Cottage Grove Officiants + Premarital Counseling

Lori Dahl, Wedding Officiant

Lori Dahl, Wedding Officiant and Officiant Consult

Southern WI and surrounding areas

Service area

5.0

Praised by couples for:

Officiant

Great Planner

Marriage License & Certificate

Lori was such a special part of our wedding day—we truly couldn’t imagine the ceremony without her. She made everything feel so personal and heartfelt, and her warmth and presence instantly put us (and our guests) at ease. She took the time to get to know us and crafted a ceremony that felt so “us,” with the perfect mix of emotion, humor, and love. We got so many compliments from guests about how beautiful and meaningful it was. Lori is a gem, and we’re so grateful she was part of our day!

Lauren B.

5.0

Lori was phenomenal in every way. She has such a kind, genuine heart, and it’s clear that she truly loves what she does. Having someone so warm and enthusiastic officiate our wedding was the perfect way to start our marriage. Lori made the whole process easy—she reminded us when to sign and order our marriage license, provided a range of sample ceremonies (from religious to simple to completely custom), and gave us the flexibility to include family readings if we wanted. Even though I brought printed readings for my family members, Lori came prepared with large-print versions—perfect for older readers—which just shows how thoughtful and prepared she is. She also checked in with us the morning of the wedding to make sure we were aligned on the plan, which gave me so much peace of mind. Lori played such a big role in making our day as special as it was. If you’re looking for an officiant, she’s the one. She’s worth every penny and then some.

Faith T.

5.0

Lori Dahl

OWNER

Typically responds within 24h

AWARD WINNER

Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot

If you're reading this, it means you're engaged and planning a wedding, so congrats to you! I hope that wedding planning is going well in this crazy world we live in! I've been lazy about asking for reviews but if you would like reviews, I've got a ton of couples I could check in with! I've done almost 300 weddings and love each and every couple I've officiated for! I love being a part of such a special day for a couple getting married! And that means ANY couple getting married, whether you are gay, straight, blue, purple, short, or tall because everyone deserves happiness! I can help you plan your rehearsal and ceremony and answer any and all the questions you have along the way. I want to help you make your wedding ceremony exactly what YOU want! OR, if you have a family member or friend that you'd like to officiate your wedding but you and they don't know quite how to go about it, I can be an Officiant Consultant to guide your family member or friend through every step of officiating from start to finish! Thank you for viewing my information and please contact me if you have any questions or want to meet. We could meet in person or by Zoom, FaceTime, Skype, etc., I'm flexible! For pricing, please contact me because every wedding is different. My range is $400-$700. Please look through my picture gallery. Over the years I've made a point to take a selfie with each couple after their ceremony and each is such a special memory for me! I also have more information and pictures on my Facebook page so please check me out and like my page: Lori Dahl, Wedding Officiant. Congrats again and happy wedding planning!

Woman-owned Business

17+ years in business

Speaks English

Just me

Details

Ceremony Types

Civil Union

Commitment Ceremony

Interfaith Ceremony

Non-Religious Ceremony

Religious Ceremony

Second Wedding

Vow Renewal Ceremony

Religious Affiliations

Spiritual

Wedding Activities

After The Wedding

Wedding

Ceremony

Awards and Affiliations

2019 'Best of Weddings'

Join couples who chose award-winning vendors for their wedding

Meet the team

Lori Dahl

Owner

A little about me....I'm a mom of identical twin 20 year old boys, I live in Cottage Grove, I'm also a photographer, and for my 'day' job I'm a court clerk I have an amazing boyfriend, and I have a busy, fun, and wonderful life. How I got my start: in 2009 my girlfriends and I were having wine and discussing my friend Keri's upcoming wedding. She was getting married outside and was nervous about finding an officiant. Someone jokingly said 'have Lori do it'. So I did it, and the rest is history! I found out how much I love it, and how much it means to a couple to find an officiant that is a perfect fit!

5.0

out of 5.0

25 reviews

Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

Search reviews

Lauren B

9/07/2025

Lori was such a special part of our wedding day—we truly couldn’t imagine the ceremony without her. She made everything feel so personal and heartfelt, and her warmth and presence ...

instantly put us (and our guests) at ease. She took the time to get to know us and crafted a ceremony that felt so “us,” with the perfect mix of emotion, humor, and love. We got so many compliments from guests about how beautiful and meaningful it was. Lori is a gem, and we’re so grateful she was part of our day!

Faith T

6/05/2025

Lori was phenomenal in every way. She has such a kind, genuine heart, and it’s clear that she truly loves what she does. Having someone so warm and enthusiastic officiate our weddi...

ng was the perfect way to start our marriage. Lori made the whole process easy—she reminded us when to sign and order our marriage license, provided a range of sample ceremonies (from religious to simple to completely custom), and gave us the flexibility to include family readings if we wanted. Even though I brought printed readings for my family members, Lori came prepared with large-print versions—perfect for older readers—which just shows how thoughtful and prepared she is. She also checked in with us the morning of the wedding to make sure we were aligned on the plan, which gave me so much peace of mind. Lori played such a big role in making our day as special as it was. If you’re looking for an officiant, she’s the one. She’s worth every penny and then some.

Any questions?

Sylvia J

12/08/2021

Lori is an absolute gem and superstar! She is a wealth of information and so sweet. Lori loves what she does, even got choked up during our ceremony. 💗 I would use her services ag...

ain in a heartbeat...highly recommend!

Jessica S

9/15/2020

I couldn't imagine my ceremony without Lori, so much so we asked her to be the officient for our vow renewal during our reception next year (dang covid). She was on top of everythi...

ng and really made our day stress-free and everything we could have hoped for.

Stephanie S

6/15/2020

If you want a ceremony that is uniquely yours, then Lori is the one you are looking for. Lori put together a ceremony with details from our story and made the day even more speci...

al. She is very easy to talk with and and listens to your wants/needs. Our original marriage plans were significantly altered due to the pandemic and Lori was amazing with all the changes as well. Five stars doesn’t even do her true justice to how special she helped our Plan B wedding be.

Response from Lori Dahl, Wedding Officiant on 06/15/2020

You sweetheart! Thank you so much for the wonderful review! I was honored to officiate. ...

Your wedding was beautiful and I was so happy to be a part of it. Your busy adorable son made everything that much more special. Congrats again to you guys!!

Allison S

7/02/2019

Lori is amazing! She worked with us to create the perfect ceremony. We wanted it to be more spiritual and she sent us many options we could look at. In the end she helped us create...

the most perfect ceremony script. She arrives early for any last minute questions and is willing to help out in any way you need! Would 100 percent recommend her!

Margaret F

5/11/2019

Lori was the perfect officiant for us. She is very real, had a great perspective on the best parts of the ceremony and had a wonderful upbeat attitude that put an extra glow on ou...

r experience. She went out of her way to help with streamliNing the logistics of our marriage license. We totally recommend Lori!

Grace R

4/30/2019

Everything worked out great, Lori was perfect and super willing to help with whatever we needed (including writing down my vows because I forgot my copy!). Very responsive and achi...

eved the type of "non-traditional" ceremony that we wanted. Would definitely recommend her!

Elisabeth K

1/17/2019

I would give more stars if I could! My husband and I connected with Lori right away and I think that is so important when choosing an officiant. My ceremony was perfect thanks to h...

er.

Amanda C

1/16/2019

Lori was amazing! I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for an officiant!

Emily M

1/16/2019

Lori was awesome! She listened to my requests and hit it dead on! My ceremony was exactly what we wanted it to be! She was very helpful in fixing a problem at the clerks office the...

had the wrong city listed for our venue. I even called and told then I thought it was wrong and it wouldn't have been fixed if it wasn't for her! She also helped in the steps afterward with turning in our license and getting my name changed. She is seriously the best and I would recommend Lori to everyone!

Carly S

1/16/2019

Lori is THE BEST. We wanted a ceremony based on love and comittment and that is exactly what Lori created for us. She is so down to Earth and despite only meeting a handful of time...

s before our big day, felt like someone we’ve known all our lives. She took time to curate a ceremony reflective of our personalities and wishes, all while providing her input and direction based on her extensive experience. Lori also made the process of applying for the marriage license and the technical work after the wedding a breeze. She is truly a professional and the best at what she does!!

Nicole J

11/04/2018

Lori was wonderful!! She said she would make our ceremony what we wanted and she sure did that! It was so perfect! We got a lot of compliments on our ceremony and officiant! She h...

elped make the ceremony readings go smoothly and easy transitions from one thing to the next. She came to the rehearsal the night before and gave any advice we needed! She is so sweet, easy to talk to and has a great sense of humor! I would highly recommend Lori! She helped make our wedding day perfect!

Jen K

10/22/2018

We can't say enough about Lori Dahl!! From the first time we met with her, she made us feel at ease and was so easy to talk to. Very down to earth. She told us this is our weddin...

g and she will make it what we want..and she surely did that. Lori came to the rehearsal the night before..we would have been lost without her. She felt like a wedding planner and officiant in one person! She made sure everything went smoothly and a day we will never forget. We highly recommend Lori Dahl.

Brittany S

9/25/2018

Lori is wonderful!! My only regret is that she couldn't spend time celebrating with us after our ceremony. She was nice enough to accommodate our wedding even though she had someth...

ing else planned that same day. She was great to work with and answered any questions we had! She went ABOVE and beyond our expectations. I can't say enough great things about her!

Kelsey H

6/10/2018

Lori was such a great officiant!! She was so organized and did exactly as we asked for our ceremony. She also had a ton of great advice, always willing to help, and a great sense o...

f humor! I’m so glad we came across Lori on the knot!!!

Lacy B

5/25/2018

Lori was everything we could have wished for and more. She made our day SO special and worked closely with us to make our ceremony exactly how we wanted it. We didn't know Lori be...

fore she did our wedding, but you would have never known that - from an outside perspective it would have seemed as if we had an old friend officiating our wedding for us, as she knew exactly how to make our day perfect for us. If you want an officiant who really cares about making your day special and does a fantastic job, go with Lori - you will not be disappointed.

Amanda L

3/14/2018

Lori is amazing. She went above and beyond. In addition to officiating a custom wedding template of her own creation. She took the time to get to know my wife and I as people, she ...

met with us in person before hand and was never more then a quick email away though out the entire process. After the ceremony my wife and I were surprised to see a friend request from her on Facebook, because She wanted to keep up with her couples. We just affirms in our mind that this is/was so much more than a business transaction. We are so truly happy with our decision to choose Lori.

Response from Lori Dahl, Wedding Officiant on 05/14/2018

This review brought tears to my eyes! Thank you so much! I hope married life is treating...

you guys well! And I love keeping up with you guys on FB. You're such awesome couple!!

Anna G

12/12/2017

I would highly recommend Lori as your wedding officiant. She added so many special elements to our wedding day. It was very meaningful and a quite adventurous! Her presence brought...

joy and laughter along with sincere professionalism. I can't imagine a better fit. Thanks again Lori!

Sarah P

12/12/2017

We absolutely adore Lori! My husband and I could not have found nor asked for a better, not only officiant, but person to help us celebrate our marriage on our wedding day. Lori is...

so kind, and understanding; she will walk through any questions with you, or any problems. She will incorporate what you and your spouse are looking for in your ceremony. She will guide you, share her input and experience but also will allow you to create your own masterpiece (if that is what you are want). I needed guidance, and she was there for me--always responding to my emails, whether long or short. She helped us create something special that was unique for our family. We will always remember our wedding day, and that is in such a large part to Lori. We could never thank her enough. Even looking back now at our wedding photographs, we can tell how truly engaged Lori was during our ceremony and also her genuine emotion. She's such a kind person, and like I said--we could never thank her enough for the role she played in our wedding day.

Leah R

12/08/2017

Lori is really the best...I should know, she married my husband and I three times...long story. Anyway, she has a way of making the ceremony very personal with a touch of humor. Sh...

e really goes above and beyond. Hire her! You won’t regret it!

Lori N

12/08/2017

We were so happy to have Lori Dahl officiate our wedding in Wi Dell's, WI . She was so easy going and a delight to work with . She helped us write our vows which were perfectly wr...

itten . Our ceremony was short and sweet , which was exactly what we asked for ! I definitely recommend her to anyone who is getting married !

Danielle G

12/08/2017

Are you looking for the best? Then stop looking, you’ve found her! I HIGHLY recommend Lori Dahl! We got married in Florida and she did everything needed for an out of state weddin...

g and more! She handles all weddings in Wisconsin and is phenomenal! She is organized, punctual, can handle large and rowdy crowds, she’s so sweet and most importantly FUN! Check her post and see her featured on the knot! She’s AMAZING! She made sure I had everything in order and knew what to expect. She even helped us incorporate my sister in law who was supposed to be my MOH but ended up having a baby the same week. Lori was able to see the bigger picture and came up with a new spot for her to do our reading! His family and sister loved it! Lori is truly one in a million!

Sara C

12/08/2017

Lori was one of the best parts of our Wedding! She was super friendly and spot on with what we were looking for in an officiant. She was great at keeping in touch with us from the ...

first time we contacted her. She helped us create our own ceremony and write our vows. She helped us through the whole process and was there anytime we had a question. She kept our ceremony short and sweet which was exactly how we wanted it. We have had many guests tell us how perfect and warm our ceremony was and how much they loved our officiant. She was an absolute delight to work with, very friendly and professional. I would definitely recommend her!

Response from Lori Dahl, Wedding Officiant on 12/08/2017

You sweet girl, thank you so much for this review! I so appreciate it!!!

Megan P

12/08/2017

Lori and I met at a wedding where she was officiating, and I was taking pictures. I hope someday our paths cross again. I was so impressed with her compassion towards the bride and...

groom, as well as her fun loving touch while officiating. When we arrived at the venue, she met the bride with a smile, and had a prepared "pep-talk" to calm any pre-wedding jitters. During the ceremony, Lori helped to integrate the whole family and seamlessly included the bride and groom's children to help the newly joined family celebrate their love. If you are looking for an officiant, look no further. You will not regret having Lori there on your big day to make sure all things go off without a hitch!

Response from Lori Dahl, Wedding Officiant on 12/08/2017

Your review made my heart happy...thank you!! Such a pleasure meeting you and working wit...

h you! I hope our paths cross again someday!

Contact

(608) 358-1575

Curious to learn more?

Start the convo

*=Required

Use this secure form to reach out and share your wedding vision.

Lori Dahl, Wedding Officiant

Lori Dahl

Owner

Typically responds within 24h

Lori Dahl, Wedding Officiant's photos

Why use The Knot to message vendors?

Messaging our verified vendors on The Knot is free, safe and secure.
Conveniently track vendor messages and planning details all in one place.
Our mobile apps make it easy to stay in touch with vendors while you're on‑the‑go.
For personalized pricing and package details, sending the vendor a message is the fastest way to get info.

Lori Dahl, Wedding Officiant

About this vendor

Wedding vendors in Cottage Grove

Why use The Knot to message vendors?