DeArruda Weddings + Marriage

very comfortable and you could tell that he loves what he does. We did pre-marital counseling which was a great experience to learn even more about each other. Michael would always respond to my emails promptly, which was very appreciated. Not only was Michael there for us every step of the way through this journey, he was there for us personally. Unfortunately, a month before our wedding my father passed away and Michael attended his funeral. That really meant a lot to us and made us feel like he truly cared. We had our rehearsal two days before the wedding and he explained everything very precisely. Our family loved that he cracked some jokes during the process, but was still so professional which made it a fun experience. The wedding day came and he did a WONDERFUL job, it went so smoothly and was just perfect. I would absolutely recommend DeArruda weddings to family and friends. Thank you, Michael!

tails about what to expect than any other officiants site and I really did love that. I felt the sense of knowing and trusting his work just by reading about him and reading the reviews of him. Rev. Michael fit our personality perfectly and our wedding was beyond spectacular! Our dreams came to life that day and I will always remember the impact that Rev. Michael had on our wedding day.

we are not based in Florida, Michael was caring, comforting, and so wise! The preparation for the ceremony was extremely well-organized and Michael sent out the ceremony draft well in advance. We had a rehearsal with our bridal party and families and Michael made the experience fun and informative for everyone! The actual ceremony was beautiful and Michael conveyed all of the prayers, readings, and words of wisdom with so much care, love, and wisdom (and some humor!). We ourselves were so touched throughout the ceremony and our family and friends were, too. I cannot say enough about what a wonderful, calming, caring, spiritual presence Michael has and how happy we are that he officiated our ceremony!

Reverend DeArruda which consisted of 4 sessions. We were able to take a test to see what areas my husband and I were strong in and others we may have needed to work on. He also gave us some exercises to complete before each session which were fun and exciting to see that we often wrote down the same things! We felt so comfortable during these sessions and loved all the advice we received. Reverend DeArruda did such an amazing job with our rehearsal and had everyone laughing and excited about the big day! Our ceremony was beautiful and couldn't have been more perfect. He has so many options for the layout of the ceremony and will work with you to make your day the best day ever. So many of our guests said it was the best ceremony they've ever seen! I highly recommend Reverend Michael DeArruda and also recommend doing the counseling sessions!

eautiful ceremony they had ever seen. Rev. DeArruda made planning and designing our ceremony easy. He is kind, genuine and made our day so special. We would HIGHLY recommend him!

personalized (and BEAUTIFUL!) He also offers marriage coaching, which I too recommend, as it offers an outsiders approach to working out the kinks in your relationship.

to know us and always had a genuine smile on his face. It was obvious he loves what he does! Michael already had a commitment scheduled for the day of our wedding so we changed the time of our ceremony by an hour and it was actually better for us for the sunset photos. We cannot thank Michael enough.

d we couldn't agree more! If you are looking for someone, look no further! PS- I never write reviews but for him I felt the need to :)

! Finding the right officiant was very important to my husband and I, since we're from different religious background (Jewish and Catholic), and we wanted to make sure both sides were included in the ceremony. Rev. DeArruda was very responsive through the entire process, and chatted with us via Skype calls and emails to help us plan everything. The rehearsal was also very organized, and our bridal party and guests had nothing but great things to say as well. We highly recommend!

ght fit for us, soon after we began to chat during our first meeting over Skype. I urge anyone who is planning to get married in South Florida, even traveling there to do so, to send Michael a message. We look forward to staying in contact with him as the years pass and, hopefully, see him again when we travel back to South Florida!

before the music started, when emotions were running highest. We recommend him highly.

d help us to examine issues and develop the skills and tools we needed to ensure our relationship would thrive – what a stroke of luck (divine intervention?) that we found both in Michael DeArruda. Through the counseling course we learned so much about how to communicate with each other more productively and navigate life’s ups and downs, which has come in handy: we aren’t actually married yet, as we have weathered two disasters (one man-made and one natural – thanks a lot, Hurricane Irma), each one causing our wedding to be postponed. Michael has been right with us through everything – his patience, support and sage advice has made all the difference. We are so blessed to know Michael and call him a friend, there is no one else in the world that we could imagine marrying us when we finally get there this December.

the rehearsal where he took complete control and made us feel at ease, to the actual wedding day, he was amazing. Our ceremony on 3/25/17 was the most beautiful and memorable part of the whole experience and I owe that to Michael DeArruda :) He helped us prepare for and set up the perfect ceremony to suit us, and he also through his own experience and genuine charisma said the perfect words to make us feel blessed. When I couldn't get my vows out (through abundant emotion!) he was so calming and patient which is exactly what I needed. I had forgotten to ask him to bless the food before we ate at the reception and when my dj sprung this on him, he didn't hesitate and it was beautiful. He has a way with words and emotion and I lost track of how many people commented on how incredible our officiant was! He is a wonderful, warm and extremely genuine man. This was his calling in life- his intelligence and knowledge is immense and we (myself, my husband, our parents, and all of our guests) are so thankful and blessed that he performed our wedding ceremony! Book him NOW, you will not regret it for a second. Thank you Reverend!!

de our day even more special.

anctity of marriage. We took part in his 4 "pre-marital coaching" sessions and they were amazing! He took the time to know us on a personal level individually and as a couple. He truly cared about making our marriage work even after the wedding day. For the ceremony itself he set the tone of respect and reverence; even though we were on the beach he was able to capture and focus the audience's attention on the bride and groom as we made our sacred vows. Several guests commented to us that it was the most beautiful wedding ceremony they had ever seen. He joined us for our reception after the ceremony and we had a great time celebrating with him! He is a very kind-hearted man who truly cares about the bride and groom and making their wedding day special. He helps the day run smoothly and handles himself with grace and poise. Most importantly, he gives very sound advice and helped us to start our marriage on a solid foundation. I recommend Rev. DeArruda 100%! I would definitely choose him as my officiant again, and hope to stay in touch with him through the years.

nt on your FL marriage license.) From the moment I spoke to Rev. Dearruda on the phone for the first time, I knew that he was going to be the perfect fit! We had multiple counseling sessions with him that were enjoyable, helpful, and meaningful before our special day. He was in constant communication with us and even the other vendors to ensure the wedding planning process and day went as smooth as possible. He even proofread our vows and dealt with all of our ceremony component changes professionally and with ease :) We have received many compliments on our ceremony, and I personally really appreciate how personalized he made it for us and our relationship. He also will provide you with a free counseling session in your first year of marriage, which we will probably take him up on just because he's a cool guy to spend time with ;) But in all seriousness, I'm so thankful for the time and effort Rev. Dearruda put into our ceremony and pre-marital counseling. This really is the most important part of the wedding, and he will make sure it is unforgettable and meaningful! We are so grateful for him!

ghts, as a man, on Reverend DeArruda. First and foremost, Michael is a consummate professional. He is respectful, timely, and organized in his dealings. My wedding ceremony proceeded seamlessly and was perfectly tailored to the wishes of my wife and I, while remaining dynamic and emotionally stirring. But I don't want to dwell on Mr. DeArruda's business acumen or oratory ability, because what places him many steps beyond the average officiant, is that he possesses a set of intangibles that are more easily felt than described. In short, he listens, he is engaged, and he gives poignant advice that conveys a deep, spiritual profundity that very few possess. There is genuine wisdom to be found here. Perhaps the best advice I have for couples considering Michael as their prospective officiant, is that you, as a couple, should absolutely consider his relationship coaching. It is only through thoughtful conversation and interacting that you will legitimately get to know each other; only then will the words spoken at your ceremony ring true with authenticity. Like the marriage you will shortly be entering into, you will get out of these meetings what you put into them. You will doubtlessly be challenged, and may even be compelled to reconsider longstanding beliefs you've held. As a person who participated in this coaching, I am here to tell you that it is worth it. I have the utmost respect for Reverend DeArruda. He is the simply the best.

ade sure everybody knew what needed to happen on the big day. On our wedding day, 4/8/17, Michael absolutely rocked it! He kept it light and romantic, and the guests loved our ceremony! 5/5, Michael is the best!!!! We will recommend him to anyone again and again!!! Kate & Sean

ear friend since he had a prior obligation during our wedding weekend. We had planned on his dear friend officiating our ceremony. Michael still ensured that all appropriate measures were being taken in a very professional form. Unexpectedly, the week before our wedding, our officiant had an emergency, and could not attend our ceremony. Michael, with no hesitation, made it clear that we were not to panic. He found a way to come to our wedding last minute, and shared the majority of the weekend with us, engaging with all of our friends and family. He still found a way to meet his prior obligation also. In the short amount of time we had with Michael, he took every effort to get to know us. We had many unique connections with him. He is so personable and open. Michael is kind, loving, funny, and understanding. We felt exceptionally at ease. He is very organized, and quick to get back to you about any questions or concerns. He orchestrated the rehearsal seamlessly. Michael made our wedding so special, and so tailored to us. His enthusiasm is one of a kind. We highly recommend Michael to anyone and everyone! He truly cares about the people he marries! He becomes more than an officiant, but a dear friend too.

a lot more personal. I definitely recommend the coaching sessions- he is easy to talk with and brings to light any situations/ decision making you may have in the future that you most likely are not thinking about/discussing now. The ceremony was wonderful, everyone raved about how beautiful it was. He makes it very easy to put together, and works with you every step of the way to ensure you are getting everything you want out of it. I would recommend his services to anyone. Great guy who will give you the ceremony of your dreams!

ied the issue with lightning precision. He contacted a good friend of his, Daniel Francis, to step in to save the day. Daniel and his wife, Alice, were simply a dream come true. We spoke on the phone initially to break the ice and I felt that I was understood and my opinion well respected right away. We met in person and they blew our minds at how incredibly organized they were and how well dressed and personable as well. There were some minor changes we wanted before the wedding and these were addressed extremely promptly. Each voicemail and e-mail always had a personal touch with our wedding day countdown or some other personal touch that really made the messages that much more special. On our big day, Daniel and his wife were so magnificent. They were dressed well and were so friendly to everyone in attendance. Alice came to see me before I walked down the aisle to make sure I didn't need any last minute assistance with anything. I remember walking down the aisle with my dad and the moment I saw Daniel's face I felt peaceful. His prayers, his words, his story and snippets about us, especially touches of inside jokes, were so personal and heartfelt we both felt as if he had known us for our entire relationship. I was very apprehensive as to the extent of the religious involvement that my husband wanted in the overall ceremony as I did not want to have any guests feel excluded in any way. However, Daniel's words had to have come from above as there is no other way to understand how they were so perfectly matched to us both and to our big day. Thank you to Michael DeArruda for getting us in contact with such an incredible couple. Thank you to Daniel Francis and his wife, Alice, for making our wedding day one to remember and treasure forever. Con mucho carino y amor siempre!

edding ceremony. But since we were not involved in a church in the St. Pete/Tampa area, we were concerned that it would be difficult to find the right person to marry us. Our wedding planner suggested Michael DeArruda as a potential officiant. So, we set up a Skype call to see if he would be a good fit. I could not believe how much time Michael spent getting to know us before we had even hired him. He wanted to learn all about us – how we met, our first date, the proposed, etc. After our video conference ended, we knew that Michael was the man to orchestrate the most important ceremony of our lives. We did a pre-marital coaching session with Michael prior to the wedding. For a man that we had only virtually met, we were completely comfortable with Michael. He has an incredibly warm spirit and a smile that puts you completely at ease. We found the coaching session to be enlightening and encouraging. I would definitely recommend that couples do something like this. Michael helped us create a ceremony that was true to who we are and what we wanted. He went over all the parts of the ceremony to make sure it was what we envisioned leading up to the wedding. We did a rehearsal with Michael and all the people in the wedding the evening before the wedding. He made the rehearsal joyful and light-hearted. He was so detailed in helping us (and our wedding party) prepare for the ceremony the next day – where we should look, how to hold our hands, how to put the ring on each other’s fingers, etc. These were all simple things, but things I had never really thought about before. This made the actual wedding ceremony flow effortlessly. My husband is Filipino. So, it was important for us to incorporate some Filipino traditions into our ceremony. We did a cord, veil, and coin ceremony. Michael did such a wonderful job weaving this into our ceremony and explaining the symbolism of each element. My in-laws were so incredibly impressed with how Michael conducted this part of the ceremony. In fact, they said that they had never heard the elements described so beautifully. The entire ceremony was absolutely perfect! The ceremony was exactly as we dreamed and hoped for. It was an honor to have Michael DeArruda be our officiant. Your wedding ceremony is the most important part of your journey to become a married couple. I would absolutely recommend you entrust that to Michael DeArruda of DeArruda Weddings. You will not be disappointed! Thank you Michael!!

as at a Starbucks. We decided to book him right away. He was so warm during that first meeting, and we felt like he was taking the time to get to know us and our story. We hadn't considered pre-marital counseling, but it is a service he offered (he did not push it on us at all) and we decided that we might as well give it a try. He was very accommodating with our schedule, and we did 3 out of our 4 sessions on Skype since we were far away. We were so happy with the pre-marital counseling experience - although we didn't think we "needed" it, I think it kept the focus on our relationship during the wedding planning process and it provided us with some insight we may not have had otherwise. He gave us homework before sessions and always provided us with detailed feedback. Going through pre-marital counseling also allowed us to get to know Michael better (and him to get to know us) before the wedding. We were adamant about a few things that we wanted in the ceremony, and he was accommodating to our requests (and provided us with some great constructive criticism). Our ceremony was so special to us (particularly due to the things he said about us as a couple and what he had learned about us through our counseling sessions) and everyone raved about the ceremony. There was laughter and happy tears during the ceremony and we are so thankful to Michael for being a part of our special day and making all the more personal to us.

esponding to any wishes or concerns and seems to be a very genuine man. My now husband was headfirst on the idea of pre martial counseling, however after meeting Michael he thought it would be a wonderful idea. We both highly recommend him as a wedding officiant along with the pre marital counseling. Thank you, Michael, for help making our day wonderful!

d provides advice accordingly. He also assisted us with the challenging task of writing statements to one another for our ceremony. He truly cares about the decision you are making and it shows through his work! Our ceremony was absolutely perfect and we couldn't have asked for anything better! Michael is very very professional, friendly, and passionate about what he does! Thank you again Michael we highly recommend you!

r wedding ceremony, it felt like a member of our own family was marrying us. He truly has a calling for mentoring marriage-minded couples, and my husband and I consider it a great blessing that we had the opportunity to work with Michael before our wedding and on our wedding day. We are very thankful for him and for his great passion for his work- thank you so much Michael!

mmediately knew we had to have him! We spent some time with him during 4 premarital coaching sessions. I feel like he really got to know us. This made our ceremony that much better because he was able to speak about us and our relationship. He was very easy to work with. We were able to customize our ceremony to make it exactly what we wanted. From the first meeting, to the rehearsal, to the big day, Reverend DeArruda made things easy, and did a fabulous job!

d personal. He really took the time to get to know my husband and I.

art and incorporates so many personal touches. He was the perfect balance for us between formal and casual, religious but not in your face about it and offering suggestions but still very flexible. He offered several ceremony outline options for us that made it easy to put the most special part of our day together. His format and suggestions made this part of planning very enjoyable. We had the pleasure of getting to know Michael ahead of our wedding day during marriage coaching sessions which I highly recommend. He made us think about things we hadn't quite thought about yet and brought us closer. Michael is extremely personable and we are so delighted we worked with him!

ith, which, believe me, is something you want from your officiant. We had a mixed faith ceremony and Michael knew exactly how to handle it! He worked with our DJ, photographer, wedding coordinator, and videographer to make sure that our ceremony was perfect. Our ceremony was beyond beautiful thanks to him. We received many compliments on the ceremony and many people acknowledged the excellent job that Michael did. He is extremely well spoken. We also did some premarital counseling with Michael, which we found to be highly valuable. I HIGHLY recommend booking Michael as your officiant!

of which we have ever been a part. Our premarital time with Michael opened us to a stronger relationship and better communication which I'm certain will lay the foundation for an unbreakable lifelong partnership. During the rehearsal he was light and fun, making the bridal party and family feel at ease and comfortable with what was going to happen the following day. On the day of our wedding, Michael was calm and his words during the ceremony were heartfelt and beautifully crafted. I truly felt that Michael took a personal ownership of our wedding and through our discussions personalized the ceremony to us and our families. Many families and Wedding parties have a mixed religious background and Michael was very skilled at acknowledging all of the different religious views without alienating any. We couldn't imagine our wedding being more perfect for us and our families, and Michael was a big part of making the day so special.

e ceremony to fit our personality.

ter from a church that we were interested in officiating the ceremony. We considered the “friend” route, but decided the risk was too great. We needed a professional, but not just someone that would robotically spout off generic wedding jargon and be on their merry way. Michael’s videos initially drew us to him as we felt he had the demeanor and professionalism that we felt was right for our needs. During a visit to Bonita Springs in the Fall of 2014 we met Michael and his wonderful wife Amy at their home in Tampa. Within minutes of sitting down on Michael’s couch and begin our “get to know you” discussion we immediately bonded over the love of our dogs. What seemed like minutes ended up being a good 2 hours plus and upon leaving that meeting my husband and I knew Michael was the right guy for us! In the spring of 2015 my husband and I took a relationship assessment provided to us as part of Michael’s service agreement and via Skype discussed the results. We found this discussion so helpful that we actually engaged Michael further for three counseling sessions and through these sessions Michael was so helpful in helping my husband and I identify our strengths as a couple as well as what we can do to strengthen our areas of weakness. The comfort that we developed with Michael was so strong that we felt as though he was a lifelong confidant and not someone we’d met just a few short months before (and only once in person). Moving forward to the rehearsal, Michael was everything we hoped for and then some. He was so efficient and again, professional. He was so detailed regarding everything from how my father should hand me off to my husband to hand placement of the groomsman. The ceremony flowed so well and Michael was fantastic. His words were so kind as he mixed humor, kind words and little religion into a ceremony that was just perfect and exactly what we wanted.  We truly couldn't be happier with our decision to work with Rev. Michael for our wedding. Not only did he conduct a beautiful, thoughtful and personal ceremony for my husband and I but we also made a lifelong friend.

uld do this all over again, he would still be our number one choice. You will NOT be disappointed :)

nt on how beautiful the ceremony was. Rev Mike is obviously very spiritual, but he was also very personable and easy to speak with. He was accessible every time we needed to speak or Skype with him since we live in Chicago. He also was incredibly professional and most importantly very detailed oriented. Our DJ and wedding coordinator were very impressed by the detailed itinerary that Rev. Michael had organized for the rehearsal and wedding. He had a genuine interest in making sure everything ran smooth for the wedding and that our special day was perfect. It felt like "My Uncle" was performing our ceremony. My wife and I feel like we have made a life long friend in Rev. Michael DeArruda and I can highly recommend Rev. Michael and he will make sure your most important day runs smoothly. I guarantee you will be happy that you had him Officiate your most important day!

da did all of these things and more. He turned out to be the very best officiant that we could have chosen. We are now married and happy as ever, and we would not change anything, including the officiant at our wonderful wedding. He is a man of great character and he does his work with passion. He also has the perfect look and voice of a great officiant. You could say that he is the quintessential wedding officiant. We would highly recommend him to anyone looking to have a quality wedding ceremony.

e in attendance together through laughter and a moving auditory.

d. We would highly recommend him to anyone in the area looking to get married.

to be marriage.

s feel very comfortable when we were both nervous about being in front of people for the ceremony. Definitely highly recommend him!! He even drove all the way out to Orlando the night before, and stayed overnight before our morning ceremony so he would be sure to be on time. We really appreciate how he went above and beyond to make our special day perfect!

s a flash-thunderstorm during our ceremony that required everyone to relocate under a covered alcove. Rev DeArruda had everyone laughing, smiling, and then crying happy tears despite the torrential rain. He is kind, professional, and you can tell that he really cares about what he does. We highly recommend Rev DeArruda for future brides and grooms looking for a special and meaningful ceremony.

verything that you could want in an officiant.

nk you Micheal!

o do and not what everyone else wanted. So we sprung for the destination wedding in Naples, FL and couldn't be happier with our decision. We considered more remote locations however Naples made the most sense to fulfill our desire for a beach wedding and also have it be accessible for our guests to get down there. Obviously choosing to have a destination wedding we were fully aware this would not make our lives any easier lining up an officiant, music/dj, flowers, catering etc 700 miles away but we were up for the challenge. First and foremost we knew we had to lock down the venue which we did but as soon as we made a deposit we immediatley embarked on our quest for an officiant that fit our criteria. Long story short, we were getting pretty discouraged with other sites and getting a little worried we'd have to settle. We're pretty easy going and not hard to please but believe me when I tell you it got scary. Then the magic happened when I stopped messing around and sat down super focused, espresso and trusty soon to be husband by my side and started digging into google searches with a purpose determined to lock down an officiant. 100 tabs open in our browser and 5 minutes later we found Michael on a google search and knew right away that as long as price and travel worked for him he was the one. Everything from his professional and easily navigable website to his written demeanor and desire as well as ability to craft our idea of a perfect wedding ceremony. We could tell all this before we even spoke to him! We submitted our info that night and we setup a skype consultation for a few days later. We spent almost an hour talking about the story of how we met and asking him questions about his services. He was genuine, so very friendly and very well spoken. It wasn't 2 minutes into the session that we knew he was the one we had to have marry us. Finished our skype and immediatley processed a deposit. I cannot tell you how much pressure was alleviated for us. From then on we worked out the details via emails and phone calls and he was super attentive to our needs. Admittedly my husband and I stalled here and there getting caught up in the craziness of planning the rest of the wedding but he politely nudged us forward keeping us on track. Exactly what we needed! The big day we had some serious storms rolling through and had to start the ceremony early with lightning above and some menacing clouds right on the beach but Michael was there early and ready for game time. He went up to visit me and introduce himself in person and then went down to join my husband. Michael followed every single detail and even under the pressure of rushing the ceremony had the crowd laughing with a few well versed jokes about the weather and life relating to our marriage, he remained calm and kept our nerves at bay. From beginning to end we could not have been happier with our decision to include Michael in the most important day of our lives! You will not be disappointed and we will forever consider Michael DeArruda a friend after our excellent experience.

many ceremonies go wrong when the officiant stumbles through, says the wrong bride/groom names etc. He looked for a very long time for someone with a great tone and who wasn't just in the business to get paid. He genuinely wanted us to have the special ceremony we both always dreamed of.having. By the time we got home from the honeymoon, he had already filed for our marriage license and it was sitting in our mailbox. I fully recommend Michael DeArruda..

e learned so much about ourselves through pre-marital counseling. His office, and his style in approaching counseling was so comforting! Michael's website made our planning process so simple. We had a religious ceremony, and everyone of our guests have been raving how beautiful it was. My favorite part of our wedding was the ceremony, it was just perfect! Thank you so much Michael for making our ceremony so beautiful, and taking part in giving us the wedding of our dreams.

urprise, our premarital counseling sessions were painless, informative and even fun. Not only did we learn a lot about each other but they made us feel more comfortable with Michael. Michael's ceremony selection tools made planning our ceremony simple. We opted for a short, "contemporary religious" ceremony with the hopes that it would be sentimental for us but still engaging for our guests. I cannot begin to explain how the ceremony surpassed our expectations. We had NUMEROUS guests tell us during the reception that it was the best ceremony they had ever been to. We even had single guests (and their parents) ask for his contact information! We cannot begin to thank Michael for all of his help leading up to our big day and the amazing job he did officiating our ceremony. We are confident that we will be seeing him soon officiating many of our friend's future ceremonies!

o accommodating, met with us on Skype and truly gave me, as a bride, a peace of mind. Working with Michael was so easy and pleasant, the ceremony was exactly as I wanted and Michael and I communicated throughout. The ceremony was beautiful, EVERYONE who attended was fascinated by him, and until this day continue to ask me where I found our officiant. I do and will continue to refer every FL bride I know to him. Thank you so much, Michael!!!!

ny that was perfect for us and that sent the message we wanted to share with our families and friends. We live far away from Tampa but by the time we met face to face we felt like we have always known each other. He was very kind and always made us feel at ease. At the end of the ceremony many of our friends went to talk to him and everybody love his kindness and down to earth personality. Some of our friends told us if they would live in Tampa, they would love to go to his church. I honestly can't put in words how a wonderful memory we have of our wedding ceremony. Simply perfect! Thanks Reverend and hope our lives crosses again to share more happy moments like this. Sincerely, Karla & Victor

ore the wedding as my wife got offered a job. One of the odd things moving to a new town was that we didn't have a minister or priest we were close to, and neither of us enjoyed the Idea of getting married by a stranger. Alas, we looked on line for options, and found Michael DeArruda and his myriad of wonderful comments and recommendations. We set up an appointment to meet with Rev. DeArruda at his home. It was a free consultation, and he made himself extremely available for us and our schedules. I found him very professional, inviting, and warm. He asked us relevant questions about our backgrounds and history, and told us how he would perform services, both with our wishes and building in his own style. I appreciated his candor, and his low pressure style. We ended up contracting with him that very day. My wife and I also elected to do the "premarital counseling" sessions. While these costs extra, I swear they made all the difference. And for any of you who don't like the sound of counseling, it's really not that way at all. He uses the prepare enrich program, which asks the couple questions about their lifestyle and future needs and wants, and creates a context for them to talk about issues they may have not thought to talk about yet. What kind of family did you grow up in? Did you like it's structure? Do you want to continue that structure? How do you deal with arguments. What makes you feel important? It's a great context to explore each other, and gives you a chance to work out the kinks. He also gives you exercises to use for future times when you may not always agree or want the sames things. And it's important to note that it's ok to not agree or want the same things. It's all ok. The preparation course (which is really what it is), is invaluable.Rev. DeArruda pointed out to me that we have to study for and prepare for everything else we do, but that we can get married with no preparation whatsoever(which is kinda crazy). It's very easy going, and you don't feel stressed or judged. I found Rev. DeArruda to be a great facilitator and to have wonderful insights and commentary. Most importantly, I think it gave Rev. DeArruda a chance to really get to know us and how we interact; who we are and what our quirks are. In the end, it gave us the feeling we were getting married by an old friend instead of a stranger. And he wasn't a stranger by that point. -- the rehearsal was amazing. My groomsmen all commented at how funny Rev. DeArruda was. The one liners had my family in stitches. The days leading up were equally stress free. DeArruda has a script that builds in music and vendors and DJ's etc. He interfaces with all of them to make sure the ceremony goes off without a hitch. The ceremony was beyond perfect. His enthusiasm and intonation were expressive and articulate. His passion came through, and again, it felt like an old friend was bringing us together. What got me, more than anything, was as the clouds came in, he offered to marry us in the rain. He was willing to go out when our cello player would not. Fortunately, he married us under the big moss covered oak, dry.

ion wedding can pose some interesting challenges when it comes to meeting with vendors and hammering out the logistics associated with such a big event. We were especially nervous about choosing the right Officiant. In our opinions, the ceremony was the most important piece of the entire day. We read his other reviews and watched a video of one of his ceremonies and felt comfortable starting the process with him. We chatted online using Facetime and Skype multiple times before the big day and it still amazes me how sincere and genuine he was, even though we hadn't met in person. We had many ceremony options to choose from and he was always available if we had any questions. On the big day, we experienced a little weather before the ceremony. My wife believed it would pass so we kept to our plan, and as a testament to her fortitude, nothing was moved inside and we had a storybook beach ceremony, complete with rays of sunlight breaking through the clouds as the sun set . Michael even used the day's weather events and worked them into our ceremony. He gave us a truly custom ceremony that completely blew away our guests. During the reception many guests sought him out to tell him how incredible the ceremony was. After the wedding, we had multiple friends who inquired about his services. Michael DeArruda, truly made our wedding day the most memorable day of our lives. His professionalism, coupled with his incredible delivery, more than matched what we read in reviews and what we saw in videos. We'll only be married once, and we were so lucky that we were able to have the pleasure of getting to know Michael. He truly turned our wedding day into the magical, unforgettable day that all couples dream of having.

el had to cut about ½ of our ceremony at the last minute due to the threat of a large thunderstorm ruining our outdoor beach wedding, he was able to keep the intimacy and the pieces of the ceremony that he knew meant the most to us all on the fly. Michael has a wonderful sense of humor, a calming presence and is an outstanding speaker. I have never been to a wedding where all the guests raved about the minister but we had guest after guest tell us how much they enjoyed the ceremony and Reverend Michael. We absolutely loved having him at our wedding and are so grateful for his services!!!

r our big day! I highly recommend him for anyone looking for an officiant!

ality and our story...he nailed it! His warmth, kindness and uplifting spirit were infectious and our guests felt the same. There was so much love and laughter in the room, as he guided the two of us through the "I Do's!" More so, we thoroughly enjoyed our pre-marital sessions with Michael. Even with a strong foundation, we learned so much more about each other as individuals and together. Taking a moment to pause and reflect on where we've been and where we're going during our sessions, strengthened our relationship and gave Michael a better glimpse of who we are as a pair. We are so beyond thankful to have met him and will stay in touch going foward!! Happily Ever After - Ashley & Peter Nash

We appreciated how he remembered information that we discussed even when we didn’t maintain contact for several months. He was always punctual and always well-prepared. This was important because during our rehearsal and wedding, we had so many other things going on that we didn’t have time to track down our vendors. Before we had a chance to call to confirm final wedding details the week of, he had emailed us and had been in touch with our DJ the verify a few last minute details (re: music during the ceremony and microphones). Michael was always on-time and prepared. His comments during the wedding were well-received by us, our family and friends. We will definitely recommend him in the future.

I was looking for. One that knew what love was all about and that would make our wedding personalized! While all the guests were waiting (I was running extremely late due to other problems) they all told me that he reassured them and that he was great. He was always so quick to answer any messages I had. Thank you for everything Michael!

on of all. He was wonderful in getting us to think about how we complement each other in the relationship, as well as how we might improve in different areas. As a result, I have a better understanding of who my wife is...when I didn't think that was even possible! He is caring, understanding, and very helpful through this process. For the wedding, we obviously loved him. Michael delivered exactly what we asked him to deliver. However, I didn't expect to hear my parents, family and friends make comments about his ceremony throughout the night! They all loved him. I've been to a number of weddings over the years, and I don't think I've seen a ceremony delivered in the spirit of the couple, quite like Michael delivered. 5 Stars across the board.

l to the wedding ceremony. Always smiling and never frustrated which certainly can happen with so many people involved. He delivered such beautiful and meaningful words. We are so thankful and appreciative that he blessed our daughter's marriage and helped to provide us with such a wonderful memory.

eremonies. There are more whack jobs and nuts out there than I could have imagined. That was not for me. My groom and I are offbeat, but we wanted some real tradition and meaningful vows steeped in tradition we could look back on and keep to for the rest of our days. We wanted something more than someone who rushes in at the last minute or grandstands and needs to be the center of attention. This is the start of our MARRIAGE, not our wedding. We wanted an officiant who would get to know us a little, who cared, and had a seminary education/actual congregational experience, who didn't just stand and read from an e-tablet. We GOT IT. Not only is Michael DeArruda educated, he offers sound guidance, advise, and put his expertise into tailoring a ceremony that was perfect for us, including a hand-fasting ceremony in lieu of the usual unity sand or candle-lighting stuff. We asked him to include my son somehow, and he wrote a vow just for him for inclusion. I hope our paths cross again. He is a special man and person and made our ceremony what it was. I hung on every word. At the end, he presented me with our printed vows which I will frame. He had character and personality...... this is a lovely man with understated elegance and a true calling and spirit of discernment. One conversation with him will set him apart, as does his Website. Watch the videos out there. Then watch Rev. DeArruda's. Meet with the others then meet with him. You'll see. Thank you, Rev. DeArruda. You were the difference and the ceremony is a memory we will both treasure.

arth, caring and extremely genuine. We signed up for the pre-marital classes as well so we could spend time getting to know him before the wedding and got much more than we expected. We didn’t sign up because we felt our relationship was missing something or we needed lots of marriage advice. We did it more so to get to know Michael and for him to get to know us. Not only did we accomplish that, but we got so much more. He doesn’t spend the time lecturing or preaching marriage advice, but takes the time to get to know each person and talks through everyday issues to find out how each person feels about those topics. It generates conversation that you probably wouldn’t have normally. Not only is he a great guy, he was wonderful to work with too. He is quick with getting back to any question and was extremely professional. We 100% recommend him. You will end up with a beautiful ceremony and someone to reach out to in the future if needed. It felt more like a friendship than a business relationship which was really important to us when selecting someone to marry us.

mony planner and was there whenever we needed him. He was always early for meetings and knew exactly what needed to get done and how to handle a large bridal party (18 of us total!) On our wedding day the weather decided to act up, but Michael went right along with it and played into every challenge that arose to make us laugh and have a good time. During the reception I kept having guests come up to us saying how much they enjoyed the ceremony, and that unlike most wedding they go to they were engaged the whole time. Michael provided an amazing christian ceremony and I truly believe the lord pointed us in his direction. We couldn't have asked for anyone better!! If you are looking for someone with a kind heart and great personality to conduct your ceremony, look no further!

I knew he would be a great fit! We ended up utilizing his rehearsal, day of, and pre-marital counseling services. Michael is extremely organized and makes everything seamless. Prior to the wedding we had meetings via skype to explain the process and answer any questions. He then drafted a contract electronically for us to sign. The great thing about his day of services is that he has so many various options so that you can customize your day however you want. The options are all in a document which makes it very easy to choose what you like. I asked Michael to say a prayer during our ceremony for my mom and he gladly accepted. He is a wonderful officiant and very easy to get along with and genuinely cares about the people he is marrying. I would highly recommend Michael for all day of services as he was one of the vendors that made our day a little less hectic! We also signed up for the pre-marital counseling option. At first I was a bit hesitant as I am in AZ and Michael was in FL so it would have to be over skype. However, after we got to know him a bit better I did not mind using skype at all I actually enjoyed it because I enjoyed working with Michael so much! He had us take a questionnaire and then we set up sessions after to work on areas that would be of help. He was wonderful throughout the entire process and made myself and my fiance feel extremely comfortable. He also had us work through various exercises to help get through our problem areas. My fiance even didn't mind these exercises and we both felt that these sessions were imperative to a successful marriage.Michael made it so I looked forward to our sessions and we were able to talk more openly about our relationship. If you are thinking about possibly doing pre-marital counseling he is definitely the one to go to even if you are out of state! Thank you Michael for everything!

d the additional sessions to everyone getting married. Michael helped us put together a tremendously touching ceremony that was way beyond what we were hoping for. He was a joy to work with and we both would highly recommend him!