Life Celebrations

Finding a wedding officiant was one of the last items I checked off our wedding to-do list, even though I knew I should have focused on it a lot sooner. I think I procrastinated in part because I myself wasn't really sure what I (we) wanted during our ceremony. My family and I are religious, but my fiance (now husband) and his family are not. I grew up attending weddings mostly in churches, officiated by pastors, some of whom *almost* seemed to preach sermons rather than present a program for a wedding. We definitely wanted a ceremony that we both would be comfortable with, and that both our families would appreciate. Fortunately, we found exactly that in Brian Lyke! Brian was recommended to us by our venue coordinator, and after looking through his website and reading the amazing reviews, we knew we had to contact him. I was a little nervous not knowing what to expect, but our email correspondence and first conversation over the phone were a wonderful experience. Brian was warm and friendly, listened carefully to our stories and ideas. He asked pertinent questions that would help frame our ceremony, and provided examples for us to look over and a collection of readings we could select from. He responded quickly and graciously to the numerous messages I sent him afterward as more questions arose. The ceremony Brian performed on our wedding day was brilliant-- he really listened and creatively incorporated elements of our stories (how we met, how we got engaged, etc) into his thoughts on marriage. He skillfully and thoughtfully highlighted what it means to be partners for life, in ways that pertained not only to us as newlyweds, but applicable also to already-married couples no matter how long or short they've been together. Brian's words were deep, but also lighthearted; serious, but also with wholesome humor that made us all laugh. My mother and several of my friends and family came up to us after the ceremony (even days afterward) just to comment on how much they truly enjoyed and appreciated Brian's words. To be honest, I don't think it's very often that friends/family comment on something like that--usually the compliments center more around the wedding dress, decorations, food, etc.--so that is even more testimony to how special, heartfelt, and memorable of an event Brian helped to create. In my & my husband's opinion, Brian gave us the perfect ceremony. We are so thankful and blessed.