate?

Less than 30 mins.

In which states are you licensed?

CT
MA
NJ
NY
PA
VT

Reviews of Jeddah Vailakis

R
Robert Sent on 12/15/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Wonderful!

We are so thankful to have found Jeddah to officiate our wedding ceremony! She tailored our ceremony perfectly for us. She is warm, thoughtful, collaborative, and fun to work with. Her process is really enjoyable and provided a great framework to bring to life our vision for our ceremony. The process includes several conversations as well as a shared and an individual questionnaire that allows the couple to reflect deeply. Our guests shared how personal and beautiful our ceremony was and that Jeddah’s remarks captured our authentic selves so well. My wife and I highly recommend Jeddah!
J
Jennifer Sent on 06/22/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Book Jeddah!

I echo all the other comments about Jeddah being amazing. We worked with Jeddah at the Wythe Hotel and she blew everyone away with her ceremony. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house! I’m a type A person (which she clocked immediately) and Jeddah’s process worked so well for me and my partner: we filled out questionnaires on our relationship and the other person (this activity alone reminds you of all the great reasons you’re marrying your partnr and puts you in a great headspace for the event), and then Jeddah writes the ceremony. You hear it for the first time in the moment. She captured us perfectly, and since I was hearing it for the first time, I was able to focus fully on the ceremony and not all the logistics of the day. If you want someone who will put in the effort to really get to know you, and make the ceremony a real highlight of the whole day, you should hire Jeddah!
B
Brianna Sent on 05/01/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Professional with a Warm Heart

Jeddah officiated our wedding in the height of COVID. She made all of our guests feel so comfortable and welcome. She gave the most beautiful sermon completely tailored to us. She took the time to get to know us personally and articulated our love in a way that I don't even think I could've done myself. We have recommended Jeddah to countless friends - who have in turn hired her to officiate their weddings! Jeddah is wonderful, do not hesitate to hire her!
E
Erin Sent on 11/15/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Truly the BEST!

Jeddah was the first and only officiant I spoke to - from the moment we met via phone, we connected, and I knew she was the perfect fit to marry my now husband and I. My husband and I have been together for a long time and have known each other 15+ years, so it was vital to have someone special and kind marry us. We wanted to incorporate specific things into our ceremony and make sure our families and guests truly felt the love and Jeddah made this happen. We appreciate Jeddah so much and will definitely ask her to do our vow renewal :)
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Wesley Sent on 06/06/2022
5 out of 5 rating

So amazing!

EVERYONE was amazed and moved by our ceremony. It was SO special because of Jeddah. We couldn’t have asked for a more special ceremony. It was so much more than we could have envisioned. What a sweet and deeply caring person!
Camille
Camille Sent on 11/13/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing and Beautiful

Jeddah really gets to know you and your partner, making a beautiful, heartfelt and connected ceremony. She really helped our vision come to life and worked with us on making something truly unique!
Robert
Robert Sent on 11/07/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Perfectly Beautiful Ceremony

We were prepared to be happy with a simple civil ceremony but Rev. Jeddah made an effort to get to know who we really were and to gently encourage us to examine what we saw in each other and what this marriage would mean to us. With an extraordinary grace and great care she molded our ceremony into a very personal, moving and beautiful experience, the memory of which we shall treasure the rest of our lives. She even aided us in our selection of an appropriate venue. We will be forever grateful to her for creating a magical beginning to our journey together. Alex & Steve ❤
Dan
Dan W. Sent on 10/28/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect Ceremony

Jeddah was perfect! She really got to know us and prepared a wonderfully tailored ceremony for us that was everything we wanted. We would highly recommend Jeddah to anyone, and all our guests commented on how she did an excellent job. She's warm and we couldn't have picked a better person to guide us into marriage.
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Sent on 10/13/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Could not be happier!

We could not be happier to have chosen Jeddah as our officiant. To begin, she has been with us as we've rescheduled our event and changed our location multiple times as a result of COVID. Throughout all of this, she has been kind, flexible, and supportive. She even agreed to officiate our legal marriage on our original wedding date, in addition to officiating our larger ceremony and celebration almost a year later. When it came to our larger ceremony and celebration, we were blown away with how special and personalized Jeddah made it feel. We actually received so many compliments about our ceremony and how touching it was. Overall, Jeddah is a calming and supportive presence that feels so comforting during the planning process as well during the more hectic and nerve-wrecking parts of a celebration. If you are looking for an interfaith officiant who can create an intimate and personalized feel for your ceremony, there is no better choice in the NY area than Jeddah!
S
Samantha Sent on 09/29/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Wonderful!

Jeddah was simply WONDERFUL!!!! There was not a dry eye in the audience and multiple guests came up to us after and said that was the most beautiful ceremony they've ever been to. Having a meaningful ceremony was very important to my husband and I and boy did Jeddah nail it. Jeddah took the time to get to know us (even though we really had only one week to prep together!!!) by the time of the ceremony it felt like she knew us deeply. She has such positive, warm, and loving energy. It would be a mistake not to go with Jeddah because she's that spectacular!
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Awards

151
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2022 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2020 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2019 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2018 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2017 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2016 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2015 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2014 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2012 Winner

Professional Network & Endorsements

1 Endorsement
DelConte Photography DelConte Photography Wedding Photographers

Reverand Jeddah is a beautiful gentle soul who will listen first and construct a ceremony that is truly you represented. Her demeanor and grace will add a note of calm to your wedding and you will feel the presence of her grace I adore working with her

Map

Addresses map
Next Wedding Officiants: Interfaith Intercultural Wedding Ceremonies BY Susanna Stefanachi Macomb

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