4.9
Verified reviews from real couples
Rev. Denise Tracy, Wedding Officiant
Serving Chicagoland
Service area
Denise was incredible. She answered our many questions and really listened to what we wanted our ceremony to look like. So personable and added so much to the specialness of our day. We can't thank her enough for creating the perfect , for us, ceremony.
Rhonda L.
5.0
Denise Tracy was an absolute gift to us and created a wedding ceremony that was deeply meaningful, personal, and unforgettable. From the very beginning, her communication was warm, responsive, and well organized, which immediately put us at ease.
She met with us in person, was always easy to reach for follow-up questions, and provided several ceremony examples that helped us shape something truly our own. Denise also thoughtfully coached us through writing personal vows, helping us express our commitment in a way that felt genuine and heartfelt.
As an older couple, family was incredibly important to us. We had two elderly parents who were unable to travel, and Denise beautifully incorporated them into the ceremony via Zoom so they could still participate. She also worked seamlessly with our friends, who are professional musicians, and found meaningful ways to include our adult children. The ceremony she created was intimate, inclusive, and truly emphasized our families and the life we’ve built together.
Just one week before the wedding, Denise broke her leg, yet she immediately communicated with us, reassured us completely, and never once made us worry that she wouldn’t be there.
On the day itself, Denise’s presence was confident, engaging, and heartfelt. She even asked about our preferences for her attire, which speaks to her attention to detail. The tone of the ceremony was touching and meaningful, and nearly every guest commented afterward on how special and personal it felt.
We would recommend Denise to any couple—traditional, interfaith, LGBTQ+, elopements, or large weddings. She is a true professional, and we are so grateful for the care and intention she brought to our wedding day.
Valerie H.
5.0
AWARD WINNER (11X)
Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot
Specializing in creating ceremonies that communicate the story of your love and vision you have for your relationship. I will meet with you, help you select the elements of your ceremony, and on that day, officiate ensuring your day happens according to your wishes. A day you will remember forever.
Denise Tracy is a wedding officiant based in Elgin, IL.
What You'll Love About Denise Tracy
Couples love Denise for her incredible attentive service and the work she puts in to create a totally personalized, beautiful, and meaningful ceremony. They also love how she incorporates their chosen traditions. To learn more, check out the reviews.
Woman-owned Business
Details
Ceremony Types
Civil Union
Commitment Ceremony
Interfaith Ceremony
Non-Religious Ceremony
Religious Ceremony
Vow Renewal Ceremony
Religious Affiliations
Buddhist
Christian
Catholic
Interfaith
Jewish
Muslim
Wedding Activities
Wedding
Ceremony
Awards and Affiliations
11-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2026.2025.2024.+8 more.
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
Hall of Fame
Earned by winning 'Best of Weddings' four or more times.
Join couples who chose award-winning vendors for their wedding
Reviews
4.9
out of 5.0114 reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help
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Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Denise Tracy is highly praised by numerous couples for her outstanding officiating services at weddings. Reviewers highlight her warm, personable approach, attention to detail, and ability to create deeply meaningful and personalized ceremonies. From assisting with writing vows to incorporating unique elements and seamlessly handling last-minute changes, Denise is commended for making each ceremony intimate, inclusive, and unforgettable. Couples appreciate her professionalism, creativity, and calming presence, making her a top choice for various wedding styles and sizes.Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 4
Russell L
Highlighted review.
5.0
12/04/2025
Some events require expertise far above and beyond anything that is within the normal person's toolbox. That's when you need a person who knows what to ask, when to suggest, and ...
how to pivot on a dime. Denise Tracy is that person. She has the life experience, professional training, and most importantly the care and empathy that permeates every word she speaks. She renewed our vows at our 50th Anniversary Celebration at our local church. Although only legally married for 12 years,we have been together since our teens...now we're looking back on ½ a century!! Planning? WE were clueless, she is a mastermind. She prepared by asking us what was important to us...then we just talked. And talked. We told stories and laughed together...then in a way that can only be described as 'absolute magic' she wove our stories into a ceremony that was perfect in every way. No words can describe what that afternoon meant to us, and we believe in our hearts that nobody on earth could have done it better.
Rhonda L
5.0
12/27/2025
Denise was incredible. She answered our many questions and really listened to what we wanted our ceremony to look like. So personable and added so much to the specialness of our d...
ay. We can't thank her enough for creating the perfect , for us, ceremony.
Any questions?
Valerie H
5.0
12/21/2025
Denise Tracy was an absolute gift to us and created a wedding ceremony that was deeply meaningful, personal, and unforgettable. From the very beginning, her communication was warm,...
responsive, and well organized, which immediately put us at ease.
She met with us in person, was always easy to reach for follow-up questions, and provided several ceremony examples that helped us shape something truly our own. Denise also thoughtfully coached us through writing personal vows, helping us express our commitment in a way that felt genuine and heartfelt.
As an older couple, family was incredibly important to us. We had two elderly parents who were unable to travel, and Denise beautifully incorporated them into the ceremony via Zoom so they could still participate. She also worked seamlessly with our friends, who are professional musicians, and found meaningful ways to include our adult children. The ceremony she created was intimate, inclusive, and truly emphasized our families and the life we’ve built together.
Just one week before the wedding, Denise broke her leg, yet she immediately communicated with us, reassured us completely, and never once made us worry that she wouldn’t be there.
On the day itself, Denise’s presence was confident, engaging, and heartfelt. She even asked about our preferences for her attire, which speaks to her attention to detail. The tone of the ceremony was touching and meaningful, and nearly every guest commented afterward on how special and personal it felt.
We would recommend Denise to any couple—traditional, interfaith, LGBTQ+, elopements, or large weddings. She is a true professional, and we are so grateful for the care and intention she brought to our wedding day.
Deborah T
5.0
12/17/2025
Denise went above and beyond in making our wedding meaningful and memorable. She provided excellent guidance in creating a unique ceremony, supported us every step of the way, and ...
was the calm, clear voice in a literal storm that caused a last-minute change in the location of the ceremony.
Denise brings wisdom, creativity, professionalism, and humor to the table. I highly recommend her to other couples.
Jennifer B
5.0
12/15/2025
Denise helped us immensely with planning our wedding ceremony. She took a lot of the stress off and made it so easy to tailor our wedding ceremony towards what we wanted to incorpo...
rate.
Alexandra R
5.0
12/10/2025
Denise was a pleasure to work with. She made our ceremony very special. She worked with us on our vows and the ceremony my wife wanted. She gave us great advice on length of ceremo...
ny and had insightful words. She also handled the marriage certificate for us at cook county and made our day stress free.
I highly recommend her for your ceremony
Ronald S
5.0
12/04/2025
Denise Tracy is one of our interim ministers at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Joliet, IL. We've know her for several years now. We absolutely LOVE her heartfelt and thoug...
ht provoking sermons and have become great friends. A few months ago she mentioned that she was going to be presenting a sermon on "Love" in the month of October. Denise knew we were about to celebrate 50 years together on the 18th of October and she asked if we would consider renewing our vows at her October 19th sermon on "Love". We were awestruck, cried a bit, and of course, told her that it would be an absolute honor. By October 19th, the entire congregation was involved with decorations, cards, gifts, congratulations, singing, special food, you name it. Denise's sermon on "Love" was 'spot on' for the occasion and she referenced Russ and I lovingly throughout her talk with our vow renewal at the closing being the 'icing on the cake'. Thanks do Denise, it was truly a very magical event for everyone there! No matter what special event you are planning, we cannot recommend the Rev. Denise Tracy highly enough to help make your special day all the more personal and as close to perfect as one can get!
Robin S
5.0
12/25/2024
We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect officiant for our wedding! Denise made our ceremony truly unforgettable with their warmth, professionalism, and personal touch. From our f...
irst meeting, they took the time to get to know us as a couple, weaving our story into a heartfelt and beautifully crafted ceremony that felt uniquely ours.
Their calming presence and genuine care set the perfect tone for the day, keeping us both grounded and excited. Denise effortlessly blended humor, love, and sincerity, creating a moment that brought laughter, happy tears, and so much joy to us and our guests.
We’ve received countless compliments from friends and family about how touching and personal the ceremony was, and it’s all thanks to Denise. If you’re looking for someone who will make your wedding ceremony truly extraordinary, look no further. We are forever grateful for their role in making our day so special!
Jonathan W
5.0
12/21/2024
Denise did an excellent job making our wedding ceremony vision come to life. She was attentive throughout the process and helped keep us on track ahead of the big day. She was very...
thoughtful offering input where we needed it and had some great suggestions. The ceremony was beautiful and ran flawlessly! I would definitely recommend Denise to other couples who are planning their wedding ceremony in the future!
Valerie G
5.0
12/21/2024
Denise was wonderful to work with! She guided us through the preparation of our ceremony, understood our vision and gave us great ideas. On the day of rehearsal and on our wedding ...
day, Denise took charge and organized the wedding party effectively and efficiently. The ceremony was beautiful! She did such an amazing job! All of the guests commented on how beautiful the ceremony was and loved how she was able to incorporate meaningful traditions from both of our families. I would recommend Denise for your wedding!!
Sydney A
5.0
12/07/2024
Denise was friendly, professional and make the process very easy! Made the ceremony super special and a breeze to plan - would recommend her to anyone!
Stephanie L
5.0
12/07/2024
Denise was a pleasure to work with and was very flexible as our plans changed;). She was open to our non-traditional choices
Hannah L
5.0
2/15/2024
Denise was incredible to work with! My now husband & I are not religious & were in search of an officiant that could simply wed us. Working with Tracy turned out to be so much more...
than we could have asked for! She helped us curate the PERFECT ceremony and made it unique to us as a couple, reflecting the beliefs we hold. Denise has a way of of bringing outdated wedding rituals, like "giving" the bride away into the present. This was important to family members, and Denise helped guide us and modified the ceremony so that both of our families gave us, as a couple, to one another. Denise is always timely with her responses and has a presence the night before and day of that is so calming, during the chaos of wedding day. Selecting an officiant was one of the tasks I was most worried about, next to having a great DJ, and I could not have made a better choice by reaching out to Denise. My wedding was just before the holidays & we ran into some issues getting our wedding certificate. Denise was SO quick to practically RUN down to the county clerk's office to rectify the situation and resubmit our marriage license. If you are thinking about working Denise, STOP thinking and just do! You will not regret it :)
Noelle P
5.0
2/03/2024
We found Denise with very short notice and she was able to respond quickly. We met in person the following day and talked about our small ceremony. We had less than 50 people at ou...
r wedding and it was short and sweet. We stayed in contact about the ceremony elements via email. We loved having Denise be our officiant! She’s very experienced and we were so happy with our experience with her. We highly recommend Denise.
Barbara N
5.0
12/11/2023
Rev Tracy was gracious and supportive as she helped us plan our wedding. She really helped make our ceremony special.
Barbara C
5.0
12/10/2023
In the minister’s home.
Kristin R
5.0
12/04/2023
Rev. Denise was incredible! We received so many positive comments from our guests about her facilitation of our ceremony. She and her husband were very kind as they welcomed us int...
o their home for our in-person meeting to design our ceremony. Highly recommend!
GONZALO M
5.0
11/18/2023
Wonderful experience through and through. From the readings to the all details that went into our ceremony. Thoughtful and professional, made our special day even more memorable im...
mensely grateful for all you did.
Isabel H
5.0
10/30/2023
Denise made the whole process less stressful. She was easy to talk to and answered all my questions. Deciding on a ceremony layout was easy and fun! Thank you for everything!!
Morgan S
5.0
10/30/2023
Denise did a remarkable job at officiating our wedding. I had looked for so long for someone and was incredibly lucky to have found her. From the very beginning to the day of she p...
rovided guidance and made something that can feel super overwhelming to something that goes off without a hitch. Her ceremony structure was beautiful and we received so many compliments on what a beautiful ceremony we had and it’s all because of Denise! I could not recommend her enough. Thank you so much!
Chris M
5.0
10/29/2023
Denise was great!!
Jose P
5.0
10/29/2023
I have known Rev. Tracy since I was in middle school. I knew would be the best fit to be my officiant. I did not realize how lucky I was! She is very detail oriented and knows how ...
to set up a memorable ceremony! I am grateful to have had the opportunity to have her do something so important in one's life. I highly recommend her!
Megan B
5.0
10/14/2022
Denise married us at the start of the pandemic when our wedding got canceled and helped us restate our vows at our wedding ceremony two years later. Denise will go above and beyond...
for you.
Samantha R
5.0
10/12/2022
She was great. Allowed us to make our simply ceremony exactly what we wanted and made it very easy to do so.
Anna G
5.0
10/09/2022
I cannot say enough about how wonderful Denise was at officiating our wedding. She met with us before hand, was always available for a call, and was just an amazing person to work...
with. I called Denise a little under two months before my wedding and she was so clam and prepared.
Look no further, you have found your officiant.
Steven S
5.0
10/08/2022
Denise was an amazing officiant for our wedding! She met with us prior to the wedding on zoom to get to know us, walk through ceremony ideas, and answer all of our questions. She ...
was in consistent communication with us leading up to the wedding and made sure the ceremony was to our liking. The day of the wedding went as expected and was perfect. Would definitely recommend Tracy to anybody looking for an officiant and would give more than 5 stars if possible!
Paul J
5.0
10/08/2022
Reverend Tracy worked with us leading up to the wedding to customize the ceremony. We weren't sure what we wanted to do in the ceremony so she sent us an email with many good ideas...
and then we worked the ceremony out over the phone.
The day of the wedding we did a rehearsal and then the actual ceremony. Everything worked out great and Reverend Tracy was a big part of making the day successful.
Reverend Tracy does a good job following up with you leading up to your wedding to make sure the ceremony details are planned and is very professional and warm the day of the ceremony.
I definitely recommend using Reverend Tracy to officiate your wedding.
Shelley C
5.0
10/08/2022
We had Denise officiate our wedding and she ensured a smooth and easy process! From the initial planning meeting to the rehearsal, Reverand Denise went above and beyond to help ma...
ke our special day everything we wanted it to be.
Marissa F
5.0
10/08/2022
Wonderful and created a ceremony that felt like us
Jenna C
5.0
10/05/2021
It was a pleasure working with Denise Tracy. She did a wonderful job helping us create a ceremony that was personalized to us. She was very attentive to our needs and offered great...
suggestions on improving our ceremony. We didn't have a formal rehearsal the evening before our wedding. On the day of the wedding, before the ceremony, she did a walkthrough with our wedding party and parents to make sure everyone was comfortable and knew where they needed to be. Everything ran seamlessly. Her professionalism and experience got us through our ceremony and we're very happy with how it all turned out.
Marie B
5.0
9/18/2021
Denise was kind, prompt, and very willing to lend her time with answering phone calls and emails. She gave us suggestions and guidance for building our ceremony but was open and s...
upportive of ideas that we wanted incorporated. Her husband even came to take pictures of our backyard wedding! Thanks Denise!
Alexandra J
5.0
7/07/2021
Denise was great! She was very responsive and helped make our ceremony personal and unforgettable.
Will D
5.0
7/01/2021
This was a second marriage for both of us. We had a complicated family situation. Different Faiths. Different Heritages. Denise helped us include both of our religions, honor both ...
of our families. Our celebration was a joyous one. We both have children from previous marriages. They were included too. We heard repeatedly "This is the best wedding I've ever attended." We were so happy with the ceremony Denise created with and for us.
Jillian P
4.0
5/30/2021
Denise was very helpful and patient with my husband and I through the whole wedding process. Because of the pandemic, we didn’t get to meet her in person until the rehearsal, but s...
he was always willing to meet via Zoom and work through emails. She helped us greatly craft the perfect ceremony and helped us each write our own vows. People are still talking about how much they loved our ceremony.
Lenka S
5.0
2/07/2021
Denise was a perfect match for our socially distanced small outdoor wedding. She was really helpful and guiding us through creating the ceremony. We did everything online during co...
vid in 2020, she suggested few options to choose from and we were able to easily change and add the ceremony to be exactly how we wanted. She also gracefully signed more certificates and helped us with the paperwork when the county clerk lost the application due to covid. We can't thank her enough!
Megan T
5.0
1/11/2021
Denise was great, even during a COVID wedding! She was very responsive and understanding to all the changes that occurring during planning. The ceremony was amazing with options fo...
r us to add in special items that we wanted throughout.
Denise was enthusiastic throughout the ceremony and really made the entire experience wonderful. Would highly recommend!
Tanquilla T
5.0
7/14/2020
Ms Denise, is a true gem!! My fiance and I eloped and our original day was set for 6/26/20; however, my now husband, had a health emergency and we had to push our event to 6/27/...
20 so that we could tend to his health matter. Reverend Denise came thru for us in a major way🎉🙌👑🎁🎊!! She gave us a new time and even found us a beautiful venue!!
When I tell you Ms Denise is a Godsend!! Her heart is gold and her desire to make YOUR day special iS her calling!! She followed up & communicated with me every step of the way, made sure we didn't leave anything to chance so that our wedding day was everything we wanted it to be and MORE!!
The vows were beautifully written and she made us feel very comfortable...like we family 💞 She was the only officiant to call & I am so grateful that she did!! Thank you Reverend Denise for bearing and walking in the fruits of the Spirit, in spite of EVERY problem that ATTEMPTED to rise up...your patience and kindness helped to make tying the Knot a breeze!!
P.S.
A huge thank you to Mr William, your husband, for the beautiful pictures and easing my (now) husband's anxiety!!🤦🏾♀️😄 U guys make an awesome team!!
BLES$INGS upon BLES$INGS to you both
Lisa D
5.0
6/22/2020
Denise was our original officiant and still married us after we had to adjust our wedding to take place during quarantine. She was amazing to work with and helped us pick beautiful...
passages and readings - there was not a dry eye. She was very flexible when our plans had to change literally up until 2 days before the event. Denise provides great advice as well and explains the legal portions of the marriage (licenses and timing) based on her extensive experience. During our ceremony we were worried it would begin to thunderstorm yet Denise stayed calm and it was a very beautiful experience. I would HIGHLY recommend her as an officiant to anyone looking for a wedding, whether it’s your large dream wedding or if you need to have a small, private ceremony!
Jessica R
5.0
6/01/2020
Denise was very sweet and kind!
Lauren C
5.0
5/31/2020
We highly recommend Rev. Denise Tracy! She was a pleasure to work with and made our ceremony so special. Her experience and guidance with helping us plan the perfect ceremony was...
easy and fun. Denise is a joyful, comforting presence.
Markus W
5.0
5/29/2020
We highly recommend Denise! She helped us create the wedding we really wanted - small, at home, intimate. She provided us samples from other weddings to inspire us. She has a wo...
nderful voice and even sang our choice of processional a capella!
Nancy F
5.0
5/25/2020
Denise officiated at my daughter’s small, outdoor wedding, and she was a complete pleasure to work with. She provided guidance when needed, was flexible and accommodating and hel...
ped to make the wedding exactly what the bride and groom wanted.
Nikki S
5.0
5/24/2020
We found Reverend Tracy on The Knot and could not have asked for anyone better. She was very accommodating to our vision and helpful in obtaining the balance we needed. Reverend Tr...
acy tailored the ceremony to ensure that it was a positive experience for all involved as well as respected the religious beliefs of both of our families. We were able to meet with her prior to our nuptials and was awesome in her counsel on the concept of marriage.
She is an extremely caring and understanding person and continued to check on us periodically over the years to do a marriage “checkup”. My husband and I are blessed to have found her and she truly cares about all the people that come into her life. I referred her services to a friend that also used her and was extremely happy that she found Reverend Tracy.
My husband and I would highly recommend her services, she is not just someone who will officiate your ceremony but she will touch your heart and make your day extremely memorable!
Megan V
5.0
5/23/2020
Denise Tracy will go above and beyond for your wedding day. Our wedding is postponed due to the global health pandemic. Denise still married us in a park on our original date anywa...
y. She is very easy to work with and delivered a beautiful ceremony. Can't wait to re-state our vows next year with Denise!
Candace S
5.0
12/16/2019
I have worked with many officiants throughout my wedding photography career and one that stands out to me time and time again is Reverend Denise Tracy. Her warm personality and gen...
uine act to serve and get to know her clients on every level is remarkable. She truly is a gem and I’m so grateful to have witnessed her gift! - Wedding Photographer Candace Sims
S. M
5.0
8/08/2019
Denise made our ceremony so special. Our families vary in their religious observance, so her approach helped us strike that perfect balance to make everyone happy.
Patrick S
5.0
8/06/2019
Denise spent time to get to know us and create a ceremony that was perfect.
Lisa P
5.0
7/11/2019
Denise was professional, versatile and understanding. We had a few specifics as to what we wanted our ceremony to look like and she took our wishes very seriously. She made it very...
easy to piece together our exact ceremony with a document full of options for the different parts of it. I sought her out after seeing her in action at a friend's wedding. I knew she would be the best officiant for us. She was also very patient with our bridal party when guiding us in rehearsal. I definitely would recommend her!
Brianne B
5.0
6/28/2019
Denise is the BEST! Working with her was very easy even with us living out of town. She offered so many options and suggestions in how to organize our ceremony, which allowed us to...
tailor it to what we wanted and make it incredibly personal. We had Denise run our rehearsal, and her attention to detail, as with the ceremony, is impeccable! We are so happy we chose Denise to be our officiant and help us begin our life together as husband and wife!
Shari S
5.0
6/16/2019
Denise was wonderful to work with! She officiated our wedding on June 15, 2019. Like other reviewers mentioned, she was the first and only Officiant we met with because after our f...
irst phone call we felt so at ease and confident she was the right person to help us create a meaningful ceremony. Going in to our first meeting, we had some ideas of what we wanted the ceremony to include, but Denise gave us additional ideas and made it even more special. All of our guests complimented the ceremony and how lovely it was! Denise was so easy to work with, she quickly responded to emails and continually offered her help and guidance. If you are looking for a professional Officiant, I would strongly recommend Denise Tracy. She is awesome!
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Serving Chicagoland
Typically included in the starting cost
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