About this vendor
Your wedding ceremony should feel like you.
A sacred, joyful moment that reflects your love, your humor, your story, and your values.
I’m Cantor Shimon Smith, a musician, officiant, and storyteller based in New York City. I create Jewish and interfaith wedding ceremonies that blend ancient ritual with modern meaning, music, and heart. Whether your chuppah is on a Manhattan rooftop, a Hudson Valley farm, or a beach at sunset, my goal is the same: to help you stand together in the most authentic, connected way possible.
As a Cantor and performer, I bring warmth, voice, and soul to every moment. With over 20 years of experience leading Jewish music and ritual, I specialize in crafting ceremonies that are both deeply spiritual and full of personality.
Your ceremony process includes:
🎸 3–4 personalized sessions — where we get to know your story, your vision, and the energy you want your ceremony to hold.
💍 Customized ceremony script — written from scratch to reflect who you are, blending tradition with your personal values and language.
🎶 Live music under the chuppah — processional, recessional, or a special song that holds meaning for you both.
🕊️ Guidance through Jewish ritual — from circling to blessings to breaking the glass — always explained in a way that’s inclusive and accessible for all your guests.
❤️ Unlimited support — I’m with you every step of the way, answering questions, helping you navigate interfaith dynamics, or finding creative touches that make the moment truly yours.
I see my role as part officiant, part guide, and part musician: helping you both feel grounded, seen, and celebrated as you cross that sacred threshold into marriage.
Couples often tell me their ceremony felt like “them” — spiritual but not stiff, deeply meaningful yet light and joyful. That’s the magic I aim for every time.
If you’re looking for a wedding experience that’s musical, heartfelt, inclusive, and full of presence, and yes, not too long...I’d be honored to help create it with you.
Let’s build something unforgettable — a ceremony that feels alive, sacred, and completely your own.
Cantor Shimon Smith is based in New York, NY, and offers wedding officiation services.
Details
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Non-Religious Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
Religious Affiliations
- Jewish
- Conservative
- Reform
Wedding Activities
- Premarital Counseling
- Wedding
- Ceremony
Awards and Affiliations
2026 'Best of Weddings'
Best of Weddings
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Reviews
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5
out of 5.09 reviews
We are elated to provide this testimonial for Cantor Shimon Smith, he truly deserves a glowing review. We realized at first introduction that Shimon would provide a presence, a spe...
cial heartfelt and momentous touch to our nuptials. With a charismatic demeanor and crafted in tradition, Shimon curated memorable moments that we will cherish through our lifetime. His story-telling through his guitar and song filled the room with joyful and loving sentiments. He performed “Teach Your Children Well“ and it grew collaborative and interactive as we all joined his singing. The pace was excellent, it was calibrated to our requirements. Indeed Shimon helped consummate our dream of combining the formality of a wedding with an intimate, understated laid-back ease in the comfort of our home. I would recommend and refer Shimon Smith as a Cantor-Officiant to any couple for whom wedding services are sought.
We cannot thank Cantor Shimon enough for stepping in and making our dream wedding happen under the most unexpected circumstances! Our original officiant canceled on us just THREE W...
EEKS before our January wedding, and I was absolutely panicking. When I reached out to Shimon, he immediately responded with such warmth and reassurance that I literally cried tears of relief.
Despite the incredibly tight timeline, Shimon made us feel like we were his only couple. He scheduled multiple video calls with us, asked all the right questions, and created a ceremony that was so personal you'd think we'd been working together for months. He took what could have been a stressful disaster and turned it into the most beautiful, meaningful moment of our lives.
Shimon showed up early, bundled but smiling, and his energy immediately put everyone at ease. He kept the ceremony perfectly paced — intimate and heartfelt but efficient enough that our guests didn't turn into popsicles! His guitar playing and singing added such warmth (literally and figuratively) to the cold day.
What really blew us away was how Shimon made it feel like he'd known us forever. He wove in stories about how we met, our love of hiking, and even made a joke about our stubbornness in refusing to move the ceremony indoors despite the weather. Our families still talk about how special and authentic the ceremony felt.
Shimon is talented, professional, flexible, and genuinely one of the kindest people we've ever met. If you need someone who can handle pressure with grace, create magic on short notice, and officiate a ceremony that will have your guests talking for years — he's your person. We are forever grateful!
Choosing Cantor Shimon Smith to officiate our wedding was hands down the BEST decision we made during the entire planning process. I'm saying this as someone who agonized over ever...
y detail for 18 months — and Shimon made the most important part completely effortless.
We're both Jewish but wanted a ceremony that felt modern and reflective of who we are as a couple in 2024. Shimon absolutely nailed it. He helped us understand the meaning behind every tradition, then worked with us to adapt things in ways that felt authentic. We did some traditional elements (the seven blessings were gorgeous), added some contemporary readings, and Shimon even incorporated a ritual we created ourselves. Never once did it feel forced or awkward.
His musical talent is just extraordinary. He played and sang during the ceremony, and the moment he started playing "Sunrise, Sunset" while my parents walked down the aisle, my dad literally stopped and mouthed "WOW." Our guests are STILL asking for his information because they want him for their own ceremonies or events.
But here's what really got us: Shimon has this gift for making you feel completely seen. He remembered details from our second conversation that we'd completely forgotten about, and wove them into the ceremony in such beautiful ways. He talked about our dog, our shared love of hiking, and even made a subtle joke about how we met (on a disastrous blind date) that had everyone cracking up.
On the day itself, he was calm, warm, and totally in control while my husband and I were emotional wrecks. He knew exactly when to pause for laughter, when to let a moment breathe, and when to keep things moving. The whole ceremony was 25 minutes and it felt like both an instant and an eternity — which is exactly what we wanted.
Book him. Seriously. You will not regret it for a second.
We can't say enough amazing things about Cantor Shimon! From our very first video call, we knew he was the one. My husband is Jewish and I come from a Catholic background, and we w...
ere nervous about finding someone who could honor both traditions authentically. Shimon made us feel so comfortable and genuinely excited about every element of the ceremony.
He spent hours with us over multiple sessions, really digging into what marriage means to us, what family traditions we wanted to carry forward, and even the funny little quirks that make us us. The ceremony he crafted was absolutely perfect — spiritual without being preachy, personal without being cheesy, and deeply moving for everyone there.
The music was INCREDIBLE. Shimon played guitar and sang during our processional, and when he sang "At Last" for our first walk as a married couple, there wasn't a single person not crying (happy tears!). My 92-year-old grandmother, who barely leaves the house, told me it was the most beautiful ceremony she'd ever attended.
What really set Shimon apart was how present he was — not just on the day, but throughout the whole planning process. He answered every panicked text (and there were many!), helped us navigate family dynamics with grace, and even gave us book recommendations that sparked some of our best pre-wedding conversations.
If you want someone who will make your ceremony feel like a true celebration of YOUR love story — with heart, humor, killer music, and zero stuffiness — Shimon is your guy. We're already talking about having him back for our vow renewal someday!
We were so lucky to have Simon officiate our wedding.
He was professional, warm, and truly attentive- he understood what mattered to us, helped us express our values, and shaped th...
e ceremony order beautifully. On the day, he was calm, clear, and absolutely lovely, making everything feel meaningful and effortless.
We felt fully supported and cared from start to finish.
Simon was everything we hoped for!
Cantor Shimon Smith officiated our Jewish wedding (we are religiously mixed) a year and a half ago, and the memory of it is vivid and as joyful as it was on the day. He brought sp...
irituality, humor, love, and warmth to the ceremony, and his beautiful singing was an uplifting, memorable highlight. In preparation for the wedding, Shimon came to know us and our family well, because he had taken care and time to talk to us extensively on several occasions. He discovered our personal messages and stories and wove them into the ceremony. He was readily available, flexible and responded quickly to any questions and concerns...but what we remember most was Shimon's grace in making the service spiritual and meaningful for all. Incidentally, Shimon also performed for us at a wedding party we held a few months later. He brought song sheets tailored to our group, and got everybody singing and dancing. We adore Shimon and recommend him without reservation.
We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful ceremony! From the very first meeting, Cantor Shimon made us feel completely at ease. He took the time to really get to know us, asking ...
thoughtful questions, recording our answers, and later weaving everything together into a ceremony that felt so personal and true to who we are as a couple.
What first drew us to him was his incredible voice and the fact that he plays guitar during the ceremony, and that ended up being one of our favorite parts. He even performed a Bob Marley song we requested, which made the whole moment feel joyful and uniquely “us.”
The ceremony itself was warm, heartfelt, and perfectly timed. It was meaningful without feeling too long. We also loved that he gave us reading recommendations ahead of time so we could better understand each part of the ceremony and make choices that felt right for us.
If you’re thinking about working with Cantor Shimon, do it! He’s warm, thoughtful, professional, and so talented. Our guests are still telling us how personal and special our ceremony was.
We could not have imagined a more perfect officiant than Cantor Shimon Smith. From our very first meeting (pro tip: he loves Starbucks), he made us feel seen, heard, and totally at...
ease. He has this incredible way of blending deep spiritual meaning with warmth, humor, and a touch of music that made our ceremony feel both sacred and so us.
He listened to our story, helped us craft every moment with care, and brought such a calm, joyful energy to our wedding day. Our guests are still talking about how personal and moving (and yes, funny!) the ceremony was. When he sang under the chuppah, there wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd.
If you’re looking for someone who brings authenticity, heart, and a sense of celebration to your day, look no further. Shimon is a true gem — equal parts rabbi, musician, therapist, and friend.
Shimon was the superb officiant who made our wedding dreams come true. His warm and welcoming demeanor was immediately apparent, and interwove seamlessly with his insightful, flexi...
ble, and creative approach to ceremony planning. The ceremony the three of us designed together reflected our core values and identity, and the blessings Shimon gave touched our and our guests’ hearts. We could not be happier or luckier to have had Shimon officiate our wedding.
Contact
NY Metro, Tri-State Area, Destinations
Cantor Shimon Smith's photos