Lindsay was great. She was calm cool and collected. She helped us organize our ceremony and keep our family included.
Kimberly Sent on 12/04/2024
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The Isaacson Wedding - Portland, Maine
I couldn’t think of a better way to let you know how wonderful Lindsay is to work with and how amazing our experience was than to share my exact words. I sent this to her shortly after our wedding:
I want to let you know that our ceremony was perfect ❤️ It was exactly what we wanted and it was flawless! You made it happen and I can’t thank you enough.
Tucker Sent on 11/05/2024
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Great wedding officiant!
Lindsay was great! Easy to work with, professional, and loved by our guests
Are you interested?
Brian Sent on 10/17/2024
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Wedding Officiant
Highly recommend Lindsay, she’s open to any ideas you might have and has plenty of suggestions if you are unsure of something. Hiring Lindsay will provide peace of mind on your wedding day that your ceremony will go exactly how you planned and in the time frame you choose. She’s very friendly and easy to work with.
Brooke Sent on 10/07/2024
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Lindsay was wonderful!
We recently worked with Lindsay for our wedding. She was amazing! Leading up to the day, she was professional and organized for all meetings and communications. She is also so kind, flexible and easy to work with. She delivered our ceremony perfectly, and put us both at ease during the entire process. We had numerous guests comment on what a great job she did. We are so thankful she was a part of this day. She is a wonderful officiant and overall, just a great person! We highly recommend Lindsay to anyone!
Sandy Sent on 10/07/2024
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Highly recommend working with A Sweet Start!
We went back and forth deciding if we wanted to hire an officiant for our wedding - and we are SO glad that we did. Maria was an integral part of our wedding day and worked with us to create the ceremony we wanted. She was steady, professional, responsive + incredibly warm. All of our guests loved her. You won't regret hiring Maria!
Emilie Sent on 09/30/2024
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Working with Maria was excellent. She crafted a ceremony that perfectly encapsulated our relationship.
We loved our ceremony, and so did all of our guests. Maria made it special for everyone
Elizabeth Sent on 07/28/2024
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A beautiful and personalize wedding ceremony
Maria was such a pleasure to work with on our wedding ceremony! She helps you every step along the way and gets your ceremony just the way you want it - it was so beautiful and personal. She is so kind and professional and warm and welcoming. Our wedding ceremony was perfect thanks to Maria!
Lori Sent on 07/02/2024
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Wonderful Experience
Lindsay from A Sweet Start did an excellent job and we highly recommend her. She was professional, thorough and engaging. Many of our guests specifically commented on what a wonderful job she did. She took the time to know us as well as understand of our relationship and family dynamics. With their selection of wedding programs, she worked with us to customize a program that reflected our uniqueness so it was not cookie-cutter. Her dialog and communication was sincere and engaging with us and our guests. She also handled all the legal requirements quickly and efficiently. You can't go wrong choosing A Sweet Start for your wedding ceremony.
Caroline Sent on 11/24/2023
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Simply the best officiant we could have hoped for!
Lindsay Gannon officiated our wedding this August and she blew us away with her professionalism, beautifully-written and deeply personal ceremony, and support as our wedding drew nearer and we were working on our vows. She really took the time to get to know us as a couple and was very sensitive to and provided great advice on dealing with our unique family situation, such that our ceremony felt really personal and both families felt included. From helping us make sure our vows matched in tone and length to running a seamless rehearsal to making our ceremony really special and filing all of our paperwork for us, we can’t imagine having worked with any other officiant.
Kristen Sent on 11/25/2022
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Maria is the best!
From the moment we started communicating with Maria, I felt a huge weight lifted off my back knowing that she would have everything under control. Coming from out of state, I knew I needed someone who was familiar with the ins-and-outs of getting married in Maine and making sure everything that was legally required was taken care. She was so knowledgable! The process was just so easy as she guided us through the steps and she had everything outlined for us. When we would get busy and forget to take care of to something, her reminders kept us on task. We got engaged in 2018 and planned to get married in 2020. Then with the pandemic and postponements, we didn't get married until 2022. My husband and I took care of the entire planning process ourselves so after years of doing it all alone, it was a huge relief when we started working with Maria and we had someone in our corner to give us guidance and keep us grounded.
Once we started meeting with Maria on zoom, and when we finally got to meet her in person the day of our rehearsal dinner, it was clear that she wasn't just our officiant but an instant friend. Her calm, warming, reassuring presence is exactly what a bride-to-be needs.
I think my favorite part of working with Maria is the way she was able to remind us what the true meaning of our wedding day was supposed to be. In the chaos of the 4 years of planning, it can all get lost. We were all over the place as far as deciding what we wanted out ceremony to be like, who we wanted to speak, what we wanted everyone to say. As she carefully guided us through the process of creating our ceremony, we were able to create something that kept us and our guests present, grounded, and focused on all of the love that surrounded us all that day.
Lastly, I just wanted to say that having her meet our wedding party the day before the wedding and run the ceremony rehearsal was something I truly appreciated. She got all of us on the same page and was able to help our wedding party understand how best to support us on the big day and I know it made a world of a difference on having the wedding day run smoothly.
I will never forget the way Maria made us feel leading up to and during our wedding. I cherish everything she did for us!
Courtney Sent on 11/22/2022
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Best Wedding Officiant
If you are looking for the best wedding officiant in Maine, look no further! Lindsay did such an amazing job running our rehearsal as well as officiating our wedding. She's so friendly, well spoken and easy to work with. Everyone at our wedding couldn't have said nicer things about Lindsay and our ceremony. Our ceremony was made by having Lindsay there and it was one of the decisions we made for our wedding. Book her to have the wedding ceremony of your dreams!
Mary Sent on 11/07/2022
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The best experience and most perfect ceremony!
Maria put together the most beautiful wedding ceremony of our dreams! She was a pleasure to work with, sent us everything we needed in nicely bundled up emails, and was incredibly organized and supportive throughout the entire planning process. She truly handled everything from soup to nuts with our ceremony, and worked with all of our vendors to make sure they had the details of the ceremony timing.
Most importantly, she put together the most beautiful, special, thoughtful, and heartfelt ceremony. We've heard so many wonderful compliments from our guests that it was the most beautiful wedding ceremony they've ever attended. She really made our ceremony dreams come true, and it was exactly what we wanted -- special, secular, and under 30 minutes :)
You won't regret hiring Maria for your wedding day!
Mary and Kyle
Rachele Sent on 10/28/2022
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Incredibly Magical
Lindsay from A Sweet Start was absolutely incredible to work with. She is calm, patient, caring, thoughtful and tasteful. All of our guests have commented on how much they loved the ceremony and loved the officiant. Our wedding would not have been the same without her and we are forever grateful.
Catherine Sent on 10/06/2022
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Wedding of Dreams
Maria was an amazing addition to our wedding day. She really felt like family; I had people coming up after asking if she was a good friend of ours because that’s how personal she made our day. She also did a great job wrangling the wedding party, and making sure everyone knew their job. It was truly an honor to be married by Maria. I cannot imagine having anyone else there on that day. I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Maria. There is simply no one better at making an already special moment feel electric with emotion and love.
Gabriella Sent on 08/29/2022
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Maria makes you feel like family
We immediately knew we wanted Maria a part of our big day after watching her put on an amazing rehearsal and wedding for our friends. You are not just another client to Maria, Maria makes you feel like family and shares in your excitement and love on your wedding day. Maria does not miss a beat and is on top of everything; she helps with vows, creates a ceremony timeline, and reaches out to your other vendors before the big day. Maria truly made our wedding experience amazing and our ceremony wouldn't have been the same without her. My husband and I felt relaxed knowing our ceremony was in Maria's hands. Words cannot express how amazing Maria is and everyone needs an officiant like her! She truly made us feel so special and I'm so glad we chose Maria to be a part of our big day.
Kia V. Sent on 08/26/2022
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Maria is the BEST!
By the end of the weekend, Maria was like family to us. We can’t imagine having anyone else officiate our wedding. Thank you Maria for all of your advice, support, and love throughout our rehearsal and ceremony, and else everything leading up to the wedding day! We are so grateful to have found you! ❤️
Mary Sent on 08/23/2022
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Best wedding decision we made
My husband and I were on the fence about having a professional officiant for our wedding ceremony - we figured we could just have a friend do it. However, we decided to just chat with Maria to take a look at all of our options. Long story short, we immediately decided to hire her and we have no regrets about it.
Maria really took the time to get to know both me and my partner, and she captured our life together in such a meaningful way. She also customized the ceremony based on our personal preferences, weaving in different traditions that were important to us. It resonated with the people at the wedding who were our closest friends, and also resonated with people we weren't really that close with (family friends, distant cousins, etc). One of our not-so-close guests came up to us afterwards and said that after the ceremony he felt like he really knew us. And several other guests told us that the ceremony was the best they had ever attended.
If that wasn't great enough, I feel like what I appreciated the most was that Maria completely eliminated any stress that we had around the ceremony. She guided us through the entire process, from putting together the ceremony, to running the rehearsal, to making sure everyone knew where they needed to be on our wedding day. Planning a wedding can be stressful - and Maria made this part of it SO easy. I cannot recommend her services highly enough!
Dylan Sent on 08/15/2022
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Couldn’t have imagined the day without her!
We met Maria through our friends during their wedding. She did an amazing job and made the ceremony something we will never forget! She removed any stress and made us enjoy the moment.
Jessie Sent on 08/08/2022
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More than just an officiant
From our first zoom session with Maria, we immediately knew we wanted her to officiate our wedding. Her energy, guidance and excitement helped create our perfect ceremony. This includes all the preparation leading up to our wedding as well as the rehearsal and of course actual day. During our ceremony, I felt calm and collected, which some would attribute to my now husband, but honestly it was being up there with Maria! I felt totally taken care of and at ease as Maria lead us through our ceremony. She is so incredible and we are so grateful she was our officiant!
Nicole Sent on 07/23/2022
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Amazing!
Maria was absolutely wonderful!!! We had some issues with a bridesmaids dress and she stepped into action and found the solution. Maria made sure EVERYTHING went perfectly and I can’t say enough on how much we truly loved our ceremony!!!♥️♥️ THANK YOU AGIAN! We love you!!!
Alli Sent on 06/22/2022
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A Sweet Start
Do yourself a favor and book Maria ASAP! One of the best, and easiest, decisions we made for our wedding was deciding to have Maria officiate our wedding. She was the first and only officiant we met with, but from the first Zoom meeting she made us feel comfortable and as though we had known her for some time. We has a feeling this would translate to our ceremony and we have never been more right about anything!
Maria kept everything on track and organized throughout the entire process. You know exactly what to expect from her and when to expect it. This is an extremely comforting feeling during a day that has so many moving parts.
During the rehearsal and ceremony, Maria has an intentional and natural way to make you and your guests feel grounded and savor every moment. I cannot tell you how many family members and guests asked us how we found Maria, or how long we had known her. You can imagine their surprise when we had only met in person for the first time the day before! I could go on and on with wonderful words about Maria - but just know that she will make your wedding ceremony everything you want it to be and more!
Erin Sent on 05/31/2022
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Best ceremony ever! Thank you maria!
BEST CEREMONY EVER!!! THANK YOU MARIA!!
Maria was a godsend, my now husband and I were not sure what we were going to do for our ceremony until our planner Samara recommended Maria with A Sweet Start. We are so unbelievably lucky she did. From our first call with Maria, we were so at ease and excited about the ceremony which was a point of stress for us coming from two families that expected a religious ceremony. Once it came time to plan she provided us with many great resources and was so understanding when we changed our minds last minute about writing our vows. We are now almost 2 weeks past our big day and we are still receiving comments on how beautiful and so "us" the ceremony was to our guests. I highly recommend Maria with A Sweet Start to any couple getting married! Thanks, a million times over Maria! XOXO - The LaMarche's
Lauren Sent on 05/20/2022
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Such a Special Ceremony
We are so happy that we had Maria from A Sweet Start officiate our wedding. All of our guests told us what a special ceremony we had, and that is largely thanks to Maria! She is so lovely to work with, so professional, and you can tell that she LOVES what she does. We are so grateful for her, and highly recommend her!
Adam Sent on 12/16/2021
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Best officiant ever!
Maria was our officiant for our wedding in October in Bath, ME – we could not have asked for a BETTER officiant. We instantly clicked as she is such a nice person and cares so much about her clients (and we both love cats). Before Maria, we were lost with the direction for our ceremony. But right after meeting with Maria, we knew we were in good hands. We chose the super sweet package, and Maria made the ceremony process SO EASY and stress free – this was much needed and appreciated. She helped us construct the exact ceremony we wanted, and the amount of material to choose from was so helpful. The love story she wrote about us was spectacular. Fast forward to the ceremony, and I can confidently say it was the best part of the wedding. We had SO many guests tell us how amazing the ceremony was, and that it was the best they have ever been to – we have Maria to thank for that. And still months later, friends and family are still bringing up how great the ceremony was.
I totally recommend choosing Maria as a wedding officiant!! We are SO glad we chose her and decided to go with a professional officiant.
Clara Sent on 10/07/2021
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She helped us stay present and soak in the day!
Maria was an absolutely pleasure to work with. Things were completely chaotic leading up to the date and we are from out of state. She always had a smile on her face and was patient and worked with us. She helped us get organize and arrange everyone in our small wedding party, and soak up our surroundings, being completely present. I would 100% recommend her and hope to use her for vow renewals in the same place years from now!
Zack Sent on 10/05/2021
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The best choice!
Maria was awesome to work with, she put in time to get to know us to customize our ceremony. She offered great tips and suggestions to us as we asked and she made us feel very comfortable not knowing the answers. Maria was always on time to our meetings and made our wedding day great! She was very detail oriented in our rehearsal and made the entire ceremony so much fun! Maria was a great choice and we would not change a thing about the ceremony she designed for us!
Michelle Sent on 10/05/2021
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Warm and lovely!
We so enjoyed working with Maria. She was extremely professional, funny, comforting and warm.
Vicky Sent on 09/29/2021
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Incredible!
If you're trying to decide on a wedding officiant then look no further than Maria. We clicked with her from our first Zoom meeting and are so happy we got to work with her. Wedding planning is daunting to say the least. Because of her, the entire process of creating our perfect ceremony and obtaining our marriage license was a breeze. We appreciate that she took her time to get to know us and our love sorry and the outcome was a ceremony that was so personal and special. In short, she is amazing!
Kim S. Sent on 09/24/2021
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Maria is a must for your wedding
Maria is a MUST for your wedding! When we first booked Maria we weren’t passionate about the contents of our ceremony but after one conversation with Maria we were excited to create a beautiful ceremony with her! Throughout our planning, postponing and replanning process Maria was responsive, enthusiastic and supportive. The day of our rehearsal I had lots of nerves from the two year build up to this moment and Maria immediately put me at ease and turned my feelings back to immediate excitement! Maria also made everyone involved feel included in the rehearsal while in a group circle and having all participate. After the rehearsal our family and friends were so impressed with Maria already! Maria conducted our ceremony perfectly and we are so fortunate to have we a part of our day. If you are considering booking Maria, do it now, you will have your dream ceremony and also gain a good friend :)
David Sent on 08/31/2021
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Wedding officiant
I can not express how appreciative I am for Maria's services. She was extremely helpful leading up to and during the ceremony. Plus the ceremony she put together didn't leave a dry eye in the house.
I felt so comfortable and at ease knowing that her guidance would help us through our wedding. The entire ceremony was so special and fun. I don't think many people can say they actually had fun during their wedding.
Carly Sent on 08/22/2021
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Maria is the most AMAZING officiant!
Maria was the most AMAZING officiant we could have asked for at our wedding. From the day we first hired her she was extremely organized and communicative, funny, professional, detail-oriented, and overall so fun and easy to work with. She helped us create a ceremony that was very personal, meaningful, and completely tailored to us as a couple, but also more beautiful, well-written, and creative than we could ever have come up with on our own. And at the rehearsal and the actual ceremony she was super organized, showed us exactly what to do, and made us and our families feel extremely comfortable. We had so many compliments from guests about how wonderful Maria was and how it was one of the best ceremonies they had ever attended, and we had multiple people ask how many years we had been friends with Maria for since she sounded like she knew us so well! We would absolutely recommend Maria to anyone looking for a wedding officiant - she was one of the best wedding decisions we made hands down!
Erica Sent on 08/15/2021
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What dreams are made of!
Maria was more than we could ever have dreamed of for our officiant! She was a calming presence throughout the whole planning process and really broke everything down into simple to follow steps for us—making even stressful decisions feel like a breeze! We couldn’t have asked for a better, more personal ceremony. She provided us with copious samples, drafts and really worked to perfect it to exactly what we had envisioned. She took our thoughts/ words and put them together in a way that captured our essence to write the sweetest, most custom ceremony ever. 12/10 would recommend Maria! She even helped us plan our amazing honeymoon!
Carolynn Sent on 08/14/2021
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The sweetest start to married life!
Finding the right officiant was the highest priority for my husband and I as we started planning our wedding. Maria was everything we could have wanted and more. A true professional and absolutely wonderful human being. You can rest assured that she has thought of everything and will make sure your wedding day is as stress free and joyful as possible.
The silver lining to delaying our wedding due to Covid was having extra time to work with and get to know Maria. You know you have a special officiant when you are looking forward to seeing her on your wedding weekend as much as guests you’ve known for years! It felt like we had known her forever. She was compassionate and empathetic when we had to postpone our original date and maintained the same level of enthusiasm throughout our long wait. Maria is incredibly organized and “on top of it”. She was communicative and responsive as we planned our ceremony and vows.
Maria made our rehearsal an exciting event in and of itself and set the tone for us to truly enjoy the wedding weekend. Her professional, warm, kind and calm personality shown through during the ceremony. It was personal, meaningful and celebratory. We feel so lucky to have had her be a part of our special day and bring our ceremony vision to life.
Ed Pearl Sent on 08/02/2021
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Maria is awesome!!!! She walked us through every step. She was very open to our ideas. She worked with our other vendors, caterer DJ, photographer and wedding venue. The best way to sum her up is that she is unbelievably awesome
Betsy Sent on 07/26/2021
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Could not have been happier!
I don't think the ceremony could have been more meaningful, personal, joyful, perfect. And the unsolicited emails, texts and phone calls I've gotten since the wedding say the same thing. Many have said it's the best they've ever attended including their own. Maria helped guide us from start to finish. She is organized, professional, fun, thoughtful!
Christine Sent on 07/22/2021
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Incredible!
Any couple is in the best of hands with Maria as their officiant! She is incredibly warm, easy-going, and fun. I knew I wanted to hire her for our wedding very shortly into our initial Zoom call with her. Her positive energy and passion for what she does is so present. My husband and I were really clueless on how the whole marriage license process worked, and she walked us through it step-by-step, making it easy for us to accomplish! I would recommend her Super Sweet Ceremony package. The extra cost is WELL worth it! She described us so well in our wedding ceremony - so much to the point that our guests thought she was either part of the family or a family friend! We also had a chatty wedding party and she kept them all in line and organized during our rehearsal ceremony. Maria is an amazing person and I would recommend her to any couple looking for a personalized ceremony that will have their guests smiling, laughing, and (happily) crying.
Brad Sent on 07/21/2021
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The best by far!
Maria was amazing. She worked with us to create the most special day with joy, happiness and love. The ceremony was flawless, stress free and our guest told us it was the best wedding they have ever attended. We love Maria!
Elizabeth Sent on 07/07/2021
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Amazing Officiant
Maria is the most organized person I have ever met. We found Maria through word of mouth and we could not be happier with her services. She quickly responded to every question I had. Our ceremony was so personalized and special because of her. If you are getting married do not hesitate reaching out to her. You will be so happy you did.
Victoria Sent on 07/07/2021
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The Officiant Your Guests Will Rave About
We hired Maria more than a year ago for our wedding, and from the beginning we were so impressed with her. When Covid happened we ended up postponing our wedding. However, we did end up getting married in an intimate ceremony with just our family. The following year when we held our vow renewal ceremony and reception Maria was AMAZING at shifting the original ceremony we had planned to a vow renewal ceremony. Not only did we enjoy working with Maria but our friends and family all took time to tell us how great she was. From running the rehearsal to day of, Maria was a hit with not only us but our guests as well. We could not have asked for anyone better. She is fun, personable, professional, and so easy to get along with. She helped ground us and really take in the moment. I have already recommended her to all of my engaged friends!
Melissa Sent on 06/03/2021
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Maria is Amazing to Work With
Working with Maria is a dream. From our first Zoom call with her, to the endless chain of emails that we exchanged; she is attentive, kind and professional. Our ceremony was 100% tailored to us as a couple as well as our families and we could not have asked for a better officiant. Everyone in our wedding party loved her and her energy as well as how welcoming she is. She truly wants you to have the best wedding day and makes sure that you do. We cannot recommend Maria enough to anyone looking for an officiant for their wedding ceremony, she is truly amazing!
Ali Sent on 04/19/2021
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Best Officiant
Maria was fantastic to work with! My now husband and I planned a last minute wedding after pivoting a few times due to Covid. Maria set up an initial video chat where we both hit it off with her, provided a detailed list of everything we needed included resources for getting our marriage license and worked seamlessly with our wedding coordinator to keep the ceremony running smoothly. She created a beautiful ceremony that fit us perfectly and had our family in tears. I can't recommend Maria enough!
Sheila Sent on 01/28/2021
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A Sweet Start
Maria accommodated us with everything we asked for, and on very short notice!
Sarah Sent on 12/13/2020
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Very personalized experience
Maria took the time to get to know us, to make sure our wedding would be something meaningful to us. We loved getting to know her, and felt completely comfortable putting our wedding day in her hands.
Emily Sent on 12/03/2020
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Maine Wedding
Maria was absolutely fantastic!! From the very beginning Maria was extremely thorough and planned out every detail of our ceremony. The day of she was extremely calming and took care of everything. Her ceremony was thoughtful, fun, personal and extremely touching. If you want a seamless day with an intimate ceremony, she is perfect!
Kyle Sent on 11/10/2020
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We Couldn't Have Asked for a Better Officiant!
Hiring Maria was by far one of the best decisions we made when planning our small wedding/elopement. The way she communicated was fantastic; it was fast, accurate, clear, and frequent. She had a very calming feel which helped us make all of our decisions. Her process for creating/writing your ceremony is beautiful. Everyone in attendance said this was the most beautiful and thoughtful ceremony they had heard in a long time. She made everything for us so easy, I would hire her again in a heartbeat! (Maybe for a vow renewal or something?...) Hiring Maria to officiate your wedding will not be a mistake, we can not recommend her enough! Thanks Maria!
Kelly Sent on 10/16/2020
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Truly Amazing!
Maria from A Sweet Start was hands down one of the best decisions we made during our wedding planning. She is simply incredible! From the first meeting a year and a half prior to the wedding, to the big day, she was involved the whole time. Maria was extremely communicative and sincerely wanted our ceremony to portray us as a couple while gently offering professional help. She was patient with us, as we struggled with planning a wedding during Covid which left us making a lot of last minute decisions. As a bride, you will have plenty of added stress and she completely removes that by fully running the rehearsal and emailing your vendors schedules. Family and friends are still taking about how touching and heartfelt our ceremony was and how well-spoken and sincere Maria was. If you get the opportunity to have Maria as your officiant, you are very lucky.
Lauren Sent on 09/20/2020
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Simply the best officiant out there
We met Maria two years ago over Skype and instantly fell in love with her. Having an interfaith ceremony, we knew we didn’t want a traditional ceremony with a religious officiant. Maria was highly recommended to us from another vendor and we couldn’t have been more pleased. We felt like she had been a part of our family for years and she helped us create the most perfect ceremony. Even when things didn’t go exactly according to plan... because 2020... she was with us every step of the way. We couldn’t be happier with our day and cannot recommend her enough!!
J And Sent on 09/19/2020
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Look no further A Sweet Start is where you need to Start!
Maria from A Sweet Start was just amazing to work with from the moment we reached out to her. She was able to guide us through our Elopement process from the beginning to the day she married us at Pemaquid Lighthouse. Maria is someone you can trust and she will ensure you have everything to anything you need. If you are reading this, don't look any further and giver her a call for an appointment!
Rylee Sent on 09/19/2020
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A little bit of luck
Finding Maria was perhaps the luckiest google search I ever performed. Like many hopeful couples, we found our wedding plans complicated by the challenges of 2020. With a honeymoon to Maine still on the books, we thought to ourselves, “Could we elope?” And with less than 6 weeks to go, google introduced us to Maria and we couldn’t be more happier. From the very beginning, we felt we were in good hands. She responded promptly and warmly to my emails and made me feel at ease planning a wedding so far from home. She was organized and friendly, not to mention a wealth of knowledge. We were starting from scratch with our elopement and Maria gave us recommendations that led to both our wedding photographer and florist who we were also incredibly impressed with. Working with Maria felt like we won a contest. The day of the ceremony we didn’t know what to expect, but we trusted her. She arrived with calm energy, light, and joy. I am smiling right now thinking about it. Through a uniquely personal and mindful ceremony, it felt as though she was guiding us into this phase of our lives. She helped us secure the memory of the moment and live it simultaneously. We are brimming with gratitude.
Sarah Sent on 09/08/2020
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Last minute elopement ceremony in Cape Elizabeth
Maria is amazing! She was so responsive leading up to our very last minute elopement and really helped to give us direction. She was incredibly professional. We are so grateful we had her as our officiant on our special day. Thank you Maria for making our wedding ceremony so special!
Kaylee Sent on 08/06/2020
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Simply the best, look no further for your officiant
We found Maria through our original venue's preferred vendor list. Due to Covid, our wedding changed a lot from the time we booked Maria to the day of our wedding, and she was with us for the entire ride. Maria was professional and flexible. She provided timely responses to all of our questions, and upon our first virtual meeting with her, we felt like she was an old friend we'd known forever. She walked us through every step and offered us advice when we needed it. She writes incredibly beautiful ceremonies that are unique and personalized to each couple. She really took the time to get to know us and our families, and on the day of our wedding we got so many compliments on the ceremony and how wonderful she was. I highly recommend Maria to anyone looking to get a really personal and special experience. Thinking about how wonderful and memorable she made our ceremony makes me want to get married all over again! Thank you Maria!
Heather Sent on 07/29/2020
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Maria truly made our wedding memorable!!
Maria was fantastic!! She worked with us personally every step of the way. She wrote a special customized and personal ceremony for me and my (now) husband. She was there to answer any questions we had and guide us through the whole wedding process. Her energizing and bubbly personality fit great with mine and many guests raved about how great Maria was during the ceremony. Maria was so supportive and we really appreciated everything she did for us from the planning process, to the edits, to the rehearsal, to the wedding, and even afterwards. We would 100% recommend her services to anyone we meet! She made our wedding truly special and memorable.
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Janelle Sent on 06/22/2020
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Review for Maria
My husband and I were just married by Maria on June 18th, 2020. It was such an amazing experience! We had originally planned to marry in Italy this June and had to cancel due to the pandemic. When we found this elopement package in our home state of Maine we were elated. We didn't want to wait to marry and the package provided everything and more for us to recreate our perfect wedding day. We met Maria on the day of our ceremony and immediately felt comfortable in her presence. She printed out our vows and pasted them on cards so that we could easily read them to each other. She was so flexible with all of the technology we used to Zoom in our families to "give us away" and even offered an additional suggestion for our ceremony called "Handfasting" which we thought was such a sweet touch. She provided us with a copy of our entire ceremony including our personal vows just days later which we'll be able to look back on and re-read for years to come. Her upbeat and comforting attitude really made all the difference for us. We would recommend her services to anyone. Thank you Maria!
Sarah Sent on 06/22/2020
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Amazing officiant!
Maria was extremely helpful from start to finish! She was so friendly and easy to talk to making the process so easy and seamless! Like so many other couples, our wedding plans were changed due to COVID-19. Maria was my saving grace. From our first email, I knew she was the right officiant for us. We were unable to meet in person until our wedding day but that didn’t change the quality of our ceremony. We met via zoom and discussed our visions, wants, dislikes, etc. Maria was so supportive and creative! We could feel how much she truly cares about the couples she works with! Everything was so perfect and I am so thankful that she was able to be there for us as our officiant! I will forever recommend Maria to all newlyweds!!!
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Alexandra Sent on 06/22/2020
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Do yourself a favor and hire Maria!
Planning a wedding during a pandemic can be undoubtedly stressful, but having someone as patient, compassionate, and wise as Maria was a huge reason why we were able to navigate our way through this crazy process. Maria is a top-notch professional who worked hard to get to know us on a personal level, to ensure that our ceremony was unique to us. When our initial wedding plans were canceled due to state regulations on out-of-state travel and social gatherings, Maria's first instinct was to make sure that we were doing OK emotionally. Thereafter, Maria was extremely flexible and understanding as our plans continued to evolve. It is obvious that Maria is the best of the best in her field, and we urge EVERYONE to consider her as a wedding officiant, as she will make your big day a truly unforgettable experience. Thank you for everything, Maria!
Courtney Sent on 02/02/2020
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Maria is the best!
We could not be more happy with our decision to have Maria officiate our wedding. The ceremony was so personal and fit our style perfectly. Maria beautifully combined our love stories with readings and other elements we picked from her vast reserves and was then receptive to changes down to the word so that we felt comfortable with what it said. We really appreciated her patience and flexibility - it was so clear that she cared that we got it just right. Throughout the process Maria did a great job of setting expectations and communicating clearly. She was also very easy to work with even though we were out of state for most of the planning process. And while we weren't initially sure that we could match Maria's level of wedding-related enthusiasm, and we cringed at themes like "grounded", (which I bring up only to contrast all those who say that they immediately clicked with her), we are so grateful for the way that she kept us organized, calm, and excited about our ceremony. So many of our guests told us that they loved the ceremony too. You cannot go wrong with Maria on your team!
Erin Sent on 12/16/2019
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Best Wedding Decision we made!
Hiring Maria to be our officiant was hands down the best decision we made, in regards to vendors for our wedding. After skyping with Maria, we knew instantly that she was the perfect fit. It was like we knew her for years, yet we just met. Her energy radiates to everyone around her, oh and she's really funny! We chose the personalized package and looking back I would make this decision over and over again. It was worth every penny. All of our guests raved about how heartfelt, personal, and emotional our ceremony was. You can really tell that she practices each ceremony too because her pronunciation, tone, pauses, etc. were all spot on. Additionally, the expertise that Maria brings is like no other. She gave us suggestions for where to stop to get "the perfect picture," how to organize our wedding party, how to stand, what to be conscious of, etc.
I cannot say enough great things about our experience with Maria and would highly recommend her to anyone I know that's getting married and needs an officiant. The ceremony was the most important part of the wedding for us and Maria made it absolutely incredible!
Matthew Sent on 10/23/2019
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Wedding Camden ME
Maria is elite. From the first time we met Maria we knew that she was the right fit for us. We met in person and via video chat several times allowing her to get to know us and have a feel for our relationship. She has several options to make a ceremony feel like it is all about you. Our ceremony was flawless and the rest of the night people told us how special it was. We can not thank Maria enough and would recommend her to my family and friends and anyone that was looking for a great experience.
Brittany Sent on 10/14/2019
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Way more than just an officiant!!
Where to even begin?! Maria was just absolutely amazing from start to finish with the entire wedding process! Besides being extremely thorough and organized, she was a wealth of knowledge and a great resource when needing/looking for advice regarding anything wedding related. She was more than just an officiant, she become a friend & family. Her writing and public speaking skills really took our ceremony to the next level. She left all of our wedding guests raving about the ceremony!!
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Annelise Sent on 09/22/2019
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Unparalleled officiant!
Having Maria as our wedding officiant was one of the VERY best decisions we made for our wedding. She was a true joy to work with -- from the beautiful and 100% "us" ceremony she custom-wrote, to her calm and deeply knowledgeable guidance as we finalized ceremony logistics leading up to the wedding. On the wedding weekend itself, she blew us away with her warmth and skill (and her ability to wrangle our family and friends and keep us in the “happy wedding bubble"!). Our ceremony was one of the most magical, meaningful, and joyful moments of our lives and so much of that was because of Maria's incredible talents -- and her clear passion for the work! She made time slow down and every word matter. We will treasure those memories forever. We can't thank Maria enough! She's amazing - and now truly feels like family!
Ellen Sent on 09/02/2019
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Wonderful officiant who added a special Maine touch to our wedding day
From the very first call with Maria, she immediately put my husband and I at ease. We felt completely assured that she would execute our ceremony flawlessly. We met with Maria via video call several times over the course of the 12 months we were planning our wedding. Throughout that time Maria was highly professional and detail orientated. We had previously considered using a friend as our officiant however after connecting with Maria we were so impressed with her experience, knowledge, warm personality and ability to create a special moment for the two of us and our guests. One of the things we are most sad about our wedding being over is not being able to work with our vendors' anymore. Maria was our wedding officiant but also had become a friend. This is such a testament to the care and attention she gave us and gives all of couples she works with. We'll make sure to get coffee with her when we're in Portland next summer! If you're looking for an officiant in Maine - Maria should be your first call.
Michael Sent on 08/07/2019
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Maria was fabulous
I can't rave enough about how Maria walked us through the process, incorporated our story into the ceremony and impressed everyone with her skills as our officiant. Her enthusiasm is genuine, she loves what she does and she makes the wedding couple feel at ease, while also making them excited for what's to come. I recommend her highly!
Sophie Sent on 07/30/2019
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Just the BEST.
Where to start with our dear, dear Maria?! Let me just say - choosing to work with Maria was by far one of the best decisions my (now!) husband and I made as we planned our wedding. We had a complicated situation - I'm American, my husband is Belgian, and we live in Belgium but got married in Maine. Maria Skyped us whenever we had questions, kept us on track with her incredible organization and deadlines for things like vows and ceremony readings, helped us detangle the international aspect of our marriage paperwork and license, and connected us with a network of professionals who, just like her, are authentic and fantastic people who I'm now thrilled to consider friends. Maria led our rehearsal dinner and made sure everyone involved knew their role. And our ceremony...it was truly the highlight of our wedding. Heart centered, personalized, grounded, sweet, and such a genuine reflection of me and my husband's love...at the end of the day, that's what all of this is about, isn't it? And I couldn't have asked for a better officiant-turned-friend to hold our hands every step of the way. Maria exceeded every single one of our expectations and was a true joy to spend time with. I already miss her!
Susi Sent on 07/21/2019
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Heartwarming Ceremony and Super Experience
We were exceptionally happy about our experience with Maria and how her wonderful energy and enthusiasm brought our ceremony to life. From our first experience interviewing her, we immediately had a sense of confidence in finding the right person. She provided us with 3 different scripted ceremonies to choose from as a great starting point for us to then make the ceremony our own. She was super flexible working with us, yet timely and prompt in everything she did (and kept us on track)! We met with her in person as our ceremony approached to further personalize, share family and wedding party background, and have her walk us through everything we should expect. Our wedding day ran so smoothly with her coordinating with the owner of our venue (Eve at Grey Havens Inn) and everyone in the wedding party knew what to expect and do. She was very clear and instructive in what was required for our marriage license and promptly took care of our filing. You’ll want to connect with Maria if you are interested in an officiant who you can count on for a heartwarming ceremony.
Jill Sent on 07/18/2019
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Best decision we made!
My wife and I hired Maria to do a surprise wedding for us in the middle of our housewarming party. As a former wedding coordinator, I knew I wanted to work with Maria. She was perfect! She kept us grounded throughout all of the planning, so when she arrived moments before we announced we were actually having a wedding, we were both put at ease.
Her excitement was palpable, and her love and care for us was evident. The ceremony was beautifully written, a true reflection of our love story. If you want your ceremony to be thoughtfully put together and a meaningful experience for you to have and your guests to witness, hire Maria.
Amanda Sent on 07/01/2019
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Heartfelt & Custom Ceremony that we will cherish forever.
Oh Maria, where do I begin!? We knew we wanted to book you long before we ever got engaged! Knowing that we didn’t want a super religious ceremony but also wanting our ceremony to be thoughtful and meaningful we knew you would help us create just that.
Creating a custom ceremony with you is one of our favorite parts of the entire planning process. You helped ground and reconnect us in a way that we so desperately needed amongst the chaos of planning.
The months and days leading up to the wedding (and after!) you were an incredible resource for all things wedding. From writing our own vows to how to change my last name after the wedding - you already had all the tools in place to make the process as smooth as possible.
One of the moments that sticks out to me the most is the moment during our rehearsal when you announced to our closest family and friends that our planning responsibilities were officially over and to keep us in a “wedding bubble of bliss”. From that moment on, our family and friends point of contact was our planner and our vendors. No more decisions to be made or worries to tackle - by stating this openly to all of our wedding party and parents you gave us the ability to relax and be stress free which is the greatest gift of all. Everyone listened and respected you, and from that moment on our entire weekend was more relaxed.
We know that we will cherish this ceremony for the rest of our lives and we are so grateful for your presence during our wedding weekend and your ability to share our love story with our family & friends as we begin our forever. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Caroline Sent on 06/24/2019
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Phenomenal! Will Not Disappoint!
My husband and I got married in May and we could not be more grateful to Maria for her thoughtful planning and attention while crafting our ceremony. While wedding planning, my husband and I expected that dinner and dancing would be our favorite part of the evening. However, we both agree that ultimately it was the ceremony that made the strongest impact, which we completely credit Maria. While living in Boston and planning for a wedding in Maine, Maria accommodated us by making herself available for video chats. She even took time out of her weekend to meet us for lunch in Portland to get to know us better. Not only did she have wonderful ideas for personalizing our ceremony, she was also a wealth of knowledge about wedding planning in general, and I often referred myself to her blog when I felt stuck. She lead the ceremony rehearsal with professionalism and humor so everyone felt comfortable going into the main event the following day. While my husband and I were concerned about how some of our more religious family members would react to our secular ceremony, countless friends and family raved about our vows and complimented what a great job Maria did officiating. Not only was Maria invaluable in planning and performing our ceremony, she is also a warm, lovely human and I would get fish and chips with her anytime.
Brianna Sent on 06/18/2019
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The sweetest person ever!!
Maria made our ceremony one of a kind! She was able to take aspects of our lives and relationship and create the most beautiful ceremony! She is also the sweetest person we have ever met! She took the time to get to know us to make sure the ceremony was exactly what we wanted! She made everything so easy for us, and was super patient and flexible! Everyone at the wedding raved about the ceremony!!!
Amy Sent on 03/01/2019
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Maria made our wedding exactly what we wanted...
This review has been a long time coming, but I truly needed to be able to put into the right words what Maria's services meant to us.
Our wedding was 6 months ago today, and while all of the details were important, we knew that the ceremony was the thing that we really wanted to get right. We were looking for meaningful, honest, romantic, and with the right combination of sentiment to combine our lives together, with both our families and my 3 children. After explaining all of this to Maria via Skype and in person meetings, we knew that we had the right professional in our corner. It was SO important that we created a basis for our marriage and not just for the wedding day. And we did. During the ceremony there were tears, there was laughter, and most importantly we didn't have to stress about anything. Maria was able to consult through the whole process (even proof reading our vows to ensure we were both on the same page with length and tone) and bring my three kids into the fold in a way that felt natural and appropriate.
As someone who works in the wedding industry, I see a lot of wedding officiants (and ordained family members, friends, etc) at work. Some wonderful, and some not. The most important thing I can say about Maria is that she is not just performing the ceremony. She is crafting these moments WITH you in a way that doesn't feel contrived or rehearsed. We had to change a part of our ceremony last minute because of pregnancy (whiskey and babies don't mix) and she offered an immediate solution and revised script that took any stress away before it even started. Our rehearsal was efficient and fun, and everyone knew what was happening at all times.
If you are looking for a professional that becomes a friend, and who will do the best job possible, we highly recommend Maria. We feel very lucky that we found her.
Salvador Sent on 01/15/2019
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A dream come true
Early in our hunt for someone to marry my now wife and I, we found Maria and instantly knew she was the right choice. Maria is amazing she is so cooperative she works really hard to make sure everything flows well and here aura is so enjoyable. Even in our most stressed moments her joy helped set us straight again. She comes highly recommended for all your wedding needs.
Seana Sent on 12/03/2018
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Working with Maria was the Best!
Working with Maria was like working with a guardian angel, a cheerleader, and a therapist all at once. The process of getting married can be overwhelming and stressful, and Maria consistently helped us to stay calm, focused, and excited. She gave us so much guidance, and enthusiastic support. She is a wealth of information and her love for her work shines through the entire process! From the very beginning, her passion and her enthusiasm were infectious. We had a magical wedding and we are so thrilled that we chose Maria as our officiant. We are going to miss having an excuse to see her and talk with her on a regular basis! We recommend her highly and whole-heartedly.
Alison Sent on 11/19/2018
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We couldn't imagine our wedding without Maria!
We can’t say enough good things about Maria. We took choosing an officiant very seriously, we wanted to find someone who was experienced in the role and could also seem like they knew us. By the time the wedding day came Maria didn’t seem like she knew us, she DID know us. She prepared with us so thoroughly and thoughtfully, she couldn’t have been any better. I think no compliment can go any further than the fact we had guests all night telling us how beautiful they thought the ceremony was, and that was because of Maria. We’d recommend her to anyone.
John Sent on 10/23/2018
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Maria is the best!
Maria was absolutely incredible, I can't imagine anyone else as our officiant, nor would I want to. She listened to all of our hopes and dreams and made them all come true. She truly made our wedding day all about my wife & I. At the rehearsal she even kindly told our friends, bridesmaids, groomsmen, parents, etc. to direct their questions/concerns away from us so we could enjoy our day and live in the moment. I could go on forever, but all you need to know is that Maria will go well out of her way to make you happy and to give you the exact ceremony you're hoping for. Can't thank her enough!
Caroline Sent on 10/22/2018
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Best and easiest decision we made!
Where do I even begin! My husband and I got married this past August in Maine, and Maria went absolutely above and beyond to help make our entire wedding experience perfect. From the moment we first skyped with Maria back in January, we knew she was exactly who we were looking for to perform our wedding ceremony. Maria is thoughtful and kind and helped us tremendously throughout our wedding planning process all the way through the end and for weeks beyond. She was, and is, so much more than a wedding officiant. She is a source of guidance and support, she is understanding, and you can see that, to her core, she is passionate about the work she does and the mark she leaves. I can’t think back to our wedding weekend without feeling so much love for Maria! She conducted the rehearsal walkthrough on Friday seamlessly and made it fun and special. On our wedding day, it started pouring rain 30 minutes before our ceremony start time, and she was there with grace to help talk us through a plan B or a plan C. Thankfully, the rain eventually and suddenly stopped. We didn’t know how long to rain would hold off, but Maria didn’t skip a beat. She had our 23 bridesmaids/groomsmen, 4 ushers, a ring bearer and a flower girl, 4 parents, 2 grandparents, and 250 guests organized and ready to go within minutes - and she didn’t even seem phased. Maria seemed to be the anchor of our wedding and I can’t thank her enough for all that she has done for us and with us over the past 10 months. We are so grateful and feel lucky to have had her by our side. I realize I haven’t even mentioned the written ceremony itself - as you probably already guessed if you’ve read through this in it’s entirety, it was perfect and exactly what we hoped for and more. Maria - we love you! Thank you for everything!
Lyndsey Sent on 09/25/2018
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Maria was the best investment we made towards our big day! At the beginning we were slightly skeptical because some other officiants price points were much lower and it seemed like an area we could maybe cut costs. However, Maria played an integral role throughout the entire process and it would not have been the beautiful and fun ceremony it was without her. She guided us through everything, making the process easy and fun. Her positive energy radiated through email, phone calls and certainly through the wedding ceremony. I would not hesitate to recommend Maria to anyone.
Kristina Sent on 08/23/2018
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Maria was an absolute dream to work with. From the second that we met her we knew we had to have her officiate our wedding, and it was one of the best decisions we made! I cannot give Maria enough praise! So many of our guests could not stop complimenting her and her beautiful words. She truly took the time to get to know us as a couple and that reflected in our ceremony. I would absolutely recommend Maria to anyone getting married in the Maine area, you won’t be disappointed! THANK YOU!
Mike Sent on 07/25/2018
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Maria was the icing on the cake for our wedding. From the very start of the process, Maria was professional, helpful, and completely organized. She was able to guide us through every aspect of our wedding ceremony, and we were able to fine tune it our way so that it was very personal. Our wedding would not have been the same without Maria. Alaina and I are forever grateful for “A Sweet Start”.
Aaron Sent on 07/16/2018
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My wife and I could not have been happier with Maria as our officiant for our special day. She was honestly incredible and pulled the entire ceremony together. We could not have had such a special ceremony without her input and expertise. Her energy and positive disposition really made the event what it was. We could not recommend her more.
Julia Sent on 07/16/2018
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Our wedding ceremony was incredible which was a direct result of Maria’s warmth, insight, professionalism and organization! Our guests raved about her composure, enthusiasm and delivery. It felt like she was a part of our family and she is now a friend for life!
Julia & Chris McKenzie
Danielle Sent on 07/13/2018
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My husband and I are forever thankful for Maria’s ongoing support, creativity, and passion for what she does. She put her heart and soul into every aspect of our ceremony and was truly able to capture our personalities and vision. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house. And that includes all the laughter that took place. We has such a blast!
Her flexibility and ability to problem solve is also something that can be extremely hard to find. Whether it be phone, email, or text, Maria was always accessible and made sure to check in multiple times throughout the process. She kept me calm right up to the wedding day.
Thank you Maria for making our wedding weekend so memorable and for telling our story. You truly have an amazing gift. And to any future brides- Maria will be the best decision you ever make!
Alicia Sent on 07/09/2018
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Maria is AMAZING!!!! My husband is French so we wanted to make sure that we had a ceremony that included both cultures as much as possible. Maria was open minded and was able to turn our ideas into reality. It turned out to be our dream ceremony. Everyone was so impressed with the ease of the ceremony and the way she spoke. Even the French people were able to understand her because she spoke slow and clear! I would recommend her to anyone getting married. It will be one of the best decisions you make. She makes it so easy and fun!
WE LOVE YOU MARIA
-Alicia & Johan
Lisa Sent on 07/05/2018
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Having Maria officiate our wedding was one of the best decisions we made! She was eager to get to know us as a couple and learn about our wants and needs leading up to the wedding. We worked with her to create a ceremony that was simple yet incredibly meaningful to us and our families. At our rehearsal, Maria set the tone for what would end up being an unbelievably touching ceremony. As the nervous bride-to-be, I was amazed by the calm she brought to me and my fiance. But the real accolades came from our family and friends; everyone (and i mean everyone!) commented on what a wonderful job Maria did setting a relaxed, intimate tone and encouraging everyone to be present in the moment. To say we are pleased with how everything turned out is an understatement. Thank you Maria for being such an important part of our special day. With much love, Jamey and Lisa
Kaitlyn Sent on 06/27/2018
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Maria took any and all stress out of our ceremony by handling the logistics and working with us to make sure it was EXACTLY what we wanted. She is so solid, kind, and beyond capable and saved the day several times with her emergency wedding kit in her car (fish line for the flower swag, she had it!). She was kind, communicative, and connected with our family and wedding party. Everyone felt comfortable asking her any questions they had, and she ensured our ceremony was perfect without any stress for anyone. Her voice and presence in front of guests is beyond amazing, and our guests commented ALL NIGHT about how incredible of a ceremony it was. She was recommended to us by two separate individuals and we are so glad we found her!! One phone call with a Maria and you’ll be psyched about your ceremony. -Kaitlyn & Ben
Meghan Sent on 06/22/2018
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Maria delivers such an amazing and unique experience as an officiant. We knew we had made the right decision in hiring Maria immediately after our first skype conversation, and you know its a good sign when every other vendor you have booked exclaims "Oh, you booked Maria! She is the absolute best! I love her!". Her connection with the Maine wedding community made her a wealth of knowledge of vendors and logistics, but what makes Maria truly unique and the best officiant we could have ever imagined is the detail and effort she puts into creating a truly one-of-a-kind ceremony. We spent several months going back and forth personalizing every moment of our ceremony, and the end result was something that was so special that we have heard from guests routinely telling us it was the most incredible ceremony they had ever seen. As if that wasn't enough, Maria also makes the rehearsal and ceremony itself completely relaxed and immersive. She has an excellent presence, and was this perfect combination of grounding and calming while also keeping you so present in the moment and the result is that I remember every single detail of our flawless ceremony. She kept all the pieces moving together like clockwork while my husband and I stood there, completely engrossed in the ceremony. I had always loved the idea of being married by an officiant who was a friend and had a sense of our history as a couple. I can truly say that by hiring Maria, we had that experience because it is impossible to make it down the aisle that day without feeling so close to her, and generating a lasting connection. Thank you so much Maria! You crushed it!
Stephanie Sent on 05/08/2018
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I could not be more happy with our choice to hire Maria! She has been extremely helpful every step of the way and we are so excited to have be be a part of our wedding day.
Lauren Sent on 02/06/2018
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Choosing Maria of A Sweet Start to officiate our wedding day ceremony was hands down the best decision we made during our wedding planning process! My husband and I are not very religious and knew we wanted to get married outside, but that was about all we were sure of. After meeting Maria on Skype, we knew we could fully trust her to help us create the ceremony of our dreams. Maria custom tailored a ceremony for us that was unique and meaningful and she embraced our idea of a beer ceremony and turned it into reality! My husband and I are in our mid 20's so we thought most of our guests would be talking about "the party" the next day, but everyone could not stop raving about our ceremony! I had multiple people tell me it was the most beautiful ceremony they had ever attended. I cannot recommend Maria enough!
Lauren Sent on 11/29/2017
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My husband and I are ecstatic with the work Maria did for our wedding. Maria goes above and beyond what is expected of an officiant. She helps couples every step of the way from planning the day, making herself available to ask questions and creating a ceremony that not only feels intimate for you and your partner, but also connected to all of your guests. Maria speaks eloquently, projects herself well, and truly knows what she is doing to make your ceremony flow, but also slow down and hold on to that special moment. We absolutely adore Maria and her work. We would recommend her at ALL! (:
Thank you Maria!!
The Campbells
Michelle Sent on 11/10/2017
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How can I even begin to write about our experience with Maria?
My husband and I were feeling anxious about finding the right person to officiate our wedding. We knew we wanted something special, personal, real, and fun without religious undertones, but had no idea where to begin. We set up a video call with Maria after reading reviews online and felt an immediate connection with her; we knew she was the right person to help us craft our fully-custom ceremony! From that day forward Maria was communicative, clear in her expectations, and available whenever we had additional questions. She set deadlines for us throughout the process, which allowed us to take the time we needed to be thoughtful about the pieces of the ceremony. We went back and forth with her over ceremony drafts 5 or 6 times, and it was finalized about a month before the wedding. I can't tell you how important this piece was - we had so many other things to think about in the weeks leading up to the wedding and I was so happy that we didn't have to scramble to write anything. The week of our wedding, we touched based again just to make sure we had all the timing right, and Maria made great suggestions about how to handle other details, like the processional. When it came time for the rehearsal, Maria was fun and assertive, making sure everyone knew where to be, which took so much pressure off of us and allowed us to relax and enjoy it! Thanks to Maria's help, our ceremony was just as we envisioned it. So many people commented later that they loved her energy and couldn't believe she hadn't known us for years! We watched our wedding video this week and couldn't stop smiling re-living the moment. It was perfect.
Ben Sent on 10/24/2017
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What can we say about Maria? From the moment we met (via Skype) we knew Maria was the person to marry us. Her experience, knowledge of vendor partners and the area, as well as her incredible passion for her work all proved to be invaluable. Having been involved in many weddings, but never our own, both my wife and I found Maria to be the most professional, caring, involved, and exciting officiant we've ever been around. From start to end, her guidance through our experience was incredible - Maria walked us through our ceremony, taking careful note of minute details to build out a touching, personal ceremony that came to life beautifully. Beyond just drafting the ceremony, Maria's command of the ceremony, ability to corral those involved, and remind us to stay in the moment was everything we needed, but didn't expect.
For any couples looking to tie the knot, Maria is worth every penny and then some. Our day was beyond words, and a major part of that was her professional knowledge, love and support.
As of today, Maria is no longer our officiant, but a close family friend!
Kristie Sent on 10/13/2017
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I feel like no words in the English dictionary can even come CLOSE to accurately describe how amazing it is to work with Maria. Within minutes of our first FaceTime consultation, we knew she was the one, we just clicked so well! Maria created a completely custom ceremony for us by sending us sample scripts and a ton of different readings and poems, as well as a questionnaire that we each filled out separately. Being very much a type A planner, I cannot tell you how much I worship her organization skills, she was always on top of everything and lightning-fast responsive when we contacted her. Maria has a very warm, calming energy that just made us feel good. We stressed about everything else, but never about this. The ceremony went so well that we had relatives coming up to us later to say how impressed they were with her. They said they’ve been to a lot of weddings, but she was one of the best officiants they’ve seen. Her blog also has a lot of great advice, not just specific to officiating, that was helpful during our planning process. Trust me when I say this: SHE IS WORTH IT. <3
Kris Sent on 10/07/2017
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I can't say enough about Maria. She helped us come up with a beautiful, personalized ceremony, was a total pro guiding our wedding party through the rehearsal, and did everything she could to make our big day special. Her positive attitude and enthusiasm made her such a hit with everyone at our wedding. Thank you so much Maria!!
Victoria Sent on 09/17/2017
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Highly recommend Maria! Working with her was smooth and easy. Her professionalism and organization is equally matched with her passion for weddings, and with us, she made every step of the ceremony-crafting process super easy and personal. I especially appreciated her work in coordinating the actual logistics of the ceremony and rehearsal (timing, processional order, seating etc) this was a HUGE value and not something I necessarily thought of when researching officiants. Her calm, open, yet organized approach was a breath of fresh air during the enevitably hectic days leading up to the wedding. Maria's words for our ceremony turned out perfect and several of our guests made comments that it was the best ceremony they had ever witnessed. Maria's positive energy added to the love we felt on our day, and we are so glad that we chose A Sweet Start! Thanks Maria !<3
Ashley Sent on 08/29/2017
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My husband and I chose Maria to be the officiant at our wedding. I could tell from the beginning that we made the right choice. Maria was very professional but also extremely personable. She will work with you on customizing your ceremony so it's unique and special. When we finally met Maria in person the night before our wedding she brought such a positive, humble energy to our wedding party. She was very organized and you could tell she was extremely comfortable with helping the wedding party understand what they needed to do on the wedding day and where they needed to go. On the day of our wedding she was very supportive and made me feel like okay, I CAN do this! She read our ceremony perfectly! I really can't describe in words how amazing Maria really is. I couldn't imagine any wedding without her!!
Maria Sent on 08/24/2017
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From the very first email with maria I could tell we had found the perfect person to marry us! Maria is so nice and sweet and if you ever have any question about anything she always gets right back to you with an answer! We lived a little far each other so we did FaceTime calls which where great!! She also has amazing ceremony's you can pick if you choose to do that like we did! When it came to our vows brandon and I wanted to write our own maria looked over each of ours gave us feedback and even helped make things flow better with our words AND put them on cards for us to read on the day of. When it came to wedding day maria was nice and early and was checking in with me to make sure everything was going good. She also let us know when it was time to start! I couldn't have asked for a better experience from a better person! Maria being our justice of the peace was one of my very favorite parts of our day!!
Claire Sent on 08/20/2017
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We feel so lucky to have Maria part of our lives after officiating our wedding in July 2017. From our first Skype conversation, we knew Maria was the perfect person to help us building a warm, loving, personal, secular ceremony. Even though the ceremony was the most important part of our wedding day, we didn't know where to begin and we collaborated with Maria to work from her expertise to build a ceremony that felt entirely our own and so authentic to who we are. On our wedding day, we found ourselves more emotional that we expected, and Maria was our rock and helped us be in the moment and get through the tears! Maria was so responsive and thoughtful throughout our planning process and was a great sounding board for other elements of our wedding. We had a fantastic check in with her a few months before our wedding where we went over every detail, and she prompted us to think of things we hadn't considered and had expert guidance and experience to help us build a ceremony we were so thrilled with. She also led our rehearsal ceremony and our families and wedding party was blown away by her warmth, attention to detail, and positive energy. We could not have imagined our wedding day without Maria! Any couple will find themselves in such supportive and thoughtful hands in working with her. We worked with a lot of great "vendors" on our wedding day, but Maria was the best.
Maia Sent on 06/29/2017
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How do we say enough about Maria? As a couple from New England but living in Oregon, Maria made crafting our ceremony seamless, even from a distance. From the very start, she made us so comfortable in an arena we knew absolutely nothing about. The process was so simple and easy to work into our busy lives- after finding out what we liked and disliked, we received a first draft, which we edited and sent back, repeating just a few times until we had a ceremony that we all adored. So many people came up to us or messaged us after the wedding to tell us that it was the most well-crafted and personalized ceremony they'd ever been to. During the rehearsal and ceremony, Maria was so organized but also incredibly warm and kept us at ease. She didn't want the rehearsal to feel too real and emotional, so she told my dad and I jokes as we walked down for practice. Little touches like that made us appreciate her so incredibly much. We all were tearing up during the wedding! Maria was such a big part of our wedding, and I can't recommend her enough. We can't thank her enough for making a truly one-of-a-kind ceremony that was incredibly personalized and reflected us more than we could have ever imagined. Get her on your vendor team now!
Barbara Sent on 06/19/2017
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Maria is absolutely amazing. She takes the time to get to know you, understand your wants and needs to ensure she provides the perfect wedding for you!
Caroline Sent on 05/31/2017
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Maria is amazing. She has such a warm personality and worked really hard to write a beautiful ceremony that we loved. Friends and family commented on how personal and touching the ceremony was. The ceremony itself felt like us (...we laughed! we cried! the whole 9 yards).
Logistics: Maria first spoke to us over skype, exchanged a few emails, met with us in person, led our rehearsal, and met me before the ceremony. She explained how to get our marriage license, she helped us make some ceremony decisions, and she is just a nice person to be around.
Nothing negative to say - she is wonderful.
Nadine Sent on 11/08/2016
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Where do we even start!?! If you haven't contacted Maria to officiate your wedding day please do yourself a favor and reach out to her NOW! You will not regret it! From the first FaceTime chat with Maria to the day of our ceremony (16 days later) Maria gave us the tools to help her create the most beautiful and personal elopement ceremony. Her warmth, joy, excitement, love for her job and love for standing with couples as they state their vows to one another is infectious. Her attitude made us more excited to plan our perfect day! Maria is so laid back and SO much fun to be around! She didn't blink an eye when we informed her that we wanted her to create a personalized ceremony for us in just 16 short days. No, she was up and excited for the challenge! It was exactly what we were hoping our officiant would be and more! After the first time we talked, we felt she really got us and our relationship and because of this we decided for her to surprise us by not sending our marriage address to us to review before our elopement. This ended up being our favorite part of the ceremony! Maria, thank you again for everything. We cannot stop reliving the entire day (especially the ceremony)! Thank you for being such a HUGE part of It, we couldn't imagine becoming husband and wife without you and your support. The ceremony was more amazing and perfect than we could ever imagine!
