About 2000 Lovingly Officiated Weddings by Judie L. Guild. NY Registration #77862. JudieGuild@outlook.com.
Intercultural / Interfaith Minister
A Gorgeous Queens Botanical Garden Wedding Ceremony
I love being a wedding officiant for mid-day garden ceremonies anywhere in New York. Each borough has its own Botanical Garden, and I’ve officiated marriage ceremonies in all for both our local couples and destination weddings. As it turns out, I live in the same neighborhood as this very pretty couple, who tied the knot […]
MoreProspect Park Boathouse wedding for a pretty and sweet couple
A bit about these local New Yorkers: Shamik and Shannon met in their senior years of high school during a Model United Nations’ conference at Yale. They were both on the future Security Council, where Shamik demonstrated a knack for dominating debates. His skills impressed Shannon enough to compel her to walk near him to […]
MoreAnd this is the way traditionalists get married by a wedding officiant
Yes, 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 […]
MorePersonal, spiritual wedding ceremony at the Cornell Club
Rob 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 […]
MoreGuerrilla wedding on the steps of a church
Eight 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 […]
MoreCentral Park Wedding/Elopement Tour
When 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, […]
MoreYears of walking the dogs later, couple finally elopes!
It is a common story for an officiant to learn her couple has been together for a year or two or three. It is equally common to hear a line similar to this one: “we’ve been together for many years, and we finally decided to get married.” I’ve even married a few couples who had […]
MoreAfter Irene delayed plans, a lovely couple finally gets married in NYC
I just want to express how grateful and happy we are that you and Liam were part of one of the most special days in our lives. It was a real pleasure to meet you and work with you through the whole process. Thank you for all your patience with us. It was incredible experience. […]
MoreAn almost Autumn wedding in New York
Wagner’s Cove belongs to weddings in the Fall. Perhaps because couples who marry in the Fall tend to prefer rustic colors. Perhaps because Wagner’s Cove offers a bit of shelter. Perhaps because when the leaves do change color, Wagner’s Cove is especially pretty. For whatever reason, I tend to marry lots of couples in the […]
MoreAstoria Park wedding
An excerpt from their ceremony: As many here know, Miranda and Jonathan met through friends at a football game back in 2001. Immediately, they both realized their bond held much promise for future romance and adventures. But school and work intervened and complicated their lives. Still, they reconnected the following year. Watching movies, such as […]
MoreIntercultural, Multifaith, or Interfaith Wedding Ceremony Minister
I marry many intercultural couples, such as B+D. Some are actually very interfaith or multifaith and incorporate a passage and rite from their respective traditions. In such cases, I use a spiritually non-denominational ceremony with the traditions most cherished by the couple incorporated. Others appreciate the rich cultural histories of their families, but prefer to […]
MoreTanglewood Preserve (Long Island wedding ceremony officiant)
I am in love with this secluded, suburban oasis. Technically located in Rockville (Nassau County), this space offers lots of gorgeous, very natural greenery around a small pond. My couple married there in mid-August with under a dozen of their nearest and dearest at Noon. From there, they planned a relaxed family lunch and then […]
MoreWorldly, international couple getting married in Tryon Park
Hi Judie I just wanted to drop you a note to say thank you so very much for a lovely day. It really was perfect – we remember the ceremony as being beautiful but also we were grinning from ear to ear the whole time, which is just what we wanted – a simple, meaningful […]
MoreA Brooklyn Bridge wedding ceremony through the gaze of black and white photos
Judie, THANK YOU!!!! The ceremony today was excellent! everything was just as we invisioned! Thank you so much for making our special day so perfect! Thank you to liam as well for his patience and skill. We are looking forward to seeing the pictures. Thank you again! Andrew
MoreEngagement Ceremony at the Reservoir
This handsome couple decided to combine their engagement photo session with an engagement ceremony. For couples who are a little shy and worry about the big day when two hundred pairs of eyes will be watching intently as they exchange vows, this is a great way to practice!
MoreFamily wedding
A+D committed to each other many years ago. They made it through college and countless other joys and difficulties of daily life. The graces of luck even gifted them with two beautiful daughters. And, with their family and friends finally gathered together on a not-so-hot morning, they exchanged poignant personal vows.
MoreFrom a whimsical encounter to a wedding in the Ladies Pavilion
Quinn and Nora met in a whimsical way a few years ago in Terminal 4 at JFK airport. Nora’s beauty captured Quinn’s gaze immediately: with his heart racing, he walked over to her at a Hudson News’ store. He felt as if he had known her all his life. These words by Rumi express their […]
MoreFamily Wedding at Dene Shelter
Deciding to marry in New York was easy. Making sure all the adult children could come on short-notice proved a slight challenge. In the end, though, all were present for a mini family wedding vacation.
MoreNYC “City Hall” Alternative for Weddings
Thanks to Goethe, among others, we may re-think the parable of Adam and Eve. Goethe wrote: “A wife is a gift bestowed upon man to reconcile him to the loss of paradise.” Maybe the loss of innocence derives from the origins of society: when even just two come together, a few frustrations will ensue as […]
MoreInterfaith marriage ceremony at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens
Pretty-pretty-pretty. That word resounded in my thoughts as I married this couple and now when I view their photos. I have so many couples that want a “quintessential urban wedding” that I sigh with expansive relief when a couple selects a quiet, classy, and gorgeous site for their wedding ceremony, such as the Rose Garden […]
MoreIntercultural Ceremony at Sunset Terrace, Chelsea Piers
As a marriage celebrant, I enjoy the best view of the couple during their ceremony and stellar landscape views. The Sunset Terrace overlooks the Hudson River at Pier 61 of the Chelsea Piers. Unlike other lofts (such as RamScale or the Glasshouses), Sunset Terrace not only sits right next to the Hudson; one could take […]
MoreA Very Joyful, Fun Elopement in NYC
I normally find it hard to choose photos to feature. I try to balance images that I like with images I think other couples might enjoy. And I do add in a few clearly showcasing the site to give future couples ideas. But this slide-show was really difficult to put together: laughter abounds.
MoreJefferson Market Garden Ceremony
I fall a little in love with couples, such as C+P. An almost born new baby and a move abroad to London made their wedding plans extra exciting and intense. As I read the passage below by Leo Marks before they exchanged their vows, they glowed. “The life that I have is all that I […]
MoreConey Island Beach Wedding Ceremony
Personalized Prelude We gather here in the company of this witness, a few strangers, and the loving spirits of family and friends to celebrate the joining of Kenneth and Alexa into marriage. Alexa and Kenneth, not so long ago, you were strangers. Despite earning a degree in psychology, Alexa nonetheless felt intellectually unfulfilled: she took […]
MoreA Baptist and an Atheist Wed
Hi Judie- A BIG thank you to you and Liam for making our day fantastic! We appreciated your friendly professionalism and your ability to roll with the punches due to the weather-related changes. We were a bit frazzled upon our rushed entrance, not being able to hail a cab in our garb and having to […]
MoreWestbury Manor Wedding (+breaking of the glass texts)
I tend to view reception or catering halls as “evil necessities.” They hold lots of people and are cheaper than hotel and historical landmarks. Except the Westbury Manor. If I ever had to plan an affair on Long Island with 100 – 120 guests or less, I would choose this beautiful location. I had the […]
MoreA peaceful wedding at the Cop Cot
Thank you both so much for everything. Our entire weekend was so much more than we could ever have hoped for! Judie, you were so patient and helpful and went above and beyond with the emails. And Liam…wow! What can I say? Nobody ever gets Ray to smile, and I’m usually the most uncooperative model […]
MoreOde to Interracial Wedding
Please pardon the outright corniness of this next blog entry. New York never had an official ban on interracial / intercultural marriages. For far too long, plenty of other states did until the Supreme Court knocked them out in the 1967 Loving v. Virgina case. By 1970, the Census Bureau statistics suggest about 300,000 interracial […]
MoreSlide-show Wedding Ceremony at Manhattan Loft
RamScale is a wedding venue on West Street with stellar views of the Hudson River, the Jersey shoreline, Manhattan Rooftops, and even Lady Liberty. There, K + T married before about forty loved ones in a most atypical ceremony. They put together a fabulously animated and humorously narrated multimedia slide-show with photos, video, and music […]
MoreIntercultural Wedding at Terrace on the Park
Referrals are always a joy. I married Shirvahna and Petr in July 2008 at the “W” Hotel with David Burton as the photographer. It was such a memorable wedding that David still recalled it with great warmth as we chatted before Shrivahna’s cousin’s wedding at an iconic Queens location that once hosted the World’s Fair […]
MoreTie the Knot on a Boat!
Felice and Graeme married on the bow of the Lucille at East 23rd Street and FDR Drive as about forty or fifty guests watched and cheered from the pier and twenty or thirty family members surrounded them on the boat’s front deck. A writer and phycisist respectively, this intercultural couple thoughtfully placed phycisist textbooks in […]
MoreExchanging vows on the Brooklyn Bridge
About half my couples marry in small weddings with fewer than a few dozen guests, another twenty-five percent have between forty and ninety guests or so, and the other twenty-five percent invite over a hundred. This decision has its origins in finances and personal preferences. I’ve married eloping couples who clearly had the means for […]
MoreQueens County Farm Wedding
The Queens County Farm is a brilliant choice for any nature-loving, local couple. It is cozy, quaint, and affordable. Lindsay and Rick needed few decorations: they used fresh-cut flowers, including daisies, in classic jar bottles, some candles that will surely flicker beautifully against old-fashioned lead windows, and gave their guests hot sauce, which perfectly matched […]
MoreBlue Hill at Stone Barns Wedding
I am totally in love with this site. Tucked away in Westchester — but conveniently only a ten minute taxi drive from the Tarrytown Metro North stop — Blue Hill is a restaurant situated on a farm. A real farm. A very picturesque farm. And a farm that yields much of the food served in […]
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Wedding Officiant in NYC and the Hudson Valley 