Brooklyn Officiants + Premarital Counseling

Rabbi Brian Denker

Jewish, Interfaith, Same Sex & Civil Weddings

serving NYC Long Island , NJ & New York Metropolitan area.

Service area

Rabbi Brian Denker

OWNER

Typically responds within 24h

AWARD WINNER (2X)

Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot

Rabbi Brian Denker is a wedding officiant servicing the New York City Metropolitan area including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Bronx and Long Island. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community himself, Rabbi Brian takes pride in providing inclusive, diverse services for to-be-weds. He delights in working with couples to create one-of-a-kind ceremonies that truly reflect their unique relationships while also honoring age-old Jewish traditions. "Rabbi Brian received overwhelmingly positive reviews for his personalized, inclusive, and heartfelt ceremonies. Couples appreciated his attention to detail, understanding of different faiths, and ability to make the ceremonies meaningful and special. He was commended for his responsiveness, professionalism, and flexibility in crafting ceremonies that reflected the couples' unique stories and beliefs. Guests praised his eloquence, humor, and ability to explain traditions, making the ceremonies enjoyable and memorable. Overall, Rabbi Brian was highly recommended for his exceptional officiating services that made weddings truly special and unforgettable." Rabbi Brian Denker has extensive experience working with those planning Jewish, interfaith, non-denominational, and LGBTQIA+ ceremonies. This officiant finds joy in supporting couples and families throughout all life-cycle events, in addition to weddings. He loves helping couples create experiences and memories that will last a lifetime while incorporating the traditions their ancestors have passed down from generation to generation. Rabbi Brian Denker is honored to get to know couples and share in the joy of their beautiful celebrations. Before the special day itself, this officiant is happy to provide to-be-weds with premarital counseling services. To ensure that the ceremony is as seamless as possible, Rabbi Brian can arrange rehearsals. This officiant can guide to-be-weds throughout the sacrament and also invites them to write their own vows if they wish. He is also available for vow renewals to commemorate the start of new chapters for years to come. In addition to being an officiant, Rabbi Brian is an active member of the International Federation of Rabbis, a Chaplain with the New York State Chaplain Taskforce and New York State Fraternal Order of Police.

LGBTQ+-owned Business

Details

Ceremony Types

Civil Union

Commitment Ceremony

Elopement

Interfaith Ceremony

Non-Religious Ceremony

Religious Ceremony

Second Wedding

Vow Renewal Ceremony

Religious Affiliations

Buddhist

Christian

Catholic

Protestant

Interfaith

Jewish

Conservative

Reform

Secular

Spiritual

Unitarian

Wedding Activities

After The Wedding

Getting Engaged

Premarital Counseling

Wedding

Ceremony

Awards and Affiliations

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Meet the team

Rabbi Brian Denker

Owner

As an openly Gay Rabbi, I work with Jewish, Interfaith and Same-sex couples and families across all lifecycle events, helping to create memories that will last a lifetime while continuing to bind us to the rituals & traditions of our people passed down from generation to generation. I am an active member of the International Federation of Rabbis and a Chaplain with the New York State Chaplain Taskforce & Chaplain Member of the New York State Fraternal Order of Police working as a leading voice and advocate for policies and programs of greater diversity, acceptance, and inclusion for all.

5.0

out of 5.0

34 reviews

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Review Summary

This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.

Rabbi Brian is highly praised by couples for his exceptional work as an officiant for weddings, particularly interfaith ceremonies in New York City. Reviewers commend his warmth, inclusivity, and respect for different traditions. Rabbi Brian's ability to personalize ceremonies by incorporating personal stories and humor is highlighted, creating meaningful and unforgettable experiences for couples and their guests. The attention to detail, responsiveness, and professionalism of Rabbi Brian are also noted, earning him glowing recommendations from those who have worked with him.

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Lauren M

Highlighted review.

12/17/2025

It is hard to put into words just how much care Rabbi Brian put into our wedding ceremony. From our very first meeting, before we even committed to moving forward with him, he guid...

ed us through thoughtful questions that helped us articulate our connection to one another and to our Jewish heritage. My husband and I are not particularly religious in the observant sense, but we care deeply about our culture and honoring tradition. Rabbi Brian helped us reconnect to that by reminding us that being Jewish, at its core, is about always doing the right thing, something that has been a guiding light throughout our relationship. Rabbi Brian also beautifully wove stories from our life together and our relationship journey into the ceremony in a way that felt completely effortless and natural. He made it feel as though he had been along for the ride of our six year relationship, even though we had only met him a short while ago. His attention to detail is truly unmatched, and it meant the world to us. Beyond how meaningful working with Rabbi Brian was for us, our guests have raved about how enjoyable and engaging our ceremony was. My husband and I do not take ourselves too seriously, and Rabbi Brian allowed our personalities to shine throughout the entire experience. He joked, poked fun, and had the room laughing one moment, then moved everyone to tears of joy the next. He truly honored who we are as a couple while staying true to tradition. We are incredibly grateful to have found Rabbi Brian. We look forward to recommending him to everyone we can and to including him in our family milestones for years to come.

Debbie M

12/28/2025

Rabbi Denker was a pleasure to work with for my son's wedding. I am out of state and he put me at ease that he had the entire ceremony handled. He walked us through everything we n...

eeded to have on hand, more than once, without losing patience. His explanation of the ketubah, during the signing, brought me to tears. As this was an interfaith service, he explained the Jewish traditions that were incorporated very beautifully. Rabbi Denker did a great job following my son and daughter-in-law's wishes as to what should be included in the wedding.

Any questions?

Lindsay S

12/11/2025

Rabbi Brian made our ceremony better than I could've hoped for! He was so genuine and truly took the time to get to know us which made it so personal and special. His words and kin...

dness made the day so much easier I would highly recommend him!!

Jacqueline L

10/27/2025

Rabbi Brian did a wonderful job encapsulating the ceremony with a spiritual sense of humor and emotional depth. There was not a dry eye in the audience due to both laughter and the...

significance of our commitment. Throughout the night our guests made a point of telling us how beautiful the ceremony was and what a fantastic officiant Rabbi Brian had been. He truly dedicated the time to get to know my husband and I to craft such a personal and deeply intimate ceremony. Thank you so much again Rabbi Brian for making our special day all the more magical.

Jennifer L

8/14/2025

Rabbi Brian did an absolutely amazing job with our wedding ceremony! He really took the time to get to know us as a couple and customize our ceremony according to our personalities...

and interests. He was very happy to accommodate our request to have my Uncle (who happens to be a Catholic priest) speak during the ceremony. We’ve received so many compliments from guests regarding the joyous and love-filled vibe of our ceremony and that is largely due to Rabbi Brian. I would definitely recommend Rabbi Brian for anyone who is looking to have a reformed, meaningful wedding.

Priscilla C

7/24/2025

We had the absolute pleasure of having Rabbi Brian as our officiant for our interfaith wedding in New York City, and we couldn’t be more grateful. From the start, he was kind, thou...

ghtful, and deeply respectful of our wishes. He took the time to meet with us several times, learning about our backgrounds and helping us craft a ceremony that beautifully incorporated both Jewish and Catholic traditions. Rabbi Brian created a warm, inclusive, and magical atmosphere that truly reflected who we are as a couple. The ceremony was everything we had hoped for—deeply meaningful and full of love—and it simply would not have been the same without him. We highly recommend Rabbi Brian for interfaith weddings and formal Jewish events. He is compassionate, professional, and prioritizes creating a unique experience for each couple.

Dani G

7/22/2025

We are so grateful to Rabbi Denker for officiating our wedding ceremony. He was absolutely wonderful—warm, thoughtful, and engaging. He captured the spirit of our relationship so b...

eautifully and struck the perfect balance of tradition and humor. So many of our guests commented on what a fantastic job he did. The ceremony felt personal, meaningful, and truly reflective of us as a couple. We couldn’t have asked for more.

Alexis M

7/07/2025

It was an absolute blessing that we found Rabbi Brian while searching for an officiant ahead of our wedding. Our wedding was interfaith - Jewish & Catholic. From our first convers...

ation, my fiancé & I knew that Rabbi Brian would be the perfect person to help us celebrate our special day. He is such a calming presence, is kind, patient, inclusive, funny, informative, & responsive. While I myself am not Jewish, Rabbi Brian took the time to explain & help me understand all of the components of our ceremony that were part of my fiancé's Jewish faith. It truly felt as though every step of the process from planning to the actual ceremony was natural & perfect for us. Our guests are still talking about how incredible our ceremony was - a perfect balance of tradition, humor, & personalization. Rabbi Brian helped us customize our ceremony & was sure to translate everything he said in Hebrew into English & to explain the significance of certain parts of the ceremony so that everyone felt included. My favorite part of our wedding day was the Bedeken - the veiling ceremony. This happened immediately prior to the ceremony & was so special - almost meditative in a way. Rabbi Brian truly has a gift in what he does & it has been such an honor to get to know him!

Nicole G

7/02/2025

We were incredibly fortunate to have Rabbi Brian as a co-officiant at our interfaith wedding. From the very beginning, he was warm, communicative, and deeply respectful of both of ...

our traditions. He took the time to walk us through all of our options, helping us understand what elements could be included and how to thoughtfully blend our faiths. Rabbi Brian went above and beyond to support us throughout the entire planning process — always just a phone call away if we had any questions, big or small. He worked hand in hand with our priest to craft a ceremony that was meaningful, balanced, and truly reflective of who we are as a couple. The result was more than we could have hoped for — a ceremony that felt deeply personal and inclusive. Our guests have not stopped raving about how beautiful and seamless the interweaving of traditions was. We’re so grateful for Rabbi Brian’s guidance, kindness, and collaboration in making our ceremony so special.

Easter

4/28/2025

Rabbi Brian was excellent, one of the highlights of planning our wedding. He was great in our initial meeting, asking the perfect questions to get to know us as people, our story, ...

and what we love about each other. He was very responsive, answering emails at all hours of the day, and answered all questions we had and was very patient when our questions repeated themselves. His ceremony was beautiful, and provided the right mix of humor and seriousness while remaining engaging and thoughtful throughout. He has a real way with words and respected all decisions that we made. His pricing is also very reasonable. He was absolutely wonderful, and I would highly recommend him.

Michelle G

4/14/2025

We did an interfaith ceremony and Rabbi Brian was wonderful to work with. He was incredibly supportive and thoughtful throughout the process, crafting a beautiful ceremony that fel...

t personal and meaningful to us. All of our guests were raving about it!

Stephanie A

11/19/2024

Rabbi Brian was an absolute blessing for our wedding. His genuineness and unique sensitivity are what really set him apart. From our first meeting, his warmth and interest shone th...

rough as he took time to learn about our story, who we are, and what we want to build. Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, he listened thoughtfully to how we practice our faith and worked with us to create a ceremony that authentically reflected our traditions and values. His respectful approach made us feel seen and understood, never judged. He worked with us to create a ceremony that perfectly reflected our personal connection to Judaism. Our guests were amazed. His thoughtful guidance and sincere care for our relationship made the entire experience deeply meaningful. We couldn't have asked for a more understanding and compassionate rabbi to help us begin our marriage journey. We recommend him 100%. Thanks Rabbi. - David & Stephanie

Nicole M

10/30/2024

Rabbi Denker's services blew us away. He knows how to conduct a beautiful ceremony. We got so many compliments of how eloquent of a speaker he is and how inclusive he made our cere...

mony. We had quite a few guests who had never been to a Jewish wedding ceremony before and he did an amazing job explaining the traditions and customs. He’s Brooklyn-based, so the fact that he came up to the Hudson Valley for us was a huge plus. He was also very attentive and made our ceremony personal to us. We loved working with Rabbi Denker, and can’t wait to continue our relationship with him!

Summer A

9/18/2024

Rabbi Brian was so accommodating to everything we were looking for. We had an interfaith wedding and he made it flow so seamlessly. The ceremony was so beautiful and all of our gue...

sts said it was the best ceremony ever. He was so easy to work with and really got the time to know us which made the ceremony even better! We would definitely recommend Rabbi Brian and are so thankful to have worked with him.

Yana K

9/01/2024

Rabbi Brian was truly amazing from our very first zoom call to the day of the wedding. He made the entire process so memorable and special for the both of us as well as our familie...

s. We had an interfaith ceremony and Brian put together an amazing ceremony where everyone felt included. He was funny, professional, sentimental, and really made an effort to get to know us on a personal level. We are so grateful and could not be happier with our experience. Best decision ever !

Nicole F

8/25/2024

Rabbi Brian was an amazing officiant for our wedding! The ceremony was beautiful with personal touches. We had 2-3 calls before our wedding to get to know each other. He sent us wh...

at he was going to say before which was helpful to know when and what we were going to say during the ceremony.

Yan K

4/18/2024

Rabbi Brian was an absolute pleasure to work with. He was responsive and professional. He answered all of our questions and addressed any concerns that we had weeks before the wedd...

ing. He made sure everything was done correctly and made the ceremony an enjoyable process for everyone involved. He took the time to get to know us and created a memorable ceremony.

Victoria H

12/07/2023

Rabbi Denker is fantastic. Even over a month later everytime we get a call from our guests they still talk about how amazing he was. We met Rabbi Denker after stepped in for us whe...

n our previous Rabbi sadly passed away only a few weeks before our wedding day. Under the circumstances we were incredibly nervous about how the ceremony would go. We did not need to be. He managed to take the time to craft a ceremony that was both meaningful and personal to the two of us. The ketubah ceremony in particular was very moving. If you need a Jewish interfaith ceremony we cannot recommend Rabbi Denker enough.

Ryan T

11/27/2023

Rabbi Brian is friendly and personable. He brought warmth to our big day along with some humor. He is easy to relate to. He was punctual and spent time getting to know us. I'd ...

highly recommend him to other couples!

Nicolette C

11/26/2023

Rabbi Brian Denker exceeded all our our expectations!!! From the moment we met, Rabbi Brian was friendly, funny, and accommodating to our needs. It felt as if we have known him for...

years. Rabbi Brian created an extremely personalized ceremony, and I could not have been happier with how perfect the ceremony went. On the day of our wedding, we started with the Ketubah signing. My husband and I were able to spend this special moment our parents and grandparents. When it was time for the ceremony, everything ran on time and smoothly. The ceremony was funny, emotional and heartfelt. Our guests were so impressed with Rabbi Brian. His sense of humor was comforting. My husband and I are so thrilled that Rabbi Brian was able to marry us, and we will continue to have Rabbi Brian a part of our special moments forever!

Danielle M

9/25/2023

Rabbi Brian was so great, we definitely recommend him. He married us in our backyard. Communication was excellent. We had a few meetings before so he could get to know us and craft...

a custom ceremony fit to our needs and wants. We incorporated some jewish traditions while removing and modernizing others. Everyone loved the ceremony; he explained the meaning of everything, and kept it short and sweet. The wedding happened to fall on Rosh Hashanah and he was still willing to do it!

Molly R

7/25/2023

We hired Rabbi Brian after both of our rabbis told us they would not marry us on a Saturday night in the summer. Rabbi Brian was super flexible and made the whole process easy. A...

ll of our guests raved about our ceremony and said it was so nice. We asked Rabbi Brian to keep our ceremony around 25 minutes so that we wouldn't melt in the sun and he did just that! He also lead a private moment during our Ketubah signing which had my husband and I in tears. It was one of the highlights of our day! You can't go wrong with Rabbi Brian, he is kind, well spoken, flexible and truly cares about his couples.

Rach S

6/29/2023

Rabbi Brian did a wonderful job making our wedding ceremony feel special. He put in the time to get to know us, both as individuals and a couple. He also did a great job of explai...

ning jewish traditions to our guests, many of whom had never attended a jewish wedding. We recommend Rabbi Brian without hesistation!

Shana B

6/12/2023

Brian is outstanding. He is professional, answers back calls and emails right away, the value of the service was amazing. He was a perfect choice for my husband and I. He took the ...

time to get to know us, share our life with him, etc. We never felt rushed in this experience. He was so understanding with questions we had, our life, and what we were looking for. He was thorough and in all our conversations leading up to the big day, he was right by our side. We would recommend him in a heartbeat. Best choice.

Aaron L

12/14/2022

Rabbi Denker really made our wedding memorable. He officiated our multi-denominational wedding with my wifes minister. He was so organized and really came through with unique readi...

ngs that made us feel special but still traditional enough to make our parents happy. He cares. He was attentive. I wouldnt ever think twice about booking a different rabbi. Thank you so much for everything!

Response from Rabbi Brian Denker on 12/14/2022

Thank you Aaron for the kind words! Wishing you and Alanna all the best in the coming yea...

r and always! Happy Holidays!

Rowan E

9/26/2022

Rabbi Brian was the absolute perfect officiant for our Mexican-Jewish wedding! It was important to me to have a Jewish wedding, but my husband is not Jewish and did not convert. It...

was difficult to find a Rabbi to marry us, especially one who would not require us to commit to raising our children Jewish and have Judaism be the only religion around the house - a commitment that we were not ready to make. We really wanted to incorporate Mexican tradition into our ceremony and Rabbi Brian did a stellar job at this - not only seamlessly incorporating the specific traditions we mentioned but also making other suggestions that ended up being total hits, like having our mariachi band play Siman Tov u Mazel Tov after we broke the glass! He was lighthearted and funny, but not too funny (as one of our guests put it). So many of our guests raved about the ceremony and specifically about how great Rabbi Brian was - and this came from both our Jewish and non-Jewish friends and family. It was also wonderful to work with a Rabbi who felt closer in age & tradition to us than our grandparents (lol)! From the beginning, we felt like Rabbi Brian understood what we wanted and that he could relate to us. The entire process of getting to know each other and crafting our ceremony was easy and enjoyable. He broke things down into easy choices and decisions, was super flexible, and gave us many opportunities to make things more or less traditional where we wanted to. We also had a last-minute change to our ceremony that Rabbi Brian took in stride and executed perfectly and without asking us any questions, which was SO appreciated with all of the craziness of our wedding day. We are so happy we found Rabbi Brian. It was a blessing to have him officiate our wedding. Overall, we could not recommend Rabbi Brian enough, and we hope to work with him again for future Lifecycle events!

Angela S

7/17/2022

Rabbi Brian Denker created a very memorable and outstanding wedding ceremony! He was very responsive from start to finish. There were many great things said by family and friends ...

on how great the ceremony was and how he did a fantastic job! I highly recommend Rabbi Brian Denker. I know for myself I am forever grateful.

Response from Rabbi Brian Denker on 07/18/2022

Wishing you and Scott all the best! It was my absolute pleasure to take part in your speci...

al day!

Nicole S

6/28/2022

Rabbi Brian was wonderful! He co-oficiated with a family member of ours and was able to create a special, personal ceremony for us. Throughout the process he was kind and patient ...

- he took the time to walk us through all of the Jewish traditions and their explanations, which allowed us to zero in on elements that were especially meaningful to us. Thank you!

Response from Rabbi Brian Denker on 06/28/2022

It was a pleasure being able to share in the celebration and journey to the chuppah with y...

ou and Kevin. Wishing you both the best always.

Nicole S

6/20/2022

Rabbi Brian took the time to get to know us individually and as a couple to make our ceremony really special and personal to what we looking for. He was so thoughtful in his sermon...

and helped guide the day. Rabbi Brian was also extremely flexible and helpful throughout the day, easing our stress beyond measure. We cannot recommend Rabbi Brian enough!

Susan M

6/14/2022

Rabbi Denker officiated our wedding and he made the event a wonderful experience. He was both engaging, funny, and entertaining. Exactly what we were searching for in our ceremony....

He took the time to meet with us multiple times and customize every aspect of the ceremony to our beliefs and wishes. We received many compliments about him from the guests after the wedding as well. Highly recommend!!! Overall, an amazing Rabbi!

Linda S

5/23/2022

Rabbi Brian was professional, creative and flexible in creating the ceremony for my daughter and son-in-law he brought meaning and traditions to the moment. I highly recommend him.

Lisa B

12/29/2021

Rabbi Brian not only was one of the most responsive people we worked with toward planning our special day but he lead a ceremony that was fun, having our guests laughing throughout...

and ushered in some very meaningful and memorable moments for my husband and I. Many of our guests asked where we found such a great Rabbi. I wholeheartedly recommend Rabbi Brian for your wedding.

Adam S

11/07/2021

Rabbi Brian Denker created a beautiful interfaith ceremony with Pastor Marilyn Harris. Rabbi Denker worked very hard to incorporate traditions of the Jewish and Christian faith aro...

und our story as a couple to create a unique, meaningful service. We received many compliments from guests on how seamlessly they wove together the various traditions. We greatly appreciated Rabbi Denker's attention to detail and how communicative he was with us to create the ceremony of our dreams.

Lidor F

9/29/2021

Rabbi Brian Denker was recommended to us after a last minute change with our planned officiant. Although we were stressed about switching officiants a week before the wedding, he m...

ade sure that we got to video chat beforehand and get to know each other. He did a wonderful job and our ceremony was beautiful! We would definitely recommend him!

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(347) 201-2247

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Rabbi Brian Denker

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Rabbi Brian Denker

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