For years, I wondered what kind of work would bring me joy. I wanted to do something positive and meaningful, something that let me connect with people, be creative, tell stories, laugh, travel, and hopefully make a difference along the way.

I never imagined that officiating weddings and life ceremonies would be the answer.

Then, in 2017, two of my closest friends decided to get married and asked me to officiate. I took the leap, became an Ordained Minister through the Universal Life Church, and helped them pull off an unforgettable surprise backyard wedding.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but that one ceremony completely changed the direction of my life.

I was hooked.

By 2019, I had left my day job as a Chiropractic Assistant and become a full-time Michigan wedding officiant. What started with one backyard wedding grew into hundreds of ceremonies and stories, and a career that has taken me places I never expected to go.

And somehow, it just keeps growing.

Becoming a Celebrant and a Storyteller

In those early years, I loved officiating weddings, but I knew I wanted to do more than stand at the front and say the traditional words.

I wanted to tell people’s stories.

I wanted guests to laugh because they recognized the couple I was talking about. I wanted couples to look at each other and think, That is so us. I wanted ceremonies to feel personal, engaging and real, rather than something that could have been written for any two people.

That desire led me to train with Mark Allan Groleau, the Unboring Officiant, where I learned his storytelling technique and a completely different way of approaching a wedding ceremony. It changed the way I wrote and helped me understand just how powerful a well-told story can be.

And then a funeral changed my direction again.

I attended a service and remember sitting there thinking, There is so much more to this man’s story.

I knew I wanted to learn how to tell those stories too.

That realization led me to the Celebrant Academy, where I trained in ceremony writing, storytelling, ritual, public speaking and the art of creating meaningful secular ceremonies.

I continued my education in End-of-Life ceremonies and Life Transitions. Months later I became an InSight Certified Celebrant, further developing my ability to create deeply personal funeral, memorial and end-of-life services.

From Celebrant Academy Student to Executive Director

Today, I am the Executive Director of the Celebrant Academy, the very place that played such an important role in my own growth as a celebrant.

And I absolutely love what this chapter of my life has become.

My work now takes me beyond the ceremonies I personally officiate. I travel to conferences and events, meet celebrants, officiants, funeral professionals and other incredible people doing meaningful work in their communities. I get to talk about celebrancy, promote education and professional development, introduce people to the Academy and its courses, and help create opportunities for celebrants to learn from one another.

One of my favorite things is meeting someone who says, “I didn’t even know this was something I could do,” because I remember being that person.

I love talking with new celebrants who are just beginning to imagine what this work could look like. I love learning alongside experienced professionals who know there is always something more to discover. And I love being part of a growing community of people who believe ceremonies matter.

The more people I meet, the more places I travel and the more I learn, the more excited I become about this profession.

But I’m Still a Celebrant

As much as my role with the Celebrant Academy has grown, I haven't stopped doing the work that brought me here in the first place.

I still officiate weddings. A lot of them!

I still sit across from couples and hear the stories of how they met, what they love about each other, what drives them crazy, what makes them laugh and what kind of life they are building together.

I still stand in front of a room full of people and get ridiculously happy when everyone laughs exactly where I hoped they would.

And I still officiate funerals and celebrations of life.

There is something incredibly meaningful about sitting with a family, listening to them talk about someone they love, gathering all those little stories and memories, and then creating a service that makes people say, “Yes. That was them.”

Weddings and funerals may seem like opposite ends of the spectrum, but for me, they are connected by the same thing.

People.

Their relationships. Their memories. Their stories. Their love.

That is the part of this work that brings me joy.

What It’s Like to Work With Me

I work with people from all kinds of backgrounds, cultures, beliefs, families and traditions. Some want a ceremony filled with laughter. Some want something deeply sentimental. Most want a little of both.

My job isn't to tell you what your ceremony should look like. My job is to listen, get to know you, and help create something that actually feels like you.

I am proudly inclusive and an enthusiastic supporter of equality. LGBTQIA+ couples and families are always welcome here, and I believe every person deserves to have their story treated with warmth, dignity and respect.

I’m based in Southeast Michigan, but these days I travel quite a bit, both for ceremonies and for my work with the Celebrant Academy. You might find me officiating a wedding in Detroit one weekend and California another, heading to Ohio or Las Vegas for an industry event, teaching and connecting with celebrants across the country, or cohosting a celebrant retreat in Scotland. And then I come home, sit down with a family, listen to them tell me about someone they loved, and help them turn those memories into a celebration of their life.

My world has gotten a whole lot bigger, but the heart of what I do really hasn’t changed. It’s still about people, their stories, and creating meaningful moments with them.

It is not exactly the career I pictured for myself all those years ago.

It is so much better!

And whether I am standing beside a couple as they begin their marriage, sitting around a kitchen table listening to a family tell stories about someone they miss, or meeting celebrants from across the country who want to become better at this work, I still come back to the same thing.

Stories matter. Ceremonies matter. People matter.

And I feel incredibly lucky that I get to spend my life celebrating all three.