I am a certified wedding celebrant and a non-denominational wedding officiant licensed to perform weddings and civil unions in New Jersey. I am a graduate of The Celebrant USA Foundation and Institute in Montclair, N.J. where I trained to design and perform ceremonies which honor and celebrate life’s milestone events. The certified civil celebrant’s mission is to create ceremonies that reflect your needs, beliefs, cultural background, values and tastes.

As a museum director, I once taught and created exhibits about America’s past at a colonial mansion and an 1800’s gambling casino. Later, as a public relations professional, I promoted and wrote about the arts, theater, and nonprofit social service agencies. My husband and I have been married for more than three decades.

Soon after retiring early, I discovered a new career and fell in love with the idea of becoming a celebrant.Today at weddings, I celebrate the stories of how couples met and fell in love. It is a deep privilege to share and help shape such an important celebration in life.

I believe that ceremony transforms how we perceive life’s most important times. The words and rituals chosen to celebrate a milestone reflect our personal beliefs and values. My role as a wedding ceremony designer and writer is to help my clients create ceremonies that meet their needs at times of transition in their lives.

In addition to weddings, I also officiate at gay and lesbian civil unions, vow renewals, baby namings, house welcomes, memorials, coming of age ceremonies, birthdays, anniversaries and other celebrations that reflect significant personal milestones.

Just as ceremonies transform those who celebrate transitions, I find that officiating at and designing ceremonies transforms me. It is my great honor and passion to celebrate life’s milestones with you.

What Is a Celebrant?

In the United States, a certified civil celebrant is a professional certified by The Celebrant USA Foundation and Institute in Montclair, New Jersey. Students there study how to design and officiate at ceremonies celebrating milestone events such as weddings, gay and lesbian civil unions, baby namings, house ceremonies, memorials and other ceremonies that mark life’s transitions.

The idea of certified civil celebrants originated decades ago in Australia where celebrants now celebrate the vast majority of weddings and funerals and memorials. They have significantly changed the way Australians mark the significant moments of their lives. Now, this concept is influencing and changing how Americans celebrate.