Maria was fantastic, from the first moment we met her right through our entire ceremony and reception! She remembered every detail. We were very surprised at some of those personal details she incorporated into our ceremony. She was attentive at every phase of planning. She always responded to every email or information request promptly. Throughout the process we really felt as we had known her forever. She took the time to introduce herself to our entire families and get to know them. Myself and Heather highly recommend Maria! We really can not put into words how much it meant to have her be a part of our special day! We feel we gained a friend.
Hi! My name is Maria, and I am The Officiant! I am a non-denominational, non-traditional, professional wedding officiant with over 9 years of experience marrying couples. I officiate weddings in the Upstate New York region; including Lake George, Saratoga, Albany, and the surrounding areas. You can also find me officiating weddings in Vermont as I live very close to the Vermont state border, and grew up there (I love the Green Mountains!).
It's all about building a connection - and from the first moment we meet, whether it's via Zoom or in-person, I want you to feel comfortable; as you should, when searching for the right officiant.
"When I first met Maria via Zoom, she had me at "hello". - Michelle B.
Lets get to know each other! My goal is to get to know you; how you met, how you became engaged, what makes your relationship work, your visions for your life together. It's also a time for you to get to know me as you should connect with your officiant. Your wedding officiant is going to be part of a very intimate moment in your lives so it's important that we "fit".
Every couple is unique...your ceremony should be too! Every ceremony is hand-written from scratch as my role as a professional officiant is not only in presenting, but in speech writing and copywriting (No cookie cutter here!). Are you planning to write your own vows? I can help you with that as well; along with incorporating special elements/rituals into your ceremony. Remember, this is YOUR day and I believe your ceremony is what truly sets the tone for your celebration, and the start of your marriage.
Why hire The Officiant? In addition to having over 9 years of experience in officiating weddings I am a powerful public speaker with the ability to draw your guests in and keep them engaged as your love story is shared with them. I not only connect with you but your family & friends whether it's at your rehearsal or prior to the start of your wedding ceremony. Having worked in the wedding industry for several years I have built work relationships with many vendors; photographers, videographers, wedding planners, venues, etc. There are many moving pieces that go into your wedding day and having this experience allows me the ability to connect with everyone involved with ease, to ensure your wedding day is all you've dreamt it would be.
I love connecting with people of all ages and all walks of life. What does it mean to connect? Connection is when two or more people interact with each other and each person feels valued, seen, and heard. Connecting with others comes so naturally to me as my energy and presence exudes connection. Just as I want to be valued, seen and heard, I want the same for my couples. Shoudn't this be something that you're looking for in an officiant?
“For me being a professional wedding officiant isn't standing in front of a group of people and reading words off paper. It's about connecting with not only my couples, but with their family and friends, it's being a powerful speaker, setting the tone, exuding confidence, and showcasing my own unique energy and presence."
The love and emotion in the room was so real! I cannot thank Maria enough for working with us to make our special day perfect!
Maria was an amazing officiant. From our initial zoom meeting to the actual day of the wedding, I felt like she listened to what we wanted and turned that into a beautiful ceremony. She is a breathe of fresh air and has such a calming presence especially on the day of! I couldn't of asked for a better person to do the job!
Maria officiated our wedding on 10/10/2021 and I cannot give her enough praise. Maria was so attentive with our needs and did an absolutely beautiful job with our ceremony. We eloped last year due to the virus so I had no idea what to plan for our ceremony- already being legally married kind of complicated things. Maria knew exactly what to do and she made our day better than I ever could have imagined!
