We had an amazing ceremony performed by Gerald! The location he suggested was in the middle of the Liberty State Park and the view was absolutely gorgeous, perfect for videos and photos.
Sent on 05/04/2021
The Heart of the Wedding's reply:
And such a wonderful sound of applause from all the on lookers as I pronounced you husband and wife- A wonderful feeling for everyone to see two people going off to the future together
Arleena
· Married on 04/23/2021
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Gerald is the best of the best
It was a pleasure working with Gerald. Getting married is a very stressful process, and Gerald made everything as seamless as possible. He was meticulous, well-organized, and most of all, generous with his time. He made sure we were comfortable with the ceremony and worked with us to finetune it to our perfection, even meeting with us virtually a few times to make sure we were completely comfortable. The man is a true artist—he really takes the time to develop a personalized ceremony that reflects our values as a couple. The end product was truly spectacular, and we are just grateful for how well everything materialized.
If you’re considering an officiant, Gerry is simply the best.
Thank you for everything Gerry,
We will recommend you whenever we get the chance!
Sent on 05/05/2021
The Heart of the Wedding's reply:
Thank you for the lovely praise. It was my joy to be a part of your wedding and to share this special moment with you and your family and friends.
Dayna
· Married on 10/16/2020
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Gerry made our rainy Central Park ceremony so magical!
When my husband and I first spoke to Gerry over the phone, we knew this was the person we wanted to officiate our Central Park ceremony! Gerry was personable, charismatic and kind, throughout the entire process, which he ensured was incredibly easy and straight-forward. He wrote a beautiful ceremony and helped us to truly envision our big moment. On our wedding day, it rained A LOT and Gerry was there, early, ready to officiate with a big smile on his face. He handled all of the paperwork so professionally and confirmed with us later that same day when he mailed our marriage license to the court. Gerry really made our ceremony so very special and we are so grateful that we chose him to marry us!
Sent on 11/25/2020
The Heart of the Wedding's reply:
Rain is good luck on a wedding. It was beautiful, and I will always remember the good cheer of all your friend and family who gathered on the rainy hilltop in Central Park.
Kayla M.
· Married on 10/02/2020
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Gerry was Great!!!
My husband and I were looking for an officiant to make our ceremony personable and memorable and Gerry went above and beyond. We love that he took the time to learn about us and our relationship and incorporated that into our ceremony. We received so many compliments from our family and friends saying it was one of the best wedding ceremonies they have been to. Would highly recommend!!
Sent on 10/14/2020
The Heart of the Wedding's reply:
It was a beautiful day. I'm so lucky to have shared a bit of it with you and your family. Thanks for the review.
Wendy S.
· Married on 08/25/2020
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Simple yet intimate ceremony
We just had an simple ceremony with limited 6 guests in person, and video called our family. Gerry hosted our intimate ceremony which was exactly how we'd like it to be. During the preparation session, we mostly communicated via via emails and texts. Gerry was always very responsive to our questions. We also had one face-time session to go through the details. On the wedding day, Gerry arrived much earlier to meet us on our wedding venue. Thanks Gerry for making our ceremony smooth and memorable!
Sent on 08/26/2020
The Heart of the Wedding's reply:
It was a memorable evening The love of everyone was so apparent even if I couldn't understand all the wonderful speeches in Chinese.
Brian K.
· Married on 07/11/2020
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Great Service Broadcast World Wide
Given the current situation it was touch and go as to whether we would be able to keep our wedding date, but Gerald was with us every step of the way.
Gerald put together a beautiful service after our conversations and meeting with him but when we had to completely change our arrangements, he gave us a new, abbreviated service which was perfect for the day.
We only had 6 people in physical attendance, but another 50 friends and family who joined remotely via Zoom from England, France and around the USA - Everyone commented on what a great job Gerald did and how the service was one of the nicest that they had seen.
We will be having another celebration when some sense of normality returns, and we will be asking Gerald to return and perform the full original ceremony (hopefully with a lot more people physically in attendance)
Gerald helped give us a wonderful day.
Sent on 07/14/2020
The Heart of the Wedding's reply:
Thanks Bri- I was so happy to be a part of the day. Came home telling everyone what a joy it was to celebrate with you. It will be a memorable day for me too
Scott W.
· Married on 05/30/2020
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
A perfect day in a crazy world with Gerald Fierst
We interviewed several officiants for our wedding but when we found Gerald Fierst we knew we had our star! He came to visit us in person immediately to chat and made us feel very comfortable. Then COVID hit and we had to postpone our wedding. Gerald met with us on FaceTime several times during the quarantine, and listened to our stories. Gerald was very flexible with our changes and went out of his way to make our small intimate gathering a perfect ceremony and wedding. Gerald crafted a beautiful story based on our meetings and incorporated various traditions into one seamless ceremony. Our guests had nothing but praise for Gerald and the beautiful ceremony. Thank you Gerald for helping to give us a day we will never forget, especially during this crazy time the world is going through!
Sent on 06/14/2020
The Heart of the Wedding's reply:
So wonderful to help make the day happen amidst all the turmoil and uncertainty of this Covid era. Love conquers all
Katie D.
· Married on 01/10/2020
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
The Perfect Wedding Ceremony
Gerry did an amazing job, customizing our ceremony to have perfect traditions for both of us and our families. Everyone has given us compliments on how lovely the ceremony was, and we loved the process of planning that part of the evening together, with his guidance and experience helping us structure a beautiful opening to a beautiful night.
Sent on 01/21/2020
The Heart of the Wedding's reply:
I love the process too. It is always such a delight to sit and learn how one becomes two- everyone is always different and always filled with laughter and heart. Thank you for including me in your story.
Beverly A.
· Married on 11/03/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Gerry made our ceremony unforgettable!
If you're looking for a fully customized ceremony, Gerry is your guy! He's a civil celebrant, professional story-teller, and author who really knows how to let the couple and their story shine. Some couples aren't looking to spend too much money on the officiant since the ceremony does not typically go beyond 30 mins (for non-religious), but Gerry is worth every cent, and you won't be disappointed! He was equally professional as well as super fun to work with. He is open-minded and creative. To be honest, looking for our wedding officiant was the most challenging out of all of our vendors to find. We weren't looking to have a religious ceremony, but we still wanted an inclusive, serious, but lighthearted atmosphere. We found Gerry online, and after seeing a few of his other clients' wedding ceremony videos, we knew he was someone we had to interview. We had 1 initial 1-hour meeting to get to know each other, and after such a great meeting, we decided we wanted Gerry to officiate our marriage. We scheduled another 2 hour ceremony-crafting session a couple of months before the wedding, where Gerry took answers to some homework (a questionnaire you and your future spouse complete separately) he had given us beforehand, to formulate our unique ceremony. The meeting was more of a brainstorming, ideas-sharing session for Gerry to offer up some creativity, as well as for the couple to describe more in detail what the vision of the ceremony was to be. A few days later, Gerry emailed us the proposed script for our ceremony, which we reviewed and edited. On the day of the wedding, Gerry arrived early to take in the venue's atmosphere, as well as handled gathering signatures of our witnesses for the marriage certificate. We wanted emotional responses (laughter and tears of joy) out of our ceremony, and Gerry helped us acheive exactly that!
Sent on 11/19/2019
The Heart of the Wedding's reply:
Thanks so much for a wonderful and detailed review Working together was a pleasure for me too. Have a great holiday
Emer M.
· Married on 10/13/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Our dream ceremony!
If you are looking for someone to create and perform a beautiful, personal, heartfelt (and funny!) ceremony, look no further! Working with Gerry was a dream—he is such a pro that he took all the stress out of the process and his suggestions were spot on. He really took the time to learn our story and craft a ceremony that felt just like us, incorporating our adjustments and notes so that in the end we had the most perfect ceremony. So many of our guests commented on how personal and special our ceremony was—and how happy we looked throughout! It’s all a testament to Gerry. He is thoughtful, serene, intelligent and a born storyteller, not to mention his disposition makes you feel as though you’ve been friends for years. We cannot recommend him more highly!
Sent on 11/16/2019
Lauren S.
· Married on 10/05/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Everything We Could Have Asked For.. And More!!
When it came time for finding and officiant my husband and I wanted someone who captured our story and connected with us and our guests. Our wedding had 200+ guests, and we wanted it to feel intimate especially during the ceremony. We searched for a while, and when we came across Gerald we knew that we found the perfect person to officiate our special day. We truly said to each other so many times throughout planning and after our wedding how lucky we feel to have found the perfect officiant!
Everything about working with Gerald was enjoyable and stress-free because he is so good at what he does. Gerald's process was comprehensive and he is so approachable we felt extremely comfortable throughout. While we knew we wanted the ceremony to be personalized we appreciated the guidance that Gerald provided in terms of sending a questionnaire to both of us and then helping us talk through the flow of the ceremony when planning the details. We also loved that he sent us his script prior to the wedding in case we wanted to make any edits.
Having Gerald officiate our wedding is something we and the guests will never forget. We had several guests tell us that our wedding was one of the most special weddings they have ever been to because our officiant really captured our story. He was so engaging with his delivery and we had many guests afterwards tell us they hope to use him for upcoming weddings. He made our ceremony exactly what we wanted.
With wedding planning comes so many decisions, but trust me if you have stumbled upon Gerald look no more for your officiant! He will personalize your wedding to be exactly what you and your significant other want and he is truly the BEST!
Sent on 10/22/2019
Susan G.
· Married on 07/31/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Best Officiant!
Jerry officiated my daughter's wedding this past Sunday. The service was extraordinary, and with Gerry as our celebrant, it exceeded our highest expectations. Gerry brings a special mix of joy, beauty, and serenity to the ceremony. I received so many compliments from friends and family about the service; many said it was the best service they ever witnessed. I highly recommend Gerry to anyone looking for an officiant for their wedding.
Sent on 07/31/2019
Emily D.
· Married on 03/30/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Kind & Professional
Gerald was absolutely amazing to work with. We met with him to create our ceremony and he had so many options for us depending on the vibe we wanted. He was also absolutely willing to use any readings we brought in and figured out how to work them into the ceremony. We got exactly what we wanted from him. He showed up early the day of the wedding to go over everything with our bridal party and family involved in the ceremony. Incredibly nice and professional and we highly recommend him!! We received so many compliments on our ceremony and we couldn't be happier.
Sent on 04/01/2019
Samantha
· Married on 03/23/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Unique, heartfelt, & personal ceremony that we (and guests) loved!
The ceremony Gerry created with us was one of a kind and unique to us, and our guests were both moved and impressed by the ceremony. To me, a writer and a romantic, the content of the ceremony was one of my top priorities as a bride and Gerry was instrumental in making the ceremony a beautiful focal point of the wedding-- what the wedding is truly about! We wanted a secular wedding with Jewish cultural elements, and Gerry made that happen! He has a wealth of knowledge on many backgrounds of weddings and many texts to refer to to find the right passages. He made our ceremony truly interactive with "Modern 7 Blessings" where friends popped up at the end to read a blessing to us. This was not only a lovely way to honor friends and family- they were so moved to do it- but also created a fun element of surprise and joy. As the bride and groom, seeing and hearing our friends like that was so meaningful. The process of working with Gerry was great- he sends a questionnaire to each person in the couple and you fill it out separately, and then he uses your exact words with some editing to tell your story in a way that will get to the heart of you as a couple as well as entertain guests. Once he writes the first draft he sends it to you and you are free to work on it and edit it together to get to what you're dreaming of, and Gerry is totally open and flexible to make changes.
On the day of, Gerry has a background in acting and it shows! He knows how to stage the ceremony for the guests to see best and for photos, and his pacing was fantastic. He has a delightful speaking voice. He also officiates the legal aspects before and after the public ceremony and that was done well and with no problems.
Our wedding ceremony was spoken of as so unique and everyone wanted to know where we found him and who he was! Our photographers even added him to their preferred vendors list after the wedding.
If you are looking for a truly heartfelt and full civil ceremony that will be true to you and unique to you as a couple, I cannot recommend Gerry more!
Sent on 07/04/2019
The Heart of the Wedding's reply:
Thank you so much for your lovely and detailed review- I loved working with you. You capture why I call my work The Heart of the Wedding
Michelle
· Married on 01/20/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Exactly what we were looking for in a ceremony
Gerry made our wedding day ceremony touching, personal, and beautiful. By sending us a few questions to get an understanding of what we want in a ceremony, Gerry was able to work with us to craft the entire it together. He took the time to rehearse with our family and just made us feel relaxed about the whole process. During the ceremony, Gerry spoke meaningfully and with a warm tone. The entire experience was so exactly what we were looking for and I am so happy we chose him for our very special day.
Sent on 01/23/2019
Julie
· Married on 12/15/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
A Great Personalized Ceremony from Gerald
Working with Gerald was effortless. He partnered with us and created a ceremony that felt unique and personalized to our story and taste. He also helped with our logistical questions about filing the marriage license, this can otherwise be overwhelming.
Gerald is a great writer and speaker. He has a comforting presence and his delivery is perfect for an intimate and meaningful ceremony. Many of our wedding guests complemented on how great our ceremony and officiant was.
Sent on 01/16/2019
Jessica W.
· Married on 11/03/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Exceptional!
When we first met Gerald we immediately knew he was the officiant for us. His process is very smooth and straightforward, we never worried about how the ceremony would go. When he learned more about us and had a longer session with us, he drafted the most beautiful ceremony, which was light-hearted and very personal to us. Many of our guests commented how beautiful our ceremony was and how much they loved the officiant and his words. We would recommend Gerald, a perfect 10 out of 10.
Sent on 11/13/2018
Christine
· Married on 10/23/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Reliable, warm hearted and absolutely professional
Gerald was very helpful in recommending a great location for us. Also, he as a person was reliable, very uncomplicated and warm-hearted.
We absolutely recommend Gerald´s services and am sure that he will be a valuable part of every wedding ceremony!
Thanks Gerald!
Sent on 10/28/2018
The Heart of the Wedding's reply:
Thanks so much for the kind words A memorable day! New York is a great place to celebrate. Lovely to help you find the perfect location
Jennifer
· Married on 10/20/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Everything and more.....
Gerald made our wedding ceremony a highlight of the day and had our guests talking about it all night! He created a ceremony that reflected our personalities and it was heartfelt, humorous, uplifting and had our guests actively participating. We met with Gerald twice in the months leading up to the wedding so it was really a collaborative effort and he really took the time to get to know us and write a ceremony that conveyed our love and commitment to each other. He executed it perfectly – just flawless. We were in great hands from start to finish!
Sent on 10/31/2018
The Heart of the Wedding's reply:
I love when I hear that guests talk about the ceremony all night That is the point The ceremony, bot the fish, will be remembered!
Arleen
· Married on 09/08/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Gerald is the best of the best
It was a pleasure working with Gerald. Getting married is a very stressful process, and Gerald made everything as seamless as possible. He was meticulous, well-organized, and most of all, generous with his time. He made sure we were comfortable with the ceremony and worked with us to finetune it to our perfection, even meeting with us virtually a few times to make sure we were completely comfortable. The man is a true artist—he really takes the time to develop a personalized ceremony that reflects our values as a couple. The end product was truly spectacular, and we are just grateful for how well everything materialized.
If you’re considering an officiant, Gerry is simply the best.
Thank you for everything Gerry,
We will recommend you whenever we get the chance!
Sent on 05/02/2021
Hamed
· Married on 08/25/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Gerald is amazing. Professional, thoughtful, and organized. He did an amazing job at our wedding. Highly recommend him.
Sent on 09/29/2018
The Heart of the Wedding's reply:
It was such a pleasure to share this special weekend with you and Tracey. I wish you all the treasures offered on the sofreh and hope your lives together are showered with sweetness like the sugar that fell upon your canopied heads. I love the Persian images. May they all come to you.
Shuang
· Married on 06/16/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Having Gerald as our officiant is definitely one of the best decisions we made during wedding planning. He is very professional, nice and very important, open minded and creative. We have Harry Potter as our wedding theme and I like the idea of making an Unbreakable Vow. Gerry accepted the idea immediately and even brought out more good ideas such as casting a Patronus Charm with my wand. He finished the draft in a very short time and it came to be very beautiful and exactly what I want. During the last month before wedding, I send him a couple of emails to adjust the details and Gerry always replied in time and was always patient. The ceremony turned out to be very successful, everyone keeps telling me how special and touching it is. Trust me, Gerry can realize whatever you want without a single doubt.
Sent on 06/20/2018
Emily
· Married on 06/03/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Gerry was amazing!! It was exactly the ceremony that we wanted- full of love and down to earth. Gerry was open, flexible, and genuine. Our guests said it was the best wedding ceremony they’ve ever been to. One person even told us that it made them believe in love again!
Gerry’s the best!
Sent on 06/25/2018
The Heart of the Wedding's reply:
I will quote this- It made them believe in love again- how wonderful!
Joelle
· Married on 06/02/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Gerry was great - professional, timely and a good sense of humor
Sent on 06/20/2018
Anna
· Married on 05/20/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Gerry went above and beyond to make our day perfect. We met a few weeks before to come up with a personalized and very unique Ceremony. I must say he has a very vast knowledge of different cultures and traditions, which definitely helped in merging our families and the different backgrounds. The day of the wedding we had a quick rehearsal, which made everyone very comfortable with the proceedings. Most of all, however, I believe it was Gerry's personality and way of speaking that just put us all at ease and made the day go by smoothly. Would not hesitate to recommend Gerry to my family and friends in the future.
