A CEREMONY of the HEART

Mary Jean is a wonderful person to consider as you wedding officiant. She takes time to get to know you as a couple. She creates a special moment for the couple without excluding your guests. She takes her work seriously without being overly serious. She was a blessing to our wedding and I highly recommend her to anyone who wants to make their wedding special and personalized to them.

Mary Jean was an amazing person to work with! She has such a warm heart and really has an interest in her couples. She helped my husband and I tailor a unique ceremony that was truly one of a kind. Our ceremony was beautiful and I still receive so many compliments from guests saying that it was the best ceremony they have seen. She also went above and beyond...helping to fix an issue with our marriage license that she had never encountered before. She took care of everything so I didn't need to worry about a thing :) She is professional, organized and just plain fantastic and I would recommend her to anyone!

We had a beautiful wedding ceremony thanks to Mary Jean! Mary Jean walked us through the entire wedding process - from filing paperwork to saying I do. She is very helpful, flexible and easy to work with. Mary Jean gave us tons of ideas as to how to make our ceremony personal and our own and was also a great source of support.

I don't even know where to begin with praising Mary Jean. We found her originally through a search online, and scheduled a meeting with her about a year before our wedding. We knew right away that she was the right one for us. Her voice, her demeanor, the way she made us both feel comfortable, and was open to any type of ceremony we wanted. We worked with her throughout our 15 month engagement, but really had most of our interaction the last few months. These months, as most brides know is the most stressful time of your wedding planning. It's easy to lose focus and concentrate on things that aren't as important in the overall picture. Mary Jean helped me stay focused and had a few heart to heart conversations with me to remind me once again, what the day was really all about. We worked together for days, and over multiple emails to perfect our ceremony. Up until the last week I was making small changes, and she was totally open to any idea that came up. Our wedding guests could not stop praising our officiant after the ceremony. Even our DJ who has done countless ceremonies said that was one of the best he had ever seen. It's funny how on your wedding day, you really miss a lot. You are floating on clouds, and sometimes spinning from the excitement and nerves. Mary Jean was a constant voice of calm, and someone I could look at during the ceremony to stay focused. My fiance and I shed a few tears, and she was so thoughtful to have tissue ready for us. She lead us through the ceremony like a true professional, but with so much passion, I was really blown away. I was sad that the wedding was over, because we loved working with MJ so much. I know after we have our children, she will be a part of any blessing ceremonies that we plan for them.

Awesome officiant - she wrote a specially designed ceremony just for us and was absolutely delightful! I would definitely recommend Mary Jean!

Wow!!! Mary Jean is a gem. She was a more than our officiant and our "day of" coordinator. She is my therapist and still remains my friend. I don't even know where to begin...We were lucky enough to find her on wedding wire. Upon our first meeting I could tell that she was truly interested in getting to know us as a couple and individually. Then I read her sample ceremonies and noticed how unique and compelling each of her ceremonies are. We choose her because she her focus is celebrating couples love through their own words and hand picked readings. There is nothing "cookie cutter" about Mary Jean's ceremonies or her services. Our ceremony was amazing! We received high compliments on Mary Jean's delivery, content, and personal touches. Her soothing voice, demeanor and all around professionalism made such a difference to us.During the process of planning the wedding, Mary Jean became a dear friend. I don't know what I would have done without her. Every time I speak with her, she is never in a rush. She went over the details of my wedding as if it was her own, no stone went unturned with Mary Jean. Her 20+ years of experience in the wedding industry is very apparent. She also has great tips on how to save money guided us on how to be most effective with our budget. On the day of the wedding, she executed everything perfectly. She went up to bat for me when a particular vendor completely failed at everything assigned to him. Due to the size of our wedding, she had 2 other assistants come on board for the day of. Cheryl and Anna were highly professional and effective. I was so touched an pleasantly surprised with how in tune they were with everything. I met them on the day of my wedding, but they handled everything as if they were with me since day 1. Kudos to all 3 of them!This review cannot justify the importance of the relationship that we built with the person that had the power to make us man and wife. Mary Jean made me feel like I was only bride in the world. I truly don't know what I would have done without her. I would highly suggest her to any bride that desires a ceremony with a personal flair. My only suggestion to brides that do not want others to wear white on the wedding day, Mary Jean wore this beautiful white outfit on our wedding day. It looked very professional and above all, pure. I appreciated the symbolism, however, I didn't like the way it looked in pictures because it clashed with my dress in some angles. It would be too harsh to say this was my only complaint, but it is my only suggestion to brides that would assume that no one else would be wearing white. As you can see form Mary Jean's top ratings, nothing can take away from the quality she brings to any element of the wedding that you choose her to be involved with. I hope you choose her!

Mary Jean Valente not only was my wedding officiant but she was my strength through out the wedding process. Beyond the knowledge she had and gave us she was a calm energy. Mary Jean made me calm, focussed and informed about everything that had to do with the wedding. My husband and I were so nervous about the ceremony and that all eyes would be on us during this intimate and personal ceremony but, Mary Jean made us feel like we were the only ones there. Even at the wedding reception she became like family and everyone just adored her and felt the comfort we did.Weddings are so emotional and from the heart that you would want a officiant that will take all your worries and stresses away as Mary Jean did for us.Thank You Mary Jean we are so happy to have met.Sofie and Marc Crawford

Mary Jean is a very sweet lady. She takes care in preparing a ceremony that is truly special. She gave our family a beautiful ceremony that we will never forget.

Mary Jean and Michelle are simply the best. They are heart warming and make every couple feel unique. The ceremony is the most crucial part of planning a wedding because it sets the tone of what you want people to know about the couple. Mary Jean beautifully customizes every ceremony and is always available to discuss any concerns. Initially we thought that Ceremony of the Heart was a little pricey for us but after our ceremony we knew that it was worth every penny! We loved Mary Jean and Michelle who officiated for us. We highly recommend Ceremony of the Heart!

Mary Jean was a fantastic officiant! She was supportive, encouraging, enthusiastic, professional and personable. We were very busy with everything else going on with the wedding but Mary Jean made sure that the ceremony itself went off without a hitch. She gave us lots of feedback and she definitely helped make sure that our wedding was memorable not just for us but for everyone who attended.

Mary Jean is like no one we have ever met before! She is the most warm and delightful women and we could not have chosen a more wonderful person to marry us! She was so helpful throughout the entire process and helped us to truly create the ceremony that fit us exactly. We received so many compliments about our ceremony and how much it felt like "us" which was all thanks to Mary Jean's guidance and knowledge! I would highly recommend her to any and everyone because she will make your wedding perfect for you! We love you Mary Jean!! Love, Jason and Kellen Traina (and our sweet little puppy, Stella!)

Our wedding this past April was phenomenal due to Mary Jean's services. She assisted us with creating a beautiful and heartfelt ceremony. Mary Jean has a grounded yet very spiritual presence. She brought such a warmth and confidence to our day. My husband, myself, and our guests were at ease because of Mary Jean's strength and her calming nature. We laughed, we cried, and we felt the magic! Mary Jean has a way of creating a sacred space where everyone feels welcomed. I would definitely recommend Mary Jean to anyone planning to get married! She is also very resourceful and knowledgeable. She was able to suggest beautiful poems to implement into our ceremony. This was very helpful because we were completely lost as to how to proceed, but Mary Jean did not miss a beat. After our first consultation, we knew that the ceremony would proceed with grace and ease, and it did! Our eternal thanks to Mary Jean Valente! Sincerely, Keith and Deirdre

We absolutely loved Mary Jean! She was warm, caring, and really listened to what we wanted for our ceremony. She has a great sense of humor and a big heart. She was more than we could have asked for! It was wonderful and something we will never forget. She helped us merge several different ceremonies and customs for a unique wedding ceremony. I would recommend her for anyone who is thinking of getting married. Thank you MJ! xoxoAmbar & Sasha

We had a very challenging environment with our outdoor ceremony. Leora impressed us with how she calmed everyone down, put everyone in their places and created such beautiful moments for us all to enjoy!She guided us through our big day with care, while subtly addressing details we hadn't otherwise known to consider. Her professional demeanor, attentive nature, and sincerity are a true blessing for such a special occasion. She will always be a part of our memories.

Last January my boyfriend received orders that he was to be deployed to Afghanistan this summer. We had planned to marry in a year or so, but after hearing of his orders, decided to get married before he left. With time against us, we still wanted a beautiful wedding and had no idea where to start. After calling Ceremony of the Heart, our dream wedding began. They made our experience stress free, organized our plans, and made absolutely perfect suggestions. Our ceremony was tailored sepecifically to us and there wasn't a dry eye in site! Our wedding was planned in 2 weeks and we wouldn't change a thing. Mary Jean became our Angel and made our our day just so special and perfect, we can't thank her enough... xoxoMuch love to her,Jaime & Paul2/13/10

Mary Jean was absolutely the best! She is wonderful, personal, giving and interested in you as a couple. Her ceremony will always be unique and attentive. We couldn't have been luckier than to have Mary Jean. Her experience yet openness is a fabulous combination. She'll make you feel comfortable and confident. She is a lifetime friend now. xoxoKelly and Eddie

where to begin?well for those bride and grooms out there that need some love, personal attention & just an awesome ceremony that is truly genuine and amazing contact mary jean!my husband and i had only 3 weeks to plan a wedding & were in greece when his whole family rang and said they were coming to the USA for our wedding..so we hopped back home and pulled it off!that being , to us the officiant/celebrant was more important to us than the reception, flowers, etc itself, this was the person that was uniting us & guiding us & having us say our promises to each other, it was a huge deal and a huge honor that we didnt want to bestow upon anyone.we interviewed heaps of people and when we met Mary Jean we felt she was it.Her warm embrace backed with professionalism and patience was exactly what we needed.We somehow pulled together a Jewish, Catholic, Italian, Greek Orthodox, Spiritual, Inter-faith, Inter-cultural marriage in only a few drafts a few phone calls and lots of laughs.Our guests felt they saw something new and really EXPERIENCED & ENJOYED our ceremony, She is amazing and for anyone that wants to feel like the person marrying them is a person that actually cares for them and is not just trying to make a wedding buck, please give Mary Jean a call, if anything youll meet one more magical person out there who really cares.With much praise and appreciation-Anna & Nick the newlyweds 10.4.09 xxx

Mary Jean was very helpful and gave us a lot of useful information. However, on the day of she was a bit overwhelming. I felt she needed way too much attention at the wrong time.

Finding a wedding officiant was one the last item on my list of things to do for my very last minute wedding/elopement. My future husband's visa had come through faster than expected so we were rushing around trying to make last minute plans. This is my second marriage so I figured it would be easy to find someone to make it official, since I had done this before, I knew what to expect. Well, Mary Jean blew my expectations away. From the first conversation I had with her over the phone I knew she was perfect officiant for us. We needed someone to help us pull the ceremony into something special. I live in Arizona and at the time my husband was still in England. Through phone calls and emails she was able to pull together a very warm, heart felt, touching, romantic ceremony in only a few days. She helped me with travel tips and gave me some great ideas to help make the day less stressful. She even took the extra time to hand deliver our wedding license to the court so we could get our certified copies sooner for the immigration applications we needed to file. We got our copies in under two weeks! She really went above and beyond for us to make our day a very memorable one.Thank you so much Mary JeanBarry and Tricia ~ 9/18/09 Santa Monica, CA

Mary jean was a great addition to our special day, she knew how to get our true feelings out of our minds and into words for our ceremony. She was very professional, flexible and knowlegable in her field. She also helped us turn a painfull death into a beautifull tribute on our special day. We are eternally greatfull for her services. Lisa and Aldo Perez July 18 2009