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NJ Vows Now Reviews

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48 Reviews
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  • Brianna
    Brianna T. Sent on 03/26/2023
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    Sylvester Wedding

    When we were looking for an officiant we were not sure what we wanted but for the first time we spoke to Celia we just knew! She was super helpful and it felt like she was 100% invested in our love story. We were lucky enough to work with Michael for the ceremony and he somehow totally understand our story from only a few short interactions…truly incredible! All of our guests commented after the ceremony that it felt like Michael knew us since we first started dating. He made time for humor and sentiment and our ceremony was so special. One of the highlights of our wedding. Thank you Michael!
  • Lauren
    Lauren P. Sent on 06/23/2022
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    Perfect ceremony on 6/18/22

    We couldn't have asked for a better officiant than Michael. He was so kind, easy going and helpful with everything. We love the ceremony that was put together for us- it was perfect. I was so nervous when looking for an officiant - I didn't want a long, drawn out boring ceremony nor did I want it to be a joke to someone. Michael totally encapsulated who we are as a couple and took into consideration everything we wanted. He even threw in a last minute necklace-placing tradition thing that I sprung on him 10 minutes before the ceremony without even batting an eye. Highly, highly recommend!!!
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    Jacqueline T. Sent on 08/31/2022
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    A personalized, wonderful experience!

    Michael Yelle was our officiant for our recent wedding this past June. We couldn't have been happier with our ceremony, and during cocktail hour, all we heard from our guests was how great the officiant was - how personal he made the speech and how unique and special it felt. He told the story of us, for all of our relatives and friends who maybe didn't know how we met or how we fell in love.

    Michael has a warm presence that you can't help but gravitate towards. He worked with us every step of the way leading up to the wedding to curate the ceremony speech and help us with our vows. After receiving our 'interview' paperwork separately, Michael wrote the entire ceremony speech, and gave us full reign to make it ours. Depending on how hands on you want to be during the process, you could change as much or as little as you want. He's a great writer and storyteller, and really takes the time to weave in the important details. Otherwise, we would not have known where to begin or end!

    On the day, he was so efficient and worked with our best man and man of honor to get the license signed, and he was a constant professional without being rigid at all. He is a VERY eloquent speaker - and just had the perfect mix of joy and seriousness in his tone. He had our vows printed and ready to go for us in large font on nice paper, to make reading them the day of very easy, and let us have a moment to ourselves as we read them to each other.

    I would highly recommend Michael to any couple getting married - you won't regret it!
  • Kristen
    Kristen J. Sent on 10/31/2021
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    Professional and down-to-Earth Officiant

    Michael was great to work with. He ensured a very individual process following all our ideas while at the same time offering advice and his experience to create an absolutely beautiful ceremony. He went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable the days leading up to the ceremony as well as the day of. We loved his easy-going, calm and personable personality as he led us through this process. His sppech was very individual, perfectly aligned with our hopes and expectations and considering our story. We would definitely recommend Michael for a wonderful, individual and down-to-Earth ceremony.
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    Carroll E. Sent on 08/08/2019
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    Michael’s the best!

    Michael made all the hard parts of getting married easy! He’s so nice and understanding and is very helpful when it comes to actually writing your vows and such. He goes above and beyond!
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    Kevin N. Sent on 07/06/2021
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    Enthusiastically recommend!

    Michael was the perfect choice for our wedding. He helped us craft the ceremony the way we wanted it, was super flexible with his time and impeccably prepared, showed up early for our ceremony, and his delivery was pitch perfect for what our situation called for. He was very smooth yet calm & friendly, and 100% professional and easy to work with.

    We had a small, intimate, family-only wedding that needed a certain balance of conviviality, warmth, and purpose/professionalism, and Michael nailed the somersault and stuck the landing. Our families loved him as well. Very highly recommend!
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    Irene G. Sent on 11/25/2020
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    Michael is outstanding!!

    Finding an officiant when you don't have someone you have direct ties to is tricky. We were so fortunate to link up with Michael. He delivered one of the most beautiful and entertaining ceremonies I have ever witnessed, I may be biased but our guests can back me up here. It was as if he knew us for years! He truly takes the time to find your story and make it your own. If you're looking for something more cookie-cutter I'm sure he would create a beautiful ceremony as well but if you're looking for something that stands out and truly speaks to who you are as a couple, Michael is the officiant for you! He is extremely responsive and helpful throughout the process. The way he builds your script is very fluid how it evolves so even if you're not the best with putting your feelings into words he's got you! In such an overwhelming time, his ease is incredibly refreshing. We will forever be grateful for Michael for being such an important part of our day! We confidently recommend Michael and his team to anyone searching for an officiant.
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    Brian Sent on 01/25/2020
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    Outstanding

    Michael performed our wedding ceremony on 1/12/2020 and was absolutely perfect. He wrote several drafts of the ceremony and worked with us to customize it to exactly what my wife and i were looking for. We had about 100 people, and several people complimented to us that it was one of the most beautiful ceremonies they went to. Michael was great, and did an amazing job. Thank you Michael for all your help - we were very lucky to have you.
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    Gary S. Sent on 10/16/2019
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    Look no further. Michael is your officiant.

    Michael was a great. My wife and I were very happy. We discussed the ceremony twice on the phone with Michael and he answered every question we had in addition to making some suggestions. We were able to build a ceremony incorporating what we wanted along with Michael's sentiments. On wedding day, Michael showed up 1/2 hour before the ceremony started and presided over a very beautiful, wonderful ceremony. His words were great, had meaning and his way put everyone at ease. It really was everything we could ask for! Thank you Michael.
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    Nicole Sent on 10/30/2019
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    Wonderful!

    Michael was the officiant for our wedding and he was the talk of the party. Our guests loved the way he told the story of how my husband and I met and how our relationship developed over time. Michael was truly a great person to work with. He was extremely organized, responsive, and just very kind and patient. He even helped us after our wedding with paperwork related information which was very helpful as much of the paperwork can feel overwhelming. Great officiant with a great sense of humor and heart.
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    Courtney Sent on 07/18/2019
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    Organized, respectful & personal

    We found Michael through his wife, Celia after many interviews with a handful of officiants. My husband and I were relatively confident in the type of ceremony we wanted - personalized to us and our story, not heavily religious, but flexible enough to respect both of our religious backgrounds and traditions (I was raised Catholic, my husband Jewish). After the first phone conversation with Michael, we felt he had the right personality to deliver our story - sensitive and sentimental but with a touch of humor. We wanted people to walk away thinking our ceremony was personalized, unique and sentimental, while enjoying a few laughs.

    After our initial call, Michael sent us a questionnaire to fill out on our ends so he could get a good sense of our story from either side. We sent those back and within a few weeks, we received a generic timeline of how our ceremony would go. He was open to hearing our thoughts and edits (and we made many!) He was respectful and responsive upon new drafts and provided feedback from his expertise in the field. We even asked to make some editorial adjustments the week of the wedding and Michael was prepared to adjust with us. He had all the print outs of our prayers, readings and blessings, along with our personal vows we had sent over to him weeks prior, on our wedding day. We met Michael in person for the first time on the wedding day. A situation like that would have given me a lot of anxiety in other scenarios, but Michael made it easy to trust him and our ceremony went off without a hitch!

    Michael walked us through every step, including applying for a wedding license, making it seamless. He continued to keep fluid communication following our wedding day, providing us with detailed next steps on how to retrieve our official marriage certificate - down to the exact name, office and phone number to call and how to change my name legally - what documents would need to change first down to the ones we could handle last. We even had a package waiting for us when we returned from our honeymoon filled with the print-outs he had of the readings, blessings and vows from our wedding ceremony, along with the kindest note.

    We would recommend Michael time and time again. He was kind, thoughtful, respectful and most importantly - helpful! His delivery was sensitive, while appropriately reacting to spontaneous moments during the ceremony (i.e. our moms continuing to consume the wine after the "wine ceremony" portion had ended). He was the perfect fit for us and helped us develop a perfect ceremony for us to always remember.
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    Jaclyn Sent on 08/31/2019
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    The best officiant!!

    Michael was an amazing officiant for our wedding! He officiated my husband's cousin's wedding several years ago and he did such a phenomenal job that it always stuck out in my mind. When we got engaged, we made sure to find who he was and booked him as soon as we had our wedding date set! He collaborates with you to create the ceremony and does such a great job in making everything personal, keeping the audience engaged and including a little bit of humor. We felt that our ceremony turned out perfect and so many of our guests remarked on how great it was afterwards! We could not have asked for a better officiant.
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    Seamus D. Sent on 06/24/2019
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    the best wedding decision we made!! Hire Michael!

    Michael officiated our wedding on 5/25/19 and did an amazing job. Our initial inquiry and call was with Celia Milton which went great. She responded to my e-mail immediately and provided her availability and we had a call that night. We discussed everything we wanted in an officiant and after our conversation we know that Celia was the officiant we wanted. She was not available but Michael was. Between the two of them they have officiated thousands of weddings – they are as experienced as you will find anywhere. We set up a call with Michael a week later (Celia told him everything we had already discussed) and it went great. He REALLY wanted to get to know us so the ceremony could be as personalized as possible. He also provided a ton of outlines/samples scripts/readings which really helped with the planning process and took a ton of stress off of us. We completed some information sheets so Michael could personalize our story. After choosing our readings he sent us the scripts. After a few edits it was finalized – so easy.

    On the big day Michael delivered and more. Not only did all of our guests LOVE Michael but we still have guests who ask where we found him and how did he know so much about us. Our ceremony was personal and intimate but also very funny at times and easy going – it was exactly what we wanted. Some of our friends even had extended conversations with him after the ceremony because they loved it so much. Michael was certainly memorable and really took our ceremony to new heights. That – combined with the professional planning process which eliminated any concerns we may have had – led to a top notch experience. We absolutely recommend him. Thank you so much Michael!!
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    Bayana G. Sent on 06/26/2019
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    Perfect! Just like we wanted!

    Everything was great! A cute little gift, attention to all the details, advises and "nos" when needed. Michael was very tactic. He took care of all the little details nonchalantly from taking the bridal bouquets to "disappearing" right after "you may kiss the bride", so we could be alone with the view behind us. I loved it. Thank you, Mike!
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    Shea Sent on 11/07/2018
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    Our biggest compliment by our guests was on Michael's role as officiant

    Michael was wonderful during our entire process of finding an officiant, working through the ceremony script, and then the overall ceremony itself. Even after only meeting Michael via Skype once and the remaining communications over email, we felt like we got to know each pretty well leading up to our big day -- in fact the majority of our guests came up to us at the reception to compliment our ceremony and ask if Michael was an uncle. He was also extremely helpful as he walked us through NJ's complicated marriage license process. This was a major reason we chose to work with Michael instead of going with a close friend as an officiant. While we were worried our ceremony wouldn't be personal enough, we were blown away with how personal Michael was able to make everything feel. Michael's humor and candor added so much to our special day and we are so happy we decided to work with him.
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    Anthony Sent on 09/30/2018
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    The best. Thank you Anthony and joe
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    Michelle Sent on 12/13/2017
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    We can't thank Michael enough! He did such an incredible job narrating our story and directing our ceremony. We received so many compliments from guests, asking if we knew him because the ceremony included such personalized and genuine storytelling.

    It was also a pleasure connecting throughout the planning process, everything leading up to that special day. My husband and I had a lot of fun collaborating with Michael and really got into the creativity of it all. Together the three of us worked in subtle inside jokes and navigated the different elements of the ceremony. While Michael tied it all together in the most beautiful way - crafting a consistent theme and tone throughout. It really was perfect!! I could cry again just thinking about it.

    No more than a day after our ceremony, Michael sent his marriage license paperwork in to the town and wrote us a detailed follow-up email with next-steps, township contact info and advice about name change, etc. This was all very helpful and again such a pleasure!
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    Burcin Sent on 11/11/2017
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    Our wedding was Oct 8th and everything went beautifully! Working with Michael was truly a gift and the ceremony was PERFECT! Our friends and family are still talking about how Michael nailed the ceremony exactly. He really moved people, and made us feel comfortable the entire time. I was so nervous! A few of my family members AND uncles actually stopped to talk to Michael after the impression he left.
    If you decide to write your own vows he prints it out for you on beautiful paper that you can even frame it.
    The readings and quotes Michael suggestions are all so beautiful, and he's there with you every step of the way finalizing nothing until you give your approval. It was a pleasure working with Michael, thanks again!
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    Diana Sent on 10/17/2017
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    Michael was an amazing addition to our special day. He was extremely helpful in the weeks leading up to the wedding sharing advice and stories. He is truly there for anything you need and any question you might have. Our guests afterward had to ask how he knew us because he wrote such a beautiful story about my wife and I. They were shocked when they found out the first time we met him in person was before the ceremony. Michael writes beautifully and tells the story of how you met and the things you love doing together. He is extremely professional and actually cares about your special day. He guides you through every step of the process. If you want an officiant to make your special day even more special than Michael is the best and only choice.
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    Doris Sent on 05/28/2017
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    Michael officiated at the marriage of my daughter. He did a fantastic job. He was warm and professional. The ceremony was enjoyable. Not only was the ceremony appropriate, sentimental, and touching, he added just enough humor to lighten it up. I got so many compliments about how Michael performed the ceremony.
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    Ray Sent on 03/01/2017
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    Michael was such a pleasure to work with. He tried to learn about my wife and me to make the ceremony truly ours. He brought up how we met and how the engagement went. And how our two beautiful girls were part of our ceremony was the highlight of the day for them when he mentioned them. We would tell everybody to use Michael if they could he really did make it so simple. Thank so much for that. Thanks to Michael from my wife and me
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    Kristina Sent on 10/27/2016
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    My husband and I were very nervous about the ceremony - standing up in front of a crowd and saying our vows sounded pretty intimidating. Michael made sure we felt comfortable with the process and he worked closely with us to customize our ceremony to be exactly what we wanted. My guests loved Michael and thought he was warm, engaging, and funny. We received many compliments on our "outside-the-box" ceremony.
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    Erin Sent on 10/10/2016
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    My husband and I upon speaking to Michael for the first time, knew he was the officiant we wanted! His attention to detail, sense of humor and interest in getting to know us made the our whole event so successful. Many people loved how personalized our ceremony was to us as a couple. It really gave an insight to our guests about our history.

    Upon completion of the ceremony, so many people complimented him and we would recommend him to everyone!

    Thanks again Michael!

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    Kelsey Sent on 10/09/2016
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    Michael was an AMAZING officiant! He traveled more than 2 hours to officiate our wedding and we could not have been more thrilled with our ceremony. In the beginning of our planning process we really wanted our ceremony to be short and sweet so we could get to the celebration...Michael reminded us that the real reason we were celebrating was because of the marriage, and that the ceremony was so important to the day...something we would remember for years to come. He was absolutely right. My husband and I agree that having Michael officiate our ceremony was one of the best choices that we made throughout the wedding planning process. Michael helped to write a personalized ceremony that was unlike any ceremony I have ever attended. After the ceremony almost every guest gushed at what a beautiful ceremony it was and how much they loved hearing "our story." Everyone commented on how funny and wonderful he was, and wanted to know if Michael was a relative or close family friend! Michael handled getting our marriage license filed for us and sent information for how to change my name. I highly recommend Michael to anyone looking for a truly personalized wedding ceremony experience that you will be able to treasure forever!
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    Lauren Sent on 09/13/2016
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    Words cannot even begin to describe how amazing of, not only an officiant, but PERSON, Michael Yelle is. But I will try my best!!
    Finding the right officiant was one of my biggest worries & stresses as the ceremony is the real reason everyone was there on our big day (September 3, 2016 at Bonnet Island Estate in Manahawkin, NJ) - I thought it was going to be so difficult to find what we were looking for. So I started to do some research on WeddingWire & came across Michael Yelle. I read the reviews and was pretty much sold on those alone, but once I emailed him to request a conversation, & he answered immediately (which I am SO big on) - & then later that night my fiance and I had a skype call with him - I was INSTANTLY sold. I could tell he knew what he was doing & he was truly interested in US and our story.

    Well, it certainly came across in the ceremony because almost every single person came up to us saying how AMAZING it was - they described it as "intimate", "full of love", "personal", "funny", "entertaining", "out of this world" - just to name a few! We told Michael our goal was to make people laugh AND cry (in a good way) & he certainly got that done.
    People were asking which side of the family he was from that's how amazing the story he drafted about my husband & I was!
    Michael made everything so calm - all my nerves went away as soon as I stood up there & he started talking.
    He was so professional & such a pleasure to work with throughout the whole process leading up to the big day as well. His responses were almost immediate & was willing to work with us in any way shape or form - & any changes, even in the 11th hour were "no problem" to him, at all! He even sent the nicest email afterwards saying how beautiful our day was (despite the looming hurricane) & all the info we needed regarding our marriage license & changing my name!

    If you are looking for your guests to walk away & say "wow" - Michael is the one to pick!