Illuminating Ceremonies/Christopher Shelley Reviews
Reviews
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5.0 out of 5 rating
5.0 out of 5 rating
110 Reviews
100% recommend it
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![Juliana]()
Juliana H. Sent on 09/11/2024The Absolute Best!
If you're looking for an officiant who will make your wedding ceremony truly special and tailored to your unique story, look no further than Chris Shelly. From start to finish, working with Chris was an absolute delight. He is not only incredibly kind and personable, but also exceptionally skilled at what he does. Our ceremony was a huge hit with our guests, and we cherished every moment. Chris's ability to craft a ceremony that felt deeply personal and meaningful was nothing short of remarkable. We cannot recommend him highly enough—he truly made our day unforgettable. -
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![Shelby]()
Shelby S. Sent on 07/02/2024The Best Ceremony Ever!
If Chris is available on your big day, look no further and just book him. We were so unsure of where to turn as we are not religious so we didn't have a preacher but also didn't have any family or friends we could visualize to do our ceremony, which so many people do now (Hire the pro!). I'm so so glad we found him! Chris is great because he does a great non-religious ceremony, under 30 minutes (what we wanted), and is so engaging, funny and easy to work with. Our guests loved our ceremony so much and wondered how we knew him (spoiler alert: we didn't know each other before we booked him for our wedding) because he made our ceremony so personal and told our beautiful love story so masterfully. After speaking with Chris my now husband and I both immediately wanted to move forward with him. After booking we got a somewhat long questionnaire, parts were for both of us to fill out together and we each had other parts that we filled out individually telling our version of our love story in our own words which made for a quite fun ceremony. While the questionnaire was long it was necessary to have the personalized ceremony we both wanted. We were able to meet with him in person when he was in Cincinnati, he also works in NYC, for another wedding and he is such a joy to be around. Once he was done with our ceremony he sent us a draft and we made a few small adjustments but it was PERFECT. Chris also ran our rehearsal and he did amazing organizing everyone and making sure that people knew what they needed to do. The ceremony couldn't have been more perfect on our wedding day, he has great timing, he is funny, engaging and had about 75% of our guests crying by the end. The video of our ceremony gets me misty every time. Thank you again Chris! -
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Karli C. Sent on 05/29/2024
The best wedding officiant
We recently had the pleasure of having Chris as our wedding officiant, and we couldn’t be happier with our choice. From start to finish, he was exactly what we needed. Chris was incredibly easy to work with, making the entire process simple and stress-free for us.
Chris is not only a consummate professional but also a genuinely great person. His warmth and charisma shone through during our ceremony, which was perfect in every way. We couldn't have asked for more or less; it was just right.
Our guests have been raving about Chris ever since the wedding, and we completely understand why. His ability to connect with everyone and make the ceremony so special was truly remarkable.
If you are looking for an officiant who will make your wedding day unforgettable, look no further than Chris. We highly recommend him! -
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![Dean]()
Dean C. Sent on 05/12/2024Choose a Magical Ceremony, Choose Chris
Selecting Chris as our wedding officiant was one of the most significant decisions we made for our special day. From the moment we completed his insightful questionnaire, we knew we were in exceptional hands. Chris took the time to understand our unique love story, weaving it into a ceremony that was both deeply personal and wonderfully engaging. He masterfully balanced humor with sentiment, while thoughtfully incorporating our cultural traditions. Our guests were captivated, with many asking us afterward how long Chris had known us, as he so perfectly captured the essence of our relationship. His script was beautifully written, and his delivery was simply outstanding. For a ceremony that is touching, unforgettable, and truly reflective of your love, Chris is the officiant who will make your wedding dreams a reality. We highly recommend Chris, it will be one of the best decisions you make for your wedding day! -
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![Elina]()
Elina Sent on 02/21/2024Amazing officiant and speaker
Chris officiated our 1/20/24 wedding. He did a fantastic job, people laughed, people cried, and everyone asked about him afterwards. He came highly recommended on just about every website we found him on, and for good reason! His process is great, he's asks the right questions and wants feedback along the way. He wanted to make sure our ceremony had the vibe we wanted. He was punctual and was flexible with the plan, making sure everyone knew what they were doing. Would highly recommend his services. -
Rebecca Sent on 11/22/2023
Best wedding ceremony we could imagine!
We are so incredibly lucky that we came across Chris in our search for an officiant. Our ceremony was the highlight of our wedding and so special due to Chris’s creativity and inventive way of approaching ceremonies! He’s a beautiful writer that both wrote and narrated our love story for our guests. The ceremony was a perfect balance of laughter and more sentimental moments. So many of our guests remarked that our ceremony was one of the best ones they have ever been to and my husband and I can attest to that because it was hands down our favorite part of our wedding! We also had the opportunity to speak with Chris and meet him in person before the wedding. He was very open to the ideas and vision we had for the ceremony that were important to us. Chris has changed the game for how wedding ceremonies can be imagined and we couldn’t speak more highly of our experience!! -
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![Tara]()
Tara Sent on 11/01/2023100% The Best Officiant
I am SO thankful we had Chris as our wedding officiant. He was incredibly kind, professional, and effectively communicated with us during the entire process. Even our guests were telling us how incredible our ceremony was and it was all thanks to Chris for making it perfect. Everything ran smoothly and I highly recommend him. If you want the best for your day, hire him! -
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![Natalie]()
Natalie H. Sent on 12/29/20235 Stars is Not Enough!
Five stars doesn't begin to reflect how wonderful Chris was to work with. We are not a conventional couple; mature in years and young at heart, so we wanted an officiate that would help us plan a ceremony that reflects our personalities. From the very beginning we knew we had found the perfect match with Chris. The communication from our first meeting to our last was amazing. The detailed questionnaire helped Chris to get to know us on a deeper level and was key to the ceremony that Chris wrote. It was OUR story, full of laughter, poignant moments, and pure joy. Chris listens to the bride and groom's ideas and gently guides them to create the perfect ceremony. We were able to review the script and tweak it until it was perfect. His idea to engage the guests and make them part of the ceremony was incredible and so memorable, from our flower "dude" to the one minute of selfies at the beginning of the ceremony, our guest knew this wasn’t going to be a traditional wedding. We heard over and over from our guests, how did you find him? He was amazing. Even other vendors said that this was the best wedding they had ever been to. What a wonderful compliment. I know it is a day WE will always remember and thanks to Chris our guests will too. Thank you, Chris, from the bottom of our hearts! -
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![Alison]()
Alison T. Sent on 08/15/2023We love Chris!
Chris was exactly what we wanted for our wedding and he executed it perfectly. He took the time to get to know us, asked all the right questions, and our ceremony was nothing short of amazing. He has the ideal mix of humor and sentimentality which was exactly what we wanted. When it came time for our ceremony, I had read Chris’ speech a few times before but I still thoroughly enjoyed being up there while he said the words out loud. He puts his own spin on things but still really captured us and our story. After the ceremony, so many of our guests came up to us specifically to say how much they enjoyed it and how great Chris was. I think if more of our friends weren’t already married they would hire him for their weddings, too! He puts so much life into what he does and you can tell that he genuinely loves doing it. Chris was ultimately the perfect choice for us and I can’t recommend him enough. -
![Klara]()
Klara A. Sent on 10/20/2022Chris was like family!
Asking Chris to officiant our wedding was one of the best wedding decisions we made! More than just being organized, well-spoken, and reliable, he was like family! He was excited to learn and participate in our Slovakian traditions and even learned to say a couple of lines in Slovak for the ceremony. He knew how to draw people in, how to make people laugh and cry, and truly celebrate us. Everyone raved about him and wanted to book him for their event! -
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Nicholas O. Sent on 01/08/2023Stop the search you’ve found your officiant!
EVERY guest talked about how much they loved Chris and how they’ve never been to a wedding with such a good officiant. Even employees from our venue and our photographer said that Chris is the best in the business. Without upstaging us, he was the star of the show. Chris was great to work with both professionally and personally as he guided us through the ceremony development process. His speech was a good combination of heartfelt and serious with some tasteful comedy. The ceremony was so personalized to us that people thought Chris was our friend. We couldn’t recommend him enough. -
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Angelica C. Sent on 11/07/2021
The 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. -
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![Hayley]()
Hayley Y. Sent on 08/22/2021A 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. -
![Lauren]()
Lauren F. Sent on 06/24/2022Amazing Human + Wedding Officiant
Hiring Chris to be our wedding officiant was the easiest and overall best decision Harry and I made during our wedding process. From our first conversation to gauge what an officiant even does to post-wedding check-ins, Chris has been an absolute joy to work with and just know as a person.
In hindsight, I have learned that a wedding is essentially a big show that you put on for your loved ones. And our ceremony was the first act of our show. Chris wrote a beautiful ceremony that encapsulated Harry and I's story. He made the ceremony funny, sentimental, serious, and romantic. Family members came up to me after and shared that our ceremony was the best they have been to because of Chris' bright personality and charm and just the way that he "got" us. There were teary moments, and slap-your-thigh moments, and it was just perfect.
I really had no idea how our ceremony would go walking into the wedding planning process and Chris helped our not-vision become a vision and become one of the greatest moments of our lives, so far. We highly recommend having Chris be part of your wedding day and bring smiles and tears to your faces as he did for us. -
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![Erin]()
Erin Sent on 11/11/2019A 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 -
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![erin]()
Erin Sent on 06/07/201910/10 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. -
![Ameena]()
Ameena Sent on 04/24/2024Very impressed!
Chris was our officiant for our March 2024 wedding, and we were very impressed with him! From the start, he was prompt and professional in his email responses. The couples questionnaire he sends you to get to know the couple was very thorough and the script is very detailed. On the day of, he arrived promptly and coordinated with the other vendors. During our ceremony, he rolled with unexpected wind and red fireworks, making the ceremony seamless. Several of our guests told us they were impressed with Chris. Could not have asked for a better officiant. -
![Annie]()
Annie Sent on 01/03/2019Hire 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.
