Christopher Shelley/Illuminating Ceremonies

•Ratings include Zola and Google reviews

About Christopher Shelley/Illuminating Ceremonies

Illuminating Ceremonies

Wedding Officiant

Most couples who work with me take their relationship seriously, but don't take themselves too seriously. They're educated, do Wordle, read the NY Times and have a healthy sense of reality. Since 2011, I've been writing and performing personal, meaningful and refreshingly engaging ceremonies. Couples work with me in an easy, collaborative way. I take guest experience and your wishes very seriously. I have the ability to command a room, a writer's knack for shaping a story, an emcee's sense of timing, and experience at the most prestigious venues. My BFA in Acting (Boston University) and MFA in Creative Writing (NYU) serve me well.

I am the funniest wedding officiant in the country, but my goal is to be the best officiant in the country, to find that perfect balance of humor and dignity that makes a wedding ceremony an unforgettable event. My experience as an actor, a writer, an emcee and a spouse to a very smart wife have led me to be someone whom couples can trust. I've been married since 2002 (to the same woman), so I know about having a happy marriage. I can get along with your parents. I've done ceremonies all over the country and on TV. My home bases are NY/NJ and OH/KY, but I travel all around the US. My book Best Ceremony Ever is a great resource.

In three words: Confident, Fun, Innovative

Best of Zola 2026

Services

Ceremony types

  • Civil Union
  • Commitment Ceremony
  • Interfaith Ceremony
  • Multicultural Weddings
  • Non-religious Ceremony
  • Other
  • Vow Renewal Ceremony

Religious affiliations

  • Other
  • Secular
  • Spiritual

Reviews

Write a review
Rating: 5.0

5.0 out of 5

77 reviews

  • IM

    Isabella & M.

    Rating: 5
    •Zola
    •Oct 20

    We Loved Chris and Our Guests Did Too

    If you are thinking about hiring Chris Shelly as your wedding officiant, please do! We loved Chris, and our guests did too! During our initial call with Chris, my husband and I knew immediately that we wanted to hire him after hearing him explain his process and how he approaches each ceremony. We wanted a non-religious wedding ceremony that would wow our guests, and we wanted our guests to be just as engaged in the ceremony as we were. We did not want a ceremony that was simply reciting poetry or generic readings about marriage that did not have anything to do with us. Chris delivered all of that and more. Chris was easy to work with and patient throughout the entire process. He listened to what we wanted and tailored the ceremony to make it uniquely ours, as if he was a friend who knew us well. And the result? Our guests absolutely loved the ceremony. We received multiple compliments about how captivated everyone was during Chris’s speech, and they could not stop raving about him afterward. We went into the ceremony confident he could deliver on our high expectations, and he still blew us away. Chris is amazing, and we are so glad we chose him to be our officiant. He made our ceremony so personal, meaningful, and memorable. We could not recommend him enough!

  • SS

    Sarah and S.

    Rating: 5
    •Zola
    •Sep 10, 2026

    10/10, No notes!

    Chris did an amazing job officiating our wedding. Our families could not stop telling us how much they enjoyed the ceremony and said that he had the perfect balance of heartfelt emotion and comedic relief. As my mother-in-law put it, "Each time I was about to cry, he made me laugh." If you're looking for an officiant, I would absolutely recommend Chris. We couldn't be happier with how our ceremony went thanks to him!

    Chris Shelley•Sep 10, 2026

    Thank you, Sarah & Sean! Your wedding was very fun. Good luck to you both!

  • C

    Courtney

    Rating: 5
    •Zola
    •Sep 3, 2026

    10/10

    Chris officiated our wedding this past weekend and thank goodness he did! Chris managed the ceremony so it never felt awkward. He has a way with reading the room with humor yet still being professional. The best part is that he took the time to get to know us and our dynamic, so the ceremony felt personal. Throughout the night everyone said they want to renew their vows so Chris can officiate. My only regret is that he wasn't a wedding guest, what a blast he is! 10/10 would recommend again and again

  • CO

    Courtney Bryson O.

    Rating: 5
    •Zola
    •Aug 31, 2026

    Incredible officiant!

    I had the absolute pleasure of working with Chris at a wedding at Rule of Thirds, and he was truly incredible. From the moment we connected, he was warm, flexible, funny, and such a joy to work with. What impressed me most was how much effort Chris put into really getting to know the couple. The ceremony felt incredibly personal and authentic, while still being lighthearted and genuinely funny. He had the entire room engaged! The best testament to how wonderful he was? After the ceremony, guests were literally coming up to Chris saying they needed to renew their vows just so they could have him officiate! As a wedding planner, I work with many different vendors, and I can confidently say Chris is someone I would recommend again and again. An incredible officiant and an equally wonderful vendor partner!

    Chris Shelley•Sep 3, 2026

    Thank you Courtney! The feeling is mutual and I know we will work together again!

  • AE

    Alexis E.

    Rating: 5
    •Zola
    •Jul 20, 2026

    Customer

    From the first call I had with Chris I knew he was going to be the right fit and he truly was just that. Chris’ made the most beautiful ceremony. It was classy and elegant with the right amount of humor sprinkled in throughout. All of our guests loved him and didn’t stop raving about him and the ceremony all night. He truly is beyond amazing and I couldn’t have asked for a better ceremony.

Preferred vendors of Christopher Shelley/Illuminating Ceremonies

Quick responder
Venue
The Plaza Hotel
New York, NY
Starts at $550
Planner
Marian Frances Events
Rating: 5.0 (1 review)
Charleston, SC
Starts at $2,500
Quick responder
Venue
Ashford Estate
Rating: 5.0 (1 review)
Allentown, NJ
Starts at $40,000
Quick responder
Venue
Mojave East
Rating: 4.9 (59 reviews)
Cincinnati, OH
Starts at $2,000
As of mid October, 2026, I have officiated 704 weddings.
The first wedding I officiated was at the end of 2011, in New York City, at Rockefeller Plaza. It was cold and loud.
Yes of course! Let's make the ceremony uniquely you.
Yes of course! Let's make the ceremony uniquely yours. My entire process is designed for you to personalize it.
I have often run rehearsals myself, but usually they are a coordinated effort between me and someone from your venue. I am the rare officiant who enjoys doing them. I think they can be really useful and a really enjoyable part of the whole experience. I offer my help in rehearsals that take place within 2 hours of the ceremony. If you are having your rehearsal on a different day, I have a fee for that, and would only be available if I am not officiating another wedding at that time.
Yes of course! Doing my due diligence, I'd need to see your marriage certificate. But yes, people do this all the time - they do the legal part on one date and do the huge celebration on another date. Yes.
Nope. I am not a priest, religious figure or social worker. That said, I've been happily married since 2002, so I can talk your head off about marriage if you want. But who would want that?
Yes, duh, of course. That's officiating 101. No joke: it's the first thing I learned in this business.
I’m so glad you asked. The assumption is that officiants just show up, do their twenty minutes and that’s it. People have no idea how many hours go into getting to know a couple, finding the right words to say about them, editing, rehearsing delivery, re-writing, keeping the flow going, managing different moods you want to hit. Each couple gets 20 hours of prep, easily. And then there's the wedding day - another 2-3 hours plus travel time.
I’m usually with the couple until the 3rd day of the honeymoon, then things get awkward. Kidding! I leave on the 2nd day of the honeymoon. Kidding! I stay for part of cocktail hour, then I make an Irish exit.
Top-notch Classical Voice and Speech training and years of performing plays with no microphone. If a microphone conks out, I can still project really well. Also, indefatigable charm. And perfect timing. And humbleness, whatever that is. Seriously, I have a LOT of experience at the most prestigious venues in New York. I've worked with tremendous wedding planners, photographers, DJs and musicians. My couples have ranged in age from 22 to 82. In ceremonies, I've spoken foreign languages, I've sung, I've improvised hundreds of moments for unpredictable reasons. I'm dignified and diligent but also engaging and entertaining.
Yes -- you would do the same thing if you were trying to save time.
I went to a lot of wedding ceremonies that weren't personal or even connected to the couple and I thought 'there must be a better way to do this.' It looked like a fun thing to do, so I interviewed other professional celebrants and officiants who confirmed that it was great fun. I studied at the Celebrant Foundation & Institute, set up this website, listed on big wedding platforms and here we are.
Yes. Also, I need people to keep spending too much money on weddings. Specifically, they need to spend more money on wedding officiants.

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