About this vendor
Congratulations on your engagement! I have been officiating at weddings for over 15 years. I serve the Charlottesville, Richmond, and Williamsburg area and places in between. My goal is to work with you to make your day remembered and cherished--whether your wedding is a grand affair on the grounds of the Virginia Museum, or at a treed oasis at a remote Air B&B--. just you and your beloved. I perform both secular and religious weddings (I am an ordained minister). My top fee (including travel time and a rehearsal the day before) is $500. My micro weddings range in price from $50 to $200.
During our first conversation by phone, Zoom, FaceTime or in person, I will ask you questions like "Are you planning to write your own vows, or use traditional ones? Will you have reading? Would you like me to suggest some?" That kind of thing.
If after our conversation you decide we are a "fit," I will have you two sign a contract. Half my fee is due at that time. Close to the time of your wedding, we will have another conversation. By then, you will have provided me with any subsequent decisions you have made. From that information, I will prepare a draft of your service. We will review that together so that we can be sure that I have captured everything.
If you have a rehearsal, I will be there. I recommend rehearsals, especially if you have a significant number of people in your wedding party.
I have a small, portable, battery operated amplifier, which I am happy to bring with me to your wedding.
Premarital counseling is offered, but not required.
Details
Business Attributes
- Woman-owned Business
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Non-Religious Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
Religious Affiliations
- Christian
- Interfaith
- Secular
Wedding Activities
- Premarital Counseling
- Wedding
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Reviews
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5
out of 5.013 reviews
We are so grateful to have had Gay as our officiant—she played such an important role in making our wedding day truly special. From the very beginning, she was warm, professional, ...
and took the time to really get to know us as a couple. She made the entire process feel personal and meaningful, helping us create a ceremony that perfectly reflected our relationship.
On the day of the wedding, everything was handled flawlessly. Her delivery was thoughtful, well-spoken, and engaging, striking the perfect balance between heartfelt and lighthearted. She made us feel completely at ease up at the altar, which meant so much in such an emotional moment.
We received so many compliments from our guests about how beautiful and personal the ceremony was. We couldn’t have asked for a better officiant and highly recommend Gay to anyone looking for someone who genuinely cares and goes above and beyond to make your ceremony unforgettable.
Gay Lee was originally going to officiate our wedding in 2020, but then the pandemic happened! Instead, we had a civil ceremony and had her officiate our celebration at the wedding...
venue we originally booked instead in more of a vow renewal fashion. She was so pleasant, easy to work with, responsive, and kind. I really enjoyed her remarks and she did a great job capturing our love and commitment in words!
I am so grateful that Gay officiated our wedding I was really nervous about the whole thing because I feel like you’ll remember the person who married you for as long as you’re mar...
ried but Gay couldn’t have been more perfect. She was kind to me through out the entire process. Really took our needs into consideration. She helped me relax and enjoy the moment and really made our ceremony feel special with the words she spoke. We made the absolute best decision in having her officiate our ceremony. Thank you so much
Gay was an absolute pleasure to work with. She worked with us in every decision, despite the very nontraditional ceremony we ended up with. She fulfilled all of our (sometimes sill...
y) requests, and worked with our needs. There was a kind of strange point in the ceremony where she talked about the Spanish flu, but other than that, everything was perfect.
Gay Lee was such a wonderful officiant! She took the time to meet with us in Richmond twice before the ceremony, asked us questions in order to personalize our ceremony, had great ...
suggestions for the order of events, and was totally flexible with all of our ceremony requests (for example, she was very willing to change some wording in order to ensure we could have a secular ceremony). She is also a great communicator and responded to my emails promptly and thoughtfully. She ran the rehearsal like a pro and was great at getting our large (and rowdy) wedding party/family members to follow her instructions. The ceremony she planned was beautiful and very personal - we received several comments from guests about how it was wonderful ceremony that was very fitting for the two of us. Overall she's such a pleasant, calm, fun person, and I'm so happy she was a part of our day!
Rev. Einstein is absolutely fantastic. We really felt like she got to know us personally before the wedding - she truly took the time to ask us questions, getting to know both my h...
usband and me and what really connected us. She also listens and supports any ideas you have for your ceremony... and if you get stumped, she is there with many helpful suggestions! She ran a stress-free rehearsal, and was extremely communicative the entire wedding weekend. Our ceremony was absolutely perfect. We cannot recommend her enough.
Rev. Gay Lee Einstein truly made our wedding day special. Her attention to detail and expansive knowledge and thoughtfulness regarding our ceremony will not be forgotten. I highly ...
recommend Rev. Einstein to any couples looking for a kind, faithful and fun experience for their ceremony. Thanks for making ours so special!
Gay Lee is so wonderful! From the moment my now-husband and I met her we knew she was the right person to marry us. She arranged to meet us in Richmond (over an hour from where she...
lives) so that we could chat and get to know each other. She was very interested in learning about our families, our story, and our opinions on our wedding service. While raised in the protestant faith, my husband and I wanted a more modern ceremony and she was incredibly flexible. She also helped us re-create a traditional Korean wedding ceremony at our rehearsal!! She is so cheerful, genuine, and caring and she made us feel so comfortable. She worked with us to get our ceremony exactly the way we wanted it, read through our individual vows ahead of the day, and designed her portion of the ceremony to go along with one of our readings. We are so grateful to have been able to work with her and would absolutely recommend her to anyone!
First of all, Gay Lee is one of the nicest women you will ever meet. She knows weddings well and helps you every step of the way. Gay is great with responding to emails, which ma...
y our day go without a hitch. She puts your needs above everything else to make sure your ceremony is magical! Thanks again for making our day even more special!
Reverend Einstein was truly the best to work with! She has a great personality that puts you at ease, is very quick to respond to any inquiries, and is highly organized. It was su...
ch a relief to have booked her; my husband and I had no idea how much planning and structuring goes into putting together the perfect ceremony. But Reverend Einstein knows her business and has an answer to every question. She called and met with us several times prior to the wedding day to discuss plans and expectations. And on the final meeting, she came prepared with a folder full of ideas, an already written sermon, and creative ways to make the ceremony unique to the two of us. On the big day, I could not have asked of more from her. She was spectacular and threw her heart and soul into making the day a truly memorable event! All of our guests raved about her saying that the mini sermon she gave was a perfect match to our personalities and styles. We can’t thank Reverend Einstein enough for being a fantastic addition to our wedding day. We truly appreciate all the time and effort she put into making our ceremony so unforgettable!
Rev. Einstein helped make our big day so perfect. She took the time to get to know us and tailor our ceremony to exactly one that fit us. I loved that she would make recommendation...
s, but would never push us to go one way or another. It was also so nice that she offered, but did not require us to attend premarital counseling; it made convincing my husband to do it all the easier! The counseling itself was also relaxed and easy and helped us to realize things about our relationship that I’d never thought of in all of the 8 years we have been together. She is also so kind and calming to be around. I would HIGHLY recommend her for your wedding.
Reverend Einstein was a pleasure to work with both before and during our wedding. She was both professional and warm for our premarital meetings and counseling, the rehearsal, and ...
the wedding itself. Our families and our guests were moved by her ceremony, and we feel so fortunate to have found her for our wedding!
Gay Lee did a fabulous job of getting to know us and incorporating very meaningful things in our wedding service. The personal touches really made the service special. We couldn't ...
be happier. Our pre-maritial counseling sessions before hand were very helpful in getting the two of us on the right track for a happy marriage. She was delightful to work with and we will be keeping in contact with her as we grow as a couple!
Contact
3911 Ellwood Avenue, Richmond, VA | I serve the Richmond and C'ville areas
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