Unity Minister-Officiant Services (TN, NC, SC, GA, KY, VA)

Reverend Carolyn provided us with better service than we could have ever asked for. She was so helpful and kind and was very understanding of our not-so-normal situation. My fiance and I were originally planning to wed privately in the Dominican Republic this coming July; however, after paying for our trip and calculating all of our costs, we realized that it was going to be out of our price-range to meet all of the legal requirements for an out of country wedding. With some help from our travel agent and Dominican wedding planner, we decided to change our ceremony to a symbolic ceremony and take care of all of the legal matters in the US. We recently relocated and have a lot of planning to do, so we decided to we should be married ASAP. Even though we are having a symbolic ceremony on the beach, I did not want to just elope at the court-house -- I wanted us to have a special memory of the day that we became legally married. I contacted Reverend Carolyn and she was extremely quick to respond. She provided an immense amount of information and ensured that our private elopement was everything that we wanted it to be. When an unexpected work conflict arose with my fiance, she was very kind about rescheduling, and even offered to be late to a commitment she had already made for us. We did not ask her to do this; however, the fact that she offered shows that she is truly dedicated to the couples with whom she works. She made our thrown together ceremony more special than I had imagined by picking a beautiful location at a gazebo, choosing wonderful words, and making the ceremony short and sweet, just as we wanted. Afterwards, she snapped some photos for us so that we would always have a memory of our special, private day. She even e-mailed the pictures to me that night. So, if you need an officiant for a wedding in this area, whether it be big or small, I whole-heartedly recommend Reverend Carolyn for you.

Reverend Carolyn was nothing short of amazing...from the moment we began the process...to the moment itself...to the follow-up after. She helped us through so many things and offered incredible suggestions to make our day even more special. I think one of the neatest things, though, was her suggestion to take our time and work together on the ceremony. Frank and I had so much fun doing so. We both actually cried when we read through the final work...it meant that much to us. I feel as though Carolyn is part of our new family now. She truly is that special!

We got married in the Smoky Mountains on Oct 10, 2011. Rev Carolyn was a pure joy to work with. From the beginning to the end (and even beyond!) she was able to help in anything I needed. She maintained a professionalism uncomparable to others. I would recommend her in a heartbeat to others wanting to get married. I really did enjoy the experience and was so happy to have her by our side.

very friendly and did a great job.everything was very nice. we loved the words of the ceremony.thanks so much.
sherry thomas and arnold justice

Reverend Carolyn is absolutely amazing. My husband and I are both finishing graduate school in Kansas, so it was stressful at times to plan our out-of-town wedding. Fortunately, I found Reverend Carolyn! Not only did she make the planning of our ceremony easier, but also very delightful and fun. I had full trust in her to make our personalized ceremony one to remember, and she met our expectations and beyond!

From the moment i spoke with Reverend Carolyn on the phone, i knew i wanted her to perform our ceremony. She was so warm and easy to talk to that i felt as if i had known her for years. Reverend Carolyn was so helpful with anything you could think of..she had many suggestions and hints to help our ceremony go smoothly. They have so many choices of readings and poems and scripture.. you can find the perfect mix to make it your own! We were so pleased at how ours turned out..i was even able to add a prayer written by my mother. I could call or email her anytime and she was always there to offer advice, give support or just to listen. I would recommend her to anyone looking for an officiant! Everything turned out beautifully and the ceremony couldn't have gone better. Thank you Reverend Carolyn! WE LOVE YOU!

Rev Carolyn was so perfect for us! She was wonderful about helping to create our custom wedding. She spent hours and hours working with us and on the ceremony. Her knowledge of wedding ceremonies is immense. We procrastinated like crazy, but Rev Carolyn stayed patient with us. I loved that about her. She also, gently, forced us to do it! I would have never been able to make up a ceremony as gorgeous as the one Rev Carolyn created. Many thanks!

Carolyn provided our day with love. The words that she provided we stilll say everyday to each other. She was flexible with our change of place at the last moment. Thank you so much Carolyn.
Gretchen and Mike Carrubba

We contacted Rev. Carolyn for our outdoor wedding in TN. We had been having trouble finding someone for the job, and I was more than a little nervous about hiring someone I didn't know. As it turned out, this was one of the best things I could have done for the wedding. Rev. Carolyn is professional, very detail oriented, and knew what she was doing. At the same time, she really takes the time to get to know the couple, our style, and our needs. She helped us design a ceremony that was just right for us, and many people there remarked at just how beautiful and unique it was. I highly recommend her!

My fiance and I contacted Rev. Carolyn Claiborne to perform our smoky mountain cabin wedding and couldn't have been happier. I spoke with Rev. Carolyn on the phone to arrange everything and she was very nice, professional, and made us feel comfortable right away. Our wedding was in a private cabin in the smoky mountains and everything turned out perfectly. Rev. Carolyn gave us choices on the type of ceremony that suited us. She also followed up to make sure she had directions. She was on time, professional and put us at ease. I would absolutely recommend her for any wedding.

Louis and I wanted a very quiet, private ceremony. Since this was not a first marriage for either of us, we wanted something meaningful, personal, and SOON. We called Reverend Carolyn the day before we wanted the ceremony, explained our situation, told her the location, and she provided us with the most beautiful, meaningful ceremony I have ever witnessed. I have been a wedding consultant/coordinator for many years in another state, but I have never been involved with a ceremony more personal and touching than ours, all thanks to Reverend Carolyn. Not only did she come through at, quite literally, the last moment, but she conducted the service with a lovely quiet dignity and aplomb. Her participation in the ceremony gave us precious, sweet memories that we will always cherish.

My fiance and I were looking for someone that could provide a customized spiritual and interfaith ceremony in Pigeon Forge, TN. We contacted Rev. Carolyn through Wedding Wire. When we spoke with her on the phone we were left with such a warm, caring and sincere feeling and we knew that she was the one for us.

She customized our ceremony through several emails and conversations and was truly the weaver of our thoughts and dreams. It was perfect! She arrived early to review the ceremony and to make sure that she pronounced our children's names correctly during the family blessing.

There are so many ceremonies available that you can choose from and even combine them if you like. It was wonderful to choose what we felt best expressed our hearts.

I highly recommend Rev. Carolyn's services to anyone that is looking for that extra special touch!

Rev. Carolyn gave us a beautiful, loving, and reverent ceremony. With all the chaos of last minute preparations, Rev. Carolyn brought serenity to our wedding. She calmed us with her gentleness and kind heart so we could focus on the most important moments of our wedding day – our vows and deep love for each other. She helped us prepare our ceremony to express our feelings uniquely, and she warmly guided us through each step. Rev. Carolyn truly has a gift. Thank you, Rev. Carolyn for making our day so special.

I found Rev. Carolyn through Wedding Wire. After several emails back and forth, I knew that she was exactly what my fiance and I were looking for. We wanted a spiritual (not necessarily religious) ceremony that was about US, not some boring ceremony that'd been done 200 times before us. Her ceremony customization is quite extensive (get ready for some negotiating with your partner), but it's well worth the time and effort that you both put into it in order to get a ceremony that fits you like a glove.

Not being from the area, she recommended some photographers to us. She was a huge help in our planning process. Unfortunately, the BIG DAY came and, it was just my luck, a big snowstorm came too, keeping the good Rev. Carolyn from our ceremony. But she quickly found a replacement (Rev. Doug) to do our ceremony, exactly the way that we originally planned. Everything went extremely smoothly.

I'd choose Rev. Carolyn again in a heartbeat. Her communication, whether it's via phone or email, exudes her warmth and caring about you as a couple. Pick her, pick her! Seriously brides...look no further. Trust me.

My dream wedding has always included a beautiful view of the fall leaves in the Smoky Mountains. The only problem I encountered during my planning was finding an officiant for a wedding that would take place six hours from where I live. I found several that were very inflexible about the wording of their sermons. No one would even send me a copy of what they would say. That is until I found Rev. Carolyn. She was extremely helpful and kind. Not only was she more than willing to work with me on what she would say but I got to choose everything! The result was a beautifully constructed sermon that fit perfectly for my husband and me. The wording of a wedding is so important because it is what you are there to hear. The vows and promises need to fit your personality and beliefs and that is exactly what happened. We could not be any happier with our wedding. We really appreciate Rev. Carolyn and would recommend her to everyone!

Thank you so much for the flawless job you did officiating our wedding. The ceremony was so “us” and we got so many compliments on how meaningful our vows were. Your advice along the way was priceless. We had the most amazing day and felt so comfortable and confident working with you. Thanks for everything!

Rev. Carolyn officiated our Smokey Mountain wedding ceremony in October of last year. I found her services through wedding wire and after our initial emails I knew she was exactly what we were looking for. She is delightful to work with! Friendly, professional, caring, and prompt in her communication. She helped us create a beautiful ceremony that was very personal, meaningful, and custom to us. The ceremony is ultimately the most important part of the wedding day and it was so nice to spend time with Rev. Carolyn creating something meaningful that spoke to exactly what we wanted. Many of our guests commented on our beautiful and personal ceremony. Thank you Rev. Carolyn!

Rev. Carolyn is amazing! My husband and I started planning our elopement in the NC mountains several months in advance and thanks to Rev. Carolyn, it was perfect for us. We wanted a completely private and personal ceremony that was spiritual without being overtly religious, but still with a blessing upon our marriage. Rev. Carolyn provided this and more; she is really an inspiring person. No matter who you are or what you want for your wedding, she will accept what you bring to her and help you as you need to be helped. Unlike most other wedding officiants, she does not have her own agenda to try to push on you. I wish there were more people like her! Since our elopement she has kept in contact with us. I'm so glad to have her in our lives!

She also helped us with our other elopement needs, including recommending photographers. We hired Michael S. Wade, and I absolutely recommend him, too! His work is incredible!

My husband and I are a mixed-faith couple. We found out 2 or 3 weeks prior to our ceremony that our officiant would not be willing to work with us. We were having a destination wedding 4 hours away from home. Talk about chaos!! We were desperately searching for someone to help us. Thankfully, we found Rev. Carolyn. It was definitely meant to be.

Rev. Carolyn is the kindest, sweetest soul. She let us customize our own ceremony in order to pick exactly what we wanted said or not said-- which I highly recommend!! She is very hands on and more than helpful. I couldn't count to number of emails that went back and forth as well as phone calls. She was accommodating and supportive. I have nothing but amazing things to say about her!! We are so very happy to have found her. She made our wedding day incredible!

My husband and I planned a long distance wedding and one of our biggest concerns was finding an officiant that would provide the ceremony we had always envisioned, we wanted it to be very intimate. We found Rev. Carolyn online and from our first conversation I knew that she was perfect for us. She provided some material for us to choose from which helped make the process less overwhelming but still kept it very personal. We even chose certain words over others and Rev. Carolyn delivered everything just as we had given it to her. We were married at the end of a long weekend with about 40 guests and it could not have been more perfect. There was not a dry eye in the room, it was as if she had known us forever.

Reverend Carolyn did a wonderful job on our ceremony. We have had so many people comment on how beautiful our ceremony was. We truly felt that through her customization we were able to show ourselves through our ceremony and include our guest in our ceremony. We appreciate all the help she provided us throughout the many months before our wedding. We will absolutely recommend Reverend Carolyn to anyone we know getting married in this area.

My husband and I were married by Rev Carolyn in Tennessee in March and we have nothing but good things to say. Before we hired Rev Carolyn, I had hired a minister that contacted me once about the price and then was impossible to get ahold of and I was afraid that all ministers would be the same, but then I found Rev Carolyn. From my first phone conversation with Rev Carolyn I knew that I was in good hands. My husband and I both agreed that we did not want a traditional service and Rev Carolyn was very accomidating, providing me with pages and pages of wedding service ideas. My husband and I loved going through the potential services and were so pleased to find our perfect service in the packet that Rev Carolyn sent. The day of the wedding was more than perfect. Rev Carolyn was amazing and we couldn't have asked for anyone better. Both my family and my husband's enjoyed Rev Carolyn, and I got so many comments on how beautiful our personalized service was. As a new bride, I know how hard it is to put together a wedding, and how important your vows are. My husband and I encourage you to talk with Rev Carolyn! She helped make our day perfect and I know that she will make yours perfect as well!

We worked with Rev. Carolyn on a customized wedding ceremony. She was flexible, open-minded, adventurous and reliable. She provided lots of ideas for ceremony contents, and she was also willing to work with our suggestions.

WOW. Where do we begin. Rev. Carolyn was AWESOME. John and I live in Atlanta and were looking for a Tennessee pastor to perform our wedding ceremony, as we got married in my hometown in Tennessee. We had heard of Rev. Carolyn through the proprieters of our wedding/reception venue, and reached out to her. From the FIRST moment we emailed, John and I KNEW that we had made the right decision. We thought that living in GA would create some challenges...but there was not one issue at all! We utilized the ONLINE premarital counseling course that was provided to us from her too, which we strongly recommend. (Upon arrival to the courhouse, we were informed that we were not eligible for the significant $$ discount for the TN marriage license as neither one of us LIVE in TN, but we are still glad that we did the course.) Rev. Carolyn worked with us and helped us create a LOVELY ceremony that we helped create. There were countless guests that RAVED about how sweet, and thoughtful, and loving and "us" our wedding ceremony was. It was great to have her there at our rehearsal too, so as to walk us through everything step by step, as this was the first wedding for John and me. We were concerned about the use of microphones as we had a large outdoor ceremony. But we went through each option and found the PERFECT fit for us. (Not to mention our DJ/sound guy was AWESOME.) And it went of without a HITCH! Our dream wedding!!!! We would 100% recommend Rev. Carolyn to ANYONE looking for a loving, kind, thoughtful pastor to perform your wedding ceremony. We have a friend for life!

I highly recommend Rev. Carolyn Claiborne's services. She helps couples craft a ceremony that suits their needs, and she stays in touch with couples throughout the process. From day one until the end she is always available to communicate with couples, and she is open to change and improvisation. She made my wedding ceremony so special because she spoke words of wisdom that really touched my heart. I couldn't help but cry when she read some realistic words on marriage during my ceremony. Rev. Claiborne's services made all the difference in helping me and my then-fiance customize a wedding ceremony that truly fit our dreams.

Rev. Carolyn Claiborne made my wedding more spectacular than I ever could have imagined. As a couple who loves nature, lore, and fantasy, my husband and I decided to have a 'magically' themed wedding, where he would be a Wood Elf and I would be a Sea Nymph. I never thought I would find a minister who would be willing to go with that idea as it was so different. Rev. Claiborne however made all of our artistic visions come to life in a beautiful, well spoken ceremony. With her wonderful wedding packet, we were able to come up with some ideas for a fantastic bit of love prose that no one can ever forget.

After the wedding, I had half a dozen or more people (and this was a small wedding), ask about her, where she was from, and comment that she did an amazing job. Without the openness and commitment of Rev. Carolyn, our wedding would not have been nearly as special as it was. She was very supportive before the ceremony while we were still making plans and made many great suggestions, while being easily accessible by phone and email. I could not recommend anyone else more for such a memorable experience. Rev. Carolyn Claiborne is truly a gracious and high spirited woman and she really helped to make my wedding exactly what I wanted it to be.

She's simply the best...you and your marriage ceremony will be safe in her skilful hands!

Rev. Caroline is always a joy to work with. I look forward to every event that we work together.

if your in ;or ;near Greeneville Tn. Then you have found a wonderful minister to make your day perfect

Reverend Carolyn is wonderful to work with. She has really unique ideas to make couples' ceremonies memorable and significant. She is a genuinely kind person and I love working with her.

Rev. Claiborne is VERY HIGH on our list of reccomendations. She is extremely knowledgeable about weddings, and has a true gift for helping engaged couples, have the wedding of their dreams. She inspires people, and brings out the very best in what every wedding could (and should) be. A+

I don't hesitate to refer anyone to Rev. Carolyn, because I know that when I send someone her way, they will get exactly the ceremony they want. She treats everyone with kindness and respect, and I highly recommend her to officate your wedding.

A surefire way to have your day run smoothly and effortlessly is to rely on this minister. She always gives you the impression that nothing is too much trouble, and there are no issues that cannot be resolved. If I was not already married, I would be keeping her in mind as my officiant...:-)

Reverend Carolyn has been an ordained minister for over ten years. She is professional, experienced, intuitive and speaks from the heart. So if you're not getting married here in beautiful s.e.CT (Mystic, Stonington, Groton etc)...visit Rev. Carolyn in her neck of the woods (TN, NC etc) for a day you'll never forget!

Please know that you will be in good hands with an officiant who is sincere, sensitive, and respectful of your beliefs and intentions.