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Weddings

Janet Shortall Reviews

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Reviews

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    Nancyzumpano Sent on 02/01/2025
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    I am a wedding photographer and have worked with Janet on a couple of weddings.

    Janet consistently brings a joy and kindness to her couples, their families and their celebrations that always stand out as exceptional. Janet's ceremonies are meaningful and memorable! She is an absolute pleasure to work with!
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    Lindsay Sent on 06/17/2021
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    Beautiful ceremony!

    I would recommend Janet to anyone. She made our day special and worked with us to make sure the ceremony was perfect. She takes the time to get to know you and works that into the ceremony. Our family and friends loved her! Thank you Janet for being there and helping us through all our emotions on our wedding day! We will never forget how special you made us both feel!
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    Kevin Sent on 08/05/2020
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    Thoughtful, professional, personable, flexible, and so kind!

    My fiance and I worked with Janet on elopement plans after our original wedding plans were scrapped due to the pandemic and we had to consider other cities. We decided to be 'nimble' for our little outdoors micro-elopement, which meant making late decisions about time, date, and location based on the weather. It took months for things to line up correctly to make it all happen, and Janet stuck with us throughout and was supremely calm, patient, and understanding of our situation. (Not only that, but she did some location scounting for us as well, since we were not local to the area!)

    Janet's kind, calming, and supportive style was the perfect fit for us. She helped us shape the ceremony to make it personally meaningful and to incorporate our families in it (distant as they had to be).

    Highest possible recommendation. Janet is all of the things I cited in my review title-- thoughtful, professional, personable, flexible, and so kind!
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  • Meagan
    Meagan Sent on 09/26/2019
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    Got so many compliments on ceremony!

    Janet was awesome! Our ceremony was everything personalized, and everything we wanted., including laughs. We have received many compliments on the ceremony. Would highly recommend working with Janet if you want something personal that celebrates you in the way that you want. THANK YOU Janet!
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    Savannah Sent on 01/08/2019
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    A beautiful, personal service

    Janet created a beautiful, personal wedding ceremony for us. She took the time to get to know us as a couple, and helped us to articulate what we wanted our special day to be like. She was very open but also had many great ideas and suggestions. She asked us both to write reflections that she wove together into the service. It was a perfect, moving and joyful reflection of our relationship. All of our family members have asked for a copy of the script.
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    Kristine Sent on 01/04/2019
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    Would have no one other than Janet!!!!

    If you want a ceremony that reflects the true you; the real relationship between the couple; who each of you are - you MUST use Janet Shortall! She is amazing! I would have changed my desired wedding date in order to be able to have Janet there with us - she was that critical to making it the experience of a lifetime! She spent time getting to know us; asked deep questions to reveal true and honest emotion; and incorporated our thoughts and feelings throughout the ceremony. After the event, everyone said our ceremony was "so us"! We couldn't have done it without Janet. If you want someone who has true compassion; will walk with you through the details; will make you feel like there has never been a more important ceremony than yours; and who truly celebrates your love and your joy - you MUST have Janet as a part of your special day!!!
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    Diogo Sent on 12/26/2018
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    Dream Wedding

    Janet is one of the most wonderful warm caring persons you will ever know, and she made our wedding memorable - a true dream wedding. Not only did she officiate beautifully, she gave us so many great ideas regarding the service, the decoration, such thoughtful attention to detail that made all our guests and family feel that it was a unique special ceremony. Everyone loved our wedding thanks to Janet, it was intimate and magical.
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    Andrea Sent on 12/10/2018
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    The Consummate Caring Professional

    Janet helped us through the entire marriage process, got to know us, responded to our unique needs and concerns, asked all the right questions, listened and provide a space for us to reflect on our hopes and aspirations. Her suggestion that we write our own vows made a huge difference in being more intentional and reflective on the meaning of a quality partnership, a lifelong commitment to each other and to making a positive difference in the world through our marriage. She is the consummate caring professional with a wonderful sense of humor.
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    William Sent on 11/11/2022
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    Janet is such an amazing wedding officiant!

    My wife and I got married in Ithaca in July 2022, and Janet came recommend to us by our wedding venue. We reached out to her over a year prior to our wedding, and she quickly responded and asked to set up a video chat (as we don’t live locally). Right from the start we felt so comfortable with Janet, and we knew we wanted to ask her if she would be our wedding officiant. We could not have asked for a better human to make our wedding so special. She was (is) so kind and thoughtful, and helped make our wedding ceremony feel so personal and intimate to who we are as a couple. We had several opportunities to connect via Zoom leading up to the wedding, and she provided so many great suggestions and ideas to include based on what we wanted the ceremony to be. We are so fortunate the Janet was able to be such an important part of our day. If you are looking for an officiant for a wedding in the Ithaca area, we can’t recommend Janet enough!
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    Kayla Sent on 09/05/2022
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    Exceptional officiant

    We had a wonderful experience working with Janet. Through our conversations before the wedding, she really distilled what was important to us and transformed it to a ceremony that was deeply meaningful. Janet brought both a gravity and a lightheartedness to our wedding and really helped to keep us centered. We appreciate her encouragement to involve members of our family in the ceremony, and we love how the personal reflections she asked us to write were incorporated to make our ceremony really unique to us.

    After the ceremony, multiple people came up to us to say that it was the best ceremony they had ever attended. I can wholeheartedly say that working with Janet was an absolute gift and we will treasure her words for a lifetime!
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    Maria Sent on 08/29/2021
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    Perfect ceremony

    Janet helped us make our small ‘elopement’ wedding a special and in all ways perfect experience. She was very flexible in accommodating our wishes, suggesting venues, and putting together a lovely ceremony at very short notice, happily incorporating any changes we had, and was great at putting our kids (and us) at ease.
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    Erika Sent on 07/08/2021
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    Wonderful Officiant

    Janet is a truly wonderful person. We were so happy to have her as our wedding officiant. From our first conversation with her we instantly connected and felt her calming energy and welcoming personality. She asked each of us a series of questions to learn about our relationship and life and wove our stories into beautiful words for our ceremony. Our guests (especially our parents) really enjoyed her. She gave options for the exchanging of rings and readings. Janet was also responsive and quick to work with us on rescheduling as we worked through postponing our wedding during the pandemic.
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    Gretchen Sent on 01/11/2019
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    Celebrating us as a couple

    Working with Janet was a joy, both for the process of planning the service and for hearing during the service how she sees us as a couple. She helped us quickly plan an informal backyard wedding when DOMA was repealed, and added the appropriate gravitas to our day.

    Janet's work is intimate. She notices the little things that are just so important, and is able to encapsulate a couple's true nature so well. Her attention to the present also helped to roll with the punches during our ceremony, when our 3-year old twins were adding their own thoughts to the ceremony!
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    Hannah Sent on 01/10/2019
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    Wonderful Officiant, Wonderful Person

    Janet Shortall officiated our wedding in 2008 and it was a truly wonderful experience. She personalized our vows in such a touching way and helped us to include our families and friends through innovative elements, like a ring blessing - which I will never forget! Through that experience, we wanted Janet to be part of our future major life events, because of her exuberant, kind, and compassionate demeanor and approach. She offered a naming ceremony for our baby, which was also very touching and personal. She is also very flexible - in this case we held the ceremony at a beautiful chapel on campus. She very thoughtfully included our daughter in the ceremony as well. In 2018, Janet renewed our wedding vows in a very small and casual ceremony that was just perfect, a reflection of our original vows and a conversation about our dedication to our marriage. To me, each of these very different events showcase her flexibility and dedication to overseeing major life events in very personal ways, tailoring her role to perfectly suit the people involved. She understands the gravity of these moments - she gets it! And she has a really lovely presence, welcoming all and making everyone comfortable. As officiants go, I think she is very rare in her dedication to diversity and inclusion, and she really shines in this regard. Basically, I can't recommend her enough!
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    Allison Sent on 01/04/2019
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    Janet is the best!

    I was so happy to have Janet officiate our wedding. She made it very personal, funny, and memorable. She interviewed us to help us prepare vows, which was great!
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    Catherine Sent on 01/02/2019
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    A lovely wedding ceremony!

    Janet Shortall was the only person we considered to preside over our wedding ceremony. She asked both of us to respond to a number of questions a few weeks in advance and had us send her written responses. She then wove our comments into the service. It was absolutely lovely and personal!
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    Jessica Sent on 12/21/2018
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    Simply Amazing

    Janet was so amazing to work with and we could not imagine having a better officiant. Janet met with us and really got to know us and her understanding of us really showed in what she shared during the ceremony. Janet is the perfect mix of kind, caring, funny, and professional. She was great at meeting as where we were at regarding level of religiousity/spirituality. She handles last minute changes with grace and a sense of humor that really helped put me at ease. With all the stresses that come with executing a wedding, she was one factor I never had to worry about. I'm so thankful she agreed to officiate our wedding.
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    Jessica Sent on 12/21/2018
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    Simply Amazing

    Janet was so amazing to work with and we could not imagine having a better officiant. Janet met with us and really got to know us and her understanding of us really showed in what she shared during the ceremony. Janet is the perfect mix of kind, caring, funny, and professional. She was great at meeting as where we were at regarding level of religiousity/spirituality. She handles last minute changes with grace and a sense of humor that really helped put me at ease. With all the stresses that come with executing a wedding, she was one factor I never had to worry about. I'm so thankful she agreed to officiate our wedding.
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    Emma Sent on 12/15/2018
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    Perfect and unforgettable

    Janet was amazing. she is professional, willing to spend time to understand her client and has created a great ambiance in the wedding. plus she is humorous and knowledgeable. I would recommend her to anyone. I believe the whole process was perfect and the reflections made both of us laugh to tears.
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    Andrea Sent on 12/11/2018
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    Personal, meaningful, joyful ceremony.

    Janet officiated our wedding in 1996, and the experience was so wonderful that we have asked her to lead every ceremony for our extended family since then, including weddings, baby dedications, and funerals. Janet has a calming and joyful presence. She is familiar with many different spiritual traditions, and she helped us create services that reflected our relationship and values.
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    Brenda Sent on 12/10/2018
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    The perfect officiant

    Janet was wonderful to work with. We wanted a private ceremony and she had great ideas to help us create exactly what we wanted and to involve our friends and family. The ceremony was beautiful as a result.
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    Jayme Sent on 12/09/2018
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    Our Experience with Janet was Perfect!

    Janet performed our wedding ceremony at the Aurora Inn and she provided an exceptional service for us. She was prompt and professional, guided us through the entire process with ease, and wrote a beautiful ceremony for us. We were overjoyed with how wonderful the ceremony was and a number of our guests complimented her and the ceremony as well. We highly recommend Janet.
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    Haley Sent on 12/09/2018
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    Personal, Heartfelt, Amazing Wedding Celebrant!

    Janet was a dream come true for my wedding. When my husband and I started planning our wedding, we put extra care into choosing a celebrant. We come from different faith backgrounds, so it was extremely important for us to find someone who could respect that and could craft a ceremony that would honor both of our families and traditions. Janet went so far above our expectations. From the first time we met with her, she was so warm and personal, and had so many wonderful ideas about how to make our ceremony perfect for us. Janet had lots of ideas but also wasn't at all pushy, and gave us plenty of room to add in any ideas we had. In the end, she did an absolutely amazing job of blending together Hinduism and Catholocism into one ceremony that was heartfelt and extremely personalized to us as a couple. I saw people cry who I have NEVER seen cry in my life! Even my husband's extremely serious uncle shed a tear. We still have people talk to us about how amazing and emotional the ceremony was. Thank you so much Janet for making our wedding ceremony something that we will never forget!
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    Ksb Sent on 12/08/2018
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    Hands down, she is the BEST!

    Janet is amazing! We were so blessed to have her be a part of our day! She took the time to listen to us, hear us, and celebrated with us! We love her, and if we ever renew our vows, I know what we will be calling to lead the ceremony!
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    Dylan Sent on 12/08/2018
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    Our experience with Janet was marvelous

    Janet was a wonderful officiant to work with. My wife and I were referred to Janet by a friend, and we are both very grateful to have had her officiate our wedding. She was both full of ideas about the details or our ceremony, but also very focused on making it personalized to our relationship and what we pictured for ourselves. She created a beautiful ceremony that touched both my wife and I as well as our family. I honestly cannot imagine our wedding without Janet performing the ceremony. She and her husband joined us for dinner afterwards at our invitation, and were marvelous company. I cannot recommend her services enough.
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