Spirited Weddings

we were referred to Bruce from our venue and it was a perfect match. Bruce is extremely professional and has great input to make your ceremony special. We had multiple meetings before our wedding to ensure we felt comfortable with the ceremony and did a great job with our families at our rehearsal. Many guests came up to use after the ceremony and thought we knew Bruce for years, having no idea we had only known him as long as we were planning our wedding. Planning a ceremony seemed daunting but Bruce helps you every step of the way. He removed the stress and made sure we enjoyed each moment. (Married Oct 2016)

ly helpful during the planning process. We appreciated his customized approach to our ceremony. I cannot count the number of people who have raved about the ceremony, they said Bruce was one of the best they've every witnessed. As the bride I felt comfort with the calmness Bruce exudes, which is key right before walking down the isle. If you are looking for someone to make your wedding even more beautiful and seamless I would highly recommend Spirited Weddings.

s more than accommodating. Bruce created a ceremony that was exactly what we were looking for and tailored to our personalities as a couple. He provided countless suggestions for sections of the ceremony that we were having difficulty deciding over. Bruce's overall demeanor is something that struck my husband and I right away. He's very calm (which you need during this process), knowledgeable, organized and reliable. He also has worked with many of the Chicago vendors which really helped with the flow of everything else on the wedding day. If I had to do it all again, I would hire Bruce in a second. If you are even remotely considering having him as your officiant I would strongly encourage you to contact him and/or meet with him. There is a lot of anxiety inducing decisions in the wedding process, however I promise you won't have any second thoughts with Bruce. Our day was fabulous, in large part because of Bruce.

him. He was the only officiant I emailed. Not only was he available for my wedding date, but he was also available for an initial meeting that upcoming weekend. My husband and I met him at his house and the meeting went wonderfully. Bruce outlined the entire process for us and had all the details very well organized. We immediately felt that if we selected Bruce as our officiant, we would be in very capable hands. Beyond that, my then-fiance and I also felt that his presence was a very calming and familiar one. As soon as we said our goodbyes, we looked at each other and agreed that we definitely wanted him as our officiant - we hadn't even made it to his gate yet! Our initial reactions proved solid because throughout the entire process, Bruce was extremely professional, capable, and calming. His process for allowing us to have a hand in what was said during the ceremony (minus the homily, which Bruce writes) was like a Choose Your Own Adventure book and made it possible for us to really make the ceremony our own. There was no detail that Bruce didn't cover - many details that I never would've even thought of if it weren't for him. When it came time for the ceremony, I was a bundle of nerves. I was noticeably trembling as I walked down the aisle and upon reaching the front. Bruce's presence, confidence, and ease of speaking had a calming affect on me, though, and thankfully I was able stop shaking. Even though we had a good idea of what was going to be said, it was our first time hearing Bruce's homily. It was definitely a pleasant surprise; it was touching and funny and really spoke to everyone in attendance. It was the perfect combination of seriousness and lightheartedness. Following the ceremony many guests mentioned what a great job he had done and my husband and I couldn't have agreed more. We truly had the A-team of vendors and our wedding wouldn't have been as amazing as it was without Bruce. Fun random fact: Bruce was the officiant for our floral and decor girl's wedding! She couldn't sing Bruce's praises enough and mentioned that even now, years after the wedding, her friends and family still commented on what a great officiant she'd had!

e just like what you like so there are no surprises. He does all the wedding license stuff for you too. I enjoyed using his services as he didn't push religion much as we both were raised catholic, but we don't practice.

ch part of the ceremony. This way you get to choose every word that he says except for his homily, but you don't have to write it all from scratch! He has enough choices for just about any type of couple to work from. This really made our ceremony feel extra special to us. We did not want to have an actual rehearsal due to timing logistics and Bruce worked with us and just did a quick overview before the ceremony which was perfect for our group. He has a very soothing and wonderful speaking voice. He coordinates the entire ceremony including speaking with the musicians about timing and lining up the wedding party. He also takes care of the marriage license paperwork and mails it in for you. Guests told me it was the most beautiful ceremony they had ever heard. I could not recommend Spirited Weddings with Bruce Otto more! He was the perfect officiant for our personalized ceremony.

ause my fiance lived out of state. Once we were ready to meet in person, we found Bruce to be very accommodating, friendly, calm, and eager to help us create the ceremony that we wanted, as other reviewers mentioned. After meeting with one other officiant, we selected Bruce. We couldn't be happier with our choice. His planning booklet was VERY helpful, he advised us when we needed help, and he was very willing to incorporate some of the traditions that we wanted to include to help personalize our ceremony. We opted for a rehearsal, and even though Bruce had a wedding to officiate the day before our wedding, he made the time to come and do a quick run-through, which everyone appreciated. On our wedding day, Bruce was very reassuring and told us to simply give him a panicked look if we got stuck reciting any of our vows. I got stuck once and he very calmly repeated himself so that I could get through it. We also found his homily to be really thoughtful - it's one of the moments I remember the most from the whole day. Our family and friends all commented on Bruce and how awesome they thought the ceremony was. We couldn't be more pleased with Bruce and we definitely recommend him if you are looking for an officiant for your wedding.

at he spoke during the ceremony really held true to us both as if he had known us for years. We had many compliments about him after our ceremony with guests saying they loved his approach. He even rallied some rambunctious groomsmen having a "bit too much fun" at the rehearsal, in an appropriate, but much needed manner. We would not have changed a thing. He was a bit out of our original budget, but after doing research we knew he was the best fit.

mony and having Bruce add his personal touch as well. Beautiful ceremony!

e Knot, and after one phone call we knew he was the right man for the job. Pros: If you have no idea where to start regarding your wedding ceremony, Bruce is definitely the right officiant for you. He provides a very well laid out and thorough planning packet that you can tailor to your personal tastes. That said, we both had some traditional elements we wanted to include, as well as some personal readings, and he was not only open to including them but also had great suggestions on where to include them. We didn't get a chance to meet Bruce until a few days before the wedding, but we were instantly comfortable with him - he is very positive and warm. After just that one meeting, he tailored a homily to my husband that had everyone asking us how long we had known Bruce. Our guests thought we had known him for years, and we heard nothing but compliments on how moving and touching the ceremony was. Cons: None, really. :-) Bottom Line: Easy to get a hold of, easy to talk to, incredibly helpful and experienced. Bruce tailored a personal and spiritual ceremony for our wedding, and we cannot say enough good things about him.

nal aspects of the ceremony were important to us, but we also wanted to keep it contemporary. As soon as we met with Bruce, we knew he was the right man for the job. His kindness, warmth and humor were evident from that first meeting. So many friends and family have told us that our ceremony was perfect and one of the most moving they have experienced. We could not be more pleased and we're very glad Bruce was part of our special day.

of paramount importance. After finding Bruce through yelp, we were excited to meet him and had great hopes he’d fit our vision. He did not disappoint. From the start, he was very warm and understanding. His process was awesome, and in going through his “buffet” of ceremony options, we easily came up with a ceremony that would’ve taken us ages to do on our own, but at the same time, we were able to truly make it personal and very much “us.” When the day came, Bruce delivered. The ceremony was beautiful, and Bruce conducted himself in a way that made both Alison and I very comfortable. There were times when it felt like it was just three friends having a conversation. So much so that many of our guests commented that it seemed we had all known each other for years. We could not be any happier with Bruce and feel so fortunate we chose him to oversee our very special moment.

fabulous. Easy to work with and has much experience. He is very detailed including letting you know when to pick up your dress so you don't trip going up the stairs. Everyone at the wedding couldn't believe we had just met him for the wedding. He talked in the service like he really knew us.

t when it's showtime, he's on point! We wanted a short, sweet, non-religious ceremony and Bruce definitely delivered! Everyone loved it and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Also, I was very nervous about the ceremony ( walking down the aisle, stnding in front of all those people, reciting the vows, etc) and Bruce has a very calming presence which was great. Thanks Bruce!