Justice of the Peace Michael Backer

Michael was fantastic, hilarious, punctual, and communicative. We didn't have any rehearsal, just did it on the fly (we live far) so I was a little worried how things would go, but it couldn't have been more perfect, he clued in to our personalities very fast. Thanks, Michael!

Mike is a warm, friendly, and experienced officiant. He has done this many times before, and it shows. From our first contact, he was extremely responsive. He met with us in person to make sure that he was the right fit for what we were looking for. He gave us a huge binder of options for the ceremony, which made it so easy to choose how we wanted it to go! On the day of, he made our ceremony incredibly personal and added so many nice touches and funny stories. He had everyone laughing, which is exactly the vibe we were going for. Mike was great every step of the way, and I highly recommend him!

There are a lot of choices out there for officiants. But if you want someone who is down to earth, funny, professional, organized and a pleasure to work with, then go with Mike Backer. My husband and I wanted to find someone that would work with us on creating an individualized ceremony. We wanted a ceremony that would capture who we are as individuals and a couple and would truly reflect our relationship. Mike made crafting our ceremony a breeze. After meeting with us and having us fill out questionnaires, he was able to create a ceremony that spoke to who we are as a couple. Family and friends commented after the ceremony how much they liked the ceremony and how they felt it captured us. I am pleased we went with Mike as our officiant. We would recommend him to any couple looking for a Justice of the Peace for their upcoming nuptials.

Mike couldn’t have made our experience any better or easier. From the first time we spoke to Mike over FaceTime, his sincerity and passion for what he does came through, as well as his good humour! Mike provided us with a huge binder full of many options to suit all needs based upon your ceremony type, religious beliefs or any other possibilities you may have. Due to being located in the UK, we didn’t get to meet Mike until after our decision was made to have him as our officiant however there was constant contact and Mike never left us guessing if we had questions as his email contact was great and he always gave quick responses. Quite late on, we realised we were able to have a rehearsal at our venue the day before the wedding and Mike made sure he was available and was there to give us a full run down on what to do and what to expect. This was great as it’s a nerve-wracking enough day as it is so with a rehearsal down and the finer details explained, it made the day itself more enjoyable. Guests had nothing but good things to say about Mike and he truly did make the ceremony memorable. -Lauren & Bill

Mike was absolutely fantastic to work with. He knows what he is doing and helps you out along the way. His binder was full of options for us to customize exactly what we wanted for our ceremony while adding in a ton of personal touches. Mike was easy going and added a touch of humor. The ceremony was great and our friends and family enjoyed Mike as well!

Mike recently officiated my wedding ceremony. He was super professional and communicated with us before hand so we knew exactly what to expect on the day of. Overall, it was a beautiful ceremony and I HIGHLY recommend Mike!

Choosing Mike as our officiant was one of the best decisions we've made. He was so easy to work with and is such a pleasure to get to know. Mike helped us through the entire process of putting together our ceremony and was so accommodating with all of our requests. Plus, he's hilarious (if you want him to be)! We wanted some humor in our ceremony and Mike definitely delivered. I also loved his process of sending a questionnaire to each partner separately and then incorporating the responses into the ceremony. This made it so personal and it was really touching to hear each others candid responses during the ceremony. 11/10 would recommend!

Personable, professional, and just an awesome guy! Mike made everything super easy and organized! Great communication the entire time, super personal and stress free!!! Also have the perfect balance of serious and funny during our ceremony! Kept our guests engaged!

Michael Backer is the BEST. A true professional. We knew when we first spoke with him that he would be perfect for our wedding ceremony and I’m so happy to say he exceeded our expectations! Our wedding date changed 3 times due to COVID and Michael pivoted with us even with a change of venue and went above and beyond. His planning guides are so helpful and he made thoughtful suggestions that resulted in such a meaningful ceremony that we’ll remember forever. During the rehearsal the morning of the wedding, Michael put our minds at ease and walked through every step of the ceremony and gave great direction. Michael spoke clearly and has a great sense of humor and even got my dog, the ring bearer, involved which could have been tricky but worked out perfectly! Our friends and family were very complimentary of how he conducted the ceremony. Thank you for being such an important part of our wedding day – we’re so grateful!

Michael was awesome to work with. very professional, easy to talk to. very responsive to emails / calls. he made our day feel special. thank you Michael! we highly recommend!

Going into the process of finding a justice of the peace, my wife and I really were not sure where to start. We read so many reviews on various sites and it was all a bit overwhelming. And add in trying to select an officiant during a pandemic and well, we just felt lost. And then we found Michael. He had amazing ratings and we had to wonder, "is he real?" I can assure you he IS real and he was a joy to work with. Michael's experience as a justice of the peace was invaluable and reassuring. He allowed us to plan our ceremony with as much or as little help as we wanted. He had such amazing resources and suggestions. He was incredibly helpful in all regards, and this includes being hands-on right before our ceremony. Our wedding day was warm and windy and we had a wedding trellis that was a bit less than stable. Mere minutes before the music began, a gust of wind blew the trellis over, damaging it. Michael was right there to help keep everyone calm and figure out a quick solution. I helped a little too. Wedding day disaster averted. And then, once the ceremony began, it was exactly what we wanted. He added his own personal touches and made my wife and I, and our guests, feel relaxed. His sense of humor and support were invaluable. His professionalism unmatched. We thank him for helping make our wedding the success that it was.

Mike did a great job giving us options for our wedding and explaining to us what would happen. He had lots of ideas in a binder to customize our ceremony and was able to add in some special things for our friends.

Mike was a fantastic officiant! He guided me through the entire process and answered all my questions. I sent him repeated emails & he always answers back in a timely fashion. During the ceremony he was funny, calmed my nerves, and personalized the ceremony. I could not recommend him enough!!

We chose Michael Backer as our officiant because we didn’t know where to begin and he was on our list of preferred vendors, so we figured he must be good. We’ll, he was great! We met with him to discuss our needs and expectations for our ceremony and from the beginning he made us feel comfortable and had a great sense of humor. We decided to move forward and have us officiate our ceremony. He provided us with a binder to use as a tool to help choose vows and everything you could possibly need to help him create a ceremony special to us. He also provided us with a questionnaire which was used in the vows to make it even more unique to us. The day of the rehearsal Michael helped our coordinator and provided us with tips and recommendations for photos. The day of the wedding was excellent he was very professional and made us feel relaxed. Following the wedding he provided us with a folder containing our vows as a keepsake. I would definitely recommend Michael Backer to anyone looking for a justice of the peace.

If you want the perfect ceremony, I recommend hiring Michael Baker. He is warm, friendly and a wonderful person to work with. Michael created a thoughtful, customized and personal service for my wife and I that everyone at the wedding loved. Michael was incredibly organized throughout the entire process and made sure the ceremony was something we didn't have to worry about. He was also incredibly helpful during the rehearsal practice and day of the wedding. I cannot recommend working with him enough.

Mike was the perfect addition to our ceremony. My husband and I decided to elope and have a private ceremony. Mike really captured us, keeping the ceremony to fit us perfectly. I couldn't have asked for a more special day :) Thank you for being a part of it Mike!

Michael was wonderful. He made us comfortable and worked with us every step of the way so we were involved with the entire ceremony and what was going into it. I would recommend him to anyone.

Mike was absolutely fantastic! He made our wedding feel so much more intimate. I was running late for the ceremony and he never made me or our ceremony feel rushed. That was very much appreciated. He's a great and personable guy. If you're looking for a JP to add love, warmth and humor to your wedding then I would strongly suggest booking Mike.

Mike was great!! We pivoted from a large wedding to a small corona wedding, and he was able to help us out in a short span of time. Important: Mike has this binder that includes lots of choices for each part of the ceremony, and all you have to do is pick what you want - this makes it so you know what's coming, but you can choose the parts that resonate the most with you. He also sends you a questionnaire about your spouse so that your ceremony is even more personalized. He was in touch by email to check on the final touches, too. Our wedding day, although capped at 15 people including Mike and our photographer, was awesome--a lot of that was due to Mike's professionalism and ability to project his voice so that our Zoom attendees could hear, too :) We would definitely recommend him!!!

We planned our wedding within a month's time due to relocation and we needed to find someone asap. JOP Michael Backer was responsive and explained all his services clearly via email & then a phone call. We did not get a chance to meet in person prior to the wedding, but the day of the service he arrived before the ceremony, explained everything in detail to Darryll and was lighthearted and fun during our ceremony! Our guests were very pleased & entertained by his presentation of the ceremony and we highly recommend his services! Thank you Michael for adding our special day on such short notice to your calendar of events :)

Mike Backer was wonderful to work with. He made the process simple and easy, he asked intuitive questions and he radiated warmth at the ceremony. His guidance and advice was immensely helpful and we're happy to recommend him highly!

Mike was a blessing to find in this crazy time of 2020 wedding planning. Our original officiant backed out because of health issues and when we reached out to Mike, he responded immediately and we made plans to meet him in person. He was personable and kind and put us both at ease. I appreciated his thoroughness at explaining and offering any options we had in mind for our ceremony. And he made sure to send us the draft with any changes requested quickly. On our wedding day, he kept the mood light and respectful and put everyone at ease! Highly recommend him!!

Micheal was amazing. He was personable and had a great sense of humor. He made our wedding so very special.

We found Michael Backer as a recommendation from our DJ, and after reading some reviews, reached out to set up a meeting. He was very prompt and responsive in setting up a meeting with us at his home office. We can’t stress enough how well Michael dealt with the ever-shifting plans we had due to the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions being enacted; as we postponed our large ceremony a year, our “minimony” consisted of different readers, a different audience, and a different location, all of which he handled superbly. In terms of personalization, Michael does an excellent job of getting to know the couple. We initially discussed what the feeling of the wedding was going to be; he captured our “traditional, but not stuffy” request perfectly. Michael also had us each fill out a two-page questionnaire to answer. He was able to pull bits from the responses, and sprinkle them in to create a level of personalization in the ceremony that felt like he was a longtime friend who was presiding over the ceremony.  In terms of customization, Michael offers an unbelievable amount of choice. His approach is to offer a plethora of options for each part of the ceremony, all contained in a binder to be pieced together to form the ceremony. The selections in the binder span a huge range of traditions (Celtic, Norse, Native American) and religions and he was happy to incorporate readings that we found online and small changes to wording throughout the ceremony. He was very open to cracking an inside joke at the beginning of our ceremony and was mindful of all the wording we requested (we did not want any references to the bride being given away, etc.). We submitted an outline and Michael promptly sent back a complete draft ceremony for review. At our wedding, he brought us a commemorative copy of the ceremony, had printouts for each reader, and took care of mailing in our license very quickly. Overall, we would not hesitate to recommend Michael as an officiant and we look forward to working with him again next year for our vow renewal!

I'm literally tearing up right now writing a review for Mike Backer thinking about how perfect our wedding ceremony was. We had a fall wedding at the Cyprian Keyes venue in Boylston, MA and booked Mike as our officiant based off the recommendation from our coordinator at Cyprian Keyes as well as all of the recommendations online. My husband and I live in Virginia and Mike was able to skype with us, mail us his binder (more on this magical book later!), and work with us to meet in person once before the rehearsal when we visited Massachusetts. Mike is personable, professional, and made us both feel at ease when thinking about our ceremony. We knew that we wanted an outdoor ceremony by a justice of the peace (we’re from two separate religions and this was a good way to compromise on our families’ traditions), but still wanted the ceremony to be special, last at least twenty minutes, and be personal to us as a couple. Mike sent us a magical binder that is literally the best thing in the world – seriously you can spend two weeks googling ideas for your wedding ceremony and get stressed out or you can use Mike’s binder and be actually happy. We took our binder with us to dinner one night and read through it, circling everything we liked over chips and guacamole. We sat down again with it a week or so later and narrowed down to the sections that spoke to us the most and sent the choices to Mike. He made some suggestions to add a few more things and re-order a few things to make sure it was the length we had in mind and flowed well. We loved the rose ceremony he recommended and decided to write our own second reading with Mike’s encouragement that this was our wedding and should be exactly what we wanted. We wrote our own vows and had two readings done by our sisters – Mike printed out what we each were going to say in big font and had it laminated so we didn’t have to worry about having notecards or anything and our sisters didn’t have to worry about carrying anything except their flowers. Mike was in charge for our rehearsal the evening before the wedding and walked us and our wedding party through what was going to happen. We were ready and excited, and just when it couldn’t have been more perfect, it was – Mike had had us both fill out questionnaires about ourselves and our relationship (separately) and send them to him. He took our words and our stories and put them in our ceremony. I had so many family come up to me after the ceremony and tell me that it was so beautiful, and they felt like they actually knew my husband and I better after listening to our ceremony. Mike gave us a take-home keepsake of our ceremony as well, which is beautiful and something we will be able to take out and read on our anniversary. I cannot recommend Mike enough and so thankful that he was a part of our wedding day.

Having Michael as our Justice of the Peace was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. Michael didn't know us at all before we contacted him for his JOP services but you wouldn't know that from the personal and engaging ceremony he performed. Michael takes the time to sit down and get to know you before committing to anything. His ceremony options are extensive and we felt like our ceremony was truly unique to us as a couple. I really appreciated the efficient and involved dress rehearsal; we felt prepared and excited for the big day. After the ceremony we had guests tell us we had one of the best ceremonies they had ever seen. True to mine and my husband's personalities, Michael kept our ceremony light with jokes and laughter and he kept it moving along. Michael was also very quick and responsive with our email communication, I never had to chase him down. I would go back to Michael in a heartbeat (though hopefully I won't have to!).

Michael helped us create our own customized ceremony. He was responsive, helpful and organized. He walked us through the marriage license process and our rehearsal! He was absolutely amazing and everyone raved about his ceremony. We would recommend him without a DOUBT to couples, especially people who want to custom but don't know where to start! He provides a HUGE binder of all types of ceremonies and works with you to create the perfect ceremony for your special day!

Mike Backer was an exceptional Justice of the Peace for our wedding and we could not be happier with the professional services he provided. Firstly, Mike has an extensive and very well-organized binder that allows couples to customize a ceremony out of a selection of various passages and templates. For the rehearsal, Mike was flexible and helpful in ensuring everyone knew where they should be and what they should be doing. During the actual ceremony, Mike had just the right blend of sincerity, humor, and thoughtfulness that made our wedding unforgettable. When the maid of honor fainted during our first kiss, Mike handled the situation gracefully and I'm very glad he was our JP during what could have been an awkward situation. I highly recommend that you consider Mike for your wedding!

Mike Backer was the best JP we could have asked for! He was easy to work with and quick to answer our questions. He gave us a binder so we could pick our entire ceremony which made it feel more personal. At the rehearsal he was calm and made us feel at ease. Our ceremony was perfect with just the right amount of humor. Several guests commented on what a great job he did. We highly recommend Mike!

Michael is great! Our wedding was a month ago and from start to finish he guided us through this very scary and exciting process. His method of approaching the ceremony is efficient and smart. He is a very down to earth guy and adds the perfect amount of humor. He can do all sorts of different ceremonies as well. We had compliments from the guests about him. I can definitely recommend Michael to anyone thinking about hiring him. Awesome all around!!

Mike was great! He was extremely organized and very responsive to emails with questions throughout the planning process! He can customize any type of ceremony you would like(All in the binder he provides for you) Many of our guests asked us if we knew Mike personally because he added such a personal touch to our ceremony. Mike also added a bit of humor, which eased our nerves! I would highly recommend Mike to anyone!

I am not one for a religious ceremony and was nervous about finding an officiant. However, when my husband and I met with him we instantly felt at ease. He had us laughing in the first minute. Not only is he funny, but he also takes great pride in making sure that you have the ceremony that best fits you. He is thoughtful about each choice and suggestion that you make whether religious or not.

My husband and I are beyond happy we used Mike as our Justice of the Peace! He always responded quickly to emails and was very accommodating when scheduling meeting times - whether it was our very first meeting together or our rehearsal the night before the wedding. We had no idea where to start when doing a ceremony, but thankfully Mike gave us a binder full of information and ideas and let us create something that was special and unique to us. Mike was always there whenever we had questions and he made sure we knew exactly what was going on and how things worked. My husband and I both felt extremely comfortable talking to Mike and expressing what we would like and Mike made sure things were done exactly how we wanted them and made sure everything flowed smoothly. Mike was wonderful and professional to work with and made the whole experience relaxing and fun! After the ceremony at our wedding, we had so many guests come up and tell us how much they loved our Justice of the Peace and how that was the best ceremony they ever sat through! We are so thankful we found Mike and can't express how much all of his hard-work means to us! Thank you for making our big day even better, you were the absolute best!!

Great JP. He was funny, had lots of suggestions to make our day perfect and answered emails quickly. I would highly recommend Mike.

Mike did a phenomenal job at creating our perfect ceremony! He was so organized and easy to work with from our initial meeting to our wedding day! You can really tell he lives what he does! Mike made our ceremony perfect and about us which is exactly what we wanted! He is so sweet and funny!

It was an absolute pleasure having Mike Backer as our JP. He was personable, funny and dependable. He was also very flexible with our desire to create a custom ceremony that fit our style and allowed our dog to be included! Mike’s extensive experience, attention to detail and thorough preparation ensured our ceremony was just perfect. It’s been months and our guests still talk about how funny our JP was, how he really painted the perfect picture of “us;" that was exactly the experience we wanted. If you’re considering Mike for a JP, just have a consultation meeting and you’ll be convinced. Thanks Mike!

We are so pleased with our decision to hire Mike Backer to conduct our wedding ceremony. With Mike we were able to customize all components of our ceremony with ease, as he provided us with a large binder which included so many options for openings, remembrances, vows, readings, prayers, etc. We wrote our own vows but Mike framed them with beautiful words, which he clearly projected to the audience with passion and joy. He also proactively informed our photographer of his decision to step out of the frame of vision for our first kiss, and instructed myself and my husband to hold the kiss for X amount of time to ensure the photo is captured. He had the wedding party laughing at the rehearsal, and interacted with the audience the day of the wedding before the ceremony began which set a lovely tone. Our ceremony was beautiful and Mike was such a big part of it.

Mike Backer was everything we could have wanted in our JP. He is professional, helpful, funny, and kind. From our first meeting he was always available and responsive via email to any questions we had. Several months before your wedding, Mike will provide a binder which includes a variety of original material which will serve as a guide for you to use to piece together the custom ceremony you want. There are at least about a dozen different options for each particular part of the ceremony, and Mike is always willing to help you edit his material or write your own to fit what you are looking for. We produced our ceremony over the course of 5 or 6 emails with Mike during which we made changes and edits and Mike responded quickly and with helpful suggestions each time. One area in which we were particularly thankful for Mike's work was the marriage license. He provided us with information about the necessary actions and deadlines throughout our process which really made us feel like we were on top of everything legally related. The binder Mike provides will also have plenty of info on the marriage license. The day of the wedding, Mike delivered our ceremony with the perfect balance of sincerity and humor. He also conducted the wedding rehearsal very professionally, answering any questions anyone may have had and demonstrating a veteran mastery of the practical matters during a ceremony, such as how quickly the party should enter, how to place your hands when applying the rings, and how and when he would step aside to be out of the way during photographs. We had many of our friends and family tell us that our ceremony was the best they had ever seen, including those of their own children! In short, if the knot allowed me to rate 6 stars I would, if you are getting married do yourself a favor and give JP Backer a call. You will be glad you did!

Mike was such a kind and accommodating officiant for my wedding. I was actually planned my wedding from out of state, which required me interviewing and hiring my vendors over the phone, email or Skype. Mike was always available to jump on a call or Skype if I had any questions about the ceremony or marriage license. (He was quick at responding via email, too.) As other reviews noted, Mike does send you a binder of examples for your wedding ceremony. My groom and I worked through it a few times, picking out what we sort of or definitely liked and altering it to really reflect who we are. Mike then created a draft from that, helped us with our vows, and offered his own thoughts (which he confirmed with us) on the script. Mike's delivery and demeanor throughout the ceremony I found to be relaxing - as a very emotional bride, I was quite thankful! He spoke with emotion, kept the audience's attention, and kept the focus on me and my groom.

Michael provides you with a binder that has everything you need to create your personal ceremony. He is very thorough and provides marriage license and name change information. Your ceremony can be 5 minutes or thirty. He's very flexible and professional from beginning to end.

We were both a little nervous and he eased our nerves the day of with his smile and sense of humor. He was very helpful in his meetings and planning and kept us on a timeline. He gave us a binder which allowed us to pick out exactly what we wanted for our introduction, readings, declaration, etc. which is what we wanted... we wanted it to be fitted to our personalities and our relationship, and there were so many options that we were able to put together a ceremony that was very fitting to us. We wrote our own vows and he helped us with that as well. Everyone laughed and everyone cried, which was exactly what we had hoped for. He is so professional and a great JP, we are so happy we worked with him!

Michael Backer was excellent. Mu husband & I both guests had a lot of good things to say about him as well. I would recommend him to anyone.

Mike was such a professional, with just the right amount of comic relief. He made us feel very comfortable with from our first meeting. He gave us so many options for writing out our ceremony and we knew we were in good hands. He also was a great guy to have on the spot when tears came during the vows! I would highly recommend using Justice Backer for a wedding.

Edit Review Mike officiated our wedding this past May (2011) @ Point Breeze in Webster Mass, and we were nothing but pleased with him! He was such a big help with putting together a ceremony that was exactly what my husband and I wanted. He gave us plenty of options and opinions but never pushed us one way or another. He helped us with our rehearsal...making sure we were comfortable with what we were doing before it was over. He has a great personality, sense of humor and was always there via phone/email if i ever had a question or concern. He was there bright and early on wedding day, looking very professional and ready to perform :) When all was done he presented us with a beautiful copy of our "marriage license" (Not the official one, but a copy just to have) and an entire print out of our ceremony on paper with a wedding style background. This was all in a folder, nice and neat. A great keepsake. My husband and I are so thrilled that we found Mike and would gladly recommend him to anyone who needs a JP from Massachusetts!! Thanks Mike!