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

71 reviews

  • C

    Courtney

    Rating: 5
    •Zola
    •Sep 3

    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

    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.

  • JB

    Jake B.

    Rating: 5
    •Zola
    •Jul 14, 2026

    Best Officiant Around!

    We set out to find the best officiant we could, and we found him. From the start, Chris put in real work to get to know us. His questionnaire pulled out details and history from our relationship that we never would have thought to include on our own, and it gave him real material to work with instead of generic filler. The ceremony itself was exactly what we asked for. Not too long, genuinely funny, sincere where it counted, and it kept all our guests fully engaged the entire time. My father-in-law told us it was the first wedding ceremony he's ever stayed awake for. Another family member said she had heard bits and pieces of our story over the years, but hearing it all at once, told the way Chris told it, made her understand for the first time how special it actually was. Every single person who complimented us on the wedding also complimented Chris. Not most. Every one. Multiple guests said it was the best wedding ceremony they had ever seen. We were anxious about this part of the day. We wanted someone who could represent us well and not lose the room, and that's a hard thing to trust a stranger with. Chris delivered completely. If storytelling matters to you, book him.

  • SH

    Sara H.

    Rating: 5
    •Zola
    •Mar 9, 2026

    Incredible work

    Working with him was such a pleasure. He was kind, supportive, and truly cared about making our ceremony perfect. Looking back at our wedding day, they stand out as someone who absolutely delivered their role flawlessly. We are so grateful and cannot thank him enough for helping create such a meaningful and unforgettable moment for us. We would recommend him to any couple without hesitation!

    Chris Shelley•Mar 10, 2026

    Thank you Sara! It was an honor.

Preferred vendors of Christopher Shelley/Illuminating Ceremonies

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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
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Ashford Estate
Rating: 5.0 (1 review)
Allentown, NJ
Starts at $40,000
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Venue
Mojave East
Rating: 5.0 (62 reviews)
Cincinnati, OH
Starts at $2,000
As of mid June, 2026, I have officiated over 689 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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