Despite the fact we had only officially met Chris in person at our wedding rehearsal, all of our friends and family said they felt as if he had known us our entire lives. Samantha S.
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Best Ceremony Ever
First, we want to say HUGE thank you to Chris because honestly our wedding wouldn’t have been as perfect if he wasn’t there to officiate, so THANK YOU CHRIS!
There is a reason Chris has hundreds of 5 star reviews! Chris is truly the best of the best. Not just because he's professional, organized, helpful and a pleasure to be around but because he has that special, artful, gift that only a few people in this world have which allows him to effortlessly command an entire room and make them feel every emotion in his words. What a gift that is to have & what a gift that is to share with people on their wedding day. I actually struggle to come up with the words to express just how amazing our ceremony felt - not only to us as the bride and groom, but to our families and guests. Chris worked with us for hours on end preparing the perfect ceremony. He did such a fantastic job conveying our love story and the marriage rituals. The ceremony felt sacred and romantic, but also had elements of perfectly timed light hearted humor. He respected the religious elements we asked to include with readings/verbiage during vows. Chris and our ceremony has been our MOST commented/complimented/talked about element of all wedding day. Chris is worth every single penny and more - I would hire him again in a heart beat and I would be willing to pay 10x what his services cost us, that's how truly amazing he was. If there's one thing you should do, it's hire him as your officiant! We are so, so grateful for him. - Katelyn D.
THE BEST OFFICIANT EVER! He crafted a BEAUTIFUL, personalized ceremony and helped us edit our vows - more than once! His ceremony was so funny, loving, heartwarming - everything you ask for and more. By the time of the ceremony he felt like family. We are truly so happy with Chris and we would ask him to marry us 100x over! - Priscilla D.
I don't think this box is big enough for the review I want to write for Chris. I found him through a podcast and after hearing him talk about the way he does things, I immediately felt I had to have him for our wedding. I had my husband listen to the episode and he was sold. I somehow got Chris on the phone and he agreed to fly from New York to Texas to officiate our wedding. My husband and I were so meticulous about each of our vendors because we just wanted to make sure that we felt really comfortable with everyone that we would be working with and that they meshed well with our personalities/our guests, and our other vendors to make for just a really loving, happy atmosphere. It was really important to me that the ceremony was not the boring part that people wanted to get through to get to the drinks and dancing and that is what Chris specializes in. The ceremony we created with him was so beautiful. There was story telling, audience interaction, he told our love story to our friends and family the way we have experienced it. He made everyone laugh. He was just amazing. For days after the wedding we had people complimenting him and asking us how we found him. My husband shared with me, days after the wedding, how supportive Chris was to him when there was a hiccup with my Father-in-law briefly being MIA and stressing my husband out. Chris really went above and beyond and I will forever recommend him to anyone I know getting married. - Molly S.
Honestly, we are endlessly grateful for how amazing before and during the wedding Chris was. When we met him, it was like meeting up with an old friend. We hit it off, were making jokes and just knew he was perfect for our wedding. Chris’ questionnaire was fun and interesting to fill out, and even more fun to go over together as a couple after we each individually filled it out. We also appreciated Chris for helping us out with our vows, he was able to seemingly help us make sure both of our vows were both perfection. And even though we read our ceremony through together before, Chris presented it in such a throughout, fun manner that we still laughed and cried like we heard it for the first time. We knew from the beginning how amazing Chris was, but seriously BEST CEREMONY EVER! Not only do we think that, but all of our guests thought so as well. People even came up and said if they could do their wedding over again, they would do like ours...aka having Chris. We would recommend Chris ten times over. Trust us if you want the best ceremony ever look no further.
Reviewed by Juztina on Wedding Wire
He completely understood what we wanted for our ceremony and knocked it out of the park. We wanted an out of the box, personal, comedic but love-inspired type of ceremony and he hit it right on the nail. – Steven C
A Perfect Storyteller
The entire process of working with Chris was PERFECT and seamless. You have to take the time to fill out your couple questionnaire so he can make your ceremony that much more perfect. We aren't a religious couple, so we wanted a wonderful storyteller. And that's what Chris is: wonderful. He's thoughtful and engaging. He helped a stressed, control freak bride seamlessly coordinate with the venue and the DJ without lifting a finger.
Erin, on WeddingWire
Hire him now - perfect ceremony
I have nothing but good things to say about Chris and his work. I was so hesitant to book a stranger off the internet to perform in such an intimate part of our lives. However, after meeting Chris and seeing the first draft of our ceremony all my worries went away! He knocked it out of the park! I first found Chris here on the Knot and then did a youtube search of him -where there is a whole ceremony he performed - I fell in love! It's like he knew that couple! Our ceremony was so personable and so us. We opted to write our own vows and Chris helped edit them- he didn't change anything we wanted to say but instead helped with grammar. At the rehearsal I even told Chris I wasn't quite sure my vows were complete and he emailed me later that day willing to help and even found me before I walked down the aisle to make sure I was happy with my vows (I was - those dang nerves got the best of me)! At the reception, our guests kept coming up to us telling us it was the best ceremony they have ever been to. At the end of the night I looked at my husband and said, uh we totally forgot to give Chris the marriage license to sign- when we went to our day of coordinator she told us Chris signed it and took it with him to send out so we didn't have to worry about it. The very next day he even text us to let us know he sent it. I cannot say enough good things about Chris and his work! THANK YOU FOR MAKING OUR WEDDING ONE TO REMEMBER.
Reviewed by Annie on Wedding Wire
I had SO many people comment to us afterwards how great the ceremony was and how great Chris was. I even had one guest say, "At a wedding ceremony, you usually want it to end quickly. But I didn't want him to stop talking!" If you're thinking about using Chris: pull the trigger and just do it. You will NOT regret it.
Reviewed by Daniel L on Google
Chris was exactly what we were looking for in a wedding officiant. We wanted something fun and lively, and that is exactly what Chris provided. Regardless of what you are looking for, Chris is the type of officiant who listens, learns about you as a couple, and will make the evening into something special and memorable for you. Chris made the ceremony one of our favorite parts of the evening, whereas it is usually the part where people are counting down until the party starts. We received countless comments about how perfect it was for us. Chris has the experience, personality, and attention to detail to provide that for anyone and I would strongly recommend him to anyone looking to add a fun vibe or personal touch to the ceremony.
Reviewed by Sam vH on Google
Chris and the ceremony he performed for me and my husband is maybe one of the most talked about parts of our wedding still to this day, and for good reason!
Our relationship with Chris started about 21 months before our ceremony took place (yes, maybe the earliest client he's ever had but whatever, I'm a planner). I had been heavily researching officiants because we weren't getting married in the church and we didn't want a simple justice of the peace to perform our ceremony. We wanted someone that would be able to express the importance of the ceremony in a meaningful way because that's the whole reason for having a wedding in the first place. When I found Chris, read his testimonials, and saw some video footage, I knew it was the perfect fit, and boy was I right.
Chris sent us a couples questionnaire that we filled out to be sent in about two months prior to the ceremony that he used to get to know us a little better and write a script that meant something to the two of us. Once we sent our answers in he sent back a script in about two weeks. As soon as we received it I read it immediately and couldn't contain my excitement. It was thoughtful, it was comical, it was personal, it was everything we wanted.
We got married in Cincinnati but live in Chicago so when we were in town for vendor meetings we met up with Chris as well and he was just as lovely in person as we would have expected. Making us that much more excited to develop a connection with him and have him coordinate our ceremony.
We worked with Chris on making a few edits to the script and he had no problem with our suggestions. Each draft had a very quick turnaround as well.
We opted to not have him a the rehearsal because it was the day prior and we had a coordinator that was going to walk us through everything. But, when it came to the big day he was incredibly professional. He communicated what would be happening, talked through certain areas of the ceremony we were nervous about, and kept us calm.
His presentation was fantastic and authentic. He had us and all of guests laughing when we were meant to be laughing and thoughtful when we were meant to be thoughtful. He was truly engaging for everyone. When we were greeting our guests at the reception and even when we saw guests after the wedding, almost everyone commented how much they loved our officiant and how he did a great job. Still, months later, people ask us about him.
Chris was fantastic, made our ceremony everything we could have wanted and more, and was worth every penny.
Thanks for making Connor and I husband and wife in the best ceremony ever!
Reviewed On 10/25/2018 by Amanda
From our very first conversation I knew Chris was my guy. He was thoughtful and funny about the answers we gave to his questionnaire, changed things around when I asked for a few changes, and worked to combine the traditional elements my husband wanted with the non traditional elements I hoped for, including the priest's marriage speech from The Princess Bride, complete with lisp and everything! He took the time to make me laugh and ease my nerves when I was freaking out. He was patient when I was late getting updates to him. He was just all around exactly what I needed from an officiant. I never worried about how the ceremony would turn out because I knew it was in the right hands. I wanted a funny, heartwarming, and personal ceremony and that's exactly what Chris gave me. Every single person at my wedding commented about how funny Chris was, how awesome it was for everything to be so specific to me and my husband's personalities and quirks, and how much they genuinely enjoyed the whole experience. I 100% understand why Chris' book is called Best Ceremony Ever because that's exactly what he delivered for me and my husband, the very best ceremony ever. 12/10, without hesitation I recommend Chris as an officiant and all around good guy!
Reviewed On 10/29/2018 by Simon W
I mean try and find a bad review, I guarantee you won't. There isn't anything I can't say that isn't already written below ( I checked). Therefore you will know exactly what you will get with Christopher - and that is GREATNESS. Christopher was phenomenal as our celebrant. Truly charismatic, thoroughly prepared and a joy to be around. Out most common asked question of the night was how we knew him, literally people thought he was a family friend as he provided a very intimate and knowledgeable service. Couldn't come more highly recommended. Don't bother searching for someone else, reach out and hope that he is available. You won't find better.
As the five star rating says, Chris is literally "The best ever!" My wife and I were looking for a officiant who could do an interfaith ceremony since my family is Christian and hers is Jewish. We found Chris, met with him, and immediately loved him. Chris crafted this wonderful love story for us not just from talking with us, but from a questionnaire he sent that was simply a joy to fill out. And he covered everything, from how my wife and I met, to why we love each other, to how we got engaged, and all the little idiosyncrasies that tie us together. Not to mention all of the good-natured ribbing of all of the times I was either a bit dense or just hilariously awkward. He did all of that while leaving enough room for us to do a little Jewish and Christian thing. And he was always open to suggestion through the revision process, though almost all of our small edits were a result of my own pedantic nature. Honestly, we couldn't be more pleased with our ceremony. What Chris prepares is an amazing twenty minute greatest hits version of your relationship that will leave you overjoyed and your guests entertained. Several of our family members told us they wished they were getting married so Chris could marry them. Everyone loved him. If you work with Chris, you will laugh, you will cry, and you will feel like you are in the best of hands.
Reviewed On 4/19/2018 by Brandi B
There is no better way to put it, Chris Shelley is INCREDIBLE!! We live and got married in the Cincinnati area, so we weren’t sure how everything worked with him doing weddings in both New York and Cincy. After reading Chris’s website and finding out he treats himself as a local vendor in Cincinnati (No charge for travel!) we immediately reached out to him and were very lucky to be able to book him for our wedding date. He was just amazing through the whole process. We had a not-so-traditional, non-religious style of wedding, and he was the perfect choice for us. He created an absolutely unique ceremony for us based on a questionnaire that covers all sorts of aspects of our relationship and the story of how we got to marriage, which was actually a really fun process. We sent back the questionnaire and basically gave him free reign on putting together the ceremony. When he says that he is a celebrant, not just an officiant, that is exactly what he is. He told our story of how we met and where our relationship has taken us, celebrated our relationship, what we love about each other, and why we are so great together. He included personal anecdotes, little quips about our family members and special freinds, and most of all…..some really AWESOME puns! He was funny, engaging, and professional. All of our guests commented on how awesome and unique he was. Even our videographer made a comment to me during the reception to that he has never, in his 26 years of doing weddings, ever seen anything like our ceremony before, and how great he thought Chris was. If you are looking for a fun, unconventional wedding officiant, look no further than Chris. You will not be disappointed
If I could give Christopher Shelley 10 stars, I would! From start to finish, he was professional, funny, and immediately put us at ease about our ceremony. Our ceremony was the hit of the entire wedding! It was touching, funny, and memorable. Everyone commented on how it "us" it was. That is a testament to Chris and the work he put in to make our special day even more special! We've now been married two months, and everyone is still talking about how great our ceremony was! I can't recommend him enough!
WOW!!! Christopher Shelley was LITERALLY the best officiant we could have asked for!!! All night, all of our guests were raving about him and what a fantastic job he did!!! He was so easy to work with, professional, and had a great sense of humor!! It was the best wedding ever because of you!!! He takes serious parts and lightens them up and has everyone laughing one minute and crying the next!! He is truly amazing at what he does and shows the compassion and fire when he does it!!! I absolutely recommend Christopher- he is truly the best at what he does!!!!
-- The Knot
Creative, patient, reassuring and all around amazing! Christopher was a complete pleasure to work with!
Our wedding was a surprise ceremony that was organized from a distance, another country to be exact. Christopher was very helpful and present throughout the whole process. He managed to script a service that included my partner and guests without having access to them. It was funny, original and all around entertaining. After the ceremony, every single guest asked me the same question, ‘Where did you find this amazing guy?’… He, beyond any doubt, made our simple ceremony a success.
Extra points for his patience since the event was delayed because of a few hiccups with the venue that we had booked!
-- Jeffrey, The Knot
Christopher Frost Shelley is the best officiant you’ll ever find. Seriously.
My now-wife and I planned a small, intimate wedding with our closest friends and immediate family; so we wanted a ceremony that was both intimate and unique. It was important for us to find someone who would invest the time in understanding who we are and what we wanted out of the ceremony. We wanted our wedding to be about us, but without all the extra fuss or added pressure of being in the spotlight. After receiving a prompt reply from Christopher, we met up with him and it was quickly decided he was our man. Christopher has a way of putting people instantly at ease. He’s extremely amiable, professional, and courteous. He made suggestions that we hadn't thought of, had his own checklist of ceremony tasks (and made sure we were as prepared as he was), and was more than willing to adjust the ceremony to fit our needs in any way we saw fit. He also walked us through all the steps, sent us regular reminders regarding deadlines and where he was in the process, and gave us the opportunity to ask as many questions as we wanted. When Christopher puts on a ceremony, he puts himself entirely into it. He’s a wonderful showman: funny, intelligent, witty, and considerate. Christopher balanced putting on a heart-felt performance and engaging our guests while always keeping the spotlight on us. The script he wrote for us, which incorporated parts of our questionnaires, was honed perfectly to our personalities. It’s been a few weeks since we got married and our guests continually remark about how fantastic the ceremony was thanks to Christopher. Two of our friends said they wished they had Christopher as their officiant while others said “he was the best officiant I've ever seen!” Our wedding would never have been nearly as perfect had it not been for Mr. Christopher Frost Shelley. He was one of the best parts of our wedding and neither I, nor our guests, will ever forget the magic he added to it.
Doug - Wedding Wire
Preparing for the ceremony was my favorite (and most important) part of wedding planning. Mostly, this is because Chris was incredible. He helped create a meaningful, fun ceremony that everyone in attendance enjoyed (and believe me, we had a mixed crowd!). Chris's personality, filled with warmth, charm, humor, and depth, makes him a perfect officiant for any occasion. He took the time to get to know us and created a customized ceremony that was poignant and touching at an unbeatable price. Chris loves what he does, which is why his work was truly unforgettable. I cannot recommend this man enough!
-- Mia, The Knot
Chris officiated our wedding and blew everybody away with his unique blend of energy, humor and warmth. Our wedding was in April and, three months later, we still have people commenting on how amazing the ceremony was!
From the first moment we spoke with Chris, we knew that we wanted him to marry us and couldn't wait to see what kind of ceremony he would craft for us. During the creative process, Chris was responsive (even when on a cruise with his family!), patient and really took the time to get to know us as a couple. The end result was a ceremony which was the perfect blend of not being overly familiar but still sounding like Chris had known us for years.
If you're looking for a ceremony which is fun and really reflects your own personal story then please look no further than Chris. Choosing him as our officiant was one of the best decisions that we made for our wedding day!
--Nick, The Knot
I honestly can't say anything bad about my experience with Christopher Shelley. My wedding day was beautiful and exactly as I imagined. Chris really kept all the families engaged in the ceremony. He had a great way with words and was able to add in light humor as well as "wedding words." What was particularly interesting about our wedding that Christopher really impressed us with, is the fact that we had a religious officiant as well. He was able to work with everyone and split the ceremony in a very elegant and classy way. Thanks again !!!!
--Marwah, The Knot
We knew we wanted Chris to marry us from about 5 minutes into the first meeting. He's funny and charismatic, and delivered a intimate, personal, and hilarious wedding ceremony. He was so easy to work with and everyone at our wedding said ours was the best wedding they had ever been to because of our ceremony. Chris is wonderful- you will love your ceremony. I promise. Christopher Shelley really made our ceremony personal and unique! I got so many compliments on our ceremony. I think people really like to hear stories about the couple, and are bored with the typical wedding ceremony that we're all familiar with. We met with Christopher once in person a few months before the wedding, and exchanged several emails and phone calls prior to our wedding. In the weeks leading up to our wedding, we talked with Christopher frequently and refined our ceremony script to make it perfect for us! Also, he showed up to the ceremony site 2 hours early to ensure everything was in place and he was familiar with the setting. It is so nice to have an extra person with you on your wedding day to make sure things go well! Definitely hire Christopher if you want a personal and intimate ceremony.
-The Knot
Our wedding planner recommended Chris and we're so happy she did! Chris is really clever and a great writer. Chris put together a ceremony for us that was funny, entertaining, touching and truly unique and personal. He really got our guests energized to be part of our wedding and did a great job of telling our story. Chris also encouraged us to write our own vows and helped us with that process. Chris is professional, talented and puts a lot of effort into getting to know his clients. Our friends and family could not stop talking about Chris and we could not have been more happy with the ceremony. Book him if you can!
-Wedding Wire
Top Notch Celebrant
My husband and I were planning our wedding on the other side of the world - from Tokyo, Japan - but that was no hurdle for us to find Chris. Our first interaction started via Skype, during which we all just clicked instantly and we knew we wanted him to officiate our wedding. If you are looking for an easy going, FUNNY, romantic officiant who will not only understand your personal love story perfectly, but be able to transform it into the most beautiful ceremony, then Chris is the one. It was so smooth and easy working with Chris, from Tokyo to New York. It was such a pleasure working with him and thanks to him, my husband and I could not have had a more precious ceremony.
Sandra - The Knot.com
Christopher Shelley ROCKS MY SOCKS! Whenever I ask my guests to tell how they enjoyed my wedding, they rave about the officiant. Christopher was amazing. I had an outdoor wedding in the park and my preferred venue was unexpectedly closed due to a snowstorm the previous night. Christopher took charge of the situation and relocated my guests. He cracked jokes. He kept the mood light. When I finally arrived (it's a brides prerogative to be late... wink), he delivered a bang up ceremony. We laughed, we loved and we were married by THE BEST CELEBRANT IN NYC!
After the wedding our marriage certificate arrived with record speed and was accurately recorded. I would eagerly recommend Christopher to anyone who wants a personalized and meaningful ceremony.
Thanks Chris!
Shalakay, Wedding Wire
We had the great fortune of having Mr. Chris Shelley officiate our wedding ceremony. My wife & I spent a lot of effort researching officiants, in the hope of finding someone who can articulate our story well. Mr. Shelley totally exceeded our very high expectations. Many of our guests were floored by the touching ceremony as well.
Mr. Shelley is extremely gifted, patient, and professional. In our initial meeting, he took time to listen to our story, and how we wanted our ceremony to be. Then, we each complete a very thorough questionnaire. Based on this information, Mr. Shelley crafted a draft which we then reviewed and provided feedback for it. With his writing talent, the collaborative process, and great delivery, the end result was an elegant, touching & witty ceremony that we will remember for the rest of our lives. He conveyed our story & feelings so beautifully that many our guests came up to congratulate us from their heart.
If you are lucky enough to book Mr. Shelley for your ceremony, we are confident that you will be as pleased as we were. We simply couldn't say enough good things to do justice.
Bo & Tracy - WeddingWire.com
Chris was an absolutely amazing officiant! His personal, creative and heartwarming ceremony has had everyone talking! He has a unique gift at creating a very individual and personal ceremony for every couple. For my husband and I, we come from two different worlds... Well actually, we come from different countries, with different languages, different religions and therefore totally different experiences and expectations of what a wedding and wedding ceremony would look like. But Chris made it possible! We had everything we could have possibly hoped for and more! He made our love story the center of the ceremony and which became the mood for the entire evening! (As it should be, right?!)
I would 100% recommend Chris to anyone looking for a unique and incredibly special wedding ceremony.
He is wonderful and very talented! (Trust me, THIS IS WHO YOU ARE LOOKING FOR!)
Samantha, Wedding Wire
Chris was great. He worked hard to make sure our ceremony was about us in a very personal way - he incorporated everything that we wanted and was able to take the initiative to make sure the ceremony was seamless when the weather and a couple of other variables tried to throw us for a loop. He was confident and poised and really brought everything together. He put the crowd (and the bride and groom!) at ease with his ceremony style but didn't overpower the natural emotion of the day. He's a pleasure to work with - we highly recommend him!
Caitlin, The Knot
Our wedding was a little challenging to plan, we were graced with the help of Chris and his wife. We live in Florida, preparing to marry in another state is challenging when you want your day to be perfect. Chris and his wife went above AND beyond to make our day incredible. There was not one thing he was not willing to do in order to facilitate our day. The ceremony that he wrote was specifically written for us as it would be for you, he sent us endless amounts of re writes and included our families, our history, our children into the ceremony. He made a point to have focus time on my daughters and include them in the actual ceremony. We kept our ceremony simple, but it was the most memorable and incredible day of my life. Extremely professional, and knowledgeable about his profession. You won't be disappointed at all, if you are looking for someone who will make your day incredible, you have found him.
Christine - TheKnot.com
The Knot and Google and Youtube
Best Ceremony Ever
First, we want to say HUGE thank you to Chris because honestly our wedding wouldn’t have been as perfect if he wasn’t there to officiate, so THANK YOU CHRIS!
There is a reason Chris has hundreds of 5 star reviews! Chris is truly the best of the best. Not just because he's professional, organized, helpful and a pleasure to be around but because he has that special, artful, gift that only a few people in this world have which allows him to effortlessly command an entire room and make them feel every emotion in his words. What a gift that is to have & what a gift that is to share with people on their wedding day. I actually struggle to come up with the words to express just how amazing our ceremony felt - not only to us as the bride and groom, but to our families and guests. Chris worked with us for hours on end preparing the perfect ceremony. He did such a fantastic job conveying our love story and the marriage rituals. The ceremony felt sacred and romantic, but also had elements of perfectly timed light hearted humor. He respected the religious elements we asked to include with readings/verbiage during vows. Chris and our ceremony has been our MOST commented/complimented/talked about element of all wedding day. Chris is worth every single penny and more - I would hire him again in a heart beat and I would be willing to pay 10x what his services cost us, that's how truly amazing he was. If there's one thing you should do, it's hire him as your officiant! We are so, so grateful for him. - Katelyn D.
THE BEST OFFICIANT EVER! He crafted a BEAUTIFUL, personalized ceremony and helped us edit our vows - more than once! His ceremony was so funny, loving, heartwarming - everything you ask for and more. By the time of the ceremony he felt like family. We are truly so happy with Chris and we would ask him to marry us 100x over! - Priscilla D.
I don't think this box is big enough for the review I want to write for Chris. I found him through a podcast and after hearing him talk about the way he does things, I immediately felt I had to have him for our wedding. I had my husband listen to the episode and he was sold. I somehow got Chris on the phone and he agreed to fly from New York to Texas to officiate our wedding. My husband and I were so meticulous about each of our vendors because we just wanted to make sure that we felt really comfortable with everyone that we would be working with and that they meshed well with our personalities/our guests, and our other vendors to make for just a really loving, happy atmosphere. It was really important to me that the ceremony was not the boring part that people wanted to get through to get to the drinks and dancing and that is what Chris specializes in. The ceremony we created with him was so beautiful. There was story telling, audience interaction, he told our love story to our friends and family the way we have experienced it. He made everyone laugh. He was just amazing. For days after the wedding we had people complimenting him and asking us how we found him. My husband shared with me, days after the wedding, how supportive Chris was to him when there was a hiccup with my Father-in-law briefly being MIA and stressing my husband out. Chris really went above and beyond and I will forever recommend him to anyone I know getting married. - Molly S.
Honestly, we are endlessly grateful for how amazing before and during the wedding Chris was. When we met him, it was like meeting up with an old friend. We hit it off, were making jokes and just knew he was perfect for our wedding. Chris’ questionnaire was fun and interesting to fill out, and even more fun to go over together as a couple after we each individually filled it out. We also appreciated Chris for helping us out with our vows, he was able to seemingly help us make sure both of our vows were both perfection. And even though we read our ceremony through together before, Chris presented it in such a throughout, fun manner that we still laughed and cried like we heard it for the first time. We knew from the beginning how amazing Chris was, but seriously BEST CEREMONY EVER! Not only do we think that, but all of our guests thought so as well. People even came up and said if they could do their wedding over again, they would do like ours...aka having Chris. We would recommend Chris ten times over. Trust us if you want the best ceremony ever look no further.
Reviewed by Juztina on Wedding Wire
He completely understood what we wanted for our ceremony and knocked it out of the park. We wanted an out of the box, personal, comedic but love-inspired type of ceremony and he hit it right on the nail. – Steven C
A Perfect Storyteller
The entire process of working with Chris was PERFECT and seamless. You have to take the time to fill out your couple questionnaire so he can make your ceremony that much more perfect. We aren't a religious couple, so we wanted a wonderful storyteller. And that's what Chris is: wonderful. He's thoughtful and engaging. He helped a stressed, control freak bride seamlessly coordinate with the venue and the DJ without lifting a finger.
Erin, on WeddingWire
Hire him now - perfect ceremony
I have nothing but good things to say about Chris and his work. I was so hesitant to book a stranger off the internet to perform in such an intimate part of our lives. However, after meeting Chris and seeing the first draft of our ceremony all my worries went away! He knocked it out of the park! I first found Chris here on the Knot and then did a youtube search of him -where there is a whole ceremony he performed - I fell in love! It's like he knew that couple! Our ceremony was so personable and so us. We opted to write our own vows and Chris helped edit them- he didn't change anything we wanted to say but instead helped with grammar. At the rehearsal I even told Chris I wasn't quite sure my vows were complete and he emailed me later that day willing to help and even found me before I walked down the aisle to make sure I was happy with my vows (I was - those dang nerves got the best of me)! At the reception, our guests kept coming up to us telling us it was the best ceremony they have ever been to. At the end of the night I looked at my husband and said, uh we totally forgot to give Chris the marriage license to sign- when we went to our day of coordinator she told us Chris signed it and took it with him to send out so we didn't have to worry about it. The very next day he even text us to let us know he sent it. I cannot say enough good things about Chris and his work! THANK YOU FOR MAKING OUR WEDDING ONE TO REMEMBER.
Reviewed by Annie on Wedding Wire
I had SO many people comment to us afterwards how great the ceremony was and how great Chris was. I even had one guest say, "At a wedding ceremony, you usually want it to end quickly. But I didn't want him to stop talking!" If you're thinking about using Chris: pull the trigger and just do it. You will NOT regret it.
Reviewed by Daniel L on Google
Chris was exactly what we were looking for in a wedding officiant. We wanted something fun and lively, and that is exactly what Chris provided. Regardless of what you are looking for, Chris is the type of officiant who listens, learns about you as a couple, and will make the evening into something special and memorable for you. Chris made the ceremony one of our favorite parts of the evening, whereas it is usually the part where people are counting down until the party starts. We received countless comments about how perfect it was for us. Chris has the experience, personality, and attention to detail to provide that for anyone and I would strongly recommend him to anyone looking to add a fun vibe or personal touch to the ceremony.
Reviewed by Sam vH on Google
Chris and the ceremony he performed for me and my husband is maybe one of the most talked about parts of our wedding still to this day, and for good reason!
Our relationship with Chris started about 21 months before our ceremony took place (yes, maybe the earliest client he's ever had but whatever, I'm a planner). I had been heavily researching officiants because we weren't getting married in the church and we didn't want a simple justice of the peace to perform our ceremony. We wanted someone that would be able to express the importance of the ceremony in a meaningful way because that's the whole reason for having a wedding in the first place. When I found Chris, read his testimonials, and saw some video footage, I knew it was the perfect fit, and boy was I right.
Chris sent us a couples questionnaire that we filled out to be sent in about two months prior to the ceremony that he used to get to know us a little better and write a script that meant something to the two of us. Once we sent our answers in he sent back a script in about two weeks. As soon as we received it I read it immediately and couldn't contain my excitement. It was thoughtful, it was comical, it was personal, it was everything we wanted.
We got married in Cincinnati but live in Chicago so when we were in town for vendor meetings we met up with Chris as well and he was just as lovely in person as we would have expected. Making us that much more excited to develop a connection with him and have him coordinate our ceremony.
We worked with Chris on making a few edits to the script and he had no problem with our suggestions. Each draft had a very quick turnaround as well.
We opted to not have him a the rehearsal because it was the day prior and we had a coordinator that was going to walk us through everything. But, when it came to the big day he was incredibly professional. He communicated what would be happening, talked through certain areas of the ceremony we were nervous about, and kept us calm.
His presentation was fantastic and authentic. He had us and all of guests laughing when we were meant to be laughing and thoughtful when we were meant to be thoughtful. He was truly engaging for everyone. When we were greeting our guests at the reception and even when we saw guests after the wedding, almost everyone commented how much they loved our officiant and how he did a great job. Still, months later, people ask us about him.
Chris was fantastic, made our ceremony everything we could have wanted and more, and was worth every penny.
Thanks for making Connor and I husband and wife in the best ceremony ever!
Reviewed On 10/25/2018 by Amanda
From our very first conversation I knew Chris was my guy. He was thoughtful and funny about the answers we gave to his questionnaire, changed things around when I asked for a few changes, and worked to combine the traditional elements my husband wanted with the non traditional elements I hoped for, including the priest's marriage speech from The Princess Bride, complete with lisp and everything! He took the time to make me laugh and ease my nerves when I was freaking out. He was patient when I was late getting updates to him. He was just all around exactly what I needed from an officiant. I never worried about how the ceremony would turn out because I knew it was in the right hands. I wanted a funny, heartwarming, and personal ceremony and that's exactly what Chris gave me. Every single person at my wedding commented about how funny Chris was, how awesome it was for everything to be so specific to me and my husband's personalities and quirks, and how much they genuinely enjoyed the whole experience. I 100% understand why Chris' book is called Best Ceremony Ever because that's exactly what he delivered for me and my husband, the very best ceremony ever. 12/10, without hesitation I recommend Chris as an officiant and all around good guy!
Reviewed On 10/29/2018 by Simon W
I mean try and find a bad review, I guarantee you won't. There isn't anything I can't say that isn't already written below ( I checked). Therefore you will know exactly what you will get with Christopher - and that is GREATNESS. Christopher was phenomenal as our celebrant. Truly charismatic, thoroughly prepared and a joy to be around. Out most common asked question of the night was how we knew him, literally people thought he was a family friend as he provided a very intimate and knowledgeable service. Couldn't come more highly recommended. Don't bother searching for someone else, reach out and hope that he is available. You won't find better.
As the five star rating says, Chris is literally "The best ever!" My wife and I were looking for a officiant who could do an interfaith ceremony since my family is Christian and hers is Jewish. We found Chris, met with him, and immediately loved him. Chris crafted this wonderful love story for us not just from talking with us, but from a questionnaire he sent that was simply a joy to fill out. And he covered everything, from how my wife and I met, to why we love each other, to how we got engaged, and all the little idiosyncrasies that tie us together. Not to mention all of the good-natured ribbing of all of the times I was either a bit dense or just hilariously awkward. He did all of that while leaving enough room for us to do a little Jewish and Christian thing. And he was always open to suggestion through the revision process, though almost all of our small edits were a result of my own pedantic nature. Honestly, we couldn't be more pleased with our ceremony. What Chris prepares is an amazing twenty minute greatest hits version of your relationship that will leave you overjoyed and your guests entertained. Several of our family members told us they wished they were getting married so Chris could marry them. Everyone loved him. If you work with Chris, you will laugh, you will cry, and you will feel like you are in the best of hands.
Reviewed On 4/19/2018 by Brandi B
There is no better way to put it, Chris Shelley is INCREDIBLE!! We live and got married in the Cincinnati area, so we weren’t sure how everything worked with him doing weddings in both New York and Cincy. After reading Chris’s website and finding out he treats himself as a local vendor in Cincinnati (No charge for travel!) we immediately reached out to him and were very lucky to be able to book him for our wedding date. He was just amazing through the whole process. We had a not-so-traditional, non-religious style of wedding, and he was the perfect choice for us. He created an absolutely unique ceremony for us based on a questionnaire that covers all sorts of aspects of our relationship and the story of how we got to marriage, which was actually a really fun process. We sent back the questionnaire and basically gave him free reign on putting together the ceremony. When he says that he is a celebrant, not just an officiant, that is exactly what he is. He told our story of how we met and where our relationship has taken us, celebrated our relationship, what we love about each other, and why we are so great together. He included personal anecdotes, little quips about our family members and special freinds, and most of all…..some really AWESOME puns! He was funny, engaging, and professional. All of our guests commented on how awesome and unique he was. Even our videographer made a comment to me during the reception to that he has never, in his 26 years of doing weddings, ever seen anything like our ceremony before, and how great he thought Chris was. If you are looking for a fun, unconventional wedding officiant, look no further than Chris. You will not be disappointed
If I could give Christopher Shelley 10 stars, I would! From start to finish, he was professional, funny, and immediately put us at ease about our ceremony. Our ceremony was the hit of the entire wedding! It was touching, funny, and memorable. Everyone commented on how it "us" it was. That is a testament to Chris and the work he put in to make our special day even more special! We've now been married two months, and everyone is still talking about how great our ceremony was! I can't recommend him enough!
WOW!!! Christopher Shelley was LITERALLY the best officiant we could have asked for!!! All night, all of our guests were raving about him and what a fantastic job he did!!! He was so easy to work with, professional, and had a great sense of humor!! It was the best wedding ever because of you!!! He takes serious parts and lightens them up and has everyone laughing one minute and crying the next!! He is truly amazing at what he does and shows the compassion and fire when he does it!!! I absolutely recommend Christopher- he is truly the best at what he does!!!!
-- The Knot
Creative, patient, reassuring and all around amazing! Christopher was a complete pleasure to work with!
Our wedding was a surprise ceremony that was organized from a distance, another country to be exact. Christopher was very helpful and present throughout the whole process. He managed to script a service that included my partner and guests without having access to them. It was funny, original and all around entertaining. After the ceremony, every single guest asked me the same question, ‘Where did you find this amazing guy?’… He, beyond any doubt, made our simple ceremony a success.
Extra points for his patience since the event was delayed because of a few hiccups with the venue that we had booked!
-- Jeffrey, The Knot
Christopher Frost Shelley is the best officiant you’ll ever find. Seriously.
My now-wife and I planned a small, intimate wedding with our closest friends and immediate family; so we wanted a ceremony that was both intimate and unique. It was important for us to find someone who would invest the time in understanding who we are and what we wanted out of the ceremony. We wanted our wedding to be about us, but without all the extra fuss or added pressure of being in the spotlight. After receiving a prompt reply from Christopher, we met up with him and it was quickly decided he was our man. Christopher has a way of putting people instantly at ease. He’s extremely amiable, professional, and courteous. He made suggestions that we hadn't thought of, had his own checklist of ceremony tasks (and made sure we were as prepared as he was), and was more than willing to adjust the ceremony to fit our needs in any way we saw fit. He also walked us through all the steps, sent us regular reminders regarding deadlines and where he was in the process, and gave us the opportunity to ask as many questions as we wanted. When Christopher puts on a ceremony, he puts himself entirely into it. He’s a wonderful showman: funny, intelligent, witty, and considerate. Christopher balanced putting on a heart-felt performance and engaging our guests while always keeping the spotlight on us. The script he wrote for us, which incorporated parts of our questionnaires, was honed perfectly to our personalities. It’s been a few weeks since we got married and our guests continually remark about how fantastic the ceremony was thanks to Christopher. Two of our friends said they wished they had Christopher as their officiant while others said “he was the best officiant I've ever seen!” Our wedding would never have been nearly as perfect had it not been for Mr. Christopher Frost Shelley. He was one of the best parts of our wedding and neither I, nor our guests, will ever forget the magic he added to it.
Doug - Wedding Wire
Preparing for the ceremony was my favorite (and most important) part of wedding planning. Mostly, this is because Chris was incredible. He helped create a meaningful, fun ceremony that everyone in attendance enjoyed (and believe me, we had a mixed crowd!). Chris's personality, filled with warmth, charm, humor, and depth, makes him a perfect officiant for any occasion. He took the time to get to know us and created a customized ceremony that was poignant and touching at an unbeatable price. Chris loves what he does, which is why his work was truly unforgettable. I cannot recommend this man enough!
-- Mia, The Knot
Chris officiated our wedding and blew everybody away with his unique blend of energy, humor and warmth. Our wedding was in April and, three months later, we still have people commenting on how amazing the ceremony was!
From the first moment we spoke with Chris, we knew that we wanted him to marry us and couldn't wait to see what kind of ceremony he would craft for us. During the creative process, Chris was responsive (even when on a cruise with his family!), patient and really took the time to get to know us as a couple. The end result was a ceremony which was the perfect blend of not being overly familiar but still sounding like Chris had known us for years.
If you're looking for a ceremony which is fun and really reflects your own personal story then please look no further than Chris. Choosing him as our officiant was one of the best decisions that we made for our wedding day!
--Nick, The Knot
I honestly can't say anything bad about my experience with Christopher Shelley. My wedding day was beautiful and exactly as I imagined. Chris really kept all the families engaged in the ceremony. He had a great way with words and was able to add in light humor as well as "wedding words." What was particularly interesting about our wedding that Christopher really impressed us with, is the fact that we had a religious officiant as well. He was able to work with everyone and split the ceremony in a very elegant and classy way. Thanks again !!!!
--Marwah, The Knot
We knew we wanted Chris to marry us from about 5 minutes into the first meeting. He's funny and charismatic, and delivered a intimate, personal, and hilarious wedding ceremony. He was so easy to work with and everyone at our wedding said ours was the best wedding they had ever been to because of our ceremony. Chris is wonderful- you will love your ceremony. I promise. Christopher Shelley really made our ceremony personal and unique! I got so many compliments on our ceremony. I think people really like to hear stories about the couple, and are bored with the typical wedding ceremony that we're all familiar with. We met with Christopher once in person a few months before the wedding, and exchanged several emails and phone calls prior to our wedding. In the weeks leading up to our wedding, we talked with Christopher frequently and refined our ceremony script to make it perfect for us! Also, he showed up to the ceremony site 2 hours early to ensure everything was in place and he was familiar with the setting. It is so nice to have an extra person with you on your wedding day to make sure things go well! Definitely hire Christopher if you want a personal and intimate ceremony.
-The Knot
Our wedding planner recommended Chris and we're so happy she did! Chris is really clever and a great writer. Chris put together a ceremony for us that was funny, entertaining, touching and truly unique and personal. He really got our guests energized to be part of our wedding and did a great job of telling our story. Chris also encouraged us to write our own vows and helped us with that process. Chris is professional, talented and puts a lot of effort into getting to know his clients. Our friends and family could not stop talking about Chris and we could not have been more happy with the ceremony. Book him if you can!
-Wedding Wire
Top Notch Celebrant
My husband and I were planning our wedding on the other side of the world - from Tokyo, Japan - but that was no hurdle for us to find Chris. Our first interaction started via Skype, during which we all just clicked instantly and we knew we wanted him to officiate our wedding. If you are looking for an easy going, FUNNY, romantic officiant who will not only understand your personal love story perfectly, but be able to transform it into the most beautiful ceremony, then Chris is the one. It was so smooth and easy working with Chris, from Tokyo to New York. It was such a pleasure working with him and thanks to him, my husband and I could not have had a more precious ceremony.
Sandra - The Knot.com
Christopher Shelley ROCKS MY SOCKS! Whenever I ask my guests to tell how they enjoyed my wedding, they rave about the officiant. Christopher was amazing. I had an outdoor wedding in the park and my preferred venue was unexpectedly closed due to a snowstorm the previous night. Christopher took charge of the situation and relocated my guests. He cracked jokes. He kept the mood light. When I finally arrived (it's a brides prerogative to be late... wink), he delivered a bang up ceremony. We laughed, we loved and we were married by THE BEST CELEBRANT IN NYC!
After the wedding our marriage certificate arrived with record speed and was accurately recorded. I would eagerly recommend Christopher to anyone who wants a personalized and meaningful ceremony.
Thanks Chris!
Shalakay, Wedding Wire
We had the great fortune of having Mr. Chris Shelley officiate our wedding ceremony. My wife & I spent a lot of effort researching officiants, in the hope of finding someone who can articulate our story well. Mr. Shelley totally exceeded our very high expectations. Many of our guests were floored by the touching ceremony as well.
Mr. Shelley is extremely gifted, patient, and professional. In our initial meeting, he took time to listen to our story, and how we wanted our ceremony to be. Then, we each complete a very thorough questionnaire. Based on this information, Mr. Shelley crafted a draft which we then reviewed and provided feedback for it. With his writing talent, the collaborative process, and great delivery, the end result was an elegant, touching & witty ceremony that we will remember for the rest of our lives. He conveyed our story & feelings so beautifully that many our guests came up to congratulate us from their heart.
If you are lucky enough to book Mr. Shelley for your ceremony, we are confident that you will be as pleased as we were. We simply couldn't say enough good things to do justice.
Bo & Tracy - WeddingWire.com
Chris was an absolutely amazing officiant! His personal, creative and heartwarming ceremony has had everyone talking! He has a unique gift at creating a very individual and personal ceremony for every couple. For my husband and I, we come from two different worlds... Well actually, we come from different countries, with different languages, different religions and therefore totally different experiences and expectations of what a wedding and wedding ceremony would look like. But Chris made it possible! We had everything we could have possibly hoped for and more! He made our love story the center of the ceremony and which became the mood for the entire evening! (As it should be, right?!)
I would 100% recommend Chris to anyone looking for a unique and incredibly special wedding ceremony.
He is wonderful and very talented! (Trust me, THIS IS WHO YOU ARE LOOKING FOR!)
Samantha, Wedding Wire
Chris was great. He worked hard to make sure our ceremony was about us in a very personal way - he incorporated everything that we wanted and was able to take the initiative to make sure the ceremony was seamless when the weather and a couple of other variables tried to throw us for a loop. He was confident and poised and really brought everything together. He put the crowd (and the bride and groom!) at ease with his ceremony style but didn't overpower the natural emotion of the day. He's a pleasure to work with - we highly recommend him!
Caitlin, The Knot
Our wedding was a little challenging to plan, we were graced with the help of Chris and his wife. We live in Florida, preparing to marry in another state is challenging when you want your day to be perfect. Chris and his wife went above AND beyond to make our day incredible. There was not one thing he was not willing to do in order to facilitate our day. The ceremony that he wrote was specifically written for us as it would be for you, he sent us endless amounts of re writes and included our families, our history, our children into the ceremony. He made a point to have focus time on my daughters and include them in the actual ceremony. We kept our ceremony simple, but it was the most memorable and incredible day of my life. Extremely professional, and knowledgeable about his profession. You won't be disappointed at all, if you are looking for someone who will make your day incredible, you have found him.
Christine - TheKnot.com
_My wife, Christine and I recently employed the services of Christopher
Frost Shelly to perform our wedding ceremony. It all started as a
vision. Rockefeller Center. Early evening, the lights on the tree aglow.
The angels lined along the concourse from Fifth Avenue. The people,
the brisk New York City air, the sounds and smells of the holidays and
us, surrounded with close family and friends to share in our moment. As
first, is seemed a pretty daunting task as one can imagine the amount of
crowds pushing and shoving their way to see "The Tree". Chris was very
reassuring right form the start. To hear the excitement and enthusiasm
in his voice as I described our vision was, to say the least,
incredible!
In the weeks to come, Chris would take our vision and turn it into a wonderful dream come true. He provided us with a very detailed questionnaire, which was very fun and insightful for us to answer. He then took the completed questionnaire, and created a very personal story and ceremony for us rather than a standard cookie-cutter ceremony. Chris took the time, several times, to travel to the site and find that one spot that would be just right for us. He even thought of a few alternatives should crowds or weather threaten our dream.
When the time finally came, Chris created the perfect event for us that was both entertaining and romantic! We couldn't have asked for anyone better to make our moment any more perfect! Thank you, Chris, for all of your efforts and creativity. Without you, our day would have been, well... less.
Michael - WeddingWire.com
In the weeks to come, Chris would take our vision and turn it into a wonderful dream come true. He provided us with a very detailed questionnaire, which was very fun and insightful for us to answer. He then took the completed questionnaire, and created a very personal story and ceremony for us rather than a standard cookie-cutter ceremony. Chris took the time, several times, to travel to the site and find that one spot that would be just right for us. He even thought of a few alternatives should crowds or weather threaten our dream.
When the time finally came, Chris created the perfect event for us that was both entertaining and romantic! We couldn't have asked for anyone better to make our moment any more perfect! Thank you, Chris, for all of your efforts and creativity. Without you, our day would have been, well... less.
Michael - WeddingWire.com
I interviewed a number of officiants over the phone. Within the first couple of minutes of talking to Christopher, I knew he was the one to officiate my wedding. He was well spoken, friendly and professional. He met with me and my fiancé and we hired him on the spot. He made the entire process easy, comfortable and fun. He wrote the perfect ceremony for us and made us feel he had known us for years. His talent as a writer really showed and added that special something we were looking for in our ceremony. Christopher did an amazing job on the big day, which was no surprise. We received numerous compliments about him from our guests. He was there for us from start to finish, always available when we needed him. Because of him, the ceremony was the one part of our wedding we never had to worry about. If you need an officiant, look no further.
AnnMarie -- WeddingWire.com
Thank you Christopher for making our wedding day super special! You are extremely professional and you took the time to learn about us which you incorporated into ceremony, making it very entertaining and interesting. Thank you!!!!
Careen & Dayon, TheKnot.com
AnnMarie -- WeddingWire.com
Thank you Christopher for making our wedding day super special! You are extremely professional and you took the time to learn about us which you incorporated into ceremony, making it very entertaining and interesting. Thank you!!!!
Careen & Dayon, TheKnot.com
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