Illuminating Ceremonies/Christopher Shelley Reviews
94 Reviews
Rated
5.0
out of 5.0
Recommended by 100% of couples
Awards
24 User photos
-
![Illuminating Ceremonies/Christopher Shelley 1]()
-
![Illuminating Ceremonies/Christopher Shelley 2]()
-
![Illuminating Ceremonies/Christopher Shelley 3]()
-
![Illuminating Ceremonies/Christopher Shelley 4]()
-
+ 20photos
![Illuminating Ceremonies/Christopher Shelley 5]()
-
Featured
![Hayley]()
Hayley Y. Married on 08/12/2021A special, intimate ceremony
We were married by Chris in Central Park as a small wedding ahead of our originally scheduled one. Chris made our ceremony feel special and personal - going above and beyond what we expected. Our guests really enjoyed Chris and he kept everyone laughing despite the 90+ degree heat. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a meaningful ceremony, big or small.Illuminating Ceremonies/Christopher Shelley's reply:
Hayley, thank you so much! I think I finally cooled down from your wedding just this morning! It was really fun despite the heat and I'm so impressed that your friends and family were there for you. Thank you for letting me be a part of your wedding, and I hope your big Italian wedding is multi bene!!! (I don't speak Italian. Yet.) -
![Angelica]()
Angelica C. Married on 09/18/2021The Highlight of Our Day
Chris was truly one of the highlights of our big day and our guests have raved about him since our ceremony. Chris wrote us a fully personalized ceremony that made everyone both laugh & cry, and was always prompt with his responses. He is an amazing speaker and writer whom we clicked with immediately after speaking with him and highly recommend to anyone looking for an officiant.Illuminating Ceremonies/Christopher Shelley's reply:
Thank you Angelica! Your wedding was delightful. You were both so kind and generous to me the entire time, responsive and totally onboard with my unique approach. Good luck to you both!!! -
-
![Erin]()
Erin Married on 09/28/2019A Perfect Storyteller
The entire process of working with Chris was PERFECT and seamless. You have to take the time to fill out your couple questionnaire so he can make your ceremony that much more perfect. We aren't a religious couple, so we wanted a wonderful storyteller. And that's what Chris is: wonderful. He's thoughtful and engaging. He helped a stressed, control freak bride seamlessly coordinate with the venue and the DJ without lifting a finger.
I had SO many people comment to us afterwards how great the ceremony was and how great Chris was. I even had one guest say, "At a wedding ceremony, you usually want it to end quickly. But I didn't want him to stop talking!" If you're thinking about using Chris: pull the trigger and just do it. You will NOT regret it.
Photography by Sherri Barber-
![Illuminating Ceremonies/Christopher Shelley 7]()
-
![Illuminating Ceremonies/Christopher Shelley 8]()
-
![Illuminating Ceremonies/Christopher Shelley 9]()
-
+ 8photos
![Illuminating Ceremonies/Christopher Shelley 10]()
-
-
![erin]()
Erin Married on 05/26/201910/10 Would Get Married Again Just to Have Chris Officiate It
Chris was absolutely fantastic. He worked with us through several drafts of the ceremony and offered quite a few suggestions to really make it pop. During the actual ceremony we had some weather difficulties, but Chris was able to improv on the fly and delivered a wonderful show. He’s witty, funny, and easy to work with. We are still receiving comments from our wedding guests about how much they loved him. Could not recommend him enough. -
![Annie]()
Annie Married on 12/22/2018Hire him now - perfect ceremony
I have nothing but good things to say about Chris and his work. I was so hesitant to book a stranger off the internet to perform in such an intimate part of our lives. However, after meeting Chris and seeing the first draft of our ceremony all my worries went away! He knocked it out of the park! I first found Chris here on the Knot and then did a youtube search of him -where there is a whole ceremony he performed - I fell in love! It's like he knew that couple! Our ceremony was so personable and so us. We opted to write our own vows and Chris helped edit them- he didn't change anything we wanted to say but instead helped with grammar. At the rehearsal I even told Chris I wasn't quite sure my vows were complete and he emailed me later that day willing to help and even found me before I walked down the aisle to make sure I was happy with my vows (I was - those dang nerves got the best of me)! At the reception, our guests kept coming up to us telling us it was the best ceremony they have ever been to. At the end of the night I looked at my husband and said, uh we totally forgot to give Chris the marriage license to sign- when we went to our day of coordinator she told us Chris signed it and took it with him to send out so we didn't have to worry about it. The very next day he even text us to let us know he sent it. I cannot say enough good things about Chris and his work! THANK YOU FOR MAKING OUR WEDDING ONE TO REMEMBER.Illuminating Ceremonies/Christopher Shelley's reply:
Thank you Annie! I loved working with you and Alec. It's always an honor when a couple makes a point of prioritizing the ceremony to the point that they hire the officiant over a year before the wedding. That means it is as important to you as it is to me! Thank you for letting me be a part of your big day. It was my pleasure. Happy New Year! -
![Juztina]()
Juztina B. Married on 11/01/2018Best ceremony ever
First, we want to say HUGE thank you to Chris because honestly our wedding wouldn’t have been as perfect if he wasn’t there to officiate, so THANK YOU CHRIS!
Honestly, we are endlessly grateful for how amazing before and during the wedding Chris was. When we met him, it was like meeting up with an old friend. We hit it off, were making jokes and just knew he was perfect for our wedding. Chris’ questionnaire was fun and interesting to fill out, and even more fun to go over together as a couple after we each individually filled it out. We also appreciated Chris for helping us out with our vows, he was able to seemingly help us make sure both of our vows were both perfection. And even though we read our ceremony through together before, Chris presented it in such a throughout, fun manner that we still laughed and cried like we heard it for the first time. We knew from the beginning how amazing Chris was, but seriously BEST CEREMONY EVER! Not only do we think that, but all of our guests thought so as well. People even came up and said if they could do their wedding over again, they would do like ours...aka having Chris. We would recommend Chris ten times over. Trust us if you want the best ceremony ever look no further.
Illuminating Ceremonies/Christopher Shelley's reply:
Thank you Juztina! You know I love you both. I had so much fun getting to know you. I love that we were able to meet up more than once - even though we really didn't have any pressing business to attend to - we just felt like meeting up! Love it. You guys are the best. Be good to each other. -
-
![Amanda]()
Amanda Married on 10/21/2018Best Ceremony Ever is true!
From our very first conversation I knew Chris was my guy. He was thoughtful and funny about the answers we gave to his questionnaire, changed things around when I asked for a few changes, and worked to combine the traditional elements my husband wanted with the non traditional elements I hoped for, including the priest's marriage speech from The Princess Bride, complete with lisp and everything! He took the time to make me laugh and ease my nerves when I was freaking out. He was patient when I was late getting updates to him. He was just all around exactly what I needed from an officiant. I never worried about how the ceremony would turn out because I knew it was in the right hands. I wanted a funny, heartwarming, and personal ceremony and that's exactly what Chris gave me. Every single person at my wedding commented about how funny Chris was, how awesome it was for everything to be so specific to me and my husband's personalities and quirks, and how much they genuinely enjoyed the whole experience. I 100% understand why Chris' book is called Best Ceremony Ever because that's exactly what he delivered for me and my husband, the very best ceremony ever. 12/10, without hesitation I recommend Chris as an officiant and all around good guy! -
Elease Married on 04/21/2018OH MY GOD! Where do I even begin? Chris made our wedding ceremony into one of the most memorable experiences of my life. OuR guests have RAVED that this was their favorite ceremony they have ever been to. Chris is simply hilarious, articulate, and clever!
Prior to the wedding, he asked me and my husband to fill out a questionnaire. Based on that, he composed the funniest and sweetest ceremony that includes telling your guests your “love story”. Our guests really enjoyed that. He knew when to be Funny and when to be serious, and he was the perfect balance. Countless friends have asked me for his information!
YOU HAVE TO BOOK HIM!Illuminating Ceremonies/Christopher Shelley's reply:
Elease, thank you so much! This is the perfect review. If they could hand out a Pulitzer for best review, this would be the one that got it. Thank you again. I loved working with you. -
-
![foodmanandwife]()
Claire Married on 01/20/2018Christopher is extraordinary! We didn't really know what we wanted in an officiant but from our first phone call we knew he would set the perfect tone for our wedding day...and he did not disappoint! His questionnaire allowed us to tell our story in our own voices and really take some time to reflect on how special the wedding experience really is. The ease of the whole process was a treat in an otherwise pretty stressful period leading up to the wedding.
Christopher has an amazing ability to connect with everyone in the room. Countless guests told me how much they loved our ceremony: "Best ceremony ever!" "He was so funny and so thoughtful!" "Really special and personal".
We would absolutely recommend Christopher!
Illuminating Ceremonies/Christopher Shelley's reply:
Claire, thank you so much for this amazing review!!! I loved officiating your wedding. How did you find so many great people to all be in the same room? Thank you for hiring me! -
-
![Cristina]()
Cristina Married on 11/04/2017Hire him - don't look anywhere else!
Where to begin?! My husband and I are so thrilled that we went with Christopher. We did the option where we gave him information and he wrote a unique ceremony for us. It was a wonderful experience. We answered several questions separately and then some together that Chris sent along (it was actually really fun to look back on memories & reminisce), and then Chris went on to formulate a wonderful speech and ceremony like a play. There were some unique things we wanted to do during the ceremony as well and he was very open to it. We told him we wanted it to be slightly funny/entertaining but heartfelt at the same time (while not being too long) and that's EXACTLY WHAT HE DID. HE HIT IT RIGHT ON THE HEAD. We pretty much told him what we wanted and he delivered extremely well. It couldn't have been more perfect. All of our guests kept telling us how much they enjoyed the ceremony, it was crazy.
There was a point in time I was worried about it and he was willing to meet us in the city a few days before the ceremony to make sure all was in order, make us feel comfortable, and he gave us helpful advice and suggestions. It was just a wonderful magical ceremony and experience all around. Wouldn't change one thing.
Piece of advice to brides + grooms - do the ceremony that YOU want, not what your family wants.-
![Illuminating Ceremonies/Christopher Shelley 16]()
-
![Illuminating Ceremonies/Christopher Shelley 17]()
-
![Illuminating Ceremonies/Christopher Shelley 18]()
-
+ 4photos
![Illuminating Ceremonies/Christopher Shelley 19]()
-
-
![Kayla]()
Kayla Married on 10/28/2017I was left without an officiant after ours backed out at the very last minute (12 days until our wedding)... and they went above and beyond to help us find someone else, and also to arrange their schedule to try to themselves.
What amazing people!
