About 2000 Lovingly Officiated Weddings by Judie L. Guild. NY Registration #77862. JudieGuild@outlook.com.
Judie Guild is an experienced, professional wedding officiant in New York. She also enjoys reading and learning about plants.
Most *choose* to elope or marry in an intimate wedding. Sadly, due to cowardice and ignorance, some couples must elope. C+N drove from the mid-West to get married here in Queens, NYC. In part, they did choose to come here. Since they are planning a celebration with family and friends in the future, though, I […]
MoreT+T are an elegant pair. They planned to marry in Battery Park on the Esplanande until cold and rain deterred these plans. Fortunately, they lived nearby. When I casually inquired about what the rest of their wedding day would hold, the groom replied “dinner and a trip to get some M&Ms in the evening.” The […]
MoreOver a year has past since I posted a few photos of a couple who wore jeans when they exchanged vows. As I began creating this post, I received an e-mail from one of my future brides: she planned to adorn a casual white dress until some friends “dragged” her to a bridal salon where […]
MoreYes, folks, having a formal wedding in a NYC public park is totally feasible. Although you may want a tiny wedding or elopement, you can still find your dream gown or wear a tux and get a marvelous bouquet. You can ask your intimate wedding/ elopement celebrant (whether it is me or someone else) to […]
MoreThanks to smart advertising, the appeal of enjoying an “offbeat wedding” or “offbeat elopement” is growing. Of course, “offbeat” is a relative term. Emerging congruently with the economic boom and strengthening middle class in the immediate post-WWII era, the white wedding –a church ceremony followed by a formal gala in a catering hall or hotel […]
MoreIt’s not easy to select images to post. Here is roughly how I decide which to use. First, I almost always include a general ceremony photo with the couple, backdrop, and at least a hint of me. Secondly, I try to create some sort of brief narrative with ceremony highlights. Then we move onto the […]
MoreBetween updating an Offbeat Bride advertorial and recent comments from my couples, the underlying reasons why couples elope are central to my thoughts. One couple invited a brother and his wife only. As Liam snapped away, the sister-in-law turned to me with “this is so nice and romantic.” Apparently, their wedding –while wonderful– had to […]
MoreDuring the wedding planning process, ideas float abundantly through every couple’s minds. With so much diverse ephemera on the web, deciding on invitations, clothing, venues, photographers, videographers, shoes, and more becomes very difficult. If they elope, will the couple regret not inviting family and friends? If they plan a large celebration, will the core meaning […]
MoreThe vast majority of my couples enlist me for a strictly nonreligious or civil or humanist or spiritual ceremony without any explicit deity references. But I do officiate religious or denominational or interfaith or nondenominational spiritual wedding ceremonies as well. I’ve married aetheists, agnostics, Catholics, Jewish, and newly transformed Buddhist couples. And I’ve learned that […]
MoreI’ve written this before: I really love Westbury Manor. When I officiated a brunch wedding ceremony for two beautiful women there just a few hours ago, I felt as though I married them in a cozy, classically decorated, and immaculate home. Retro paintings or prints hang in wooden frames. Pretty (non-plasticy) flowers abound. Apple cider […]
MoreWhat’s wrong with the classic civil ceremony? Nothing at all. For almost five hundred years, whether religious or non-religious, millions of couples pledged their devotion using essentially the same vows. Sure, some variation exists. But the essence has held constant. A “Dearly beloved….” introduces a reminder to couples about the responsibilities and joys of marriage, […]
MoreWhat’s wrong with a modern or contemporary marriage ceremony with personal vows? Nothing at all. About a third of my couples write personal vows or…or mix and match pieces they find on the internet. Some even recite poetry or lyrics. In most cases, I do not even see their vows before the wedding; instead, I […]
MoreI recently married two wonderful guys in Central Park and another local couple in North Forest Park. I do not know how much they had in common. Except that both missed their dogs. For the record, I am very pet-friendly. Until I was thirteen, my family had “Beach,” who was a large dog that wandered […]
MoreSecuring a marriage license is the first step to a public record of a marriage. The second is the ceremony. And the third is the filing and recording for posterity. While your marriage is still perfectly legitimate once a genuine officiant presides over a ceremony, the filing of the license and receipt of certificate by […]
MoreC+T first planned an intimate wedding with family and friends. While wonderful, though, the plans seemed to morph into something they did not want: their “sweet and simple” small wedding became much more. A month or two later, Liam and I received an e-mail inquiring about our availability for an earlier elopement. Naturally, we were […]
MoreEleven Madison Park Restaurant keeps the nicest staff. They are smart, sophisticated, and gracious hosts. Perhaps the employees are commendable because their employers allocate nearly every Sunday as a day-of-rest. Truly, this restaurant understands that if you make your staff happy, they will be gentler towards patrons. Besides the joy of the personnel, my couple […]
MoreWhere do a secret speakeasy style lounge, a cavernous feeling, dilapidated warehouse, and charm combine? At the Green Building, of course! It is a darkish, romantic “raw space” with a funky back-room area that represents the welding together of refinement and urban grittiness. My couple even brought along their dog for photos, although he didn’t […]
MoreJudie, Sorry it took me so long to reply, our computer was broken and I could only see the pics from my phone. We absolutely love them!! We are very happy with how they came out and are so excited to have them. You and Liam did a great job with everything and are very […]
MoreJanuary has moved along at such a brisk and unquiet pace that I nearly neglected reminding folks about an annual Valentine’s Day wedding , vow renewal, engagement ceremony special. Between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Tuesday, 14th February 2012, couples may enlist my services for their ceremony in their home, restaurant, Grand Central, a […]
MoreI could stare at this couple all day long; they are so pretty inside and out!!! Melanie and John’s love story offers reminders to take advantage of every possible opportunity. In May 2009, Melanie rushed to Nissan to have her car serviced on a lunch break. John insisted she slow down long enough to receive […]
MoreThank you so much Judie for being a part of our day and instrumental in getting what we wanted accomplished at a moments notice! We really appreciate you and your spirit! Thanks again, and here is a picture of our wonderful night~ We just got back to El Paso last night at about 11 and […]
MoreMany of my couples assume I write a post per every wedding or ceremony. If I did, this blog would feature twenty-four posts for December. Yes, I did neglect the blog a little in the past few months. I think it’s the fault of twitter. It seems redundant to tweet something and then blog about […]
MoreRob and Marisa, as you may know, first chatted on December 28th, 2010, which happens to be Rob’s birthday. Their conversation flowed spontaneously and without effort. They shared stories and laughed. The worries of the world faded. Both felt comforted, as though they recognized a kindred spirit. They arranged to meet in Forest Hills two […]
MoreWith excitement, I genuinely anticipated the lovely simplicity of this intimate ceremony in the Merchant House Museum for many moons. The Merchant House Museum is a cozy venue for a winter wedding. With a few understandably strict policies, it is not for everyone. But it’s perfect for those who prefer to feel as though they […]
MoreC+D found the warmest, sunniest spot at the Bethesda Terrace for their exchange of vows. Why? It’s getting cold, folks! Seriously. Except for October 29th, Mother Nature gave New Yorkers a long Autumn this year. But the temperature is gradually dropping and the winds are increasing.
MoreEight hundred years ago, couples did not marry inside the church. They exchanged brief vows in the present tense at the church doors. Then they ventured inside for mass–the sermon, communion, and blessing. This lovely couple, who planned a quick weekend elopement or destination wedding from afar, did nearly the same thing. In a civil […]
MorePersonalized Prelude their ceremony: Neither Michelle nor Steve expected to encounter each other; they were not exactly looking for true love. Life was too busy interfering and forcing them to focus on the other big stuff. But God was smiling; amid their hard-work in other areas, fate was arranging a meeting. Early in 2009, Steve […]
MoreConnected by a common passion for using unions to achieve a more inclusive society, Shaun and Kate met in a Chicago cafe last (last) August. A national union organizing director, Shaun was swooping in to help her small school union solidify its campaign. Kate noticed Shaun’s trademark fedora with a smile and felt a spark. […]
MoreI have lots of fun with destination weddings, and I marry a lots of couples from elsewhere. But have I written lately about how much I love and appreciate my couples who live, work, and play in New York? S+S will always have a special place in the drawers of my memory files because it […]
MoreI just wanted to send you a quick message to say what a joy it was for you to officiate at our wedding. After the chaos of the day before, you were a calm presence and your ceremony was written with complete understanding of us, it was so beautiful. You were so understanding also of […]
MoreAs anyone living in the Northeast recalls with awe, the temperature dipped downwards and the atmosphere conditions prompted me to stare out the window and declare in a loud voice “Geez, I think that’s sleet…no, it’s snow!” on October 29th. Fortunately, given the slippery paths and swirling snow, I married a couple in their home […]
MoreHail of the sea to majestic land harbours evocative testament of fortitude and desire iron, steel, and stone crushed and bruised escape above to energetic leisure walkway thru and thru to hard labor countenance of throne and of fallen grace gone are hours with hours to come ahead fill now the great bridge with humanity’s […]
MoreWhen couples enlist Liam’s services for a full session of three hours, they are able to really explore the city. In this case, G+D began with a wedding ceremony at the Belvedere Castle Plaza overlooking Turtle Pond and then continued south to the Shakespeare Garden, Ramble, Bow Bridge, Bethesda Terrace/Angel of Waters’ Fountain, the Mall, […]
MoreAs the air chills, I receive lots more calls for quick weddings in my office. Some come from elsewhere and simply want to avoid going to the Clerk’s office again. Most are local couples who wish for more than a thirty second ceremony after waiting on a long line to get married. A local couple […]
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Wedding Officiant in NYC and the Hudson Valley 