First Unitarian Congressional Society Brooklyn

arles and Ed have been together almost 40 years, and James and I almost 30, so we all shared a desire for a no-fuss, simple ceremony, with each couple serving as witness to the other. Still, the idea of being married in a city office didn’t feel right. We found exactly what we were looking for at First Unitarian. Not one of us is affiliated with the church, although James and I were familiar with it as Brooklyn Heights residents. Nevertheless, we all felt welcome from the start. Our initial inquiries were met with warmth and a sense of shared excitement. Becky was wonderful in advising us, suggesting the perfect venue — the minister’s study. We were also tremendously fortunate in having Reverend Jude perform the weddings. He understood instinctively what we wanted, and the ceremony he put together reflected all the thoughts we’d shared with him when we met to plan the event. The final outcome was more than we had hoped for. It was a joyous moment for all of us, and although we didn’t expect to become emotional (each couple having been together so long), there were a lot of happy tears. We will all always feel blessed that our ceremony took place at First Unitarian and — we can’t emphasize this enough — that Reverend Jude presided. Our weddings were perfect.” “My partner and I knew that we wanted a wedding ceremony that was personal and intimate. We knew that we did not want a Catholic ceremony though we were both raised Catholic, but we also did not want to offend anyone in our families. Most importantly, we knew that we wanted to get married and start our life off in a church that truly reflected our liberal beliefs and values when it comes to religion. When we visited the chapel, we immediately knew that we wanted to have our ceremony there – it was quaint, intimate, and fit perfectly with what we had in mind for our wedding. Rev. Jude Geiger was an absolute pleasure to work with. He made us feel at ease and guided us through the process as we created a ceremony tailored for us. He was young, open-minded, easy to talk to, and he made us laugh! It was like we were talking to an old friend. He helped us to remember that we were having the wedding for ourselves, and not for anyone else. He encouraged us to reflect on our relationship and put into words exactly why we were getting married. He made the experience so enjoyable for the both of us and we were grateful to have such a pleasant experience during that stressful and hectic time. He really took the time to create a service that was memorable for us and for all of our guests. Becky was also one of our favorite vendors to work with. She was extremely responsive and always put our concerns at ease. She was so helpful in giving us advice and trying to accommodate us in any way she could. Overall we were so happy with the service from First UU. We got so many compliments on our ceremony on how unique, intimate, and special it was – I would use them again in a heart beat.”