My West Michigan Wedding

Tom did an amazing job! Was very personable and easy to work with!

Tom was a great officiant for our wedding. His confidence put me and my now husband such at ease knowing he had everything handled. He was genuine and gave us time to absorb the moment around us. He was so accommodating and responsive to any inquiries we had and really guided us to have the best ceremony that was tailored to our individual story as a couple. Could not recommend enough! You won’t be disappointed. 

My husband and I got married in September 2025 in Grand Rapids, and we had Pastor Tom officiate. He was absolutely wonderful to work with and made our day go so smoothly! He really helped to put our nerves at ease and made our ceremony feel very personal and special. We had countless guests come up to us after the ceremony and compliment how great our officiant was, and I could not agree more! I would absolutely recommend him to anyone else getting married in the Grand Rapids area, and we would book him again in a heartbeat if we were to do it all over. Thank you Pastor Tom!  

Pastor Tom Hamel was amazing to work with and made our day very beautiful and smooth. He was flexible and very easy to communicate with and had the most perfect things to say during our ceremony, even bringing comedic elements. I would highly recommend him as your wedding officiant. I'm very pleased and thankful I found him!

Tom is very knowledgeable, professional, and caring. From the introduction call to reminder emails and then assisting us sign our marriage license correctly the day-of, Tom was incredible. Tom is very responsive to any emails and is happy to answer any questions that you may have about the process. His forms that he has you fill out makes the process easy and very customizable for your wedding ceremony. You can tell that Tom has lots of experience with weddings of all kinds and is happy to make your wedding unique to fit who you are as a couple. Tom is a great choice for your wedding officiant!

Tom was extremely thorough throughout the whole process from inquiry to wedding day. He knows what he’s doing and he does it well, all while being assuring, accommodating, and a pleasure to have by our side!

We chose Tom to officiate over our wedding because his reviews were great and I liked his story. Fast forward to our wedding day, my Wife and I were very pleased with how natural the ceremony was. It was like Tom knew us personally. Pre and post ceremony communication was spot on and left us feeling at ease. He did a fantastic job, remembered everyone’s name, and coached us through a perfect ceremony. We highly recommend Tom (http://www.mywestmichiganwedding.com/)

Andy was great. He arrived on time and looked very professional. I liked that we were able to customize our vows.

Working with Tom was great! We loved getting to put together our vows and ceremony with him! He is very knowledgeable and was great at explaining the name changing process! During our ceremony, he was hilarious! Every guest was raving all night how down to earth, but funny he was! It was the best combination for us! We wanted romantic/serious, but lighthearted/funny when allowed! The ceremony truly felt like us!

Tom was amazing! My husband is religious, but I am not as religious. Tom did an amazing job incorporating just the right amount of religion we wanted in our ceremony. He made the ceremony so personal and comfortable, and eased all of our stress. I would 100% recommend Tom to friends, family, or anyone looking for an officiant. We are blessed to have had him in our wedding.

We can't say enough good things about Tom Hammel from My West Michigan Weddings! From the moment we started working with him, he was so easy to communicate with and truly took the time to understand what we wanted for our ceremony. The ceremony he crafted was absolutely beautiful—personalized, heartfelt, and perfectly tailored to our vision. His delivery was spot-on, and he kept the mood light and fun while still maintaining the elegance of the occasion. It was exactly what we were looking for, and we couldn't have asked for a better officiant. Tom made our wedding day even more special, and we highly recommend him to any couple looking for a meaningful and enjoyable ceremony!

Tom did an amazing job crafting our ceremony and making it personal to us. We have had so many guests share with us that he led one of the best wedding ceremonies that they've seen, which is absolutely something you want to hear about your special day! We had a great experience working with Tom, and highly recommend him to lead your wedding ceremony. For my husband and I, we did not want the ceremony to be too religious, and Tom did a great job accommodating our request for this.

Tom was awesome! He showed up early and was very professional. He worked with us on how we wanted our ceremony every step of the way. My (now) husband was very nervous going into the ceremony and Tom helped us relax, cracked a few jokes and had our guests laughing. We can’t express how grateful we are and how happy we are that we chose Tom for our ceremony!

Tom officiated our wedding in July and did a wonderful job! He is a great public speaker and he really felt like the right fit for us. We got lots of compliments about him after the wedding too! He was confident, kind and threw in a little humor in too. He has a very nice website where you can easily organize and choose how you want your ceremony to go and customize everything beforehand. It's very convenient! He was also a great help walking us through the marriage license process and explaining it all. I would highly recommend him!

Our Wedding Day would have never made sense without Tom Officiating it. Tom understood our story and did a great job making our request and beautiful day happen. Words aren’t enough to describe how incredible he did; from the start, he greeted us with excitement and closeness and throughout the entire ceremony he made us feel calm, comfortable and made us laugh and share tears together. I loved the way he conveyed the importance of our commitment. I tear up just thinking about it. Happy tears though! It was a once in a life time moment for us and we couldn’t have asked for a better officiant. Tom, we are so grateful for you forever!

Tom officiated our wedding last weekend and did an excellent job! Right from the beginning, his detailed questionnaire helped us think through what we really wanted in our ceremony. Tom helped us have the perfect ceremony that truly reflected our relationship and values. He encouraged us to relax and enjoy our special moment. I wouldn't change a thing! Our guests had nothing but good things to say about our ceremony and a couple of them might be reaching out for their own weddings! Thank you, Tom, for helping us make our day special. Jana & Billy

Tom is such a great guy. If you are in need of an officiant, look no further. We received so many compliments on how perfectly our ceremony was conducted. We chose to not have a rehearsal dinner and pursued Tom’s day of coordination services, very much worth it. He was excellent at communicating with us prior to the big day and made us feel super comfortable on the day of. Thank you, Tom!

Tom did an awesome job. He helped make the process personal yet easy. The ceremony was just right. He was professional, personable and performed just what we wanted

Tom led us through things flawlessly leading up to the ceremony, and during the ceremony too. We are able to relax and let ourselves enjoy the moment on the day. Tom was tremendously helpful, easy to talk to, and we got a lot of comments about how well he ran the ceremony from our guests. We are happy to have found him and can highly recommend.

Tom was amazing. Super professional and prepared but also comfortable and down to earth. We were so happy to have picked him to be our officiant. Highly recommended to anyone looking!

Tom was SO wonderful to work with! Multiple guests complimented him, asking us if he was a family friend due to how personable he was. Additionally, he was quick to reply to emails and was able to answer all of our questions. We were getting married out of state and he was also able to help us navigate applying for our marriage license. On the day of the wedding, Tom took the time to meet with us before the ceremony and answered all questions we had and clarified what exactly we were wanting. Tom was an absolute pleasure to work with and made planning our ceremony so easy and stress free. My husband and I are so glad we trusted Tom to play such a role in our special day!

Tom was amazing and made the whole process special and specific to us. We were able to add in or take away anything that we needed. I would definitely recommend doing a rehearsal with Tom. It eased a lot of nerves that my husband and I were having. He made the day fun! 11/10 would recommend!

We had the pleasure of having Tom Hamel as our officiant for our wedding at BayPointe Inn in Shelbyville, MI. Tom was an amazing officiant for our wedding, and we are so grateful for his support and guidance. From answering our emails promptly to ensuring the entire process was stress-free, Tom respected our wishes perfectly for how we wanted the ceremony to run. Many of our guests commented on how well the ceremony was conducted. Tom kept us in the loop every step of the way and coached us through the ceremony flawlessly, allowing us to enjoy the moment without worry. We highly recommend Tom to anyone looking for a top-notch officiant.

Tom Hamel made our wedding day ceremony seamless with no added stress to us. From booking to the day of his system for choosing your vows, adding your religious preferences, and making sure everything was what you wanted was simple. Tom made sure to check in the day prior to ensure everything was ready and we had no questions. He checked in with me day of in the bridal suite to ensure our preferences as well and left nothing open to questions. He made me feel at ease and gave me no worries about our ceremony. He was a calming presence during the ceremony, reminded us all we had to do was enjoy each others presence and hold hands and he would guide us through the rest! His ceremony was perfect and knew when to add jokes to and kept the crowd engaged and laughing. Tom even mails your marriage license for you and handles all things needed after the ceremony for you. I could not recommend Tom more for your ceremony. You would not regret hiring him. He is amazing to work with and so kind and thoughtful. Could not recommend Tom Hamel more! Do yourself a favor and choose him for a perfect ceremony.

Tom Hamel is the wedding expert! We really had no idea what we were doing and he took the reins and made us feel like we were in good hands and the wedding went off without a hitch! He is worth more than he asks, truly! You won’t regret hiring him!

Tom was fantastic!!!! I highly recommend him to everyone! He made the process so easy and he listen and made the ceremony just how we hoped it would be! Our wedding was simple, small and a blended family but he made everyone feel at ease and it was a joy to work with him! Thanks again Tom!

Great experience with Tom. We wanted something lowkey and Tom was awesome.

Tom was incredible! He made creating our ceremony easy, and made it feel like us! Both myself and my fiancé are Catholic and were disappointed when we could not be married at our chosen location by a priest. However, Tom took elements from our religion and our personal preferences and created a ceremony that was much better than we could have dreamed of. Everyone raved about how relatable, funny and easy it was to listen to Tom. He made sure we were well taken care of before and on the day of our wedding. We cannot say enough good things about him and would recommend him to anyone and everyone. Thank you so much Tom, -Bre & Steve

Tom was great! He was very professional and very knowledgeable about the process, he made sure to ask us questions to get to know us first and make sure our day was perfect.

Tom Hamel was wonderful. He really made the ceremony feel like it was authentically us, our friends and family all thought that he was a family friend! I would recommend him to anyone needing an officiant for their wedding.

Tom is an amazing officiant. The process from start to finish was seamless and stress free. Tom is professional and kind. He knows what he is doing and led a great ceremony. I would recommend him in a heartbeat. Thanks Tom!

Tom was just awesome. Not only did he know every step of the way, but he created, customizing, and helping our ceremony to just flow on the big day. One of the biggest things that will always stick with me was when I finished helping get my two youngest sons dressed I barely had time to realize I had 30 minutes myself to get ready. As I was finishing up I had just a couple of minutes to recall how to do my tie. Tom came down to check on me and graciously helped me to get my tie knotted. The rest of the day was perfect and his professionalism helped the ceremony go smoothly. His experience and preparations were just awesome. Highly recommended.

Tom did an absolutely amazing job with our wedding. We have received numerous compliments from our guests on how wonderful he was. He made it feel as though he has known us for years. I cannot recommend him enough! He is very professional and makes the whole ceremony run smoothly and the entire process was so easy to personalize. You won't regret having Tom as a part of your big day!

Tom does an amazing job at every ceremony he does. Being a Venue owner I have seen him perform lot's of Ceremonies. Whether he is doing the ceremony as a pastor or officiant he is kind, professional, organized, and has great way with words. Anyone looking for a pastor or officiant look no further, Tom will do an amazing job!

Tom was amazing to work with and I would recommend him to anyone! He made us feel at ease and our day run smoothly.

The experience we had with My West Michigan Wedding was nothing short of excellent. Our Officiant, Tom F. Hamel was professional, prompt, and proactive. He had every step of his pre-wedding, ceremony, and post-wedding steps nailed down to the T - in such a way that any anxiety related to the ceremony (outside of music concerns and other details) simply melted away for us. Tom's demeanor during the ceremony allowed us to enjoy the moment, while still having a guiding hand in case we needed to make adjustments or repeat a given line. He also had a great candid moment when the rings were presented, and incorporated that moment of amusement as a sharing of joy (and hilarity) with those present. While our ceremony was only 30 minutes in length, Tom efficiently uses that time to make it very meaningful and joyous to all in attendance. We cannot recommend him enough!

Tom was WONDERFUL!!! He was the officiant for our wedding on 9/23/23 at the Kindel Room and did a fabulous job. Starting from the beginning when we did our intro call with him, it was immediately evident to us that Tom was incredibly kind, thoughtful, caring, and experienced.....everything we were looking for! His booking and communication was quick, thorough, clear, and easy. Most importantly, Tom offered unlimited flexibility in our ceremony planning and set up, as well as supplied tons of ideas for wedding readings, writing our own vows, and the overall flow. His ceremony planning process offered numerous different choices or wordings of how you would like things done (more or less religious, more or less romantic, etc), and he was more than happy to change out/edit certain things we wanted altered! Once we supplied him with the 2 different readings we were having family do, he even suggested where they would fit best in the overall ceremony which was SO helpful. Tom has such a gift for officiating and immediately made us feel at ease on a day when our nerves were at an all time high! He used the perfect blend of seriousness with light (and totally appropriate) humor that went over SO well with our group. We got tons of compliments on the ceremony and.....as a true professional.....he stepped to the side during our first kiss photo to give us a clear background! Tom was amazing and I would HIGHLY recommend him to anyone and everyone looking for a wedding officiant :)

Tom was amazing!! The ceremony was short which was great. Everyone enjoyed the ceremony and could not say enough great things about Tom. I would 10/10 recommend him to anyone. At one point my husband was nervous as being the bride, I filled out the form about the ceremony. Tom made him feel comfortable. If you want an officiant that is kind, easy to communicate with, and brings ease to your wedding, book him as your officiant, you will not regret it.

We can't say enough great things about Tom coming out of our wedding. He was responsive, listened to our wants & needs, and was a huge hit during our ceremony. His professionalism and humor were top-tier, and he helped a few slip-ups during our ceremony seem insignificant. Highly recommend Tom to anyone looking for a best-in-class officiant.

Tom was amazing to work with and even provided a walk through document to help build our ceremony script. He made it heartfelt and also made our guests laugh. Will recommend to anyone getting married in west Michigan.

Very professional, pleasure to work with. A really great guy and would recommend him to others

Tom was the officiant at our wedding and he did a great job! I'm assuming we did things a little differently from the norm since our wedding was blending Western and Eastern elements in the ceremony. This includes reading a Chinese poem and doing a Chinese unity ceremony. Tom took the effort to learn the correct pronunciations for some words when we told him he didn't have to and took the time to understand the significance behind what we were doing. Tom was very accommodating and blended his own personal elements into the ceremony that complemented what we wanted very well! There were a couple of discrepancies prior to the ceremony about what we discussed via Google Meet. These were minor details about when to sign the marriage license, but this did not impact our day, just a little miscommunication that caused a little confusion. Overall we would recommend Tom, regardless if you're planning on doing something traditional, unique, or a blend of both! Thanks, Tom!