Reverend Elizabeth River

Initially, my now-husband and I only had one option for who would perform our wedding ceremony -- a good friend who lives out of the country. We wanted someone who we felt really understood who we are as individuals and together. Well, our original wedding date was scheduled for early May 2020, so that didn't happen. When we were finally able to reschedule, it was still before people were freely traveling internationally, so our friend was out of the picture and we had no second choice. Defeated, we looked through the recommendations from our wedding planner and only one piqued my interest -- Elizabeth River. I was convinced that she was the best choice just from going through her website, but I was still reluctant that someone we didn't even know could get to know enough about us in just a couple months to be able to create a ceremony that felt personal and reflected who we are. Proceeding the wedding, our Zoom prep meetings with Elizabeth were so much fun! She was effortless to talk to and made us feel so at ease. It was like we were talking to someone we had known a long time. At this point, I absolutely knew that Elizabeth was the right choice, but given every wedding ceremony I've ever sat through, I wasn't expecting anything too original. Well I was dead wrong. The first draft of the ceremony that Elizabeth sent us was so beautiful and captured everything we could've hoped for and more! After the ceremony on our wedding day, several guests asked us who Elizabeth was to us and how long we had known her. Most people assumed she must have been a longtime family friend because of how perfectly the ceremony represented us. It was personal, funny, deeply meaningful, and perfectly tailored to us and what we wanted to express to each other and to our guests. Before we met Elizabeth we didn't put too much importance on the ceremony, but it ended up being just as magical as the rest of our day. Even now, I'm still in disbelief over how special our ceremony was. After our wedding, I wanted to print out our vows to frame but hadn't gotten around to it. On our one year anniversary, Elizabeth sent us a beautiful keepsake copy that we will use to frame! I am so proud of our vows -- they are word for word what my husband and I would like to remind each other of through the good and bad. We are forever grateful to Elizabeth for creating a ceremony for us that surpassed anything we ever thought possible. It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway -- I love my friend, but I am eternally thankful that we had the honor of Elizabeth creating and officiating our wedding ceremony for us. Thank you, Elizabeth!

We are so happy to have found Elizabeth. We feel lucky to have found someone whose energy fit so well with what we were hoping for our elopement. From the moment we met her, we knew she was the one. She took the pressure off by providing examples and ideas and by asking helpful questions. She listened to our story and gently guided us to create a personalized ceremony that was perfect for us. She was very patient with our kids and helped incorporate them into the ceremony, which was really important to us. We would absolutely recommend her to anyone looking to have a heartfelt, personalized, and meaningful ceremony given by a thoughtful and caring person who is easy and enjoyable to be around.

Elizabeth is lovely to work with. We enjoyed getting to know her in our initial chat and during the whole process we were impressed with her enthusiasm, attention to details and a true talent to put a great love story together (she’s a storyteller after all!) Our elopement ceremony went flawless and it felt like Elizabeth was not a stranger but a member of a family or a good friend marrying us. Don’t hesitate! She’s the best.

We feel so incredibly lucky to have found Elizabeth to officiate our elopement in Sea Ranch, CA! Our ceremony was very intimate (just the two of us) so we wanted someone we felt comfortable with and Elizabeth exceeded our expectations! She went above and beyond to get to know us as individuals and as a couple. Elizabeth crafted a beautiful ceremony unique to our love story that we were beyond thrilled with. I would recommend her to anyone! She is not only a fantastic officiant but a wonderful person.

We can't say enough about how much we loved working with Elizabeth! We feel like she's practically part of our family now! We're an "older" couple - in our 50's and both of us are of Celtic descent. We wanted a Celtic-themed ceremony and had a few special rituals that we wanted to have included. We interviewed three or four officiants before we found Elizabeth. After talking with her for half an hour, we didn't even need to discuss it. We knew we had found the person who would be such an integral part of our very special day. Elizabeth was more than willing to work with us on the various rituals we wanted to do which included a hand fasting, a unity sand ceremony, a ring blessing, and a quaich ceremony. I was so impressed with how Elizabeth came to really know us and who we are as a couple during our Zoom meetings with her. When it came time for the ceremony, it was flawless. The rhythm of the ceremony was perfect. All of our elements were incorporated. The content was extraordinary - it really reflected us and made it very evident that she had taken the time and had the intuition to really know us. If you're looking for an officiant, we don't think you need to look any further! Love and thanks and blessings to Elizabeth River.

What a joy it was to work with Elizabeth through the process of planning our ceremony! Elizabeth came highly recommended by our photographer and once we first met, we knew she would bring a special energy to our big day. She took time to get to know my husband and I, listened closely to stories our of relationship, and put together a fun and heartwarming ceremony. Our family and friends truly enjoyed her and we received many compliments on her behalf! Definitely have a talk with Elizabeth if you are in need of an officiant :) Thank you for all your help!

If you are seeking a warm, caring, genuine, professional, seems-like-you've-known-this-person-your-whole-life individual to carry out such an important and special moment in your life, look no further than Elizabeth River. We found Elizabeth through a blog recommendation while doing research on eloping in San Francisco. Like many other couples in 2020, our original plans for our wedding day were altered. Though we were sad for how the day did NOT go, we couldn't be more thrilled about how it DID go and our choice to work with Elizabeth on creating a unique and "truly ours" ceremony. It was immediately clear that she deeply cares for those she works with and is passionate about what she does, which was emphasized by her dedicated time in preparing with us and her well crafted and personalized homily. Elizabeth sets you up for success with lots of resources to assist you on the co-creation of this event. Elizabeth has a special gift of making you feel comfortable with her despite being strangers, as if you've known her already, something that stood out to us and became a critical component in the ceremony's success and our joy in working with her so much. Elizabeth comes with our highest recommendation. You will be in trusted hands and heart in choosing to work with her for your wedding ceremony.

As soon as we met Elizabeth, we knew our wedding day was going to be a spacial day! We couldn’t be happier that we chose Elizabeth to officiate our wedding. Her help from the beginning was invaluable. Elizabeth attentively listened to our love story, our values and what we hoped for in our wedding. She was able to create a perfect, personalized ceremony that felt unique and totally right for us. Elizabeth was always professional, very well organized, kind and responsive to our requests, emails and texts. Elizabeth made our wedding day feel so special and we highly recommend her as your future wedding officiant.

We are so happy that Elizabeth was our wedding officiant. She truly went above and beyond! We originally planned a small wedding for July, but due to the pandemic and the permanent closure of our venue, we had to revise our plans. Elizabeth met with us multiple times via Zoom to listen and offer suggestions. We ultimately decided to elope, and Elizabeth helped us find an outdoor location for the ceremony. She found the perfect spot! The ceremony that Elizabeth wrote was beautiful and touching. She did a wonderful job telling our love story -- including our wedding planning drama! It was a perfect, special day and we were so glad to have Elizabeth there with us.

My wife and I were impressed with how easy everything was working with Elizabeth. She made our love story into a 30 minute ceremony that made our guests cry. My wife and I are happy we used her services on our wedding day. You can rest assure she will be on time and have every detail taken care of. Thank you Elizabeth for making our day great and being you!

5 stars!! Elizabeth's services were the highlight of my amazing wedding day! My husband and I were so lucky to have her enthusiasm, positive energy, blessings and spirit at our wedding and throughout the entire process. I highly recommend Elizabeth for your big day, she makes the ceremony so special. She takes many detail in consideration, its a wonderful easy experience!

Elizabeth was absolutely delightful to work with. She is easy going, personable and great story teller. We highly recommend Elizabeth to any couple looking for officiant.

Where do I even begin with my rave review of Reverend River. She is everything you could possibly want in an officiant. She is kind, flexible, and remarkably talented. She met us where we were, and worked with us every step of the way to ensure that our ceremony was exactly what we wanted. The end product was a beautiful ceremony that reflected the unique elements of our relationship and our shared spirituality. We eloped, but have since shared the document with family members who agree that it is one of the most beautiful ceremonies they have ever heard. She gave us a moment we will never forget, and words that we will treasure for the rest of our lives. Thank you, Reverend River!

Our wedding was on December 28th, 2019 and Elizabeth River contributed to making our wedding a huge success! She is the most thoughtful, engaging, detailed and fun person to work with. We have met with her for +- 3 hours a few months before the wedding, and during this meeting my wife and I shared our entire life story with her. Her thoughtful questions, engagement, beautiful and peaceful personality created a sacred environment where we had such a lot of fun sharing. Elizabeth you are the best. Our guests couldn't stop talking about our church service. Elizabeth made it special, memorable and we will forever be great full that we have met her.

My wedding in Muir Woods in July 2019 was a dream, my wife and I couldn't have been happier with how it unfolded. And Elizabeth's contributions were a key to its magic. During the planning stages she talked to us about our relationship and how we saw the big day going, and her easy conversational demeanour helped our nerves. Together we came up with a custom ceremony that truly fit the mood that we had hoped to create, and it went perfectly. I would recommend Rev. River to anyone.

We discovered Elizabeth through The Knot and reviewed additional reviews on Yelp. We subsequently contact Elizabeth via email to schedule an introductory call. Elizabeth was very prompt and quickly responded. We settled on an evening call and conducted a video conference call. I thought it might last 30 minutes, but we ended up chatting for almost two hours! Even though Elizabeth was only the first officiants we spoke with, my husband and I knew that she was the one for our wedding! Elizabeth has multiple types of packages available. We opted to go with “Your Love Story – A Custom Ceremony”. Elizabeth crafted a beautiful retelling of how we met, a love poem of our choice, a prayer of our choice, as well as incorporating our custom vows, as well as traditional vows. You can also include other rituals, but we opted to forgo that portion. Elizabeth provides lots of samples for inspiration. She worked on several iterations of our story, to create the perfect retelling. Elizabeth guided us through a great practice rehearsal, often having to deal with feedback from our families, serving as peanut galleries, and was very gracious. On the day of the wedding, Elizabeth present a beautiful ceremony, that evoked laughter and tears of joy. We could not have asked for anything better! Elizabeth was so personable and just a delight to have as our wedding officiant!

Rev. Elizabeth River is wonderful! We were married August 2018 at Chicken Ranch Beach in Inverness, CA. We knew right away we wanted to get married out there but had no idea where to begin when it came to finding an officiant. When we came upon Elizabeth I reached out and got a quick response. The first time we talked I could tell she was just the touch our little wedding needed. She is warm and welcoming and made our ceremony fit us so well it seemed like she has known us for years. Thank you Elizabeth!

My husband and I were married in September 2018. Two weeks prior to our wedding, our original wedding officiant let us know they were unable to officiate our upcoming nuptials due to unforeseen circumstances. While stressful, we researched officiants in the bay area, finding Elizabeth. We truly believe that the universe gave us this stressful situation to also give us Elizabeth. Incredible is the only way to describe Elizabeth. She proved not only flexible in her scheduling, fitting us in during a busy wedding season, but she proved so authentic and genuine. We first met with her the day after we found her online and spent three hours getting to know each other! My husband and I felt so heard, so seen, and so understood by Elizabeth both as individuals and as a couple. Our ceremony was more than we could have ever dreamed! Elizabeth took our unique view points and interests, blending it into an interfaith ceremony filled with love, family, commitment, and laughter. With Elizabeth, we not only found the best fit for us in an officiant, but we also found a lifelong friend and we are forever grateful.

Having Elizabeth officiate our wedding definitely made our day extra special. She's a great listener and a beautiful story teller. Communicating with Elizabeth leading up to our wedding always felt easy. The best part of our experience was how well Elizabeth was able to capture who we were as a couple. I will never forget the beautiful way she shared our love story during the ceremony.

Rev. Elizabeth is wonderful. I found her online and emailed her to learn more about her, and to see if we'd be a match. We corresponded through email and had several phone conversations. My husband and I eventually met in person with Elizabeth and spent about two hours visiting and planning the ceremony. Elizabeth has a warm, glowing, happy personality that instantly makes you feel like you have been friends for years. She did such a wonderful job preparing us for the ceremony, and prompting us when we were slacking (deadlines are important and she is very clear about that!) The day of the wedding, she helped calm my nerves and the ceremony was absolutely beautiful. I could not have asked for a more special, magical, happy day. This could not be possible without Elizabeth. If you are looking for a personalized, beautiful ceremony, look no further- Elizabeth is your girl! I could not be happier with her, she did such a phenomenal job and has been a pillar of support going through the process of planning the wedding and the big day actually happening! She has kept in contact since and she is just a lovely human being. Thank you, Elizabeth!

Before our wedding, I never really understood just how beautiful the ceremony at a wedding is. Elisabeth told our story in a way that explained our love for each other truly and romantically. Also, I’ll never forget how much more in love we felt after answering her questions over the phone about our love story. She has a gift.

Elizabeth was a pleasure to work with. She was always very communicative and was genuinely interested in getting to know my bride and me. She was very open to listening to what our vision of our wedding was and helping us achieve that goal. She also came to our rehearsal which was important to us and we really appreciated. We would highly recommend Elizabeth as your officiant

Elizabeth was absolutely a wonderful addition to our day. She was not only our officiant, but a friend standing next to us, guiding our commitment with such love and care. The very first time I spoke to Elizabeth I felt calmed by her presence, she is such an understanding and kind person. You can only wish to have someone with such positive energy to share in the most important moment of your life. Elizabeth gave us the space to co-create our ceremony which allowed us to make the language and words we used to perfectly “ours”. I truly felt like the ceremony really reflected our love, our journey and our wishes for the future. She was so supportive throughout the entire process and was willing to meet with me several times in person and we had extensive email exchanges over the course of six months or so to co-create our homily, ceremony, readings by our family and tie in our vows. I would highly recommend her to anyone that wants a special and personalized touch to their BIG day!

Elizabeth River married us first in 2007 and again when we renewed our vows for our tenth anniversary! Elizabeth River is a complete joy! She led Gabriel and I through the writing of our vows and the creation of our ceremony with expertise, humor and kindness. She is a blessing and those who are lucky enough to have her guide and officiate their wedding will look back with great happiness for having Elizabeth's special touch.

Elizabeth was the perfect choice for our wedding celebration. Not only is she a beautifully spoken officiant, but she was also immensely helpful in guiding us through the process of creating and structuring a ceremony that was unique to us (but with plenty of traditional ties). Her kind and gentle demeanor, and her attention to detail, made every part of the process -- from our first meeting, to the rehearsal, to the day itself -- seamless and stress-free. She helped us feel prepared so that we could be truly present in the moment and enjoy this special celebration to the fullest. The day wouldn't have been the same without her. Thank you, Elizabeth!

Elizabeth was the perfect officiant for our same-sex wedding. She took the time to get to know us by interviewing us ahead of time and wrote/delivered an absolutely beautiful ceremony. We couldn't be happier!

Elizabeth was the perfect person to marry us! As a spiritual but not very religious couple, she struck exactly the right balance for us and the whole gathering. We’re huge fans.

We adore Elizabeth and we absolutely loved working with her! After being so moved by my sister-in-law's wedding where the officiant shared charming details about how the couple met and anecdotes about their love story and their hopes for their future together, we just knew this was the type of ceremony we were looking for. During our wedding planning, we mentioned this to our dear friends that we wanted to have a personalized ceremony for our wedding, and they wholeheartedly recommended Elizabeth who officiated their wedding. We knew we had to meet her, so I spoke to her on the phone along with several other officiants. Elizabeth stood out from the rest. We easily chose Elizabeth for her warmth, her character and her understanding of what we envisioned for our ceremony. We met up together for several hours where she really took the time to get to know us, asking all sorts of insightful questions (she's also a couples counselor). This didn't feel like a meeting, but more like catching up with an old friend. She is very easy to work with and is happy to make recommendations or any accommodations you may need. She really helped us put at ease. Wedding planning isn't easy, but after we chose Elizabeth, we knew we were in good hands. Her voice is soothing and she even added in a few light jokes we weren't expecting day of, which was great! We loved working her and consider her a friend now! We highly recommend Elizabeth if you're looking for a warm soul who will write a special and unique ceremony just for you two!

We are so grateful to have found Elizabeth Rivers. After two years of marriage (almost!), the memory of our little wedding in the woods still brings us a sense of peace and joy. We came to Elizabeth with just a kernel of an idea, and after two phone calls (and many heartfelt emails), she intuited more than we even understood about a sweet elopement day that would make us supremely happy. Elizabeth Rivers is quite simply the best!

Absolutely amazing! Elizabeth was a pleasure to work with, I would, without doubt, recommend her as an officiant for everyone's wedding. From the first email correspondence, she was incredibly professional, responsive and thoughtful. For our first meeting, we met her in person and she was wonderful. She spend a few hours with us, listening to our stories and already preparing for our special day. She had a list of questions to get to know us and to also get an idea of the type of ceremony we wanted. She was great about reminding of us little details which I really appreciate. On the day of, she was incredibly patient and calming. I was running late as it was our destination wedding and from the early morning, things weren't exactly how we wanted but she was able to keep everything as planned. Her voice is magical and the way she wrote our ceremony collaborating all of our stories were incredible. I am so glad we went with Elizabeth. A big thank you and I highly recommend her as a wonderful, genuine, easy going officiant. She does what she loves and it's not only her job but it's her passion to see people come together in such a wonderful occasion.

We couldn't have picked a better officiant than Elizabeth River. She made the whole process of creating a ceremony that felt true to our values and sensibilities so easy (low-stress) and enjoyable. At the event itself, she was relaxed, warm and welcoming, going with the flow yet keeping all on track. She has a wonderful sense of humor, an ability to make others feel comfortable, and she created a focus on presence and gratitude in the moment. She was perfect. Katherine Dieter Sebastopol, CA

We will be forever grateful to Elizabeth for helping us to create the most beautiful and perfect day of our lives. She gently guided us all along the way and, in the end, it was like being married by a close friend. So many people told us how amazingly beautiful and meaningful they found our ceremony. The most unique and moving they had ever witnessed. We share their feelings completely. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have surely found your calling.

On our first meeting, Elizabeth spent time getting to know us through active listening. She helped us personalize our vows and the entire ceremony. She had great suggestions, was flexible and interactive in our discussions and was a pleasure to deal with from start to finish. Five stars from us! Ellen S. and Bill E.

Elizabeth was wonderful, we decided to elope and found her while traveling North, she was able to suggest some nice spots around Marin County, and even recruited her neighbor to take pictures and act as witness. She took time to get to know us and personalized the ceremony so that it was absolutely perfect. We could not have been happier!

Although we found Reverend River through an online search, we knew after our initial hour-long conversation with her that she was the right officiant for our wedding. Warm and welcoming, she genuinely cared about us as individuals and as a couple. She asked questions to fully understand what we had envisioned for our special day, listened to our answers without judgement, and then helped design a ceremony even more beautiful than we ever could have imagined. She provided a calm, loving energy before, during, and after our ceremony, and we were (are) grateful to have connected with her. We love this beautiful soul and highly recommend her services.

Elizabeth is one of the most caring people I know. She was a wise, calm, and peaceful presence before the wedding and a joyous and positive addition to our wedding party. I highly recommend her for your wedding.

Elizabeth is very warm and loving. She really took the time getting to know us and help create our wedding. She was on time and her ceremony was perfect - Her grace and support really made the day even more special.

I cannot imagine anyone else having married Jeanine and I - other than Elizabeth. The key thing for us, was that Elizabeth made the vows and the ceremony completely personal....and it meant our wedding day the happiest day of our lives. We even convinced some of our friends to meet with Elizabeth - and they too had her marry them. Elizabeth has stayed in contact with us since - and it truly is a wonderful day whenever we get to meet up. She is a wonderful, warm, genuine, honest, experienced and real person. We simply love her.

Reverend Elizabeth River was exactly what we were looking for- a kind compassionate spirit with lots of love & soul. She brought so much wisdom and confidence to our sacred union. She also had Ernest passion to really know us and all that we had been through in order to tell our story in front of all of our friends and family. She truly has a grounding presence and I would recommend her for any couple looking for a sacred slice of otherworldliness to unite you in your most magical day ever!

Elizabeth was lovely and approachable immedately. We met her to hike down to the beach at the Sonoma Coast for our Wedding Day. We asked for a mix of poetry and an Apache blessing to complete our vows. Her path in this life is well rounded and well traveled and she brings a deep understanding and reverence with her kind essence. Her warmth is transcendant and welcoming. Highly recommend Elizabeth for any and all ceremonies. With all warmest wishes, The Stenbergs

In this day and age of us all reviewing each other it seems easy to hand out 5 stars. I clicked 5 stars and it says 'The Best Ever!'. I've only been married once so I may not be the best judge, but our experience with Elizabeth was fantastic! I wasn't sure having someone we didn't know perform the ceremony made a lot of sense. In very short order Elizabeth connected with my wife and me. She guided us through the process of writing vows and made a beautiful contribution. Guests thought we'd known her all our lives! I'm not sure what better recommendation there could be.

Elizabeth was so great to work with for our recent wedding. Both of us coming from different backgrounds we wanted a ceremony that was customizable and perfect for us. That is EXACTLY what Elizabeth gave us. She was so personable, and I felt she really cared, and listened to what we wanted from our wedding ceremony. She had great suggestions and readings to offer us, and was very eager to make our ceremony 100% about us and what we wanted. We did not feel pressured or pushed into doing something that was 100% what we wanted. She so wonderfully nice, accommodating, and friendly. I felt at ease having her as part of our wedding. I would strongly recommend using her services as I felt the value and personable service are unmatched by others.