We are so grateful to have had Emily as our celebrant. From our initial call with her to the ceremony itself to now even after our wedding her presence has always been warm and genuine.

We initially reached out to Emily nervous that our ceremony would be over too quickly and would feel like a formality. We’re not big into vows and had no desire for a lot of rituals that we’ve seen at weddings. They just didn’t feel authentic enough to us. Add to that the fact that we had actually been married at the courthouse two years prior and we weren’t sure how things were going to turn out.

Our hope was that by working with someone who got to know us as she did that they could help us discover the intimate celebration that we wanted. And that’s exactly what happened.

We started by answering some questions and giving the history of our relationship. It was nice to talk through it without feeling like I had to be the one telling a story. And that also went for talking about how I felt about my wife. It was nice to just share how I felt with no expectations, and of course I had a lot to say because of that.

Our ceremony was heartfelt and was a lovely reminder of our time together and full of affirmations for how we made one another feel. It allowed us to invite our guests into the ceremony. Emily’s delivery and guidance allowed us— two shy people, to really take in the moment and to not worry so much about being the center of attention in front of our friends and family. We felt completely at ease and full. And our friends and family commented on how sweet the moment was.

We are overjoyed that we had the honor of having Emily as our celebrant. She truly made our ceremony.

Images © by Sasha Reiko Photography | www.sashareiko.com

Working with Emily was a dream. From the very start she was communicative, clear with expectations, deadlines, and dates, and answered every question we threw at her - many of which weren’t specifically about the ceremony but about wedding procedure in general. Working with Emily felt like a collaboration and we ended up with a unique ceremony that perfectly captured our personalities. In addition to asking the right questions before writing our ceremony, she was very open to suggestions about how to incorporate specific anecdotes that were important to us. She was flexible and rolled with the punches on the wedding day, dealing with the unexpected (ex: rain!) with ease. We ended up with a beautifully crafted ceremony that we are still getting compliments about 3 months later - I can’t tell you how many people have said it was one of the best ceremonies they’ve ever witnessed. Our wedding day would not have been the same without Emily there. Thank you!!!

Hiring Emily Sterling as our Officiant was THE single best decision we made for our wedding, hands down. There were multiple times throughout the process where we were like, “damn, she’s good!” From our first meeting to rehearsal to day-of, Emily was warm, funny, intentional, thoughtful and truly a skilled leader and guide. She walked us thru writing our vows and helped us put into words how we felt about each other in a way we could not have done on our own or with a friend officiating. So many people said our ceremony was "very us" and that it was one of the best wedding ceremonies they had experienced. We laughed, we cried, we were in the moment and our wedding meant something special. She taught us the phrase “collective effervescence” and we felt it in the room that day. We’re so grateful for Emily and we fully recommend her to anyone wanting a heartfelt and meaningful experience while crossing the threshold into marriage.

Working with Emily was a dream!
She captured exactly what we wanted in our ceremony. It was funny, sweet, and genuine. Our religious family didn't even notice the exclusion of religious elements. The humor was so us. We Rick rolled our guests and it was glorious.

The whole process prior to the ceremony was designed to bring us together. I loved the vow writing workshop.

Emily is the best and we cannot recommend more

Emily is a GEM!!! Totally personable, very detail oriented, incredibly flexible to our wants and needs…and as it turns out we just wanted Emily to be as Emily as she could be on our wedding day. Emily put together the most beautiful and all encompassing ceremony for us that truly captured us as a couple and our forever. I went into my wedding day feeling like I knew her and had known her forever. Her process is very trustworthy and she went the extra mile for us more than a couple times, for which I am eternally grateful. So happy we found Emily…couldn’t imagine our day without her!

We are so deeply grateful for Emily Sterling - Rooted & Wild: Spirited Ceremonies' care and professionalism as the celebrant for our recent wedding. Emily’s attention to detail and ability to tell our authentic love story brought us and our wedding guests to joyful tears! Her thorough questionnaire and planning sessions helped us identify the core of what we wanted to share during our ceremony. We also attended her Vow Writing workshop where we got to meet other couples, explore ideas while in community and reflect on the power of our vows to help set the foundations for our marriage.

We highly recommend working with Emily for your wedding ceremony. Her creativity and authentic enthusiasm is truly empowering and will bring a beautiful energy to your special day!

We couldn't have asked for a better wedding officiant than Emily for our elopement in the North Cascades. From the moment we met her, she made us feel like old friends, and her dedication and attention to detail throughout the entire process were truly exceptional.

Emily went above and beyond to make our special day even more memorable. She spent a considerable amount of time getting to know us and understand our love story, ensuring that every aspect of the ceremony was personalized and meaningful. The ceremony she crafted was nothing short of beautiful, thoughtful, and touching – it felt like she had known us for years.

Her professionalism and open-mindedness made it effortless to collaborate with her in refining the ceremony script. She welcomed our input and made sure that the final version reflected our personalities and relationship perfectly. Emily's flexibility and willingness to make adjustments to suit our preferences showed how dedicated she was to making our day truly unique.

On the day of the wedding, Emily was an absolute rock star. Her calming presence and warm, loving energy set the tone for the entire celebration. As she officiated the ceremony, her words resonated deeply with both of us, our families, and our friends, leaving not a dry eye in sight. She struck a perfect balance between sincerity, joy, and a touch of humor, making the ceremony feel both heartfelt and enjoyable.

We cannot thank Emily enough for being an integral part of our special day. If you're looking for an officiant who will go above and beyond to ensure your ceremony is a true reflection of your love, then look no further than Emily. We wholeheartedly recommend her, and we are forever grateful for the memories she helped create for us.

The class was truly wonderful, fostering a warm and supportive environment where we could reminisce about our special moments and rediscover the reasons why we fell in love. The writing prompts provided great guidance, giving us a clearer idea of what to expect on our wedding day and igniting our excitement to write our vows. Hearing from other couples in the class added to overall loving atmosphere, making it a great way to spend an evening. We highly recommend this workshop for engaged couples looking to create heartfelt and meaningful vows!

I can’t rate Emily highly enough! It was like getting married by a friend, Emily made our ceremony so fun, so intimate, so personal, it was so special because of the words she said and the way she made us feel. Throughout the whole wedding journey, Emily helped my partner and I feel so connected while we were planning our ceremony and writing our vows! Her vow workshop was so useful and so fun, it was such a great way for us to connect and get ideas for our what we wanted to say to each other! She helped us with finding the words, she gave us feedback on editing them, and she curated the perfect ceremony to honour our guests, and family, and our love. And she even helped us with the legal side of getting our marriage documentation after the day was done! She was such a professional while providing such a friendly human touch, I can’t recommend her highly enough! Thank you Emily of Rooted & Wild for the most perfect day and your perfect words!

When we were first planning our elopement we weren't sure if having a stranger be our officiant would make the ceremony feel less personal and Emily made that fear go away almost immediately. It truly felt like we had a friend with us during our ceremony. Everyone was so personalized and she was so great at helping us plan the details of the ceremony to ensure we felt that it aligned with our vision and our values. I highly recommend working with Rooted and Wild and the vow writing workshop offered was also helpful!