Custom Ceremonies
Reviews for Custom Ceremonies
GUEST




We are so happy that we chose Emily as our celebrant. Beyond any other factor of the entire weekend, people still months later are telling me how beautiful the ceremony was- literally the best ceremony they have ever been to, and thats many people, not just my mother:) Take into consideration that it rained so we had to use our back up plan- instead of by the waterfall we were in a shelter on the park grounds. I credit Emily with making it so touching to everyone. She took her time to get to know us and custom designed the ceremony to reflect something true to us, which is why I believe it made such an impact on people. My husband and I consider ourselves to be spiritual, and wanted a ceremony outdoors that connected us to nature and "universal life force energy", but we also wanted our family to feel comfortable and engaged in a way that felt official, as most of them come from traditional Christian backgrounds. We wanted a few heartwarming laughs, personalized vows, but structure as well, and she provided all of that and more. Very flexible, a pleasure to work with, professional, and just a warm-hearted person, Emily was great all around and I am so grateful that I found her. Thank you Emily for making our ceremony the most special moment in our lives!
GUEST




My wife and I couldn't have had a better celebrant for our wedding. Emily was a joy to work with and did an amazing job of creating the perfect ceremony for us. There were many people that came up to us afterward commenting on how much they liked it!
GUEST




Emily was very helpful with everything from start to finish. It was important to us to have a specific kind of ceremony and she was very accommodating with our requests. I especially liked that we received a copy of the ceremony to review prior to the wedding. I would recommend her to anyone!
GUEST




Emily provided an amazing outdoor ceremony for my wife Stephanie and I. We had numerous questions and concerns about what type of ceremony we were going to have, but Emily did a great job in providing multiple options and outlines for us to use as a guide. Stephanie and I live in North Carolina and Emily made it seem as if we were right there in NY with her, responding to emails and telephone calls in a timely manner whenever we had questions. Additionally (and most importantly), Emily was very flexible in regards to allowing us to incorporate our own personalization to the ceremony. We would definitely recommend Emily if she is among one of you choices!
-Jameson
GUEST




Emily was awesome. She met with my husband and I first and asked some questions to get to know us better. We filled out a Bride and Groom questionnaire as well. Based on that she wrote up a beautiful ceremony tailored specifically to us.
She was very accommodating. She and her husband made a long trek to Mexico NY from Oneonta ON THEIR OWN WEDDING ANNIVERSARY so that Emily could marry us.
I would highly recommend Emily to anybody looking for a personalized, unique experience.
GUEST




Emily was great!!! We had an officiant bail on us at last minute due a family emergency, and Emily was able to put together a beautiful ceremony within a week! She took the time to get to know us over the phone and asked us specific questions about our lives, how we met, etc., and then asked how we wanted the ceremony to go. She listened to everything, and added great suggestions and ideas. SHe most certainly is open to just about anything, and she tailors the wedding to your specific wants so that no 2 are alike. Thanks, Emily!
GUEST




Emily at Custom Ceremonies was wonderful. Our Marriage ceremony was exactly what we wanted. She made it unique and personal to us, instead of the same old cookie cutter ceremonies that I have been to many times in the past. We even recieved a copy of our ceremony in the mail after we got back from the honeymoon, which is a nice keepsake. Emily was great to work with, and the only other thing I can say, for lack of a better word is that our ceremony was perfect.
GUEST




Emily VanLaeys was awesome....she custom wrote our ceremony and put a lot of heart felt memories into it that me and my fiance shared. Emily even included my Great Dane Elvira in the ceremony too. Emily was very polite and nice and she worked with us
We were so glad to have her be a part of our special day! we wouldnt have it any other way!
GUEST




The experience that Emily provided for Katie and I were positively sublime. They helped make the most important and special day of out lives a perfect one. We can not thank them enough for all they have done. I truly feel that anyone who decides to work with her on their special day will be extremely pleased and would be very hard pressed to find any one who even comes close providing the level of service she does. You would be doing yourself a great favor and a great service in calling or emailing her.
Sincerely,
William Jaquin
Vendor response to review
This wedding ceremony was written by me and performed by my husband, Mark. He pitches in to help when I have two weddings booked for the same day.
Emily
GUEST




Since we didn't want a religious ceremony we were a bit at a loss, but Emily provided a great framework and then corresponded with us very closely to create the ceremony that we wanted. She did a wonderful job.
GUEST




Accommodating and thoughtful. Does your thinking for you...Wonderful experience.
GUEST




Emily was wonderful. She skillfully guided us through setting up a customized service tailored just for us. The service turned out wonderfully. She was just a warm and welcomed presence on our special day.
GUEST




Emily was a delight to work with, and provided my husband and I with a beautiful, personalized wedding that we will never forget! We got numerous compliments from our guests about how wonderful the ceremony was. We couldn't be happier with her services.
GUEST




emily put together a beautiful personalized ceremony!!! she did a great job and was punctual and proffesional every step of the way
GUEST




She was wonderful, and only given 2 weeks notice to get the whole ceremony together. Our ceremony was non traditional but she performed it very professionally.
GUEST




Emily did a great job for our wedding. Her ceremony was incredibly personalized, and all of our guests talked about how much they loved the ceremony. She was always easy to get a hold of and worked efficently. I would definatly recommend her to future weddings.
GUEST




Will give you a very nice, personalized ceremony. Was a little more serious than I would have liked, and somewhat uptight during the rehearsal, but did a very good job overall. Charges a lot, but puts lots of time into it. For the amount of money we paid though, I feel that paying extra for her travel expenses (1/2 hour drive) was a little annoying.
Vendor response to review
Actually, some of my ceremonies have a lot of humor in them. The content is based on the input I get from the bride and groom. My fees are based on the extensive amount of time and attention I invest in each ceremony, and the fact that I can do this because celebrancy is my only job. Weddings are not a sideline for me as they are for ministers and JPs. I do love to create and perform weddings, and this one was not an exception!
GUEST




I highly recommend Emily for that truly unique, personalized non-denominational ceremony. Before choosing her, make sure both of you are willing to fully complete a lengthy questionaire about yourselves, your relationship, and how you see your future together. Otherwise, the ceremony will sound rather one-sided and makes it harder for Emily to piece together the Love Story portion of the program. Also, don't be afraid to ask her for samples of other ceremonies to gather ideas. These samples were very helpful when trying to decide the length of the ceremony and what vows and readings we wanted to add.
Vendor response to review
I send a lengthy questionnaire so the bride and groom can choose the questions they want to answer, and so I can pick and choose the best ones to use in the ceremony. You can write as much or as little as you wish. The content of your responses, whether humorous, romantic, spiritual, etc. will influence the flavor of the finished ceremony.
About Custom Ceremonies

The best wedding ceremony your guests have ever attended. And you will remember it forever!
Emily VanLaeys provides meaningful ceremonies for those who recognize the significance of the words and rituals that will bind you together for a lifetime of shared experiences. Emily specializes in nonreligious, interfaith, spiritual, intercultural, and civil ceremonies. As a graduate of the Celebrant Foundation and Institute USA, she has been trained in the art and orchestration of ceremony.
Emily will create a warm, personalized wedding ceremony that reflects your beliefs and values, and your unique love story. Emily's individualized ceremonies include not just your choices of readings and vows, but a script written just for you, based on the insights and stories you share.
Emily's services include an interview, unlimited consultation during the ceremony planning and writing process, the rehearsal, and a keepsake ceremony. And needless-to-say, she will officiate at the ceremony! Fees are variable depending on the complexity of the ceremony and the distance of the venue from Oneonta.
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