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Kimberly Sent on 05/01/2019

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Best Choice for an Officiant

Our experience with Barbara was better than we even had hoped. It was as if we had known her for years. She was a friend (even though we had only really just met). She prepared for the ceremony and created something that was personal, unique and truly special. I highly recommend her; you will not be disappointed.

Molly Sent on 05/04/2019

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A truly perfect ceremony!

Our ceremony was everything we'd hoped and much, much more, all thanks to Barbara.

She brought tremendous kindness and humor to telling our story, and every part of working with her—from our very first chats through the wedding day—was a pleasure. Guest after guest sang her praises and asked us how long we'd known her, or even how we were related!

i can’t recommend Barbara highly enough.

Estefania Sent on 12/31/2018

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Perfect Ceremony!

Barbara was amazing! She made our small ceremony exactly what we wanted!

Fiona Sent on 10/21/2018

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Such joy working with Barbara

Nothing short of a pleasure working with Barbara who took pains to get to know us (remotely no less as we are based in Singapore) n telling our story w much sincerity n love.

Andrew Sent on 10/16/2018

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Simply Perfect!

From our initial contact with Barbara Ann, we knew we were in good hands. We documented our love story, the basis of our ceremony, from a starting point that was founded in caring interviews Barbara Ann conducted with us individually. From this exercise of having us each relive how we came together, what we mean to one another, how our families are blending, and the vision we share for our future together, Barbara Ann designed a ceremony that was unique to us. As the big day approached, we finalized the details together, Barbara Ann reassuring us at each step. And, as we readied ourselves for what is often a ‘nervous moment’, Barbara Ann held our hands in hers, told us that our only job was to love each other and repeat after her, we were reassured that everything would be perfect. It was. The comments we received from our guests praising the beauty and spirituality of the ceremony speak volumes more than I can attest here. People were touched, deeply. Barbara Ann’s warmth kind spirit were a source of joy felt by everyone, the two of us first and foremost.
Elizabeth and Andrew

Nina Sent on 10/04/2018

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We just got married at a wonderful place in Central Park in New York City on 9/22/2018. Barbara was our Officiant. From the first time we spoke with Barbara through today — WE LOVED HER!! Our ceremony was beautiful and it was wonderfully done by Barbara!!!

David Sent on 09/30/2018

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We are thrilled that we selected Barbara Ann Michaels as our Wedding Officiant. Barbara is a professional who takes the stress out of planning the perfect ceremony. She listens carefully and then works with you to create a unique presentation of your love story. Barbara is an artist who is easy to work with and reviews every detail from beginning to end. She is a walking encyclopedia on "everything wedding". You can ask her for advice on photographers, accessories and traditions and have excellent answers in an instant.
When the big day finally came, Barbara's delivery was superb and our guests alternated between laughter and tears of joy. Our personalized ceremony spoke volumes about how our love story came to life and set the tone for the rest of the day.
Thank you Barbara for a job well done!

Priscilla Sent on 07/30/2018

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Coming from Australia to NYC for our wedding was made easy with Barbara - we could not have ask for a better day. We highly recommend Barbara and can't rate her high enough. Barbara was an excellent Celebrant - she is a fantastic communicator and organiser. Best of all, she's a very nice person.

Paul Sent on 07/15/2018

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50th Wedding anniversary ceremony in a small Church....Barbara interviewed each person separately for an hour or two..She then prepared a 4 page summary of our lives together..she delivered a very professional and moving presentation to our family and friends from the alter..and having each of them provide something special from our 50 years together..Barbara lead the way and reassured us to be calm and trusting as she has years of wedding experience to draw on..and she was right..everyone was super pleased with the event.

Lysa Sent on 05/01/2018

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Words cannot express how grateful my new husband and I were to have Barbara Ann Michaels create our wedding. She took so much time to learn our love story and created a magical ceremony for us and our guests. We worked with her for a few months before the wedding to co-create the perfect wedding experience.

She guided us to write our personalized vows and create a unique ceremony full of love and meaning. Barbara Ann is kind, personable, grounded, easy to talk to, and her experience gave tremendous support before and during our wedding. She even was very considerate during the ceremony and would move to the side when my husband and I spoke to give us intimate moments.

Her beautiful energy and way with words made our ceremony heartwarming and everyone was so moved. Our guests, my husband and myself were all brought to tears and laughed with joy during the ceremony. We are so grateful to Barbara Ann for giving us these beautiful memories and feel so blessed to have had her as part of our special day.

Jenette Sent on 11/01/2017

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What a pleasure it was working with Barbara Ann Michaels!! I feel truly lucky we used her for our wedding ceremony. She had the most beautiful way with her words!!
Her soft spoken, kind and sincere ways exceeded our expectations in every way
Barbara always got back to us with any questions or concerns we had very quickly, which really helped during such stressful planning days
I hope everyone is as lucky as we were to be married by such a beautiful person like Barbara

Risa Sent on 10/31/2017

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We absolutely loved working with Barbara! She is a true professional who immediately feels like a friend. The ceremony was one of the most intimidating parts of the wedding planning process, because we are not a traditionally romantic couple and didn’t know how to even begin expressing our love for one another in front of everyone we care about. However, Barbara took us step-by-step and showed us how we could be sweet and deeply personal without being cheesy or forced. She helped us put into words what love means for us: imperfect, enduring, fun, maddening, and a little bit nerdy. :) She had the extra challenge of combining Filipino Catholic and Jewish traditions into a non-religious ceremony and thanks to her openness to creative solutions, as well as her calm and nurturing energy, the combination of cultures felt seamless and even fun. Not to mention, her delivery on the day of our wedding was flawless. My husband and I got married almost 5 months ago, and our friends and family are still talking about how wonderful our ceremony was. So many people, including old friends, told us how much they enjoyed our story and combined traditions, and how it helped them know us better both as a couple and as individuals. If you want a totally unique ceremony and need someone to help guide you and collaborate with you, then look no further. Barbara Ann Michaels is the officiant for you!

Jill Sent on 10/25/2017

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It was truly a pleasure working on our ceremony with Barbara! She is a very talented story teller and we received many compliments from our guests on her delivery and on our vows, which were tailor made for us. Neither my husband or I are religious and we were not sure how to create a ceremony and vows that would be meaningful, personal, and interesting to others. Barbara walked us through her process of telling our story and creating the ceremony we wanted. We are also not very sentimental and are a bit more reserved. Barbara understood our style and never had us do anything that felt unnatural to us. She had good recommendation to make things more unique and personal that helped us create our ceremony. We highly recommend working with Barbara to share your love story!

Paul Sent on 10/22/2017

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Barbara is absolutely amazing! From the beginning to the final moment, she helped us through the entire process with ease, excitement, and splendor. She made our ceremony more than the usual process, she helped make it a moment to treasure and adore forever! She handled so much of the process and challenges that it made everything go so smoothly for our perfect moment. Barbara is amazing and she possesses a unique talent to bring love and happiness to each couple she assists in there special moment of marriage. She even had great ideas and recommendations for other aspects of the ceremony which proved extremely successful! I full-heartedly recommend Barbara and words are just not enough to express how AWESOME she really is!

Chelsea Sent on 10/20/2017

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We reached out to Barbara last minute to officiate our wedding. She was flexible and easy to work with, even though we gave her a super tight time frame. Our ceremony was perfect - exactly how we wanted it. She takes direction and makes you feel comfortable with whatever decisions you make about your day.

Alden Sent on 07/24/2017

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My fiance and I were looking for a non denominational officiant who would bring fun and joy to our day. When we found out that Barbara has gone to Burning Man, we knew we had found someone who, like us, is unconventional and appreciates moments of wonder and joy. And when she said that legally all we had to do was say yes, and that we could form the rest of the ceremony around whatever we wanted, we were sold. We chose the package in which she sent over questions separately to us to write out our answers ahead of time (and kept them secret from each other) and then surprised us with a few more questions live during the ceremony. I was questioning that decision when she started asking surprise questions in front of our family and friends, because I totally froze up, even though we had totally agreed to this, but she was a pro at goading us along, making us laugh, and bringing out the best in both of us. Our family and friends said it was a ceremony so full of love, honest, authentic, and from the heart. Here's what I've been recommending to brides: make sure your maid of honor has a handkerchief, because you don't want to be wiping the snot off your nose with the back of your hand like I did, because I was crying so much from the beauty and deep meaning of the ceremony.

Christine Sent on 06/07/2017

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She's a sweetheart... we were able to have the wedding and ceremony that we wanted with the help of barbara..

Isamar Sent on 01/29/2017

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We got married on a helicopter ride over New York City and our dreamed wedding was perfect thanks to Barbara! She wrote such beautiful words about my husband and I that captured our love story and the infinite love we share. Since the beginning, Barbara was very attentive and personal, which you need for the most important day of your life. Our wedding would've not been the same without her. Thanks Barbara!

Karen Sent on 11/04/2016

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If you can’t book Barbara for your ceremony, you may consider changing your wedding date. ;)

My husband and I were married in Central Park with just our immediate family in attendance. It was by design supposed to be a simple wedding, but it was one that nevertheless caused me a fair amount of stress. You see, I grew up as a biracial kid frequenting California nudist beaches with my parents, whereas my now-husband was raised in a traditional Jersey-Catholic family. So what to do with our ceremony? As we began to plan our day I found myself obsessing over what our family would be UPSET about. His mother would inevitably be upset that we weren’t getting married in a church. My mother would be upset that we didn’t invite all the cousins/aunts and uncles, etc. And then I got on the phone with Barbara…

Barbara is one of those people that exudes calm and joy. It’s not like a namaste-yoga teacher walking around with incense, but rather like a supportive friend that listens, makes you laugh and just feel more confident and relaxed. Barbara reminded us that our wedding day was a celebration and that we should turn our attention to what would make us and our guests HAPPY. And, she was full of ideas! "How about we take some time for the bride and groom to talk about what made you fall in love? What if we passed the rings and allowed everyone to say a few words? How about we let the groom's mother read a passage from the bible and ask his brother if he'd like to say a few words to honor their later father?" She helped us make the ceremony OURS and the final result was an intimate affair filled with both tears and laughter. Everyone was in awe of Barbara and agreed that it was the most beautiful and thoughtful ceremony they had ever attended.

Thank you Barbara!

Peter Sent on 10/31/2016

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Barbara was so helpful in the lead up to our special day, and ensured it really was a day to remember. As we are from the UK she helped us through the legal process too. Could not recommend highly enough!!

User2812637 Sent on 10/13/2016

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I could not have asked to meet a more perfect officiant for my wedding. We were looking for someone who would have excellent communication and an eye for detail. We also were looking for someone nondenominational, which Barbara is. She has done hundreds of ceremonies she told me. Barbara listened and reflected in her words exactly who we are as a couple. She added her own flavor to tie in our journey from many perspectives. Her approach to getting to know us and making suggestions of what we wanted to convey was in sync with what we wanted. She was open to do whatever we wanted and she is a gifted writer. You can tell from talking to her she is a gentle and positive soul. If you are looking for someone to tell your or you & partners' story to the people in your life with passion and impartiality I would recommend Barbara.

Elizabeth Sent on 08/15/2016

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Wow. Wow. Wow. Barbara goes above and beyond for her couples and she WILL give you the absolute BEST ceremony you can ever dream of. She was truly the highlight of our wedding and was so incredible every step along the way. She made everything so easy was early and made sure we knew what was going on and took our feedback throughout the whole process. Everyone told us how she was their favorite part of the wedding and how they've been to so many weddings but this was hands down the best ceremony they ever saw and believe they ever will see.

Barbara is so incredible at what she does because she truly cares about what she does and who she is marrying.

So thank you so much again for all the incredible work you have done and for our making our special day a lot more special and leaving memories that will be remembered for lifetimes.

Natasha Sent on 07/08/2016

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Barbara was amazing at our wedding. She created and performed a beautiful ceremony custom-made for us! After communicating via phone, Skype, and email, Barbara used all of our input and her talent in crafting our story. On the day of the wedding, she beautifully presented it with love.
Barbara's calm and peaceful presence, personal engagement with us and the audience, sense of humor, and ability to be fully present and responsive were felt throughout the ceremony. After the wedding, many of our friends kept mentioning how unique and memorable the experience was for them. And we felt the same!
Barbara combined our preferred traditions from Jewish and Russian cultures. She gracefully included my family from Belarus who were with us via Skype into the whole experience. It was a joy for my family on the other end of the world, for us, and for all the friends and family at the ceremony to be part of this connection.
We are very thankful for having had Barbara as our wedding officiant and couldn't recommend her highly enough for your special day.

User2402821 Sent on 10/31/2015

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Meeting Barbara was serendipitous. My husband-to-be met Barbara while looking for a seat at a taco place during lunch rush one day. We had not set a date at that point (we had a long engagement), but he mentioned that he was engaged and she gave him her card and said to give her a call if we needed an officiant.

Fast forward a year or so later. We decided on a date, and had less than three months to plan. We did our research and read all the wonderful, quirky stories from Barbara's website, and knew we had to go with her.

She was available for our wedding date and immediately began working with us, asking questions via email about what we wanted and making creative suggestions. Barbara suggested a "talk show" format for the non-religious ceremony, which was really fun and special. She also included a prayer to acknowledge my Catholic side. Our friends and family got to learn about how we met and the life we had started to build over the 4 years of our relationship. It was unforgettable, and we couldn't be happier. I was nervous my conservative Catholic relatives would frown upon the lack of a priest, but they were the first ones to tell me how much they loved the ceremony and how unique it was.

Barbara exudes charm and personality, is a great listener, is poised, and professional. She is truly gifted.

Carl Sent on 10/31/2015

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Barbara is a very passionate and caring person.

Alex Sent on 10/30/2015

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Barbara Ann Michaels was the best person to bring my wife and I together as a married couple. She exudes all the best things about making a life together in love and respect. She got to know us, and we got to know her. We built a ceremony that was not ceremonious but a true celebration of love. She was patient and professional through the ups and downs and unexpected turns of our wedding planning. She skillfully wove together the tale of our journey up to that day and brought in all of our loved ones present at the wedding to be not just spectators, but participants sharing in our joy. My wife and I decided to say our vows in each others' native language, but had little time to practice. She was the only one to give my wife the confidence to go forward with this despite her nerves - and she did it better than at any of our practices! Barbara has become a friend and I hope she can bring the same to anyone who considers her for their special occasion.

User2397757 Sent on 10/29/2015

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A beautiful ceremony thanks to Barbara! A fantastic woman who made us feel happy. It was a lovely moment and Barbara help us in every step. Thank you so much!

Melanie Sent on 10/28/2015

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Barbara is simply wonderful! Organized, efficient, and extraordinary :)

Marion Sent on 10/28/2015

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Our wedding in New York was just perfect thanks to Barbara. All our family and friends thought that she is our friend and she already knew us. She listened to us carefullly and she was really interested in our love story. So she created the perfect ceremony for us. We feel that each ceremony is important and so special for her. During the ceremony, she took care of speaking slowly to help our french family to understand english. She also accept a small cambodian ritual in the ceremony, it was important for a part of our family. Barbara is a beautiful personne with a lot of love. In one word : the PERFECT officiant !
Marion and Vidal from France

User2395742 Sent on 10/28/2015

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We were extremely lucky to find Barbara. She was wonderful not only the day of the wedding but before. She took the time to know us as a couple and our love story, which made the ceremony that much more special. She was kind hearted and funny at times when it was needed. She suggested that we read our vows in spanish, (our first language), and that was a magical moment. I wouldn't change one thing about our wedding day. I hope we could give you more than five stars Barbara!

User2488796 Sent on 10/25/2015

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Barbara was a fantastic wedding officiant with a real intuition on what makes a relationship unique and special. After a couple questionnaires and in person meetings, she was able to craft a ceremony that felt like she had known us for years. Our friends and family treasured getting to know us even better through the ceremony. Her cheer and joy also added a lot to the wedding and our interactions before. We can't recommend Barbara highly enough.

Ben Sent on 10/23/2015

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Barbara did an amazing job officiating our Central Park wedding. I can't recommend her highly enough. Everyone at the event complimented her work, including one guest who is a wedding professional himself. If you want a ceremony that is both professional, but also lively and interesting, hire Barbara.

She is also very easy to work with leading up to the ceremony. Barbara is really clear communicator and responds quickly to emails. She wrote an amazing ceremony for us that captured our unique relationship. I was most impressed with the way she facilitated our own involvement in the process by asking thoughtful questions and then using the answers to provide a unique flavor to the ceremony. Most importantly, Barbara's attitude is really respectful, professional and positive. The weeks leading up to the ceremony are a stressful time, but working with her was easy.

Emerald Sent on 10/20/2015

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Barbara was the best officiant we could ever hope for. She conducted a dream wedding. She was calm, assertive, funny, wise and truly connected with our path onto married life. She has become a close friend out of this experience and someone with whom we hope to always share special memories.

User2373176 Sent on 10/18/2015

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We were very nervous when we started thinking about our officiant and ceremony. We knew we wanted a simple, secular ceremony, but we started with no clear idea of what our ceremony would be like. In our first conversation, Barbara gave us the starting point we were looking for -- the couples she has married are happy when their friends tell them, "your ceremony sounded like you." From the beginning, she was warm, kind and quirky, but also a professional and our guide. The three of us worked together to write our ceremony, and the result was something really beautiful and personal with exactly the tone we wanted. On our wedding day, Barbara was joyful, funny, and knew just what to do. Our friends and family could not stop telling us how wonderful our ceremony was. Though she left us after the wedding and went off to her next adventure (carrying a drum!), everyone remembered how great Barbara was too. Barbara, we don't know how you made it look so easy, but you have given us something special and unforgettable and that sounded like us. Thank you for everything.

Hayley Sent on 10/15/2015

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Barbara Ann Michaels....what can I say?! We knew immediately when we met over Skype, that she was "the one". Her warm, genuine and unique nature matched the big smile you see in all her photos! It was really important to us that we be relaxed on our wedding day and that we have fun...and Barbara's energy was perfect for this. Throughout the whole process, Barbara emailed us back and forth, she was always so cheerful and made us so excited to celebrate our love, and to also meet her in person!

We had an "improvised" ceremony, where Barbara asked us questions about each other & our relationship, that we answered live in front of our guests. We didn't know what she was going to ask, but knew the spontaneous aspect would make for a very natural and heartfelt ceremony. It was exactly that! In addition to our questions, Barbara had written a personalised ceremony that incorporated who we were as people, the nature of love, and our beliefs when it comes to love. She spoke some real truths in relation to love, that fit us perfectly.

Her spirit and joy is contagious, she is the real deal. Our guests absolutely loved her and kept singing her praises! We are so grateful she she made our ceremony a real, true and heartfelt experience.

After the ceremony Barbara took care of our marriage certificate, including traveling to multiple offices to obtain our apostille (as we are from Australia). We caught up again to collect our papers at a buzzing live music spot that Barbara recommended, as she knew our love for music, and it too, was perfect! We had a great time just hanging out with her! Barbara makes you forget she is an officiant, because she feels more like a friend. We cannot thank her enough for making our ceremony the highlight of our day and our life.

Sheri Sent on 09/26/2015

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I wish there were more than 5 stars- because Barbara deserves it all. I can't express how wonderful she was- from our first conversation I just knew she was "it." She's the whole package (I sound like I am speaking of a date with my now husband!). While I had high expectations for the ceremony (Barbara gives you confidence and peace of mind throughout the process)- she blew it away. We wanted to her to tell our "love story", and make it "ours." She told it with love, humor, and personality. It was more than I ever anticipated. After the ceremony I can't tell you how many of my guests came up to me to express their similar love for Barbara; my married friends said they wanted to renew their vows, just to have her there, my engaged couples asked for her info for their wedding, and my single friends- said they wanted to find someone just so they can have Barbara there. This is no exaggeration. Our wedding day was pure bliss and perfection; Barbara had a tremendous amount to do with that. I can wait to be a guest at a wedding where she is officiating - so I can experience it from another perspective. I will forever be grateful I found Barbara.

Erica Sent on 07/26/2015

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Barbara is a truly amazing and beautiful wedding officiant. I echo the sentiments of previous reviewers. She has a warm, humorous and loving energy that makes you instantly at ease and also makes her feel comfortably familiar. When you first talk, she really listens to your story and uses that to craft your ceremony. We created our ceremony by answering her seven marriage questions and reading the answers to each other in front of our loved ones. Although we had our answers prepared, Barbara makes you feel so comfortable during the actual ceremony that we both added spontaneous elements and answers. It was so moving, meaningful, personal and fun. Numerous of our guests (many of whom had only attended traditional religious ceremonies before) said it was the most beautiful and genuine wedding they had witnessed. If you are looking for a truly unique and special marriage ceremony, Barbara is the person for you. She is open to many ideas and has a great and playful nature, as her business name suggests. We would do it all again exactly the same way!

Amandine Sent on 05/19/2015

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Barbara is a fabulous person and a perfect wedding officiant. She is attentive to the bride and groom. I recommend her to all couples who wish to marry and have a unique and moving wedding ceremony. Barbara celebrates love and people. This is someone for I have a lot affection. I am very proud to be working with her for a wedding. She adapts to every story and every person. She is so generous, kind and funny. Barbara knows how to touch the hearts of people. She is wonderful. Thanks for everything dear Barbara! Cheers.

Antonella Sent on 05/17/2015

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I just got married and I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to have officiated. She was quick to respond to emails and calls no matter where she was!! On our wedding day my nerves were crazy and Barbara spoke to me before hand and just looked into my eyes and made me feel peaceful and relaxed. Once under the gazebo she made our service personal, romantic and funny! Thank you so much for making our wedding day relaxing and unique!!! You are amazing!!!

Nicola Sent on 02/23/2015

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We are from the UK and chose to get married in NYC as it our favourite place. Brilliant! Barbara made our day so very special. She created a truly personal service for us and captured everything we wanted to achieve. It was simply perfect and we cannot thank her enough.

James Sent on 02/21/2015

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Picking a celebrant is not an easy task. Let me take a load off your shoulders by telling you that Barbara is the one for you!

To me, it's the little things that count. The hours she spent Skyping, emailing us, typing up our ceremony. The little notes she posted us before our wedding, the welcome to NYC texts, the excited day before the wedding text, the 24 hour post wedding check in. Barbara was just as excited about our wedding as we were!!!

She took the time to understand us and our relationship and what getting married meant to us. By the time our wedding day came along, Barbara felt more like a guest than our celebrant.

On the day of our wedding, Barbara waited patiently while we were running almost an hour late and when we did arrive, she had the biggest smile and the warmest hugs.

Barbara took all the stress out of our ceremony, we left it all up to her and knew that it would be amazing. We were wrong. Amazing is an understatement. Barbara exceeded all of our expectations and we were in awe of her and how amazing she had made our special day.

Barbara holds an annual party for her married couples, we live in Australia and will be making the effort to attend one of these in the future. This shows how much she gives of herself and cares for the couples she marries.

Kristin Sent on 01/29/2015

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Our wedding was amazing! Everyone had told us by far one of the best weddings they ever been to. The biggest highlight was Barbara she was outstanding in the way she brought our love story to life. We have a story where we were forced to keep our love a secret for many years and we finally were able to show the world our true love for each other. We invited people who thought they were coming to a love celebration and not a wedding. We made everyone wear a mask on arrival and then the wedding ceremony started. Barabra took our story and with her amazing personality had our guest full of tears and full of laughter. She is amazing, charismatic, well spoken and wonderful to listen to. We found her on yelp with great reviews that really don't even justify what she has to offer! I had guest wanting her information so they can use her in their future weddings and renewal of their vows(which inspired love). By far the best element of our special day! Thank you Barbara you will always be a special person to us. Tim & Kristin

Matt Sent on 01/19/2015

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We had the pleasure of having Barbara, preside over our Love Summit as our Love Dignitary. Barbara was the absolute perfect fit for our wedding, a free-spirited celebration of love for all those to attend.

Our process searching for an officiant began with a phone call to Barbara just to find out if it would be possible for us to work together and what was expected to be a 15 minute phone call turned into a 90 minute phone call due to Barbara's warm, positive and open-minded spirit. We knew she was the one to marry us and from then she sculpted a perfectly balanced ceremony to represent each of us and our love.

Further, we actually never met Barbara until the day of the wedding and when we met, it was as if we were long lost friends giving hugs to each other at a 10 year reunion. She spent so much time getting to know us and revise our ceremony.

Everyone in attendance loved her and we received many compliments through the day on the creative and cooperative ceremony we had that Barbara made possible. I highly recommend Barbara to any couple!

User2013932 Sent on 01/18/2015

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We had such a great experience with Barbara! My husband and I were looking for a simple, very private experience and she delivered. My calls were returned quickly, she listened to our needs and was in our home a few days later. The actual ceremony was more like a conversation between us moderated by her. It was a really beautiful experience. We highly recommend her! M & J

Belle Sent on 12/21/2014

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Met Barbara at a friends wedding were she was the Officiant and was impressed with both her style and the customized wedding agenda. As a result we began to work with her for our garden style wedding. Barbara was extremely flexible in tailoring our wedding agenda to meet our needs. In addition her professionalism was greatly appreciated. Our decision to have Barbara officiate our wedding really made the event special. Many of our guests complimented us on her unique approach on the delivery of the ceremony.

Christian Sent on 10/19/2014

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We are beyond delighted to commend Ms. Barbara Ann Michaels as the PERFECT wedding officiant. We met Barbara online after interviewing several officiants, and the moment we crossed words with her we knew she was the ONE. Her voice, projection and spirit blew our minds away. Not only she projected herself perfectly but also she was very receptive to the vision we had for our wedding. Since day one, Barbara was very prompt and diligent communicating to us the progress of drafting our ceremony. She provided us with several drafts for us to review and comment. Every single wish/request we made Barbara made sure was addressed. We had requested Barbara to draft a non-religious ceremony, as we are an interfaith couple. However, we felt that we were missing a divine blessing as part of our ceremony.
So at the 11th hour on the day of the ceremony right before us walking down the aisle, we requested a prayer (not included in the final draft). Sure enough, Barbara said the most wonderful prayer we could implore for our marriage.
Her ideas were mind-blowing as well! She helped us come up with the most elegant idea for a ritual during the wedding ceremony, and engaged all of our guests in the ritual as well. ALL the guests loved the ceremony, as they too felt blessed, touched and impacted by this special moment.

The entire ceremony was admired and cheered by ALL wedding guests and even the hotel staff! Barbara made the ceremony be a true expression and celebration of love.

Deeply from our hearts, C+D

User1841598 Sent on 10/02/2014

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Barbara was excellent to work with. She was full of energy and cared to learn touching details of our relationship. She then used our stories to craft a beautiful ceremony. We highly recommend her.

User1906548 Sent on 09/29/2014

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Barbara did a fantastic job building a unique ceremony for us. We knew after meeting her that she would be the perfect person for us, her warmth, energy and enthusiasm for what she does was evident from the start. We loved the questionnaire she had us answer and after reading her first draft of the ceremony, we were thrilled with how she wove our own words into the ceremony.

Many of our guests commented on how great Barbara was and how fun she made the whole ceremony. We highly recommend working with her! Thanks Barbara!

User1835699 Sent on 09/29/2014

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Barbara is a warm and caring individual who will celebrate your love during each step of the ceremony planning process. She will imbue each meeting, message, phone call, or email with kind words of comfort and encouragement.

Emmy Sent on 08/22/2014

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Sven and Emmy Buijs (the Netherlands).

Pascal Sent on 08/13/2014

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We knew Barbara would be something special before meeting with her. Reading the reviews and email correspondence confirmed how great Barbara is. But we couldn’t imagine how she would transform our wedding into something awesome.
We met Barbara for the first time at the ceremony location in central park and we immediately felt that she understood us and understood the kind of wedding we wanted. During that first meeting we exchanged many ideas and started building our custom ceremony. Barbara made us feel like we've known each other for a long time.
We wanted a traditional but still fun ceremony. The end result became so us and personal, we could not have wished for better. We were so happy during the ceremony we spontaneously started dancing.
On our wedding day she was well prepared and created the most fun and sweet ceremony full of harmony and joy. She made us feel calm and natural. Not only did she make the perfect ceremony but she also learned words from three languages which she perfectly pronounced. She is truly skilled, fun and professional. All our guests keep talking about the ceremony and Barbara, we keep on smiling everytime we thinking about it.

We are so thankful Barbara was part of our special day.

Barbara will make your day beyond special. Do not hesitate to contact her!!

Forever thankful, Anooshé and Pascal

Veronica Sent on 07/26/2014

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I have been trying to come up with the perfect review for a perfect officiant, but I think there aren't enough words to describe the happiness and the joy we feel every time we think back to our ceremony.

Let's start from the beginning. We first contacted Barbara because I could sense a really beautiful energy through her pictures and videos in the website. We also wanted a custom ceremony, and she seemed to be happy to work with the couple. We emailed back and forth, she was very responsive, energetic and sweet!

We scheduled a call, and we fell in love! She was just the coolest. We knew in that moment that our wedding wouldn't be the same without her. And Boy we were right! She worked so hard helping us edit our ceremony and make it perfect for the timeline and for us. She was on time and super prepared ( I forgot to bring my wedding vows, but she had a copy! ). Her energy is so beautiful and calming. She did something very special for my husband and I right before the ceremony (which I will leave as a surprise for future couples) which really calmed us
down and gave us an incredible peace. Just a couple of seconds of her calming energy were enough!
The ceremony itself was so much fun, Yet heartfelt and spiritual. So many different elements. Peace, laughter, nostalgia, dreaming, crying! All in thirty minutes. When the ceremony was over my husband and I were shocked at how much fun we had during it. Later on everyone... Everyone! was asking about Barbara, everyone was impressed by her persona, her tone, her way of speaking, energy, the way she so beautifully conducted the ceremony and the crowd!

Barbara, Max and I thank you so much for helping us create a ceremony perfect for us.

Louisa Sent on 06/06/2014

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Trying to organise a wedding from the other side of the world (Australia) isn't easy. Well, at least that's what we've heard. With Barbara, everything just fell perfectly into place like a movie.

Our decision to hire Barbara was the best one we made (apart from getting married of course!). We read all the amazing reviews online and decided Barbara was just the officiant we needed. Boy did she deliver – and she was even more amazing than what we initially read in the reviews!

One of the most important things Barbara does is she really takes the time to get to know you. We Skyped several times with Barbara and also had many email exchanges. In many ways she knows more about our relationship than most of our friends and family.

From this, she created a truly bespoke ceremony that fitted our personalities, our relationship and even our guests so perfectly. The creative genius that allows Barbara to do this is incredible. How she can take all this information and tie it together without it sounding like a script is just amazing. Barbara has really found her true calling in life and it's clear she absolutely LOVES every second of what she does. She put her heart and soul into our ceremony and we understand that she does the same for every couple she works with.

I think the comments from my Dad summed things up pretty well: "That was by far the best wedding ceremony I've ever been to, including my own! It was the most heartfelt, meaningful and beautiful ceremony ever. I was amazed at how well Barbara knew you both and how beautiful and personalised the ceremony was. It was perfect". Everyone there pretty much felt the same way, including us.

It wasn't just Barbara's part of the ceremony that was absolutely perfect. It was also how easy she made the rest of it. She introduced us to John who totally nailed the photos - we still can't believe how good they look and also they are exactly the style we wanted - beautiful moments of the day capturing real emotions

Amy Sent on 06/03/2014

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We are so happy we found Barbara. She provided us with a personalized service that went above and beyond anything we could have imagined. It was sweet, funny, and meaningful and meant the world to us. We LOVE Barbara and recommend her to anyone who wants to create special memories on their wedding day.

Ashley Sent on 05/27/2014

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Barbara was awesome! Her attention to detail was great and she really enjoys celebrating each couple's love story and making the ceremony unique for you. She had complete flexibility with us - we changed our ceremony style with only a few weeks until our wedding and she accommodated us with no issue at all. We were honored to have Barbara as our officiant and I highly recommend her.

Emilie Sent on 05/22/2014

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I'm so happy we chose Barbara to officiate our wedding. We were both a little overwhelmed at the idea of creating a ceremony from scratch. We wanted a ceremony that was personal and intimate, yet also containted nods to traditional elements. Barbara took the sentiments we shared with her during the interview process and created a framework that then went through several rounds of patient editing and evolution. Through the editing process with her we were able to discover what would really resonate with us, and then Barbara made it sound good, too! On the day of our wedding Barbara was a calm and personable presence. She gracefully handled a last minute microphone glitch, and delivered the ceremony without amplification. Many of our guests told us they were very moved by our beautiful and unique ceremony.

Howard Sent on 04/29/2014

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Barbara is amazing at what she does and we cannot recommend her highly enough. From the moment we first made contact with Barbara we felt a sense of empathy, commitment and understanding. And from there on in, her professionalism, sensitivity, humor, grace and style never faltered. It was a great pleasure working with Barbara on our ceremony. It was a collaborative process but skillfully guided by her - always supportive, always ready to offer a suggestion, always ready to be sensitive and funny when required. Our wedding ceremony was incredibly special and pretty much all of the credit goes to Barbara for this. We opted for quite a lengthy ceremony, but many of our guests said they would have liked it to go on longer...their reason....Barbara Ann. In fact a couple of guests have asked us to do it all over again...just so they can enjoy Barbara once more! Our guests were universally full of praise for our celebrant. It's hard to find the exact words that summarize the mood and feeling Barbara created at our wedding but that is all part of her magic and charm. There is no method or theory you could study to do what Barbara does...it just flows from here in a natural and wonderful way.

So if you are reading this and wondering whether Barbara is right for your wedding....don't wonder or hesitate. Barbara will be right for you - she just is wedding perfection.
We can't thank her enough for her amazing contribution to our special day, but we certainly know she helped make the day as special as it was.

So we fully endorse Barbara as a celebrant you will be one hundred per cent happy with. She is a woman who is full of integrity and humanity and whom it has been our absolute pleasure to get to know.

Go Jester Of The Peace! - we are full of gratitude to you and marvel at what you do and the fact you do it so well.

Thank you

Howie and David Xx

Joseph Sent on 03/26/2014

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Barbara Michaels made the day so special and memorable. Throughout the process Barbara accommodated our needs. During the ceremony, Barbara captured the essence of our true love story and evoked an atmosphere that was personable and meaningful. Her style is graceful and spiritual.

Chad Sent on 03/05/2014

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We were so beyond lucky to find Barbara Ann and have her as our officiant. She composed the most beautiful, humorous and heartfelt ceremony for the two of us and every one of our guests asked us if she was a friend of ours because she seemed to know us so well. From our first meeting through pronouncing us married, working with her was a wonderful and fun experience. What we truly loved and appreciated about her process is that it is such a collaborative and creative method between her and the couple, continuous communication back and forth crafting the ceremony until it is just right. Barbara has amazing instincts when it comes to weaving a couple’s story into a ceremony, even knowing the exact right place to put readings and making suggestions of where to expand and where to cut back. We had so many guests tell us that it was the most beautiful and touching wedding ceremony they had ever been witness to and, sorry to brag, but we have to agree and we have Barbara Ann entirely to thank.

User1547984 Sent on 03/01/2014

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Barbara was awesome. We wanted a wedding in the snowy park in the morning (before it gets crowded and the snow gets walked-on), and that means a 12 hours notice to make sure we expect a snowy night. Barbara was super responsive and flexible, and totally open to our unusual requests. She then built a beautiful ceremony tailored to our style and preferences. Everyone found it moving and sweet.

When it gets to the formalities and paperwork, again Barbara proved to be super sweet and flexible. She helped us get everything to the city fast and even met me there few days after the wedding to speed up the process (we needed the certificate for something urgent).

All in all - a fantastic choice for any type of a wedding!

Andrea Sent on 02/26/2014

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Barbara Ann Michaels was absolutely amazing, she made our wedding ceremony so beautiful, meaningful and fabulous for everyone. Thank you for making this day more amazing than we could of dreamed of!

Don Sent on 02/11/2014

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To be told that you are not able to marry the person you love has always been a disappointment. For the past ten years, living in Texas our state has dictated to us that we are not allowed to Marry each other. To proclaim our love for each other we agreed to marry New York. We were thankful that two of my family members were able to witness this great event. Although we had a very limited time to have our ceremony and nearly no time for planning, we were very grateful to have found Barbara Ann Michaels. She was able to put our service together within a matter of a couple hours. When we met her in Central Park for the 1st time, it was as if we had known her for years. She was so very personable, caring, and compassionate. A very beautiful soul really. She personalized our service and it was as just for us; nothing seemed scripted. After the service was complete, she had already arranged a warm place for us to sign our marriage license and helped us top off the evening with a wonderful dinner recommendation. She genuinely cares about the couples she marries. If you are looking for a warm heart felt ceremony that was created just for you, please contact Barbara Ann Michaels. You will not be disappointed!

Alison Sent on 01/07/2014

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As if you can't tell from reading all the other fabulous reviews, Barbara is fantastic. My fiancé and I were fairly laid back about the whole wedding planning thing, but we did want something more meaningful to us than the "do you take this person, do you take that person" thing. Almost immediately upon meeting Barbara for the first time, we knew that she fit the bill perfectly.

Over the course of a couple months, we met and corresponded with her several times, and the end result was a wedding that was completely us. We got to share our "official" story with those closest to us, which was great to hear and be able to tell. I'll admit, I was one of the "I'm cool with whatever" brides and didn't want anything that I personally thought of as kind of tedious (sand ceremonies? You mean every time I move from now until I die I have to not break this vase of sand?), but Barbara suggested a couple little touches that made the wedding that more meaningful. My guests still talk about how great the ceremony was, and I'm so happy that we decided to go with her.

If you're on the fence about Barbara, get off. She's awesome.

Adam Sent on 01/02/2014

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Barbara Ann was incredible throughout the entire wedding process. She helped craft a unique and extremely personalized wedding ceremony that perfectly captured the essence of our relationship. Many of our guests felt that Barbara Ann was a family friend because the ceremony she created was so meaningful and authentic. Barbara Ann brought a sense of calm and professionalism to our wedding planning process. We would highly recommend Barbara Ann to anyone looking for a highly personalized and memorable wedding ceremony.

User1491920 Sent on 01/02/2014

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Barabara was fantastic in helping us prepare for and officiate our wedding. My husband and I had no idea what to do or how to prepare..we were so overjoyed with the overturn of DOMA but were also unprepared on how to make our dream come true. In walks Barabara, who helps us prepare for the happiest day of our lives and makes it look so easy!

Barbara was fun, engaging, highly knowledgable, and went out of her way to make our day special.

I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with my husband 20 years ago when i first heard his voice. Barbara helped make a dream I've had for over half my life finally become a reality.

Thank you Barbara! David and I will never forget what you did for us!

Mark Sent on 12/31/2013

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Barbara Ann Michaels, Jester of the Peace was a wonderful officiant!

She joyfully guided both of us, after being partners for 25 years, through the process of determining what we wanted to include in our marriage ceremony, how to include special items of meaning, and and ways to best welcome participation, support and love from family and friends.

She engaged everyone in our wedding party and was able to help us both articulate our special love for each other in a way that included all.

Truly an amazing event because of her experience and ability to share her wisdom so gracefully with all involved, making the day truly magical (before, during and after)!

Jeff's mother commented that this was the best wedding that she had ever been to or had personally been in. All those who attended commented specifically to us how much they loved the way Barbara created our special day.

Thank you Barbara!

Mark & Jeff

Cristobal Sent on 12/31/2013

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Every guest greeted me during my cocktail hour by saying "That was the best wedding ceremony I have ever seen." Almost every person I talked to said the exact same thing. What made our wedding SO special was that it told OUR love story. It wasn't a traditional, staid ceremony. Barbara met with us early on and then gave us homework to do. We had to individually answer a series of questions about each other, how we met, what we love about the other person, and also offer other deeply detailed and personal stories. She then took all of this information and, over a couple of months, crafted a beautiful ceremony that celebrated our love story. It was moving, poignant, funny, unique and special. The ceremony addressed us as a couple, individually, as we saw ourselves, as we saw each other, and us as a future couple in marriage. It told the story of how we met, fell in love, quirks we share, shortcomings we possess, fun we have, and how we fit. I can honestly say there was not a dry eye in the house. We chose to not review the ceremony beforehand because we wanted to be surprised and I am so glad we made that decision. The emotional responses of laughter, tears, joy and love were all so clearly evident on our faces in all of our pictures. It was everything I could ever have hoped for and I owe such a debt of gratitude to Barbara for making it happen.

What’s so wonderful about Barbara is her flexibility. My wedding ceremony could probably be described as a combination Jewish, Hindu, Christian, Marriage Equality, Secular and Broadway meets Stevie Nicks affair. We crammed a lot of “difference” into one ceremony and Barbara weaved everything we threw at her seamlessly together into a beautiful and magical story. The phrase “Wedding of the Century” came up over and over during the reception and for weeks, and even months, afterwards. That is remarkably high praise for a NYC wedding. New Yorkers are hard to impress and overly skeptical, but Barbara knocked their socks off!

Rebecca Sent on 11/25/2013

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After looking online for officiants in NYC, I could go no further after viewing Barbara's page. I sent an email inquiry and received a response almost right away. We spoke on the phone and I immediately knew she was the officiant to marry me and wife. She took the time to get to know us both. She was so pleasant to speak with and we both felt that we'd known her for years even thought we'd only spoke over the phone and skype. Barbara put us both at ease throughout the entire stressful process of planning an out of state wedding. She even took the time to find out our interests so she could make incredibly helpful suggestions for our photo sessions and places to visit while in town.

As we left the taxi to meet Barbara at the entrance the Brooklyn Bridge for our wedding ceremony we both felt nervous. Upon meeting her in person our nerves were calmed and we instantly felt a strong sense of trust and comfort from Barbara. Our ceremony was absolutely beautiful and couldn't have been more perfect for the both of us. I would wholeheartedly recommend Barbara as an officiant to my closest of friends and family.

Maryanne Sent on 11/17/2013

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My husband and I just got married this past weekend, and we were so incredibly moved by Barbara Ann's ceremony she created for us that we felt compelled to immediately shout praise from the rooftop! She is a wonderful person with an amazing gift and passion for what she does.

To all the couples out there looking for that certain someone who can put words into YOUR story and share it with meaning and love - Barbara Ann is your woman! She absolutely loves what she does, and it's apparent in her dedication and support she gives to those she works with. She was so pleasant and patient throughout the months we worked together collaborating and building the ceremony, it really calmed our nerves knowing she was going to be the one standing up there with us on our big day. She made is so easy, we just talked and told her what we felt in our hearts and she put it into beautiful words that became our ceremony.

Fast forward to wedding day…before the ceremony Barbara came in to the bridal suite to say hello and meet the MOB and the bridesmaids…she was so cool and did something fun and special that helped calm everyone's nerves making us smile and relax - much needed on wedding day! During the actual ceremony itself, we felt so comfortable with Barbara up there, she knows exactly how to guide you when you nervous and even stood behind us to help us repeat the vows so we didn't miss a beat. After the ceremony, we literally couldn't keep count of the amount of guests coming up to us and telling us how moving the ceremony was and how amazing our Jester of the Peace was. Many many many happy tears. Even our 7 year old "tough guy" nephew who carried the rings got teary eyed during ceremony, if that doesn't melt your heart I don't know what does!

Please do yourself a favor and book Barbara Ann for your wedding, you will have the most amazing ceremony and memories that will last a lifetime.

Glen Sent on 11/17/2013

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Barbara was such a joy to work with on our wedding. She was extremely professional while being thoughtful and caring at the same time. She made the process fun and easy. Many of our guests actually thought that we were close friends. I can't recommend Barbara enough. She will make your wedding ceremony witty and personal, joyous and loving.

User5940724 Sent on 11/07/2013

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I can't even begin to say how much I adore Barbara, and how happy I am that she was our officiant. After she married two friends of mine, I knew I had to have her officiate my own wedding. Barbara is all about love, hope, and positivity, and it shows in everything she does.

I feel like so many officiants don't really KNOW their couples, and you can always tell in those ceremonies. That is never the case for Barbara. By the time we were done crafting our ceremony, I knew Barbara "got" us and knew us well. Our ceremony reflected who we were as a couple perfectly. Our guests kept coming up to at the reception and telling us how wonderful and personal the ceremony was. One even said it was like "poetry."

Barbara - thank you again, so very very much, for being our officiant. You are an amazing one-of-a-kind person!

Madelyn Sent on 10/31/2013

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My husband and I were looking for a relaxed yet unique wedding, that included an untraditinal interfaith ceremony. Barbara's ad stood out to us online because of the way she described herself as quirky and fun, two qualities that suit us as well. We enjoyed the whole process of creating "our love story" and knew that the ceremony would be something to remember. Boy were we right!! Even now, weeks after our wedding, our guests/loved ones are still raving about Barbara and regarding our ceremony as unlike anything else they have experienced. We recommend her to all couples looking for a personalized and romantic ceremony - one that will be remembered by all!

Stephanie Sent on 10/30/2013

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Barbara (The Jester of the Peace) was the perfect fit for us and our unusual artistic wedding, bringing her boundless creativity and attentiveness to help us express what makes our love distinctive. She was instrumental in helping us share the best of who we are individually and together as a couple.
She was always encouraging and fun throughout the entire process, supporting our wacky ideas such as having a roller-skating “Ring Bear” and “Flower Gorilla” (we got married at the Bronx Zoo). She gave us suggestions when we didn’t know what to do or felt stuck. Her communications via phone and email were always enthusiastic and timely, and even though we fell behind with our due dates she never put pressure on us, always a source of calm and positive energy. Another essential strength she offers is her emotional support, especially on our wedding day. She participated in a spiritual ritual to ground us minutes before the ceremony began, which really helped us enter into the ceremony fully present. We also greatly appreciate her sense of humor: since we got married at the zoo she agreed it would be great fun for her to wear giraffe ears and a tail for the ceremony, which is a testament to her commitment to love at its most playful and profound. We are so thankful to Barbara and highly recommend the Jester of the Peace!

--Stephanie and Peter
Married September 28, 2013
New York

Tiffany Sent on 10/19/2013

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My wife and I chose to use Barbara because we wanted an unconventional wedding as we're an unconventional couple. We wanted something short, sweet, intimate, and humorous. Barbara delivered on all accounts. She was more than happy to work with us on the verbiage of our ceremony to make truly ours. All 25 of our guests commented on how much they loved her delivery. We loved Barbara and would recommend her services to anyone.

Lesley Sent on 10/16/2013

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Barbara Ann Michaels performed my daughter's wedding 3 weeks ago. It was perfect! I had never met Barbara until the wedding weekend and I liked her immediately. She became part of our family. I had friends that asked me how long Barbara had known my daughter since we were all so comfortable with each other.(They only met face to face that weekend). One friend told me that this was the best ceremony that she had ever been to. Barbara told the story of the wedding couple with such joy, passion, and warmth. I can still hear the smile in her voice. Barbara did not use generic pre printed readings. Oh no. Every word was well thought out, clearly spoken, and meaningful. Barbara's ceremony was one of joy and love.

Elizabeth Sent on 10/15/2013

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We could not have been happier with Barbara. She helped us create a Ceremony as unique and as odd as ourselves. Everyone agreed that it was perfection!

Barbara held our hands (which we needed) the whole time, guiding us and help us find our voices to tell our story. She was responsive, playful, beautiful and fun.

She stayed after the Ceremony and danced the night away, and I heard nothing but amazing things about Barbara from friends and family. One soon to be bride was even offered an extra ear and heart in her creation of a ceremony with another minister!

Her love and joy in what she does shines through. An artist through and through.

Irwin Sent on 10/07/2013

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Barbara was a brilliant, empathetic and spiritual facilitator of the most important day of my and my beloved's lives. For the rest of our lives when we reflect on our amazing marriage, we will always lovingly recall Barbara who guided and kept us sane all the way through our vows. It's funny and wonderful how some people unexpectedly come into our lives and help change them for the better. Certainly Barbara is one of those people!

David Sent on 10/06/2013

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We had a great time working with Barbara as our officiant. She was engaging and disarming when we were at our most stressed. We had lots of concerns planning an interfaith ceremony and didn't really know where to start. Barbara was clear and concise in providing a blueprint for us to build on, and helped keep the focus on us and our own comfort level. She encouraged us to rely on her to find ideas, reminding us, "Use me to do your research." She brought a fun personality and warm demeanor to planning our ceremony that really helped ease our anxieties.

User1366224 Sent on 10/06/2013

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I hope everyone can say they had the most perfect wedding day, and we are no exception! Every element fell exactly, expertly into place, especially our ceremony with officiant, Barbara Ann Michaels.

I could not have asked for more from our experience working with Barbara, from the first moment we spoke on the phone through our wedding day in August 2013.

Following that initial conversation, we were in constant contact, with Barbara asking many questions about our love and life to ensure our wedding ceremony was nothing short of everything we wanted.

I felt confident leading up, then that day, when I saw Barbara- felt like she was more than our officiant, but a friend who knew us both. Our ceremony was sweet and personal and reflected the personalities of me and my husband. So much so that our guests laughed and cried and burst into applause as she announced us husband and wife.

Since our wedding, many guests have remarked that Barbara's unique celebration of us was one of the most touching and lovely they have had the opportunity to experience.

There is no doubt in my mind that Barbara would make that same effort for every couple, and I cannot recommend her highly enough.

Erica Sent on 10/05/2013

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Barbara is amazing! Such a wonderful, friendly and warm person whose excitement and love of love is truly palpable throughout the ceremony and planning process. When we first started planning our wedding, truth be told, the ceremony was the furthest from our minds. It was not until we met Barbara that we began to realize how special the ceremony could, and should, be to us and Barbara was amazing to work with. At one point, I had a little trouble writing my part of our ceremony and Barbara was there to speak with me on the phone and help me organize my thoughts. The result was an amazing ceremony that felt both intimate and accessible. So much so, that everyone was asking us how long we had known Barbara and some people commented on how great it was that we had such a good friend that could do the wedding! Barbara made the ceremony the perfect kick off to an amazing night and we cannot recommend her enough!

Shannon Sent on 10/03/2013

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Barbara was genuine, loving and helpful in many ways. Feeling stuck in writing your vows? She gives great inspiration! We never met Barbara face-to-face until our wedding day. Once we saw her, walking "down the aisle", it was like seeing a long lost family member. Barbara helped to make our day unique, special and memorable. It was light hearted and true to who we are as individuals and now as a married couple.

Jennifer Sent on 10/02/2013

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Barbara was everything we could have hoped for and more as our wedding officiant. From our first meeting on Skype to our real meeting in person the day before the our wedding, we felt connected and as though Barbara was one of our good friends. The time she took with us to write our ceremony, the way she told our story, and her easy going personality made it all perfect. She was great at making suggestions when we felt lost and thought of things that we never would have. All of this made our ceremony more perfect. We both still get tears in our eyes thinking of our day and all the beauty and love of the day, and Barbara really made it that way for us. Our family and friends are still raving about how the ceremony was the best one they have ever been to. We can't speak highly enough of her. We would recommend her to everyone we know.

Roger Sent on 09/22/2013

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My partner and I planned to marry in NYC, traveling from Pennsylvania. When we research officiants, we found Barbara Ann and appreciated the personalized approach that she took to wedding ceremonies and her embracing same-sex marriages. Since we were having guests traveling between 3 and 5 hours (with one person coming from Scotland), we wanted our ceremony to be more than 2-minute "I do's". Barbara Ann did not disappoint. We selected the "weaving wedding." She posed questions about how we met, fell in love and how we expressed our love for one another. We answered some questions together and others separately. She drafted a ceremony that brought our information together to tell our story. We were able to work with her to edit the ceremony based on our impressions. She was helpful in assisting us to find a balance between humor and serious. Although admittedly longer than most ceremonies tend to be (about 22 minutes), our guests found it to not be too long and appreaciated the personalized nature of the ceremony. One of our guests expressed interest in using Barbar Ann for their 25th year vow renewals. Rev. Barbara Ann Michaels will not disappoint you if you work with her honestly to tell your love story.

Steve Sent on 09/21/2013

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After being together for over 10 years, my partner (now husband) & I had no doubts that we wanted to get married on our upcoming trip to Manhattan. We were clueless on the details.

We reviewed the web sites and bios of multiple NY officiants just before the trip. Barbara Ann Michaels was one of the first that we reviewed. We were both drawn to the joy for life and positive aura that she radiates. Although we continued to review other officiants, we knew that we had found the right one for us.

Now for the challenge...how do you plan a wedding in a few short weeks for a couple of guys who have no idea what their wedding plans should be? Simple, allow Barbara Ann to perform her magic! She asked us to tell her about aspects of our lives and knew exactly what to ask us to focus in order to create a personalized wedding that was absolutely perfect for us.

We were married at Bethesda Fountain in Central Park. Although none of us set this up, there happened to be a 5 piece string quartet playing at the fountain during the ceremony. Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up" has always been our song to each other. Half-way through the ceremony, the quartet began playing "You Raise Me Up". Again, none of us had requested this. Did I mention that positive aura that Barbara Ann radiates!?

If you want your ceremony to be filled with love and joy, but lower on stress, I highly recommend you work with Barbara Ann Michaels.

Tuesday Sent on 09/18/2013

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We would recommend anyone who is getting married in New York to book Barbara as their officiant. From the first email with Barbara she was very friendly and helpful. As we travelled from the UK to get married in New York and everything is arranged over the phone and internet it is important to have someone you feel comfortable with and who helps makes the process easy. Throughout the whole process Barbara kept in touch with us and was there for any questions we had.

We had Skype conversations with her, which made us feel like we knew he before we even met. Barbara also had us fill in questionnaires about each other and our relationship and these were then used to create a very personal ceremony. When Barbara sent us the first draft of our vows there was hardly anything to change, as she had captured us and our relationship perfectly.
Everyone who attended our ceremony said it was the best they had been to and commented on how personal it was, we all laughed and cried in equal measure during it.

Barbara is a lovely, friendly and genuine person who makes you feel at ease on what is the most important (and nervous) day.

Michal Sent on 09/02/2013

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From my first email with Barbara I knew she was going to be an amazing officiant for my fiancé and I. She has a very caring way about her and made us feel so comfortable talking to her. She was able to grasp exactly what we wanted our ceremony to feel like for our families. She incorporated such special words and sentiments into the ceremony while also keeping it mainly about 'us' and 'our story'. Aside from creating a beautiful ceremony with her words and ideas she also is an incredible speaker. We got married in central party with a group of 65 people. She spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear without a microphone and also with such emotion. It was so lovely to listen to her speak. During my reception many guests came up to me to tell me how great she was. I can't thank her enough for her hard work and caring way. She puts her whole heart into her work and makes you feel as if she's known you forever. She was excellent and helped make our wedding perfect!

Thank you Barbara!

Carolyn Sent on 08/21/2013

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Simply Joyful
I am still on cloud 9! Barbara's wedding was romantic and powerful. Her words were so meaningful; I cannot thank her enough for how perfect it all was.
I would recommend Barbara to anyone who is looking for a wedding that is beyond the ordinary. Her attention to detail and desire for our happiness just made the whole experience even better.

Marva Sent on 08/02/2013

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I think my wedding was the best wedding I have ever been to. My ceremony was really a reflection or us and what we mean to each other. I want to thank Barbara Ann for a truly wonderful experience and really beautiful memories. Everyone wanted to know where I found her.

User1264555 Sent on 07/30/2013

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The full story of how we ended up getting married in New York and meeting Barbara is far too long to tell. Sufficed to say, Barbara was the best thing that could have happened to us and saved us from chaos. Our plans were non-existent. We had a licence and Barbara’s number. That was all.

Barbara is a true individual. At first I suspected that she was putting on an act, but after talking for a few minutes I realised she was the real thing. A person who sees the best in everything and everyone and sees the world and everything in it as wondrous and beautiful. And that attitude is infectious.

We wrote a ceremony over Skype and by email. And I don’t know how, but it became perfect. When you talk to Barbara you feel like you are talking to an old friend.

In a little over a day from first talking to Barbara we were married in the Park on Cedar Hill. The ceremony was not what we planned but was, exactly what we hoped it would be. Personal, real and utterly sincere.
Barbara is everything you hope she will be. And more.

Fiona Sent on 07/23/2013

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Barbara really is the perfect officiant. When we began to email with her, we had a ceremony draft from a previous officiant we were working with and we felt it needed help. Barbara breathed personality/life into it. Upon our first meeting, she came prepared with questions and ideas based on the original draft. She repeatedly reminded us that this is our ceremony and it can be ANYTHING we imagine! This concept opened us up to discussing tons and tons of new ideas! We continued to refine our ideas and she put together multiple revisions for us based on our feedback. The result was an engaging, fun, unique and extremely personal ceremony. Our guests were really amazed by it and are still talking about it a month later.

On a personal note, my husband's mother was sick in the hospital before our wedding. When we informed Barbara, she was willing to perform an impromptu ceremony at the hospital just incase and when I asked her how much it would cost, she refused to receive payment for it. I found this to be so remarkably giving and a lovely gesture given how tough the situation was. And when my mother-in-law passed away a month before our wedding, Barbara was incredibly understanding and helped to edit together a beautiful way to honor her spirit during the ceremony.

To sum it all up: Barbara was very responsive and highly creative to make our ceremony very unique. She is a genuine person and I would recommend her to anyone wishing to create a ceremony that will truly show the love you have for one another.

Kevin Sent on 07/19/2013

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What can I say about Barbara that hasn't been written before? She was with Christine and I through every step of our wedding planning. Whenever I felt nervous or unsure about something, I would email her and she would get back to me in no time flat; something she didn't have to do...she's not a wedding planner, but she always eased my worries. That said, the day was perfect! Barbara planned our ceremony with us so that it was personal and significant to us. She suggested vows and ceremonies with the ceremony that lifted our day beyond anything we could have ever imagined. The amazing Barbara took what was already the best day of my life and made it a million times better! Without a doubt the best officiant in New York City and just maybe the best person and kindest soul. Much love, Barbara.

Sharon Sent on 07/19/2013

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My wife and I had Barbara as our wedding officiant on may 4, 2013 for our wedding in Central Park, NYC. Barbara is the nicest person you ever want to meet, she became a dear friend to us and provided us with the best memories ever! I highly recommend her for your wedding! Please watch our wedding video so you can see for yourself. http://www.hooplaha.com/one-of-a-kind-weddings-sharon-elis-rainbow-themed-wedding/

Margaux Sent on 07/15/2013

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Barbara is a wonderful and nice person, always smiling and in good mood!
She is very professional and helped us to make our dream come true!
Thank you Barbara!

Matt&Margaux

Jose Sent on 07/15/2013

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Immediately after Sarah and I finished speaking with Barbara for the first time, we knew that she was the one who was going to be able to do our ceremony exactly as we envisioned it. We were wrong!!! She ADDED more ideas, one better than the other, and we were so pleased with her! Barbara knows what she is doing, and she is very, very good at it. Working with her was easy and pleasant, and she was able to lay down in a few words the most important aspects of our lives together! Coming from different backgorunds and trying to include all this in our wedding cermony was going to be hard, I thought, but Reverend Babs obviously has done this before, and the result of the ceremony was so pleasant. Suffice to say my mother cried, and I have never seen this in my life. I have nothing but positive remarks for her whole work. We included a translator (my sister) and this was more cause for an excellent ceremony!
She also helped (me, at least) stay so calm as we were standing there, and I was not anxious at all. I did not expect to be as calm! We thank her deeply, as she helped us start our marriage with a wedding ceremony that demonstrated all the love and care I have for Sarah! We are extremely happy with the choice we made, and we most certainly recommend anyone who is looking for an officiant, to chose Barbara. She has to be the best!
Sweet Cheers in Love and Marriage!

Dana Sent on 07/10/2013

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Barbara Ann Michaels did an absolutely incredible job with our wedding ceremony. She worked extensively with us on drafts of the ceremony, and was always responsive with creative ideas or suggestions when asked. What we love is that Barbara was able to create our love story into a wedding ceremony that not only could we not forget, but that nobody else could forget either. In fact, a majority of our wedding guests could not wait to meet her after the ceremony to tell her (and of course us) what an amazing ceremony she performed. We 100 percent recommend Barbara to all!!! THANK YOU!!!

Amber Sent on 05/19/2013

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Barbara did an absolutely AMAZING job officiating my recent wedding. From start to finish, Barbara was professional, warm, enthusiastic and responsive. She helped us taylor our ceremony from start to finish so that it was exactly what we wanted, and worked with us back and forth on numerous drafts, showing endless patience with our edits. She also had some amazing suggestions that really helped make our ceremony unique, including asking our guests to help her pronounce us married (that was so fun!) and helping us figure out how to include my husband's son in the ceremony. I had so many people come up to me after the wedding and tell us that it was the most personal and moving ceremony they had ever heard -- quite a compliment and definitely something we couldn't have pulled off without Barbara's help! She also handled technical difficulties during the ceremony with effortless ease... at one point our microphone cut out and she was able to seamlessly switch to projecting her un-ampliphied voice so even those in the back rows could hear her -- thank goodness, because not everyone can project their voice like that! We are endlessly grateful to Barbara for the great job she did and are so happy we found her. We highly recommend her to anyone looking for a personalized wedding ceremony.

User1151712 Sent on 05/03/2013

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Barbara was fantastic! We were so delighted to work with Barbara as she did our ceremony very persoalized and special.
Barbara has her own approach, she met with us a couple of months before our weeding to get to know us in person. From the first day she worked with us very closely trying to create ceremony that would be the best for us.
Barbara has a fun cheerful personality, in the same time she is very professional and always responded to our e-mails and questions right away.
Thank you again, Barbara for making our day so beautiful and unforgettable!

User1147000 Sent on 04/29/2013

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Barbara is the best! She was such a huge help and her attitude is always loving and positive. Really a great advantage when planing a stressful wedding. She helped us tackle any last minute issues, always with a smile.

Our ceremony was perfect and memorable. All our guests mentioned it as the part of the wedding they liked the best. It really reflected us as a couple.

I completely recommend Barbara to any couple out there who are looking for a really personalized and special ceremony.

Erin Sent on 03/19/2013

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If you want a warm, touching, whimsical and PERSONAL ceremony, please look no further. Barbara Ann Michaels is exactly who you are looking for. She crafted a ceremony that was so uniquely US--it truly felt like she had known us for years. We had several people walk up to us after us and tell us it was absolutely the best ceremony they have ever attended. I couldn't have been more pleased with the ceremony and Barbara was an absolute dream to work with. She met with us several times, was very responsive over email, and over all just made us feel extremely comfortable. I can't say enough good things!!

Thank you so much Barbara!!

Darin Sent on 03/18/2013

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Barbara is a genius. An officiant-savant! She helped us craft the most wonderful ceremony we've ever been party to. OK, we’re biased, but even our friends and family were blown away. From the moment we met her up until the I-do’s we felt right at home, and at peace. We immediately knew we could place our trust in her, both in crafting the ceremony, and then handing ourselves over to her on the day of. Better than we imagined!!! Our wedding was completely joyous, and even a surprise to us after working with her for the month leading up to the day. If you place a premium on love and joy, we can’t imagine anyone better to officiate your day!!!

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