The Marriage Minister

•Ratings include Zola and Google reviews

Pricing

Prices start at $300

Packages

Prices start at $300

About The Marriage Minister

James Spalten

Owner Lead Officiant

The Marriage Minister creates heartfelt, personalized wedding ceremonies across Southern Arizona and the Valley of the Sun. As a concierge officiant service, we guide you through every step with steady support and stress‑free planning. We learn your story through our couples questionnaire and craft a ceremony that feels genuine and uniquely yours. James is experienced in unity traditions like handfasting, candle, sand, lasso, and arras. Recognized by Zola and Google, we’re honored to have served well over 100 couples who have trusted us with their new beginnings. Every couple deserves love and respect and The Marriage Minister is fully LGBTQ+ friendly.

It’s the little things that make the biggest difference. We listen closely, rewrite your ceremony until it feels perfect, and answer every question, because none are silly on a day this meaningful. You’ve found the person you want to grow old with, and your ceremony should reflect that love. We believe choosing the right officiant matters as much as choosing the right venue, and we’re here to help create a moment your friends and family will remember for a lifetime.

In three words: Creative, Flexible, Honest

Services

Ceremony types

  • Civil Union
  • Commitment Ceremony
  • Elopement
  • Interfaith Ceremony
  • Legal License Signing
  • Multicultural Weddings
  • Non-religious Ceremony
  • Other
  • Religious
  • Vow Renewal Ceremony

Religious affiliations

  • Catholic
  • Christian
  • Interfaith
  • Other
  • Spiritual
  • Wiccan

The Marriage Minister packages

Arizona Road Trip

Price$400

Description

This includes your custom ceremony, travel, rehearsal ($50.00), calls and ZOOM, MEETUP, TEAMS meetings, document signing and a wedding keepsake.

Home Sweet Home

Price$300

Description

For Tucson couples, this includes your custom ceremony, travel, rehearsal (please check for availability), meetings, in person or virtual, documents signing and a wedding keepsake.

Home On The Range

Price$350

Description

This includes your custom ceremony, travel outside of Tucson proper, Green Valley, Benson, etc. rehearsal ($25.00) please check for our availability, calls, ZOOM meetings, documents signing and a wedding keepsake.

Reviews

Write a review
Rating: 5.0

5.0 out of 5

7 reviews

  • CE

    Chienna & E.

    Rating: 5
    •Zola
    •Jun 9, 2026

    Great service!

    We found James Spalten on Zola, and from our very first conversation, he impressed us with his warm personality and professionalism. He is an excellent communicator, speaks well, and has a natural ability to connect with people from all walks of life. Communication throughout the process was seamless. James and his wife were organized, responsive, and easy to work with. They took the time to collaborate with us and understand exactly how we wanted our ceremony to be. We especially appreciated that they offered different ceremony styles—non-religious, semi-religious, or fully religious—allowing us to choose the option that best reflected our preferences. On our wedding day, James delivered a beautiful ceremony. He spoke eloquently, made everyone feel comfortable, and created a meaningful experience for us and our guests. He was friendly, personable, and truly a pleasure to work with. We were also honored to be their 101st wedding ceremony! We are so grateful to have had James officiate our special day and highly recommend him to any couple looking for a thoughtful, professional, and engaging wedding officiant.

    James Spalten•Jun 9, 2026

    Chienna and Edwin, we can't thank you enough. Not only for your kind words but for letting us be part of this new and exciting part of your lives. This honor is never taken for granted. We are grateful to for leading us into our next 100. I truly loved listening to your heartfelt vows, that's why I always keep tissues handy, not only for you but for me as well. May God bless and keep you both, your family and friends. Jim and Kathy

  • RS

    Rashanda S.

    Rating: 5
    •Zola
    •Nov 20, 2025

    Bride

    From the moment we first spoke with The Marriage Minister, we knew we had found the perfect officiant for our wedding. Their communication style was consistently considerate and respectful, putting us at ease throughout the entire process. The quality of their work was simply incredible - the ceremony they crafted for us was truly memorable and incredibly special. Our son was included in a meaningful way, and the words they spoke reflected our love story in such a personal way that had our friends and family feeling truly connected to our commitment. We have made lifelong friends with The Marriage Minister, and their care and professionalism was bar none. Our day would not have been the same with any other minister. We are forever grateful for the time they took to get to know us and our love, making the ceremony feel so intimate and meaningful for all who attended.

  • J

    Joy

    Rating: 5
    •Zola
    •Aug 28, 2025

    Professional and pleasant!

    Jim is great officiant! He is prompt at showing up at the time requested in attire appropriate for each occasion. Jim listens and executes your requests. He keeps the ceremony moving along in a calm and peaceful manner that’ll make your special day pleasant!

  • AM

    adriana martinez

    Rating: 5
    •Google
    •Sep 16, 2026

    Jim was amazing! His responses were very quick & he made planning very easy! We had a wonderful experience & now a sweet memory. Jim helped our elopement still feel special & one of a kind. I would reccomend him to all! Thank you Jim!

    The Marriage Minister•Sep 16, 2026

    Adriana thank you so much for your review. I wish you both the best life has to offer. Take care of each other.

  • DP

    David Padilla

    Rating: 5
    •Google
    •Sep 15, 2026

    It was great working with Jim would definitely recommend to anybody he can do anything from quick services all the way to full on weddings!

    The Marriage Minister•Sep 16, 2026

    Thank you David. It was great meeting you both. I wish you both the best in your future. Thank you your service, and thank the gentleman who witnessed the ceremony. God bless all of you.

Preferred vendors of The Marriage Minister

Photographer
Patrick Grimes
We are now well over 100 weddings. On May 29th. 2026 we officially hit 100. We celebrated with the couple giving a certificate and a $100 gift card to Amazon.
The Marriage Minister has been serving couples throughout Arizona for over 3 years. James has been officiating ceremonies for about 5 years.
Absolutely. My wife Kathy has been instrumental in writing ceremonies loved by all of our couples. All of our ceremonies are written around the responses we get from our couples questionnaire.
We love rehearsals. It is included in our Tucson ceremonies if we are available. I think there was one time we couldn't accommodate a rehearsal. We do charge for travel in the Phoenix area ($50.00).
That could be called a Vow Renewal ceremony or a re-commitment ceremony. Either way yes, of course.
We don't require premarital counseling, that is truly an individual thing. It is important to know who you want to spend the rest of your life with by the time you have contacted me. I do counsel. However I am not a licensed therapist. I can offer to you what has kept Kathy and I together for almost 40 years. We often get asked "How do you do it?" We're happy to share our success.
Since each couple is unique, we use our couples questionnaire to get the "ball rolling." This questionnaire helps us write your preliminary ceremony. From there, you will have plenty of time to make any changes all the way up to the day before. This really does make the ceremony truly and uniquely yours.
Absolutely. We embrace the LGBTQ+ community and have done many ceremonies over the years.
Should that happen we have one or two backup officiants that can step in. They will deliver to you the same ceremony script that you approved. If we weren't confident in them, they would not be part of our team. Their delivery may be a little different than mine, but you will receive the same enthusiasm that I would have provided.
Unity ceremonies are a great addition to any wedding celebration. We are very familiar with handfasting, lasso and arras, sand, candle, jumping the broom and many others.
Yes of course, Kathy, my wife and script writer has put together a catalog of special vow ideas along with poems and writings to help you every step of the way.

Explore other vendors serving Tucson, AZ

Complete your dream team

Other officiants in Tucson