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Weddings

About

Deciding on the person you want to be your voice as you recite your vows and promises to each other will be one of the most serious choices you will make about your wedding celebration. You will want someone who will take the time to learn about you as a couple and vision of the day, encouraging and accepting input from you. One who is caring and professional and who will be sensitive to your wishes as well as having the ability and experience to speak eloquently on your behalf. One who will be a calming presence on you wedding day as you recite your vows and promises to each other as you join your lives together.

With a calling and passion for what I do, I welcome the opportunity of getting to know you, to assisting you in creating your customized ceremony, to participating in one of life’s time honored traditions and to sharing in your joyous celebration whether it be marriage, commitment ceremony or vow renewal.

For me, the wedding ceremony is all about celebrating your relationship! I tell my couples that there is a reason that they are getting married in front of family and friends, instead of just taking care of the legalities at the County Clerk’s office. You want to celebrate your relationship in front of the people who matter most to you. And that’s exactly what we will do together! With a fun, personal, meaningful, and non-traditional ceremony that fits you and your relationship, truly celebrating who you are together.

Whether you are non-religious, spiritual, inter-faith, a touch religious (or need a touch or a slight feel to satisfy a family member), or somewhere in between – and no matter what else it is that makes you who you are together – I am committed to creating a personalized wedding that incorporates your beliefs and values, celebrates who you are as a couple, and includes components and traditions that represent you best.

I want to be part of your special day. As a priest, wedding officiant and celebrant, I will design, create, and perform a unique ceremony just for you, as it will be about you. Your ceremony can be simple, traditional, contemporary, or as elaborate and eclectic as you desire. Regardless of the style, it will be perfect for you. I believe your ceremony should be a personal reflection of your current relationship and of your future years together.

The process begins with an in-person meeting (or via Skype or FaceTime if you are not based in the Hudson Valley) to see if we are a good fit for each other. We will discuss what is important to you, what you want and don’t want from your ceremony, and then we’ll talk about my process and how I work, including talking about some other ideas you may not have heard about. Then, we will design a ceremony that truly reflects who you are, and your wishes for your ceremony – and that truly celebrates you in the way you deserve to be celebrated.

I promise to then present your ceremony, professionally and with caring, that will bring you and your guests tears of joy and plenty of smiles.
  • LGBTQ+-owned
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Frequently asked questions

Does starting price include the ceremony rehearsal?

No

What is the starting price for ceremony rehearsals?

$350

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

Non-religious
Interfaith
Ceremony Rehearsal
Vow Renewal
Civil Union

What services do you provide?

Premarital Counseling

What religious affiliations do you serve?

Agnostic
Anglican
Baha'i Faith
Baptist
Buddhist
Catholic
Earth-Based
Episcopalian
Evangelical
Hindu
Islam
Jainism
Jewish
Lutheran
Methodist
Mormon
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?

AL
AK
AZ
AR
CA
CO
CT
DE
DC
FL
GA
HI
ID
IL
IN
IA
KS
KY
LA
ME
MD
MA
MI
MN
MS
MO
MT
NE
NV
NH
NJ
NM
NY
NC
ND
OH
OK
OR
PA
RI
SC
SD
TN
TX
UT
VT
VA
WA
WV
WI
WY

What languages do you speak?

English

Reviews of Rev. Jim Rooney

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

Review summary

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Rev. Jim Rooney is a warm, flexible, and highly recommended officiant who crafts deeply personal, often interfaith or nontraditional ceremonies. He’s responsive, adapts gracefully to last-minute changes, and creates memorable, engaging moments (like mingling) that guests rave about. Couples say he calms nerves and makes the ceremony the highlight of their day.

Review summary

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

Rev. Jim Rooney is a warm, flexible, and highly recommended officiant who crafts deeply personal, often interfaith or nontraditional ceremonies. He’s responsive, adapts gracefully to last-minute changes, and creates memorable, engaging moments (like mingling) that guests rave about. Couples say he calms nerves and makes the ceremony the highlight of their day.

J
John Sent on 10/26/2025
5 out of 5 rating

A Personal Ceremony We’ll Always Remember

We're so glad we found Father Rooney to perform our wedding ceremony! We don't have any spiritual traditions and didn't have much of a vision for how our ceremony should proceed. Jim helped us with all of that.

He made the ceremony highly interactive, asking us questions and even letting the family chime in here and there. Rather than giving a lengthy homily or speech, he really put the focus on us, allowing us to express our love story on our day.

He’s an incredibly warm spirit and within minutes of meeting him, I'm sure you'll see why he's such a popular choice for weddings around the Hudson Valley. He helped make a day that usually goes by in a blur truly memorable. I hope he can do the same for you! Highly recommended!
A
April Sent on 10/24/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Such a special day!

My husband and I were originally going to have our ceremony at Little Stony Point but a family member had a medical emergency which prevented them from making the hike. Jim kindly offered for us to have our intimate ceremony at his B&B last minute, which meant the world to us, as we were trying to figure out what to do.

Jim was responsive and communicative the entire time we worked with him. He made the ceremony fun, meaningful and unique to us. which we will look fondly on for years to come. Other wedding ceremonies I’ve been to have been much more cookie cutter. If you are having a Hudson Valley wedding, you will not regret choosing Reverend Jim Rooney for your ceremony!
A
Alison Sent on 10/24/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Best day, best officiant EVER ❤️

By FAR the best part of my wedding day was Rev Jim. Our ceremony was so personal, you would have thought he had known us our entire lives. The process leading up to our wedding was easy and enjoyable. It was important to me to have a ceremony that included aspects of faith but wasn’t too traditional and he was absolutely perfect. He was kind and considerate when navigating family dynamics. He was supportive and SO helpful to us as a couple during what can be such a stressful time. Everyone at our wedding still talks about how great our ceremony was and I would not have changed a thing. We loved working with him and I would recommend him a million times over! Genuinely there are a million things that go wrong on your wedding day, but he will not disappoint!
L
Lisa Sent on 08/17/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Simply the best!

Jim is a superb officiant and a warm and lovely person. He made our wedding just perfect. On extremely short notice he created a personal, beautiful ceremony full of emotion, humor, and grace. He incorporated our story and our families and created a wonderful day for us. I couldn't recommend him highly enough!
T
Theo Sent on 08/17/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Wonderful experience!

We were married at the Beacon Hermitage with a small party, Jim was well prepared, and conducted the ceremony with elegance, dignity and humor.
The grounds are quite lovely, and the day was a great success.
I would 100% recommend reverent Jim Rooney for your wedding needs.
Theo de Haas.
O
Olivia Sent on 06/19/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Couldn’t have asked for a better officiant!

Jim was a true gift to our wedding experience. We reached out to him last-minute, and despite our disorganized schedule and less-than-timely responses, he remained incredibly patient, flexible, and kind.

We didn’t finalize our ceremony until the morning before the wedding, and even then, Jim worked with us to ensure that it felt intentional, personal, and meaningful. He reminded us of what the day was really about - which was so grounding when everything else felt chaotic.

The day of, things were delayed, plans changed on a dime, and the ceremony location had to be moved last-minute due to weather. Jim adapted with warmth and humor, even incorporating the weather into the moment in a funny and thoughtful way. He brought a quiet steadiness and genuine spirit to the whole experience - and the mingling moment was great (trust Jim!)! We are both Catholic and had been dealing with push-back from family for not getting married in the church, but everyone absolutely loved the ceremony.

Jim was a grounding presence, and a joy to work with and to know. We feel incredibly lucky to have had him marry us.

Also, if you have the chance to visit the Beacon Hermitage, definitely do it! It’s a beautiful and peaceful space, and it was such a gift to sit down and talk with Jim there.
M
Megan Sent on 06/11/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Wedding at The Garrison

We felt so lucky to have Rev. Rooney as our wedding officiant this past weekend. He really took the time to get to know us both individually and together as a couple - which made our ceremony feel very personal and heartfelt. His warmth, professionalism, and thoughtfulness set the tone for the rest of the evening! Highly recommend!
C
Courtney Sent on 03/26/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Unforgettable from start to finish

Rev. Jim Rooney officiated our March 2025 wedding. He put our minds at ease from our very first meeting with him at his beautiful home in Beacon (I highly recommend visiting if you have the option.) He truly took the time to get to know us on a personal level and we loved all of our time with him. Multiple people came up to us after the ceremony to tell us that they loved it. We love Jim and highly recommend him!
M
Mary Sent on 07/22/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Beautiful, perfect ceremony!

Rev. Jim Rooney was recommended by our venue and we are SO happy we went with him.

He got to know us over FaceTime first and then we met him in person at his home for the second meeting. From the start, he was very warm, friendly and cheerful. He listened to what we were looking for in our ceremony and how we wanted to combine the two religious backgrounds of our families. Rev. Jim explained the ceremony in detail so that we knew what would be happening and when.

We were super pleased with how he wove our personalities and story together in the ceremony. We did the signature mingle moment to start and it was great to see our families and friends all talking together. Not only were we happy with how everything went, but all of our guests raved about the ceremony afterwards and loved it as well. My husband and I would highly recommend booking Rev. Jim as the officiant for your wedding!
G
Gabi Sent on 07/18/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Made our day even more special

My husband and I wanted someone who could be flexible with a non traditional ceremony, but also would be able to incorporate spirituality into the ceremony. Reverend Jim was able to do just that - incorporating both humor and serious moments into our ceremony. He made the ceremony unforgettable and all our guests absolutely loved it.
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Awards

273
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2026 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2025 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

Professional Network & Endorsements

2 Endorsements
Caitlinn Mahar-Daniels Caitlinn Mahar-Daniels Wedding Photographers

Work with Rev Jim Rooney is always such an honor. Witnessing and documenting his ceremonies are already a reminder of why we do what we do. He emphasizes the magnitude of what a wedding day means on the day and for the rest of their lives. We always learn about the couples he is marrying through his ceremony, and everyone feels the impact of the words and story.

Ceremonies by Fr. Noel Clarke Ceremonies by Fr. Noel Clarke Wedding Officiants

I recommend Fr Jim as your officiant. Professional care at it's best!

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