Maine Ceremonies

A Non-Denominational Wedding Officiant Serving Southern Maine and Beyond

Whatever type of wedding day you are dreaming of, Maine Ceremonies is here to ensure that your ceremony is a personal expression of your love for each other – not a generic script that is endlessly recycled from one couple to another. Whether you are looking for someone to officiate your legal marriage ceremony, commitment service, vow renewal, or another type of celebration, trust Maine Ceremonies to make it truly special.

I am happy to officiate LGBT, inter-faith, elopement, and other alternative types of ceremonies.

The Maine Ceremonies Process

You are getting married – congratulations! I believe that your wedding ceremony is the foundation upon which you begin your new lives together. That means that the ceremony shouldn’t just be about you, it should truly capture who you are…and it certainly shouldn’t be some generic script with your names inserted into it.

Creating the perfect ceremony begins with an initial, free consultation where I can learn more about who you are as a couple and the type and structure of the wedding ceremony that you are dreaming of. You can also learn more about me and ensure that you are comfortable trusting Maine Ceremonies with such an important moment in your lives.

Following the initial consultation, there is homework for you…yes, homework! First, I provide both of you with a short series of question prompts, a few of which are serious and a few of which are tastefully humorous. I will use your answers in the ceremony itself to ensure that it captures your authentic voice and love for one another. If you are willing, I usually ask that you keep your answers secret from each other so that you can hear your partner’s words for the first time during the ceremony, which I have found can provide a touching and spontaneous feel to the ceremony.

Second, I provide you with self-directed premarital education exercises that I highly encourage you to complete together with your partner. While I recommend adding at least one premarital education session with me to each wedding ceremony package, if you choose not to, I do ask that you use the exercises to spend some time talking about important issues, like conflict resolution, finances, family dynamics, etc., prior to the wedding day. Remember, a wedding is not just an event, it is the beginning of a marriage.

Once we have discussed your vision and I have received your answers to the question prompts, I can begin constructing the ceremony script. Once I have completed a first draft, I will provide that back to you (with the secret question prompt answers redacted) and we can begin editing it together over the phone and through email until you are completely satisfied. As your wedding day approaches, you are welcome to call or email me at any time with questions, concerns, requests for advice, or whatever. I am here for you.

Either the day before or the morning of the ceremony, I will lead a wedding rehearsal for your wedding party, immediate families, and any readers or other participants. The rehearsal will help to ensure that all logistical issues are thought through and ironed out before the actual ceremony and will also help to alleviate any nerves you might be feeling.

On the day of the ceremony, I arrive early to ensure there is time for me to coordinate with photographers, DJs, and other vendors at the venue to ensure a smooth and seamless ceremony.

Finally, following the ceremony, I personally handle all marriage documents and ensure delivery to the appropriate town clerk so that your wedding is fully legal. Even after this is complete, I am always available to you if you need advice about obtaining copies of your marriage license or anything else.

*A somewhat modified version of this process is used for commitment ceremonies, vow renewals, and elopements. See the ceremony packages below for details.

Ceremony Packages

Weddings Ceremonies – $475
Includes:
45 minute initial, free consultation;
Self-directed premarital education exercises;
A highly personalized ceremony script tailored to capture who you are as a couple;
30 minute script alteration discussion and unlimited email discussion;
45 minute rehearsal the day before or the morning of the ceremony;
Coordination with vendors at the venue to ensure a seamless ceremony;
An amazing ceremony;
Personal handling of all marriage documents after the wedding; and
24/7 accessibility for questions or concerns prior to the ceremony.

Commitment Ceremonies and Vow Renewals – $400
Includes:
45 minute initial, free consultation;
A highly personalized ceremony script tailored to capture who you are as a couple;
30 minute script alteration discussion and unlimited email discussion;
45 minute rehearsal the day before or the morning of the ceremony;
Coordination with vendors at the venue to ensure a seamless ceremony;
An amazing ceremony; and
24/7 accessibility for questions or concerns prior to the ceremony.

Elopements (Up to 10 guests) – $250
Includes:
60 minute initial, free consultation;
Self-directed premarital education exercises;
A personalized ceremony script based on a standard ceremony;
An amazing ceremony;
Personal handling of all marriage documents after the wedding; and
24/7 accessibility for questions or concerns prior to the ceremony.

*Travel within 20 miles of Freeport, ME is included in all officiant packages. Travel between 20 and 50 miles of Freeport, ME incurs an additional cost of $35. The cost of travel to more distant locations is negotiable.

Additional Services

Premarital Education Sessions – $75 per hour long session
Adding at least one in person or video chat premarital education session to wedding ceremonies and elopements is highly recommended to have a chance to discuss your responses to the self-directed exercises and explore additional topics. While I know that you have it all together, a structured opportunity to talk through common issues that arise in marriage can be very helpful in starting out your new lives together on the right foot.

Event Planning and Management- $75 per hour
While I most often simply act as the wedding officiant, and I’m happy to provide free event advice during the process of building your perfect ceremony, sometimes couples wish for more hands on event planning and management assistance. Maine Ceremonies will play an active role in helping you select and coordinate your venue and vendor choices and ensure that your entire wedding day goes smoothly.

Testimonials

Maine Ceremonies was great and easy to work with. Our officiant, Mike M. was absolutely AWESOME! He made the time to talk with us multiple times leading up the wedding. He put together a ceremony that was absolutely perfect, there were surprises, quotes and some jokes! Because he took the time to get to know us, the ceremony was a reflection of us and exactly what we had hoped for! I couldn’t be happier with our ceremony!!

We could not have been happier with the wedding blessing Mike performed for us. We were formally married in the UK but wanted to also celebrate with friends and family in the US, and Mike created an absolutely perfect wedding blessing for us. The ceremony was fun, poignant and personal. Through conversations and a thought-provoking questionnaire, Mike really took the time to understand us as a couple and incorporated both his observations and our own words into the ceremony. Thus, in addition to being very reliable and organized in regards to the preparations for the wedding blessing itself, Mike was also extremely approachable and a pleasure to talk with throughout the whole process. In addition to all of this, he was also very accommodating in terms of what we wanted from the ceremony, even making some adjustments the day of the blessing when we decided we wanted to add some more spiritual elements – thus adding something personal for us that we were not able to do at our civil wedding ceremony in the UK. We would highly recommend Mike’s services to anyone looking to celebrate their love with a special and personally tailored ceremony.

Billing and Payment

There is a 10% discount on all services performed from October through April.

A $100 non-refundable deposit is due after the initial, free consultation to reserve your date and begin the process of crafting your custom ceremony.

The balance of your payment is due two weeks prior to your ceremony.

Payment is accepted in cash and using all major credit cards.

Invoices will be sent to you by email.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I choose Maine Ceremonies as my wedding officiant?

First, the Maine Ceremonies Process is uniquely able to tailor your ceremony to reflect your personality and beliefs. The ceremony is all about you and even incorporates your authentic voice and words as a major part of the script. While I may be more expensive than some officiants, our rates allow us to spend the time to ensure you are completely satisfied with your ceremony…and I am a bargain compared to some officiants!

Second, Maine will allow almost anyone to officiate weddings and advertise their services. All you need to do is receive “ordination” from one of the many websites out there that will sell it to you once you provide your email address and credit card number. I should know…that is how I got started officiating weddings in Maine, as an “ordained clergy member” in the Church of Spiritual Humanism! However, that “ordination” does not mean that the person is any good at speaking in front of crowds or that they are familiar with the Maine wedding license process. On the other hand, I am an accomplished public speaker and debater and am also now a registered Maine Notary Public, which is the Maine equivalent of other states’ Justice of the Peace for wedding officiating purposes, and means that I have demonstrated my knowledge of the applicable processes. You can trust that I will conduct your ceremony with gravitas and ensure that all your paperwork is properly handled.

What is your philosophy on religion/spirituality in your wedding ceremonies?

I am a non-denominational and largely secular officiant. However, I am happy to be flexible and incorporate some religious or spiritual traditions or readings into your ceremony. If you would like to have First Corinthians as one of your readings, great! If you would like to have a chuppah and glass-breaking as part of your ceremony, great! If you would like me to welcome everyone in the sight of God or Mother Earth, great! However, if you are looking for a religious Christian wedding, I am probably not the officiant for you.

What do you usually wear as an officiant?

I usually wear a black or gray suit. However, I am happy to wear a tuxedo, jeans and a jacket, shorts and a button down, or anything else you would prefer (within reason).

Can we write our own wedding vows?

Yes! I encourage it. While I have a number of standard sets of vows that you are welcome to use if you choose, writing your own vows helps to even further personalize your ceremony.

Contact

ADDRESS
Maine Ceremonies
15 Woodland Road
Pownal, ME 04069

PHONE
207-619-4144

EMAIL
info@maineceremonies.com