I need to start by saying Rachael is the sweetest and most caring person you will ever meet. When we first started thinking about who we wanted to officiate our wedding, I was against the idea of someone "random" marrying us; I wanted it to be ...someone who knew us. I quickly realized this wouldn't be possible and that's when we met Rachael. From the moment of our first inquiry, she was nothing but supportive and excited for us; after our 15 minute FaceTime with her, we both knew we HAD to have Rachael officiate our wedding. She immediately provided us with so many ceremony reading options and gave us advice/pushed us in the right direction when we needed it. The ceremony planning process was so easy and honestly fun, we told her which passages we liked and she did all of the editing and rearranging to make it flow and sound cohesive. One of the most important things in a wedding vendor is responsiveness, and Rachael is so incredibly responsive, sometimes even answering our emails within 10 minutes no matter what time of day it was. She would even reach out to us to make sure everything was okay if she hadn't heard from us in awhile!
The first time we met face to face was on my wedding day, but I already felt like we were friends. From the time Rachael showed up at our venue (early!), I felt completely at ease with her around. She immediately took care of our marriage license and started talking to us going over key pointers of what we'd need to do throughout the ceremony. She even took the time to talk with our other vendors (photo, video and DJ) to go over what they needed to know for the ceremony, where to stand, when there would be good photo opportunities, etc. Right before the ceremony, she assisted in lining everyone up and walking everyone through what would happen.
One of my favorite moments before the ceremony was when Rachael literally read my mind. We were battling some bad weather, our photographer approached us saying that we had a break in the weather and he wanted to get some quick pictures. I said okay but Rachael could tell I was hesitant (I had gum in my mouth and was trying to figure out where to get rid of it before we rushed to take pictures). Without me saying ANYTHING, Rachael whips out a tissue and says "here, spit your gum out". This seems like an insignificant moment but it shows how attentive Rachael is and how much she cares about EVERYTHING running smoothly, even if it doesn't involve her. On top of this, she was giving my bridal party mints and water; she is 110% prepared for anything that might happen in the short time she is with you. Rachael was extremely professional and delivered the ceremony perfectly, adding in jokes here and there to put us at ease and keep us engaged. She handed me tissues (and took my dirty ones), held my veil in place when the wind picked up, and stepped away from the alter so our photographer could get pictures of just us. We received SO many compliments from our guests about how great the ceremony was and how perfectly Rachael officiated. Everyone was blown away by her, including us.
It is so so worth it to find an officiant who you are comfortable with, and who will make it a special and memorable ceremony (and not just the cheapest available option). For us, we are so thankful we decided to hire Rachael, and you will not regret making her a part of your special day! Thank you Rachael for everything you have done for us!!!