Stephen Laurie, Minister & JP: Your VT Wedding!

Stephen was absolutely perfect for our wedding. Down to earth and knowledgeable in his craft, he made the whole process easy. His readings were so perfect. We can't recommend him enough!!

We live in MA (no judgement please 😉) and have a house in Island Pond VT. We got engaged in IP on Christmas 2 years ago, and decided to end this challenging year on a good note and get married! I started looking for a Justice of the Peace in the area and came across Stephen. As soon as we had our first phone call, I knew he was the one! We knew we wanted a Simple Ceremony … and really wanted it in front of the tree, where we had gotten engaged. Stephen was on board! He provided some great options for the Vows and Ring exchange… we were able to go through them and find what worked for us. Stephen was such a pleasure to work with to ensure our day was special. He was extremely patient as we got our parents set up on a Zoom call … and while my dog sniffed him out 😊 The ceremony was exactly what we wanted and it was perfect. Stephen included some very special readings and to my delight, a print out of the ceremony that we will have forever! Highly highly recommended!

Stephen is simply fantastic to work with. Choosing someone to lead what is really the most important aspect of a wedding can be a daunting task. Stephen delivered, exceeding expectations. He is experienced, kind, personable, professional, and fun. He struck a great balance between letting his experience provide direction, but ensuring that the ceremony reflected who we are as a couple. He provided some suggested readings and a ceremony framework to build from. This made for an easy starting to point to work with him and integrate things that were important to us. During the rehearsal, Stephen made everything clear to understand and eased our minds, as well as the wedding party, making sure everyone knew the flow of the ceremony. Our 7 year old nephew performed a reading and Stephen was so considerate and helpful in making sure he was comfortable and prepared. On the day of, Stephen was instrumental in making sure everything went off without a hitch and he carried the ceremony flawlessly. He is well spoken and carried out the ceremony we planned perfectly. Stephen and his wife Peg attended our rehearsal dinner and graced us with their presence for our entire reception. This added to the personal touch of Stephen’s approach, and both us and our guests had a great time talking with them. I’d highly recommend Stephen for anyone in search of an officiant.

Stephen is a true professional, and was great to work with from the moment we first got in contact. The ceremony was performed flawlessly. He gave us a lot of materials to look at in advance consisting of different readings, vows, etc., and worked with us to customize our wedding ceremony exactly the way we wanted it. We touched base several times before the big day to make sure everything was in order. I highly recommend Stephen to anyone looking for a wedding ceremony officiant. It was a real pleasure Stephen, thank you so much.

Stephen is wonderful to work with! He let us know everything that we need up front, answered all our question and even checked in multiple times to make sure we were "on track" time wise leading up to the big day. He was such a big help in offering examples, and a variety of possible ideas for our ceremony. I can't say enough good things! He made everything so easy and comfortable. He is truly there for you throughout. He feels like a friend you hired! Amazing experience.

Stephen was a true pleasure to work with. From the very beginning he was not only friendly, but also extremely responsive and communicative. We had a fairly good idea of what we wanted in our ceremony but Stephen provided us with edits and feedback only a true professional would know. He also provided us with great guidance during our rehearsal to ensure that both our guests got the most out of the ceremony but that we did as well. He did a perfect job during the actual ceremony and we had many guests comment on what a wonderful officiant he was. We would recommend him as an officiant to anyone getting married in Vermont!

We are so grateful to have worked with Stephen on our wedding day! From our first phone call, it was clear that he was the officiant for us. Our wedding was intimate and it was important for our ceremony to be personal and meaningful. Stephen went above and beyond to ensure it was just that. He worked with us to tailor the ceremony to our values and beliefs, suggesting some great ideas that we would never have thought of. Working with Stephen was a wonderful decision and couldn’t have imagined a more perfect ceremony!

My wife and I feel extremely fortunate to have had Stephen as our officiant! From the first phone call, it was clear that Stephen would be a warm and reassuring voice of experience in the wedding planning process. We were unsure of how to structure our ceremony, but Stephen provided an eclectic trove of quotes, readings and vows to help us tailor it to our liking. He was always prompt to answer my emails and open-minded yet honest when it came to fielding some of our more unconventional ideas (like having the ceremony after the dinner, which didn't happen). At the wedding, Stephen was a professional and calming presence at a time when many people were curious to know how nervous we were. Thanks to the excellent advice he'd given us at the rehearsal, the ceremony went off beautifully, in fact went so well that afterward several couples said they wished someone like him could have officiated THEIR weddings, which seems the highest unsolicited praise a married couple can offer. Thank you again, Stephen, for all of your kindness and support, and if we had to get married again next weekend we'd hope you could marry us again (if you weren't already busy).

We couldn't have asked for anyone better than Stephen to perform our ceremony! From our first phone conversation, Stephen was helpful, professional, courteous and helped us to write the most amazing ceremony. Our guests were so impressed with Stephen's delivery of our ceremony. Stephen helps you to walk through each part of selecting readings and words that best fit you and your day with no stress or pressure. I will be forever grateful that we selected Stephen to join us on this very special day!

How to even begin? Stephen was a pivotal part in making our day as perfect as could be. We were in contact early on and he was great in making sure we stayed in frequent contact and organized between what we wanted for our vows and for the ceremony up to the smallest detail. He was organized, professional and attentive throughout. He met us for rehearsal the day prior and coordinated everything despite the ceremony site being inconveniently near the top of a mountain. He was funny when he needed to be, and serious when it mattered. He helped to take the stress off the day and made us feel comfortable throughout. We had many guests compliment his skill and clearly his experience shows. We were grateful that he and his wife could join our reception as well. Stephen: thank you for everything! We will be recommending him to all friends and family going forward.

Do You Believe in Love? Do You Believe that People who come into your life have a Purpose? My Bride and I met at Elfin Lake, Vt in the Little Town of Wallingford as teenagers in 1982. Our lives went separate ways and after 34 years we reconnected and picked up where we left off. So we decided to get Married in a very small ceremony that included our Sons and Daughters. We live in Massachusetts but wanted a Local officiant and in our search we found Stephen Laurie who came with 5 star reviews. Stephen Laurie is professional, a great listener and his sound advice is what reassured us that he was the one. He is pro active, stays in touch and let's us know what our options are. He is soft spoken and his knowledge steered us towards what we thought would be memorable for our ceremony. He stimulates your thinking into a creative realm while thinking outside the box. What started as an unknown person quickly became a feeling that you're talking to a longtime friend. He explains exactly what he's going to do, going to say and you will have the opportunity to make adjustments if needed. Our Officiant, Stephen Laurie made our special day memorable. Lightning struck twice for Bridget and I and we seized the moment. Love came back to claim the Heart it had captured. Stephen Laurie facilitated that transition with a program tailored made for us. He added Magic to our special moment, he was the Portal where we entered the Supernatural realm of Love. I, Jonathan La Salle and my Soulmate, Bridget La Salle became One on June 5th, 2019 and we hope that Stephen Laurie Officiates your Ceremony. We highly recommend him. He is a true Blessing.

Stephen was beyond wonderful and we’re so glad we chose him to officiate our elopement! From the very start, he was extremely easy to work with and so helpful in the ceremony planning process. He’s quick with communication and always makes sure to check-in on how the ceremony planning is going. He’s well-organized and thorough in his work, always making sure he understood our vision for the ceremony, while still providing professional suggestions. For example, when I sent him the first version of the ceremony’s organization, he explained how a different order of the readings would allow for more of a focus on the more special parts of the ceremony (ie the personal vows and ring exchanges), and these were suggestions I hadn’t even thought of and they did make a world of a difference in how the ceremony turned out. Stephen also has an extensive library of readings, vows, and ring exchanges in case you find yourself stuck with writer’s block. We would be doing a disservice to Stephen if we didn’t mention that he braved sub-zero temperatures in order to officiate our ceremony outside at Lake Willoughby in Vermont. Despite the frigid weather, Stephen didn’t once rush through the ceremony. He took his time and made every moment feel special. The most wonderful thing about Stephen is he wants who a couple is to shine through on their wedding day. He encourages you to make the day personal and unique to who you are as a couple. We can’t say thank you enough to Stephen for contributing to a truly surreal wedding day! We would recommend him as your officiant without hesitation!

Having Stephen Laurie as our wedding officiant was a true gift. Our priority from the beginning was to create a meaningful ceremony that reflected our values. With Stephen’s patient, kind, and lighthearted guidance, our ceremony was exactly what we hoped for. By keeping us on track, sending suggestions for readings and wording, and being flexible when we came up with new ideas, he made what could have been an overwhelming process simple and even fun. Stephen’s experience means that he truly does think of everything to make the ceremony run smoothly. What other officiant would think to step aside for the first kiss so the photographer can get the perfect shot!? But more important than the logistics was the beautiful and genuine way he delivered the ceremony. So many of our guests commented to us that Stephen was one of the best wedding officiants they had seen. We would recommend Stephen to anyone!

We were grateful to have Stephen officiate our wedding. I haven’t been to many weddings myself so I had lots of questions about the ceremony, marriage license, etc. Stephen was very helpful and patient throughout the whole process. He was well prepared for the ceremony and made sure we were as well. He was always easy to communicate with, kind, and professional. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a Justice of the Peace for their wedding.

We are so happy to have worked with Stephen and chosen him as our officiant! He was so kind and helpful, and helped us create a ceremony for our elopement that was authentic and reflected what was important to us. We were a bit overwhelmed but Stephen took the time to chat with us, and help us draft and revise our ceremony. We would highly recommend Stephen's services and are so honored he was our officiant!

Stephen was fantastic! He was very easy to work with, professional, friendly and has a great sense of humor. He gave us a lot of options for the ceremony and will work with everyone on an individual basis to make sure they are happy with the reading. I’d absolutely recommend having him at your rehearsal as he had many helpful tips for us and made us very confident in his experience and expertise. Thank you so much, Stephen! Emily & Travis

Stephen was amazing to work with. From the first meeting through the wedding day he made sure we had the ceremony planned out ahead of time so we weren't stressing about it at the end and gave us awesome ideas for readings for our civil ceremony. Even for the rehearsal he had all the tips and tricks for having the best ceremony on the day of.

Working with Stephen was a great decision. He respectfully listened to all our needs and concerns and helped us plan an authentic wedding ceremony that reflected us perfectly. He was supportive, and handled our large wedding party with ease!

We cannot say enough great things about Stephen Laurie! He was absolutely a great choice for our Vermont April 1st wedding! Yes and April Fools day wedding! Stephen has a great sense of humor and can really fit all of your needs. He was able to find a perfect reading for our wedding which made our guests laugh and find sitting outside in the snow storm enjoyable! He was able to walk us through the process, which helps greatly if you have never been married before!

My husband and I were very happy with Stephen Laurie's officiant services. From the first steps, to the finishing touches, he did a fabulous job helping us plan our wedding ceremony. Stephen had a lot of helpful advice and suggestions as we slowly decided what we wanted in our ceremony. He was very patient while we pondered for weeks on end about the details. We really enjoyed planning the ceremony with him, practicing it the day before (which I highly recommend...), and the ceremony itself was flawless. Stephen has a lot of experience as a JOP, and that was made clear by his wise and insightful questions and suggestions throughout the process. We were very happy with his services, and with his signature we are now happily married. Thanks for helping to make our day special, Stephen! Sincerely, Meaghan and Reade Etherington