MDDC weddings Reviews
Reviews
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5.0 out of 5 rating
5.0 out of 5 rating
168 Reviews
99% recommend it
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![Samantha]()
Samantha P. Sent on 01/05/2024Joyce is the BEST
Joyce was absolutely the best! She was so professional and also upbeat throughout the whole process. She does all of the little things, like ensures she moves out of first kiss photos. Our venue's coordinator had some hiccups during the rehearsal and ceremony and Joyce handled them with grace. We loved having her officiate our wedding! -
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![Kelsey]()
Kelsey M. Sent on 03/22/2022Such a Delight
Joyce was a dream to have officiate our wedding. She was on top of the rehearsal to make sure everyone knew what they were to be doing. She made sure to communicate with us the entire time before the wedding as well. She even made us a book of our ceremony as a memory. I would recommend her over and over again. -
Emily S. Sent on 01/19/2022
Joyce is a Gem
Joyce is exactly who you will want to officiate your marriage. She made us WANT to celebrate our marriage. I'm sure that sounds strange, but as we met with her to talk through our journey (which included a Covid-canceled wedding from March 2020 and the addition of a toddler to the mix!), she
articulated all the beautiful moments and symbolism that go into a ceremony. It reminded us that the wedding wasn't just a big planning item to check off on your to-do list (speaking to my fellow Type A Brides out there!), but it's a true celebration of a meaningful and beautiful life event.
Joyce came highly recommended to us from Stone Manor Country Club. We planned our small wedding in just 2 months, and we were fairly clueless about what we wanted. All we knew was that it was important for us to feel at ease with our officiant (we didn't want to be lectured or made to sit silently while someone rambled off Bible verses to us). Joyce is SO warm and welcoming, and she has a wicked sense of humor. She comes prepared with helpful materials and to-do lists (which I loved!), and everything can be tailored to your own desires.
I distinctly remember leaving our meeting with her and thinking, "Yes! This is EXACTLY who we need." After meeting her, I felt so excited about our marriage and that we were finally able to celebrate us.
She also wore the most amazing, gorgeous shoes to our ceremony :) :) :). They look wonderful in our wedding photos!
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Jessica Sent on 01/17/2022
Joyce helped us tie the knot, literally!
My spouse and I found Reverend Joyce Hilbery and MDDC Weddings through an online search. We were getting married near Frederick, MD but we're from the Baltimore area, and neither of us has a particular religious affiliation. We wanted a ceremony that captured our personalities, and she worked with us to create the best experience.
We first contacted Joyce through the website and she was very responsive - we set up a video call to talk a little about the date/location and what we were thinking of. We made a plan to have a meeting near Frederick - as she said, it's important for us to get to know each other a little for her to perform the service on our special day. Joyce was absolutely lovely to work with, very organized, open to ideas, with a great sense of humor, and also sensitivity to family dynamics that related to the ceremony. We got many of the details ironed out there with a plan for following up closer to the wedding.
One of the things I really appreciated working with Joyce was having a sample script available and we could mix-and-match different pieces to make the ceremony exactly what we wanted. We kept the ceremony short and sweet with a knot-tying at the end.
The day of the ceremony, she had the groom faced away for a 'reveal' moment as I came down the aisle (we didn't do first looks or see each other at all since the day before the wedding, so this was a really special moment). She came prepared with extra copies of the readings and vows for us, and kept everything moving smoothly. At the very end, she paused and moved out of the way for the first kiss photos - a move our photographer greatly appreciated.
Overall, Joyce was a pleasure to work with and I would highly recommend her to other couples. Best wishes! -
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![Cindy]()
Cindy Sent on 08/12/2021Simply the best!
Joyce was an incredible officiant. What made us book her on the spot was her winning personality and awesome sense of humor. On a day full of nerves, it was important to have someone we both felt comfortable with.
On top of being a joy to work with, she was also extremely flexible, patient, and understanding. We had to reschedule our wedding twice. The first time was due to Covid. We decided to have a minimony prior to our rescheduled “wedding” date because of the ailing health of a family member. Joyce was extremely compassionate and didn’t flinch at the idea of changing plans, yet again.
I could go on and on but the point is, call Joyce, you won’t be disappointed. You’ll be able to tell from the first conversation that she’s the one you want! -
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![Brienna]()
Brienna D. Sent on 10/27/2021Made the day complete
We looked at and interviewed a lot of officiants. We’re a non religious couple so finding someone without religious affiliations willing to do a non theist ceremony was challenging. Then we met Joyce. Upon our first meeting, we felt like she was an old friend. We knew right away she was the officiant for us! The accent certainly helped. 😅 Joyce was professional and responsive during the planning process and a lifesaver during the rehearsal! Not only did we have no idea what we were doing (hey, who does. We’re all new at this, right?!) we also had some rogue groomsmen. Joyce whipped them into shape and helped us execute a beautiful plan. She really took charge and made it fun! Obviously nerves got the best of some of us on wedding day but Joyce was there with her cues, calmness and professionalism to help us out. She performed a beautiful ceremony that was perfect for us. We included readings and read our own vows. Several guests commented on how wonderful Joyce was. In my opinion, you should save yourself time and just hire Joyce as your officiant! -
![Shirley]()
Shirley C. Sent on 12/07/2021From the moment we first met Joyce, we knew she was the officiant for us.
From the moment we first met Joyce, we knew she was the officiant for us. She has this aura that just draws you in and keeps you waiting for her next words - not to mention those deep blue eyes and radiant smile! We were able to personalize all parts of the ceremony script using templates she provided as well as include our own readings. Our guests were moved and simultaneously entertained with Joyce's sincere voice and charismatic attitude. They shed tears of joy yet also laughed at Joyce’s sprinkles of witty remarks. One of my favorite things about her which the guests weren’t able to see was her leadership during the rehearsal. She kept everyone focused and highlighted crucial details that made the ceremony that much more special. Without Joyce, the ceremony would have just not been the same, and we highly HIGHLY recommend contacting her if you’re looking for someone to ensure the most important day of your life is perfect. Thank you so much, Joyce! -
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Alex E. Sent on 11/13/2020
All that we could hope for in an officiant.
Joyce was amazing from the start. She made my wife and I feel special from the beginning. On our big day Joyce kept us calm with her humor and also with her kindness. She really made a big impression on our guests too. I would go out of my way to recommend Joyce to anyone getting married! -
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![Devon]()
Devon S. Sent on 12/03/2020Highly recommend!!
Joyce is so amazing at what she does! From the first day we met her, we knew we had to hire her! She walked us through everything and made the process extremely easy. On our wedding day, she had us all laughing the whole time. It was a great experience!! -
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![Dominique]()
Dominique B. Sent on 05/28/2019Rev. Joyce is Wonderful!
My Fiance and I were so lucky to find Joyce Hilbery to Officiate our Wedding. She really took the time to get to know us as people, and made sure that our rehearsal and our special day went smoothly. Most importantly, Joyce made the day FUN for my husband and I (which is no small feat, considering how stressful weddings can be). Also, she was so kind to all of our friends and family, and made them really feel like they were part of our special day. Thank you Rev. Joyce Hilbery for everything! -
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![Davita]()
Davita Sent on 06/07/2020Thoughtful guidance and attentive care
Working with Joyce was a delight! She helped us create a meaningful, touching, non-religious ceremony. As our date approached, she emailed us with reminders and tips to make sure our ceremony flowed and everything was in order. I loved working with her, and my family attending the ceremony complimented her work. -
Kelsey Sent on 11/26/2019
Wow. What an absolute delight!
Joyce was absolute perfection at our wedding - don’t even think twice about having her officiate. We got so many compliments about Joyce from guests and other vendors after the ceremony - the readings and ceremony were beautiful PLUS she’s absolutely hilarious and brought some levity and laughter. From our first few minutes of sitting done with her at the first meeting we already knew we we were going to hire her. She makes the entire process EASY but also customizable (which all brides know the less stressful the better) and offered up some amazing ideas. We told her we didn’t want to write our own vows and she instead suggested that we do a wine box ceremony where we write a letter to each other and close them up with a box of wine which we ended up doing as part of our ceremony. It was such an amazing idea and, again, we had over ten people come up to us afterwards and tell us they loved the wine box idea and had never seen it before. She made our entire wedding party laugh moments before walking down the aisle which calmed our nerves and then again afterwards had us all rolling. If I had to envision the “perfect” officiant it would be Joyce - beautiful voice, great presence, a calming and joyful force on our wedding day, and effortlessly throws in touches of humor which made all the guests laugh. Trust me - she’s it. -
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![Vanessa]()
Vanessa S. Sent on 09/30/2019Best choice you could possibly make.
Joyce was THE best decision, outside of getting married, that we possibly could've made. She was extremely helpful in guiding us through the entire marriage process. She took charge of the rehearsal and helped us avoid any possible disasters. She was quick and responsive to all our questions, as well as being kind and funny by helping to break the ice the day of the wedding. She made us both extremely comfortable as we stood in front of all those people crying and pouring our hearts out. We couldn't possibly think of any other person we would want to go through this experience with than Reverend Joyce!
