Ellen Scher Wedding Officiant Reviews
Reviews
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Featured
Justin Sent on 04/12/2025Ellen was just awesome
How do you incapsulate a moment in a personal time, Ellen, procured the trust you need in a very special and intimate moment. Communication was spot on, she became a friend more than an officiant. Totally respected our space, time and needs. This is an incredible lady. -
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![Adam]()
Adam Sent on 06/02/2026Expert and Professional Guidance on Our Biggest Day
My husband and I booked with Ellen for our special, private elopement in Big Sur, CA. Ellen coordinated with us months in advance as we planned with our vendors. It was also important for us to create LGBT+-affirming space, and Ellen was supportive and excited from the very first contact. Every question was answered and she provided guidance from her vast array of wisdom as an officiant. Ellen played a pivotal role in making our day both flexible, yet perfect. We are already excited to hopefully book with her again when we renew our vows in the next decade. -
![Luke]()
Luke Sent on 12/13/2025Professional, Warm, and Made Our Ceremony Unforgettable
Ellen officiated our wedding at The Barns at Cooper Molera in December 2025, and we couldn't have asked for a better person to lead our ceremony.
From our first conversation, Ellen made us feel completely at ease. She took time to understand our story, how we met on Tinder five years ago, blended our family with my daughter Mia, and built a life together in Monterey. She helped us craft a ceremony that felt personal and meaningful without being overly formal or scripted.
On the day itself, Ellen was calm, organized, and genuinely present. She delivered our ceremony with warmth and confidence, setting the tone perfectly for the vows we'd worked so hard on. Multiple guests told us afterward that it was one of the most heartfelt, authentic ceremonies they'd ever witnessed, and Ellen's guidance was a big part of that.
What stood out most was how Ellen balanced professionalism with genuine care. She wasn't just "the officiant", she felt like someone who was truly invested in making our day special. If you're looking for someone who will help you create a ceremony that feels like you, not a template, Ellen is your person.
We're so grateful she was part of our day. Highly recommend.
Luke & Jessica
December 2025 -
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![Ireland]()
Ireland Sent on 11/19/2025Highly Recommend
Ellen was awesome! We scheduled a quick phone call, learned more about her services and were so glad to have hired her as our officiant. Responsive, punctual, and very experienced! She took care of all of our paperwork and submitted our marriage license on our behalf also. Would highly recommend! -
![Brittany]()
Brittany Sent on 11/10/2025Big Sur Elopement
Working with Ellen was an absolute dream. Our elopement felt so seamless thanks to her. So thankful to have found her! -
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Jacquelyn Sent on 10/04/2025
Garrapata State Park 9.23.2025
From our first conversation, Ellen was warm, professional, and genuinely interested in getting to know us as a couple. She helped us create a ceremony that was personal, heartfelt, and perfectly reflective of our relationship and values.
Ellen took the time to check in periodically up until our ceremony and offer support and helpful recommendations. We appreciated her organization and support step by step through the paperwork process and ensuring it was seamless!
Thank you, Ellen, for being such a special part of our day!
— Jacquelyn & Chelsea -
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![Lucie]()
Lucie Sent on 09/29/2025We love Ellen!!
Ellen is fantastic. She is clear in her communication and provided my husband and I with detailed instructions on how to obtain a marriage license and items needed before our ceremony. She responds very quickly via email or phone call and answered so many of our questions. She also offered assistance in planning our elopement and provided recommendations in the area on things to do! Her script (many to choose from, or can be modified to suit personal taste) perfectly encapsulated our relationship. I can not recommend Ellen enough. She was a key part of our perfect day that we will never forget. Highly, highly recommend!!! -
![Emma]()
Emma Sent on 08/11/2025Just Fabulous!
From the start, Ellen was wonderfully kind and understanding of the vision we had for our elopement. Genuinely could not have wished or wanted for anything more from the service. Very easy to liaise with and super warm in person - thank you again for playing such a huge part in our special day. -
Marie Sent on 08/09/2025
Ellen Scher
We are extremely grateful for Ellen. Not only has she made our married life possible but she also took so much stress off our shoulders. She went more than above and beyond from our initial phone call to our big day to make it truly special and we couldn’t have asked for any other officiant. She was communicative and organized and we highly recommended Ellen if you want to feel extra loved, seen, and have a ceremony so heartfelt!
To Ellen,
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. -
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![Tabatha]()
Tabatha Sent on 07/30/2025Magical Vow Renewal
Ellen was fantastic from the very start. I reached out to a vendors for pricing and general inquiry about vow renewals. Ellen replied promptly with a quote and some details about the ceremony process and about herself. She scheduled a phone conversation and I knew right away she was the one! Her energy, spirit, positivity and love for all things love were exactly what we were looking for. Our ceremony was intimate with just our young daughters and we wanted them to really be a part of it. Ellen nailed it. She is both professional and warm and I would recommend her to anyone. -
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![Lena]()
Lena Sent on 06/10/2025Ellen is such a warm and sincere person
She brought a sense of calm and ease to everything, not just the ceremony itself. She was flexible, thoughtful, and genuinely cared about making the experience feel natural and true to us.
Planning our ceremony with her felt peaceful and meaningful, and we’ll always be grateful. She’s someone we now consider a friend, and we’d love to see her again anytime. ❤️ -
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![Allison]()
Allison Sent on 05/28/2025She's great!
Ellen was incredible! She had multiple scripts to choose from (respecting different religions and a range of values/spirituality) and was overall very relaxed with every interaction, which was very appreciated with the stress of wedding planning. I received multiple compliments from friends and family about her. She's great! -
![Mike]()
Mike Sent on 05/27/2025Our Perfect Officiant
Ellen was an amazing officiant who made our ceremony truly special. We’re so grateful for her! -
![Grant]()
Grant Sent on 05/01/2025The Perfect Officiant for Our Perfect Day!
We couldn't have asked for a better officiant! Ellen was amazing--so helpful and supportive every step of the way. From our first conversation, she guided us through the entire process, making everything feel so easy. She was incredibly communicative, always available to answer questions or offer advice.
The ceremony itself was everything we hoped for--short, sweet, and full of heart. She understood what we wanted and made it happen. We're grateful to have had her be part of our big day! -
Kayla Sent on 04/18/2025
Great experience!
Ellen was amazing, everything she said was perfect! Can’t recommend her enough! -
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![Kelly]()
Kelly Sent on 04/08/2025A perfect elopement
Ellen was wonderful to work with. She made our day so special - I can't recommend her enough! -
![Jacqueline]()
Jacqueline Sent on 02/10/2025Amazing experience and will book again!
Two weekends ago, my now husband and I decided to get married before our actual wedding next year. It was a bit of a last-minute decision, and we were so worried we wouldn't be able to find someone who was available. Luckily, we found Ellen! She was absolutely wonderful. She was so kind and responsive and really made us feel special. We've already asked her to do our "real" ceremony next year in front of our family and friends! You can tell she loves what she does because she loves love and loves getting to know people and their stories. -
![Lauren]()
Lauren Sent on 12/30/2024Perfect ceremony!
We loved working with Ellen! She was very responsive and kind. She provided us with a variation of script templates for us to choose from and/or modify as we needed. We also included some time to say our own vows to each other. Ellen is very knowledgeable about the Carmel. Alley/Monterey area and she gave us some suggestions on where to visit. She also helped us with getting our license since we were traveling from out of town. Overall it was an easy and wonderful experience! -
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![John]()
John Sent on 11/11/2024Ellen was absolutely Amazing!!!!
First of all, thank you Ellen for being so patient with us. We had pushed the date out then changed our mind. Also we couldn’t make up our mind on a good spot near the beach. And to make matters worse we were an hour late on wedding day. Ellen was patient with us through the entire process. She was so helpful, nice, sweet, and caring. Folks, if you want your special moment to be special, Ellen is the absolute go to. Thank you so much Ellen. -
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![Steve]()
Steve Sent on 10/26/2024A Wonderful Officiant!
Ellen Scher is a wonderful officiant! She was everything we wanted for our wedding, and more! Ellen is pleasant, witty, and fun, yet professional and very good at what she does. Our interactions with her by phone and in person were relaxed, yet efficient. Before the event, she provided a few wedding scripts and allowed us to tailor the script and vows. She also provided ideas for hear-warming mini-rituals for the ceremony. She walked us through the marriage license process, obtained the witness signatures, and later, filed the paperwork for us. She has been doing this for quite a while, and so she had some helpful suggestions for us, many of which we adopted. She happily attended our rehearsal the day before the big event. On the day of the event, she arrived early, greeted guests, and helped us with some day-of coordination (for a reasonable extra fee, of course). She presents and carries herself very well, and conducted our ceremony beautifully. We highly recommend Ellen to any couple in any denomination! -
![Erin]()
Erin Sent on 10/10/2024Kind, patient, and responsive officiant
Ellen officiated our Big Sur wedding roughly two weeks ago, and I have nothing but positive things to say about my experience working with her. From the moment I first reached out to Ellen, she was kind, thoughtful, and made it clear just how committed she was to providing the officiant services we were looking for. She communicated quickly and well to make sure everything on our big day went just as we envisioned. She went above and beyond to make sure my husband I were comfortable, from the script we chose to incorporating additional features, like a ring warming ceremony, to making sure she met us at the right place on time. I truly can't say enough positive things about Ellen. She helped make our dream wedding a reality, and we are so grateful. -
![Lauren]()
Lauren Sent on 09/27/2024Elopement in Big Sur
Ellen was wonderful from beginning to end! She was very responsive and knowledgeable about the process and the area. Coming from Ohio to Big Sur, we were not familiar with the area and sent everything we needed to do before hand to make the process smooth and easy. She really cares about the couples and made us feel included every step of the way. We loved how she got to know us and our love story and really made our elopement special -
![Carly]()
Carly Sent on 09/26/2024The most lovely officiant!
Ellen was such a pleasure to work with! She was communicative and her vows were very special. We really enjoyed our experience with Ellen 😊 -
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Nadia Sent on 09/08/2024Such a lovely person
Ellen was our officiant for our Big Sur elopement, and we could not have asked for a more kind and loving person to marry us. She listened carefully to our vision and concerns and helped us craft a ceremony that was perfect for us. She also made our lives easier by walking us through the process of obtaining the license. She is a real gem, and it was a pleasure to get to know her! -
![Drew]()
Drew Sent on 07/15/2024Ellen is a Delight!
My husband and I wanted a small elopement ceremony on Carmel Beach. We live in New Hampshire and weren't able to scope out the best spots ahead of the ceremony. Ellen was so helpful, and kind, and gave us options to make sure that our ceremony was exactly what we wanted.
Ellen was so thoughtful, communicative, and great to work with. She helped to make our special day perfect. We would ABSOLUTELY recommend her to anyone looking for an officiant in the Carmel area. -
![Michael]()
Michael Sent on 07/14/2024Thank you Ellen
Ellen is amazing. My wife and I were visiting Monterey to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary and I chose Ellen to officiate our wedding vow renewal ceremony. This was a surprise for my wife and Ellen planned it all. Ellen even wrote the vows so it was a piece of cake for me. Ellen was so sweet and sincere that it brought my wife to tears. Thanks again Ellen! -
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![Christopher]()
Christopher Sent on 07/14/2024Alaskan Elopement
My wife and I now thanks to Ellen we’re married on 8/28/24 and, are now in Alaska happy as ever. We initially booked to be married by Ellen but for some unseen circumstances we had to cancel. However, we brought our wedding attire with us. We spent a week in Carmel hiking the beautiful mountains of Big Sur talking about our wedding vows. We decided mid week to get married. That evening we emailed Ellen to she would still be available to Marry us. Ellen emailed us back immediately and said she could Marry us in two days!!! It was an absolute beautiful impromptu wedding and Ellen made that possible. The ceremony was short but perfect for what we wanted. Thank you for Marrying us Ellen!!!
Chris and Danielle
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![Rachel]()
Rachel Sent on 07/09/2024Highly recommend!
Ellen was so sweet and helpful throughout the whole process. She made our ceremony beautiful and heartfelt. It was perfect! I highly recommend going with her! -
![Carla]()
Carla Sent on 07/06/2024Married By Ellen
Ellen was the perfect addition to our special day! -
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![Jenisa]()
Jenisa Sent on 07/05/2024Thankful we had Ellen 🤍
We can't thank Ellen enough for officiating our elopement. She was genuinely warm and made us feel at ease from the start. She allowed us to tailor the ceremony exactly how we wanted it, which made the day truly ours - including getting married on the side of the road ;). Ellen’s dedication and sincerity shone through, and we couldn't have asked for a better officiant. We're already looking forward to having her officiate our vow renewals when the time comes. Highly recommend! -
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![Elyse]()
Elyse Sent on 05/08/2024Beautiful ceremony!
Ellen was such a wonderful addition to our wedding team. From the start she was so easy to communicate and connect with. She was responsive and flexible, always asking our opinion along the way. Her words were beautiful and fit our story and wedding ceremony perfectly. She is such a kind person and amazing officiant! -
Jessica Sent on 04/11/2024
Amazing! Thank you so much Ellen!
Ellen is such a lovely lady. She was so kind and helpful and very accommodating for our wedding day. It was perfect! Thank you so much Ellen! -
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![Jessica]()
Jessica Sent on 04/07/2024A professional who can go with the flow
Ellen was a lovely to work with for our elopement. She was kind and encouraging but most importantly flexible. Due to the volatile weather the day of our elopement, times were changing, locations were switching and things became a bit hectic. Ellen never missed a beat, jumping in to help anyway she could as we prepared to start. All of the frenetic energy melted away once she began our ceremony. To any couple looking to plan a small elopement, ours was just my husband and I, know that your vendors end up being your biggest supporters as well as the guests and the bridal party! It was so clear to us that Ellen does this work for the love of it, not for money or for social media and was happy to be by our side as we got our act together. You will not be disappointed.Ellen Scher Wedding Officiant's reply:
You two are so sweet - thank you.
I was happy to help however I could in helping to make your day special.
It was my honor to marry you! -
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![Jasmine]()
Jasmine Sent on 02/21/2024Unforgettable Wedding Moments!
I had the pleasure of having Ellen preside over our wedding ceremony, and we couldn't have asked for a better experience. She was incredibly professional, warm, and accommodating throughout the entire process. She guided us with grace and ensured that every aspect of the ceremony was seamless. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for an officiant who genuinely cares about making your special day unforgettable. Thank you, Ellen, for helping to make our wedding day so magical! -
![Amy]()
Amy S. Sent on 01/08/2024Made it even more special
So glad we went with Ellen! Her calm, pleasant, loving demeanor was exactly the right note for our private wedding on our balcony at Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur. It was NYE and the weather was iffy and Ellen was infinitely flexible - adjusting to changing plans day of to avoid rain. She was responsive, professional, and kind throughout the entire process. Her words were perfect and she made it even more special. Thanks, Ellen. -
Brooke Sent on 12/03/2023
Amazing Officiant
We feel so fortunate to have had Ellen officiate at our wedding. She is very professional, reliable, friendly, caring and compassionate. Her calm and peaceful demeanor made our wedding a beautiful event. Ellen guided us thoughtfully in preparing for our ceremony. She was incredibly supportive and we highly recommend her to officiate at your wedding! -
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Joel Sent on 11/01/2023
Thank you, Ellen Scher!
Ellen truly helped make our elopement day extra special. From the moment we booked with her, Ellen was responsive, helping us with local area details, suggestions on location and photographer, and made us feel extremely comfortable coming from out of town for our elopement. At the ceremony, Ellen was incredibly kind and so generous with her time and company. I could not recommend Ellen any higher. She is lovely and will make your day a memorable success.Ellen Scher Wedding Officiant's reply:
Thank you so much.
It was so fun working with both of you and happy I was able to help as I know how hard it is trying to plan things from a distance.
Your love story is magical and happy I was a part of it! -
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![Sam]()
Sam B. Sent on 10/30/2023Full Service
Ellen thought of everything! She was communicative and was able to get everything together in only 4 days notice! She found a beautiful location and even brought flowers morning of. The ceremony was so beautiful the brodes family was balling crying.Ellen Scher Wedding Officiant's reply:
Sam and Madeline
Thank you sooo much.
It was my honor to marry you and glad I was able to do what I could to make it special despite the pouring rain and crying eyes! -
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![Angela]()
Angela Sent on 10/21/2023SO lovely to work with!
Ellen was so helpful to us as we eloped in Big Sur but are originally from Virginia. We had never been there before, but Ellen is a pro and was extremely helpful with details on licensure. We talked multiple times leading up to our big day. She offered different ceremony options and they were all very nice. I caught a cold two weeks before our big day and she checked in multiple times to ask how I was feeling— she is so thoughtful! Our photographer took us on a bit of a hike unexpectedly and Ellen handled it like a pro. We really loved working with her and will never forget her!Ellen Scher Wedding Officiant's reply:
Thanks so much.
It was such a special time and I was thrilled to be a part of it.
The hike was unexpected, but fun and you never can do too many steps.
And, I will never forget you two either. -
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![Emily]()
Emily Sent on 10/04/2023Ellen Brought Our Love Story to Life
It was an absolute joy to work with Ellen in the 4 months leading up to our wedding. She was a great guiding resource for us from across the country on all the details of obtaining our marriage license in CA and everything else to prep before the wedding… and a huge help in mailing in the paperwork after the ceremony so we didn’t have to worry about it. The scripts she provided were absolutely beautiful and we appreciated the flexibility to make small edits to craft the perfect ceremony for the two of us. She frequently checked in along the way and made us feel very at ease in the whole process. -
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![Nena]()
Nena Sent on 08/27/2023Ellen made our wedding ceremony perfect!!!
Ellen was exactly the officiant we needed! She took all the stress out of our vows and made the whole process a breeze. It was so easy to work with her and she provided us with the guidance we needed to ensure the ceremony was as perfect as possible. Our wedding ceremony was so special and tailored to us- we will remember it forever! We're so grateful to have had her as our officiant and wouldn't have it any other way. Highly recommend her services – she's a pro! -
Tatiana Sent on 08/23/2023
The kindest, wisest, most loving officiant there is
Ellen was a crucial part of our vow renewal, she was so professional and responsive while being personable and sweet. At first, we thought we wanted her to read our full initial wedding ceremony, but after giving it to her, she modified it and made it perfectly suiting for a vow renewal. I loved her personality and the air of wisdom and love, she was the perfect touch to renew our vows after 17 years of marriage. -
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![Jennifer]()
Jennifer Sent on 08/13/2023Wonderful Officiant!
I really cannot say enough good things about Ellen. She’s easily one of the most kind and gentle souls I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. Her experience, guidance, and expertise made our ceremony a dream come true. I wouldn’t change a thing! I would highly recommend Ellen to anyone who is looking for an officiant. -
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Amy Sent on 03/13/2023
Such a great experience! Highly recommend!
Best officiant ever!! Ellen was amazing. She's warm, professional, and goes above and beyond. She worked with us on the ceremony and helped us achieve what we wanted - something heartfelt and personal but also short and sweet. She even pitched in to help decorate our tiny venue (a courtyard) with flowers right before the wedding. It was the most special day!Ellen Scher Wedding Officiant's reply:
Thank you so much for the lovely review.
I hope in some way I made your day even more special!
Ellen -
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