Meaningful Marriages

Larry, we can't thank you enough for making our "double" wedding day perfect!! We appreciated how you personalized our ceremony to meet the needs of two couples and incorporated our family and friends into the service. We would strongly recomend you to anyone!

WOW!!! Larry is GREAT!!! We had a small ceremony at my parents home and I really didn't expect much since I just found Larry on the internet. He went "above and beyond" to make me and my fiance feel comfortable and to ensure that our ceremony was something we will never forget!!! I felt like I had known him for a long time after just spending 15 minutes with him. He was responsive to all my questions and his fee was very reasonable. I would HIGHLY recommend Larry!!!

Two of our friends on the South Side mentioned Larry’s name when we told them we were getting married. After looking at his website, we gave him a call and met for lunch. We laughed, we cried, we shared a meal, and after a few hours, we left as friends. We had no idea what kind of service we wanted or how to go about planning it and Larry’s suggestions were a perfect fit for us. We can’t imagine having anyone other than Larry perform our wedding ceremony. If you are looking for someone to perform your ceremony, give Larry a call and spend a few minutes with him. We think you will be glad you did.

We planned to marry in a hot air balloon, but the ride was cancelled the day before our wedding. We called Larry that day and he not only agreed to marry us the next day, but he also found us a beautiful place to have our ceremony at short notice, and found our photographer. Although the day was not as we had originally planned, we would not trade being married at home with our children, with such heartfelt vows, on top of a hill overlooking the city of Pittsburgh on one side, and Kennywood Park on the other. And it snowed, which looked so beautiful over the river. Thank You, Larry. Sincerely, Dan & Melissa Dudkiewicz 11/11/11 @ 11:11.

Larry was the first but not the last officiant I called for our short notice wedding. He was eager to help with ideas that worked for my husband and I as well as my father. due to him being suck with can we I didn't know what would be appropriate for my dad on e the date rolled around.

My husband and I are very no traditional and there were things we did and did not want in our ceremony. Larry was great about this!

Larry also helped with ideas and suggestions which is why we decided on having our ceremony in our home. Initially this wasn't ideal but there was only my husband and I and our parents, sister, and nephew. He even charged us less than his usual rate once he realized how small our wedding was! Overall very personal and he helped us make our wedding be everything that it was! He took a group photo for us and he even hung around afterwards and talked with everyone! (he was invited so this is completely professional)

I've suggested him to any couple I've ever spoken to about weddings because he was beyond fantastic!

Thank you Larry!! From mr and...

Rev. Larry helped make our wedding day (10/23/11) an experience that will be an amazing lifelong memory. We had hoped for a non-traditional, personal ceremony, and Larry delivered exactly that. His calm and congenial demeanor helped create the relaxed, friendly atmosphere we wanted, and his ceremony was honest, heartfelt, and the most unique wedding experience we have ever enjoyed. Even (perhaps especially) our most traditional and conservative guests were impacted by the intimacy of Rev. Larry's ceremony, and each went out of their way to make sure we were aware of how much they enjoyed it.

We recommend Larry's services to anyone who wants a wedding that feels honest, personal, and free from the traditional script. All of our thanks for being part of our perfect day!

- Laurisa and Bryan McIndoe

Loved him! We had such a unique and memorable ceremony. He was easy going and lead a relaxed yet romantic ceremony. I would highly recommend him to officiate your wedding.

We were not looking for an overly religious ceremony but something that resenbled the two of us. Larry helped us customize our ceremony and even add a handfasting tradition that I very much wanted incorporated. Larry has a great heart and was always great company. I felt that he respected our religious believes and understood our wishes for our day. Larry has a great understanding of spirituality and he took the time to get to know us as a couple and converse with us. He was the perfect fit. I would recommend his services to anyone who is looking for an officiant.

My husband and I were very particular about the type of ceremony we wanted and Larry was unable to capture those sentiments and respect our vision. We received many compliments from our guests for the job that Larry did.

He was a joy to work with and if we were going to do our wedding over again we would absolutely choose Rev. Goyda.

Rev. Larry not only made our wedding day (8-27-11) the most special, but he also provided so much spiritual guidance and insight throughout the planning process to make it the most memorable experience. He chose to go above and beyond what was expected. There are truly no words to express just how grateful we are. Nicole Kashmer & Mike Stepek

Larry was a very fun, personal, and, as the name of his website implies, meaningful officiant for our wedding. We were specifically impressed with how easily he could cater the service to our beliefs. He was very attentive to the details that we discussed beforehand, and was able to suggest readings that suited the location of the wedding, our style, and the mood we wanted to evoke. We don't belong to a specific church or faith, and Larry was able to combine the most important aspects of our beliefs into the ceremony to make it very personal and memorable for us. Our friends and family even said that it was one of the most touching ceremonies that they have ever seen. We highly recommend him for any kind of service, and for non-denominational services he is a perfect choice.

We met Larry for the first time on a rainy February evening at a coffee shop and could sense his compassion and caring attitude right away. He walked us through our ceremony, talked to us and just made us feel so comfortable, we knew we wanted him to unite us. Up to the day of our wedding in August, Larry was responsive to our needs and open to ideas. The day of the wedding went beautifully, our ceremony was heartfelt, intimate and truly expressed the love my husband and I have for each other. I receive comments constantly about how much everyone enjoyed our ceremony and how much they felt a part of us and the love we share for each other. Larry was a gift to us, someone who could blend our faiths and recognize the feelings we have for each other as a faith in itself. Thank you Larry for the beautiful start to our lives together.

Reverend Larry did a wonderful job not only officiating our wedding ceremony, but also making sure all of our questions were answered and that our ceremony was personalized and special. We received many compliments from friends and family that our ceremony was beautiful and that Larry had seemed very friendly and warm to them.

Larry was amazing! He is absolutely unique among any wedding officiants that I've ever heard of. When we sat down together at the coffee shop, he was very casual and friendly. He made us feel at ease immediately talking casually about our families, our beliefs, and the kind of wedding we were having. As we talked about all the different ways that we could make our wedding special, Larry suprised us with how professional he was and really showed his experience when he recommended different ceremonies and readings that would work for us. We figured out a general layout for the entire wedding ceremony and he gave us copies of everything that we decided on for any specific word changes.

The rehearsal went quickly without any snags. He was very patient with the entire wedding party and made sure that everyone knew exactly what they were doing before we left.

On the day of our wedding, Larry showed up about 2 hours before the ceremony and did another quick run-through with us and made sure that we were all drinking enough water to stay hydrated. It was a beautiful day, but REALLY HOT (July 3rd), so when we asked Larry to make a few last-minute modifications to shorten the ceremony, he knew exactly where and when to cut. It turned out to be an amazing outside wedding, full of what was important to us and our families, emotion, and just the right length. Larry was even kind enough to stick around for some pictures afterwards.

My wife Sarah and I would highly recommend him. It's something special when you get that combination of professional and personable, and Larry's got it in spades. We couldn't imagine having gone with anyone else.

My husband and I were looking for someone with that perfect blend of seriousness and fun, someone who could make us feel special but also recognize that we wanted to enjoy our wedding day - Rev. Goyda was that perfect blend! We really appreciated how experienced Larry was, he considered all the little things that we didn't think of and made sure we felt comfortable with every decision.
But the thing that impressed us the most was that he genuinely cared that we were taking a big personal step. We really felt cared for and loved.

One of the best decisions we made while preparing for our wedding was hiring Larry Goyda as our Officiant. Larry, Luba and I can not thank you enough for all that you did for us. My wife is Ukrainian Orthodox, and we couldn't have been happier how you incorporated some of their traditions into our service. The two of us could not have been happier to find that not only did you incorporate the traditions of my wife's church, but you had also done research into the meaning of the traditions we had placed into the service.

We were also very happy with how you communicated with us and met with us a few times to go over last minute details. We had over 200 guests at our reception and almost all of the commented on how your service was one of the best and most personal that they have ever seen.

Thank you again for all that you have done for the two of us. I truly feel that we had the best Officiant in the area.

Michael and Luba

WE can't thank Rev. Larry enough for making our wedding perfect. From our first conversation to the rehearsal and to our big day,Rev.Larry was very helpful and made us feel at ease. To our surprise he even made mention of our dogs,which really gave a personal touch. A chuckle, laughter and tears, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect ceremony.
Rev.Larry is Meaningful Marriages !!!!
Thank you again,
Monique and David Lawrence

Thank you Larry for doing a wonderful job. Our families were thrilled with the beauty and intimacy of the ceremony. Some said it was the best ceremony they've been to! I also thank you for your flexibility and ability to come up with a ceremony that was so representative of Matthew and I.

We absolutely loved the ceremony provided by Rev. Goyda, and I am very happy that he was the person we chose to be our officiant. The ceremony he performs is beautiful, and he works with you to provide exactly what you're looking for. All of my calls were returned in a timely manner and any questions I had were answered. we were completely satisfied and people are still commenting on our ceremony.

Larry did an amazing job at our wedding ceremony at Bella Sera! The ceremony went very smoothly and the vows were beautiful and perfect for us. Our family and friends really enjoyed the light hearted service as well as Larry's charm. We highly recommend him.


Chris and Natalie Kelly

Rev. Goyda performed the ceremony for my wedding back in September of 2005. It's been almost three years, and anytime someone brings up my wedding, the first comment is always about how beautiful the ceremony was. My husband and I are so glad that we chose to go with Rev. Goyda. He was worth every dime and we'd make the same decision in a heartbeat. I'd definitely recommend his service if you're looking to have a personal and meaningful wedding ceremony.

We are so happy that Larry performed our wedding ceremony! From our first meeting we felt like he really listened to us and worked with us to make our ceremony one that would be special and meaningful to us. He has a calming presence and easy-going demeanor which helped to make us feel more relaxed and comfortable in front of a crowd. The ceremony itself was absolutely beautiful and many of our guests have commented on how much they enjoyed our vows. Larry delivers the words from the heart and does not just read them as though going through the motions. We could not have had a more beautiful ceremony! Thank you Larry!!
--Lisa and Justin

Rev. Larry took the best day of our lives and made it extremely special. He has a very calm presence & doesn't just read words. He creates the true wedding experience.
He was also very helpful in helping us with the legal paperwork (LOL we had no clue what we were supposed to do!).
I would reccomend him to everyone!
It's also great that he will travel to any location.

Larry was a breath of fresh air and a reality check. When you are planning a wedding there is so much to do, and wedding planning has become such an industry. This can cause you to forget about the marriage that you are entering. Instead of pondering the lifelong commitment, often you're just thinking about the best way to organize and beautify the most expensive party you will ever throw. This is where Larry gets you back on track. Larry takes the time to meet with the bride and groom, reviews information, gets to know you, and truly opens your eyes to the beauty of the ceremony. Believe me, before I met Larry, all I really cared about was the reception, the 'party' aspect of the day. I initially told my husband I just wanted to go to the Justice of the Peace for the ceremony. I am so glad he didn't want that, and that we were lucky enough to have Larry referred to us. Larry met with us (at our convenience, as we live in the DC area) over the Christmas Holiday, and took the time to get to know us and explain the ceremony. I actually remember fighting back tears the first time we met with him. I didn't want to look like a sap, so I choked them back, but that was the moment I realized this ceremony meant something. So, I thank Larry for opening my eyes to the beauty of it all. Larry also made our ceremony personalized and unique. For example, he mentioned our two cats by name. I know it sounds silly, but we got a kick out of it, as did our guests. Larry is a great guy and a truly sensitive person. He is also accommodating and reasonably priced, for those of you interested in the practicalities.

Larry was great! We went with his traditional service that coincidentally incorporated everything we wanted in our nuptials. Our simple backyard wedding had class and style, all due to Larry's beautiful ceremony. I would suggest practicing the "hand holding" part. My husband couldn't get it to save his life, but his goofs only made things more memorable. Thanks again Larry! p.s. Sorry it took so long to write this review. Shortly after the wedding we started house hunting and after the move, I found out I was pregnant and had a horrible first trimester.

Larry was so nice and pleasant. He made my wife and I feel completely at ease throughout the whole process, really adding a personal touch to our service. The "hands" prayer that he says really struck a chord w my wife and I. I would strongly suggest Larry to anyone who is seeking a wedding officiant!

Reverend Larry,
Thank you so much for the beautiful ceremony on Christmas Eve. You made our wedding so special, and our guests were telling us at our reception how beautiful your words were.
My husband and I are looking forward to seeing you AGAIN when we renew our vows on our 1 year anniversary.
To all the future brides out there...I highly encourage you to choose Rev. Larry Goyda for your special day.

Thanks and See you soon!
Lauren & Frank

As we approach our second anniversary I thought of Larry. He made our ceremony the spiritual, intimate, beautiful wedding of our dreams. My husband and I threw a 1940's Party in 2009 and surprised our guests by getting married, in our living room, during the event. Larry was so flexible he even dressed up for the occasion and pretended to be a family friend until we made our announcement. The guests still talk about the beautiful Indian Blessing he read during the ceremony. We followed up the event with a Catholic ceremony but still feel the ceremony Larry performed was our TRUE wedding.....both legally and spiritually. Thanks Larry. PS. We are still madly in love.

Rev. Goyda a service that was spiritual but also very inclusive. He met with us and called us several times before the wedding to go over what we wanted. The ceremony was beautifully done--his best suggestion was part of the ceremony where we gave small flowers to mothers and grandmothers--and when it was over he helped to distract the location's event coordinator as she was trying to hustle us out while we were taking pictures! We couldn't have had a better experience.

Rev Larry was amazing! Just perfect for our needs. Many people who attended our ceremony said it was the most beautiful ceremony they had ever seen!!!

Csilla and Gerald would like to express our most genuine thanks and appreciation for the service provided by Rev. Larry. From our initial call, we knew that Rev. Larry was the one who most perfectly fitted our overall needs. He was adaptable, generous, caring, professional, and personable.

The ceremony took place in our living room, with short notice, and it was performed with grace and love; yet with care of detail that suggested extensive planning. This day remains forever etched in our hearts.

Once the ceremony was completed, Rev. Larry did not rush out, as though it was a job, but sat and communed with us for quite some time. We highly recommend Rev. Larry to anyone who seeks a ceremony that is unique to your personal needs.

Rev. Goyda made our wedding day so special. He was so professional and you could tell he was very experienced in conducting marriage ceremonies. Our ceremony was so intimate and sincere, it was perfect. After, all of our guests raved about him and what he said. Our guests all said... "that was how a wedding ceremony should be!" We couldn't have asked for anything better, and he really made us feel at ease during the ceremony and made the guests a part of the ceremony as well. It was fantastic!

Thank you!
Shannon and John

My wife and I found Rev Goyda via an internet search for nondenominational officiants in the Pittsburgh area, and were pleased with our dumb luck in finding him so easily. He was very easy to reach via email and over the phone, and was flexible with his times when it came to meeting us, as we were planning the wedding from out of town. We enjoyed and appreciated meeting with him well in advance of the wedding to discuss specifics of the ceremony. I especially like that he has many pointers and ideas regarding the ceremony, for example pausing when the ring is placed on your finger, kissing a little longer, etc. This showed me that he is interested in your memories (i.e. photographs) of your big day, and not just performing a service and collecting a check.
Larry was extremely helpful in planning our ceremony considering that neither of us are particularly religious, but come from religious families. He worked with us to change the ceremony wording to reflect our particular needs. Most of all, I really appreciated how he thought to involve our young son in the ceremony, and make it about the bond of family as well as a couple.
Overall, Rev Goyda is professional, caring, flexible, and FUN! He did a lot to help ease our nerves at both the rehearsal and the ceremony.
I feel lucky and privileged to have invited him to perform our ceremony.

Thank you Larry!
John&Abbey

Larry was wonderful! Although he is a very busy man, he always made my husband and I feel number one. He ran our rehearsal for us and was early to everything :)

I would have liked to have had a more personal ceremony, but his words still brought joy to everyone. Thanks Larry!!! :)

We are so glad that we found Larry to officiate our wedding. He did a wonderful job balancing my want for a secular wedding with my husband's want for some religious reference. Larry went over our ceremony and vows in detail with us, and allowed us to change things as we saw fit. His standard ceremony/vows has everything a person could want. An Apache prayer was included, which I thought was a beautiful touch. Our wedding was not very traditional, but even if yours will be, Larry is a great person to talk to and to work with. Neither my husband or I had much experience at weddings - even as guests! So Larry's knowledge was a wonderful asset to us. Likewise, he walked us through the actual ceremony like the consummate professional he is. As it turns out, he's married several people we know, and they all give rave reviews as well. Our family and friends all really liked him, and many commented on how great the ceremony was. Last but not least, Larry is just a fun, good guy.

Give Larry Goyda a call!! You won't regret it.

My husband and I were very pleased with our experience with Larry. We felt that he made our ceremony extremely special and meaningful. It was important to us that our ceremony reflected our personalities and our relationship. He spent time with us prior to the ceremony getting to know us and making sure that we were happy with and comfortable with all aspects of the ceremony. We felt that he conducted a beautiful ceremony that we will never forget. Even our guests commented that they had never attended a more beautiful and meaningful ceremony.

We can't thank Larry enough for performing our ceremony on our very special day. He not only had years of experience, but he also brought so much personality, joy, and laughter into our wedding day! He does an excellent job at handling the high emotions that are brought about on this day with ease and sincerity. Thank you, Larry!

Rev. Goyde was a very nice man. Since my husband and I are not very religious we thought he was good choice. The ceremony was very nice and he followed our wishes on the different elements of the ceremony.

Larry was an excellent choice for our minister. We wanted our wedding to be fun and a little non-traditional. Larry had a great sense of humor and I received many compliments from my guests. He made the ceremony personal and helped immensely by facilitating the entire ceremony so that it would run smoothly.

Rev. Larry was extremely nice, understanding, and accommodating for our interfaith wedding. There were a few hitches in the ceremony that annoyed me, for example encouraging that our first kiss last longer for photographers sake... I don't know about you, but when I was kissing my husband for the first time, I really didn't want or need any weird encouragement. Overall though, he was sweet and thoughtful and wore yellow socks, which made me smile :)

Rev. Goyda was pleasant to work with, but I don't think I would recommend him. He was not very professional and not always responsive.

AWFUL! The only thing this man wants is money!!!!!! We booked him a year in advance the week before he told us he couldn't make it to our rehearsal because he wanted to "squeeze in" another wedding! We were furious! The day of the wedding the FIRST thing he asked me is where is my CHECK!!!!! No Congrats, No Hugs, nothing just where is my check...AWFUL AWFUL then as I (the bride) gets to the alter with my father he asked me what my NAME was!!!! The entire ceremony was joke and I would never ever recommend him!!!!! He is quick to respond and meet but is so full of crap and only wants your money....luckily are reception was beautiful!

A delight to work with! I speak both as a musician who has performed at weddings officiated by him, and as a bride: he was the officiant at my wedding 9 years ago!

I have known and worked with Larry for a number of years.
His services provide the "just right touch" of spiritual guidance and wedding formality to a day that is often very emotional.

I've had a working relationship with Rev. Larry Goyda for over 5 years. I was so impressed by his professionalism - yet caring and sincere nature - that I asked him to officiate my own wedding. I was thrilled with how he conducted my ceremony, and I hear the same thing from other brides, as well.

If you're looking for a professional wedding officiant who will take the time to learn about you and your fiance in order to perform a ceremony that is just right for the two of you, call Larry. You won't be disappointed!