The Rite Officiant

was so personal. In fact, the first time we'd been face-to-face was at the rehearsal the day before! We both live out of state but came into Michigan for the wedding. Robbin had met with us on Zoom a few times beforehand, first to discuss what we wanted for the ceremony and, several weeks later, to go through his plan and speech in more detail--a touch we very much appreciated. He was curious and interested in our personalities and the story of our relationship, eager to incorporate readings we wanted, and ready with advice and guidance on the flow of the ceremony. Robbin has a worksheet for couples to fill out before the first meeting with some information about what they want in the ceremony and details about their relationship: how they met, what they love about each other, challenges, etc. All that got woven into the ceremony in a thoughtful and natural way. He was funny but didn't steal the spotlight--the occasional jokes showed understanding of our relationship and, if anything, heightened the focus on us. He was so warm and friendly every time we spoke and seems genuinely happy for us. A note: Robbin was wonderful about honoring different traditions. My husband is Catholic, as are many people in both our families, and I am one of those vaguely "spiritual but not religious" people. We both wanted some kind of ritual. Robbin offers a handfasting ceremony with a symbolic braided cord that we both found deeply satisfying. (He explains the significance of each color if you're interested in that approach.) Thank you, Robbin!