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About

I am a Justice of the Peace for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. My commission was issued as one of the Justices of the Peace for the Town of Southborough. This allows me to officiate for your special day anywhere within the Commonwealth. Since becoming a Justice of the Peace, I was an active member of the Massachusetts Justices of the Peace Association, Inc., having served two terms as its President from July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2011. I served on the Executive Board as an elected Director until June 30, 2015. Also, I served on the Executive Board as the Immediate Past President from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2013. Previously, I served as Secretary of the Executive Committee for 2 years.

In January 2024, for an unprecedented 15th consecutive year, I have been Awarded Wedding Wire's Couple's Award for outstanding professionalism and service to couples. Also, I am honored to have received the Best of The KNOT Award for the second consecutive year.

To date, I have professionally, happily and proudly officiated over 1000 ceremonies in the Commonwealth.

At it's Annual Meeting, Sunday, 6/24/12, I was presented the Richard M. Percoco, Sr. Award by the Massachusetts Justices of the Peace Association, Inc. "FOR HIS OUTSTANDING AND DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO THE MJPA."

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Frequently asked questions

Which of the following are included in the price of your wedding officiant services?

Ceremony Rehearsal

Does starting price include the ceremony rehearsal?

No

What is the starting price for ceremony rehearsals?

$225

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

$0.01

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

Non-religious
Interfaith
Ceremony Rehearsal
Vow Renewal

What religious affiliations do you serve?

Agnostic
Anglican
Baha'i Faith
Baptist
Buddhist
Catholic
Episcopalian
Evangelical
Hindu
Islam
Jewish
Lutheran
Methodist
Mormon
No Denomination
Orthodox Christian
Pagan
Presbyterian
Quaker
Shinto
Unitarian

On average, how long are wedding ceremonies you officiate?

Less than 30 mins.

In which states are you licensed?

CO
CT
FL
ME
MA
NH
RI
VT

What languages do you speak?

English

Reviews of Justice of the Peace - Mike Backer

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

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Reviewers highly recommend the officiant for professional, organized, and responsive service. He provides a binder with options to easily customize ceremonies, making them personal and meaningful. Couples praised his humor, flexibility (including short‑notice bookings and unusual locations), punctuality, and attention to detail.

Review summary

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

Reviewers highly recommend the officiant for professional, organized, and responsive service. He provides a binder with options to easily customize ceremonies, making them personal and meaningful. Couples praised his humor, flexibility (including short‑notice bookings and unusual locations), punctuality, and attention to detail.

J
Jennifer Sent on 02/03/2026
5 out of 5 rating

Saved us!!!

We had exchanged simple vows the weekend before only to realize after the fact that the officiant was not legal to marry us! I was panicking due to health insurance and benefit needs and called Michael on a Tuesday afternoon and explained the situation and he was able to calm my fears and offered to marry us legally the next evening in his home. It was a beautiful little ceremony with just my husband and myself and was just perfect. He also delivered the marriage certificate to our town hall the next morning and we had our official license that afternoon. I would def recommend Michael to perform all of your wedding needs. :-).
Jessica
Jessica Sent on 02/03/2026
5 out of 5 rating

The Perfect Little Ceremony

I found Michael on a wedding site and he had outstanding reviews and a reasonable cost. My husband and I wanted a very small private ceremony in our home. I emailed Michael who responded promptly and later that day we talked over the phone about how we wanted the ceremony to be. He explained to us everything in a very detailed manner. Michael sent us a copy of what he would read during our ceremony which was beautifully written. He was on time and everything went extremely smoothly. The ceremony was perfect. Afterwards he explained how and when we could get our marriage certificate and copies. We would highly recommend Michael to any couple!
Kira
Kira Sent on 12/30/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Michael is an amazing Officiant!

We had an excellent experience working with Michael Baker as our Justice of the Peace and officiant. From the very beginning, he was incredibly easy to work with, responsive, and genuinely enjoyable to talk to.

Michael has a great sense of humor, which immediately put us at ease, and he worked closely with us to customize our ceremony script so that it truly reflected who we are as a couple. Nothing felt generic or cookie-cutter — the ceremony felt personal, thoughtful, and perfectly us.

One thing that really stood out was the binder he provided, which laid out many different ceremony options and flows. It made the process so clear and approachable and helped us understand how everything would come together. Having those options made it easy to create a ceremony that felt unique while still feeling confident in the structure.

He was also extremely responsive to questions anytime we reached out, which gave us a lot of peace of mind during the planning process. On top of that, he’s just a genuinely interesting and friendly person, and if you want to get him talking, ask him about his love for antique cars!

We couldn’t have asked for a better officiant. Michael was professional, personable, flexible, and truly invested in making our ceremony meaningful. We highly recommend him to any couple looking for someone who will make the process easy, personal, and enjoyable.
Thomas
Thomas Sent on 12/01/2025
5 out of 5 rating

What a wonderful day !

We requested a certian date, Mike was able to honor that request. Mike arrived about an hour before the arranged time that gave us plenty of time to go over the ceremony . He had already e-mailed us as to what we wanted said ,he was very suportive in our wishes he gave giving us a copy of what he would say and we signed off on that prior to our meeting. We enjoyed the humor that he added and as stated the day was perfect . We would recommed him 100%
Jaynece
Jaynece Sent on 11/10/2025
5 out of 5 rating

It was amazing

We got married 8.11.25 at the Boston Public Library. We had an incredible time with our wonderful officiant, he was funny and heartfelt. He helped us pick with ceremony worked best for us. Thank you so much.
Aaron
Aaron Sent on 10/17/2025
5 out of 5 rating

The Best Wedding We Could Have Hoped For

My wife Katrina and I were so lucky to have Mike, Uncle Mike to me, officiate our wedding. He was so flexible, had numerous great ideas for our ceremony, and was very prompt in his replies. There was never a doubt in my mind that we would have Mike do our wedding. I've been to several others that he officiated and I loved his sense of humor, playfulness, and also his ability to get deep into the emotional side of the day. Our ceremony was the most special part of our entire summer, and probably of our lives together as a couple. Thank you, Uncle Mike, for your deep care for your work. It was evident on our wedding day. Love, Aaron and Katrina.
Mia
Mia Sent on 09/15/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Soo much fun!!

Very professional and super flexible. Has everything an engaged couple needs in terms of the ceremony. From options for vows and readings, to quick wit and a peaceful presence.
Nicole
Nicole Sent on 07/06/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Personable!

We chose Michael because he was easy to talk to when I felt very busy in our planning and family life. He was very accommodating and I liked the binder! It gave some structure to what I needed.
Todd
Todd Sent on 07/05/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Last minute marriage

Our 20th anniversary was coming on Memorial Day 2025 and although we have tried to get married twice during that time, finances arise and postponed it both times. I was surprised that planning this in 2 weeks was going to work, where people were able to attend and that I found a JP able to fit us into his schedule. Mike was very easy to work with and was very reasonable in cost. We were very happy with his service and would recommend him.
Sean
Sean Sent on 07/04/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Wedding officiant

Mike was organized, professional, and took the time to really get to know us as a couple. People said that our ceremony was one of the most personal, meaningful and moving ceremonies they have ever attended. His level of organization and professionalism was outstanding. We would highly recommend him.
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Awards

405
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2026 Winner
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 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 2013 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2012 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2011 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2010 Winner

Professional Network & Endorsements

11 Endorsements
Arrowhead Acres Arrowhead Acres Barn & Farm Weddings

Very professional

Butternut Farm Golf Club Butternut Farm Golf Club Country Club Weddings

We really enjoy working with Mike! He does such a wonderful job taking care of our couples ceremonies and making them personal and rememberable for all!

Hilton Boston Dedham Hotel Hilton Boston Dedham Hotel Hotel Weddings

Mike is professional, funny and an absolute pleasure to work with!

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