Rabbi Brian Denker is an independent Rabbi and Interfaith wedding & Lifecycle officiant servicing the New York City Metropolitan Area including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island and Long Island working with couples from all walks of life to celebrate their one-of-a-kind relationships. Rabbi Brian aims to bridge age-old traditions with modern love stories to create special memories that will last a lifetime.

Services Offered

Rabbi Brian Denker has extensive experience officiating Jewish, interfaith, LGBTQA+ (Same-Sex), and non-denominational civil weddings, among others lifecycle events. For truly personalized ceremony experiences, Rabbi Brian creates a personalized and unique ceremony for each couple, including welcoming to-be-weds to write their own vows, among one of the many ways to create a truly one-of-a-kind ceremony, committed to providing couples with guidance and support as they embark on a new chapter of life together. To solidify any relationship's foundation before milestone moments, he is happy to offer premarital counseling services. Though based in Brooklyn, Rabbi Brian is available to work with those celebrating throughout the New York City tri-state area as well as Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut.

As an openly gay Rabbi, Rabbi Brian devotes much of his work and rabbinate to causes which support diversity, tolerance and inclusion. He is an active member of the International Federation of Rabbis, a Chaplain with the New York State Chaplain Taskforce and New York State Fraternal Order of Police and a preferred in-house officiant to several New York area wedding venues.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Will you co-officiate? GLADLY! But let me share my very personal thought on that matter…I completely respect and gladly serve any couple who feels the importance of having two officiates, and I have happily and successfully been a co-officiate. However, in some cases, the presence of two officiates could give the perception of a division of faith. What I believe to be remarkable, however, is when one officiate can blend two faiths, with grace and meaning, bringing a true sense of unity to your ceremony. Either way, it is my pleasure and my honor to serve my couples, in whatever way they wish to be served!

Can we create our own ceremony? Absolutely! I am your facilitator. You hire me to perform the wedding YOU want to create! I am your guide. I help you understand what each component of a religious or spiritual wedding entails, and you choose how you want to incorporate it. I guide you through the order of the ceremony, and to help you envision your wedding, exactly the way you want it to be.

Our family structure is complicated, how do we handle the processional? Many families today are mixed, and the relationships are often blurred. We discuss all the people you would like to include, and I have many innovative ways to include the people you love, creating a ceremony that highlights love and harmony. No worries or stress allowed!

How will you get to know us? I schedule regular sessions, and have you complete very in-depth questionnaires, so that I am able to really connect with you on many levels. When your guests leave your wedding or ceremony, they will feel as if we have known each other for years!

Do we need a rehearsal? Most of the time – no. Rehearsals themselves are rather outdated. Your coordinator and I will have everyone prepared as we line up, and each person will know exactly where to go. But if you wish to have one – feel free!

We do not belong to a synagogue, where can we have our ceremony? Anywhere that accommodates the number of people you wish to have! Most of my families hold their lifecycle events at hotels, restaurants, private homes, on the beach, anywhere you want!

We are not religious, but we want to include a few traditions that are meaningful to us. You are not alone! Today’s couples want a personalized wedding that reflects who they are, without the obligation of outdated rules and traditions. Our traditions of our faiths have beautiful modern meaning, and your ceremony can be whatever you want it to be. I support and guide you through the process by incorporating the meaning and clearly explaining to all your guests, so everyone feels welcome, and an active part of your special day.

What makes you different? Your ceremony is the most important part of your wedding, and it is of utmost importance for your officiant to set the tone for your event. I am warm, loving, personal, spiritual, dynamic, and flexible. I have exceptional speaking skills, a loving heart, and add lots of fun to your ceremony!

Also, and this is one aspect is very important that most couples do not think about - Unlike many other officiants out there who solely operate as a "wedding officiant" booking sometimes two or more weddings in one day, it is my practice to only book one wedding or life-cycle event on any given day. Doing so allows me flexibility in my schedule so that, should there be bad weather, traffic, the late arrival of a special guest, etc. by making your wedding or life-cycle event my only commitment for the day, I can ensure that I am able to be there onsite with you, completely focused on just you and your day until your ceremony is completed. Other officiants with more than one booking for the day are usually on a tight schedule, rushing to leave one wedding to get to another and are often inflexible in being able to accommodate the unforeseen that can arise.