Christopher Shelley:
Celebrant. Writer. Celebwriter.
Host. Emcee. Hostcee.
Presenter. Moderator. Presenterator.
Call me what you will, but I have excelled at writing ever since I was a kid growing up in Boston, where I was surrounded by wicked smaaaahhht people. Like any extroverted introvert, I leapt onto any stage I could find, earning a BFA in Acting from Boston University and later living the actor's life in New York City. I earned an MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction) from New York University, and my work is represented by Dystel, Goderich & Bourret Literary Management. My book, Best. Ceremony. Ever., was published by The Countryman Press, W.W. Norton) To hear me talk about the book, weddings, my own wedding and other things, check out Episode #94 of Wedding Confessionals, a podcast. Or, you know, call me. (718-222-0110)
Weddings require complementary performance skills, including the energized, strategic timing of Stand-Up, the grounded presence of dramatic acting and the instinctive crowd-managing of an MC. It's fun to make people laugh, then cry, then laugh again. It's an art form. Balancing fun and dignity is tricky. Energizing a room of people is my thing.
I got into the wedding business because I sat through a lot of ceremonies where the person officiating missed the opportunity to celebrate. My goal is to make ceremonies moving and entertaining. Officiating weddings calls upon my skills as a writer, performer, classically trained actor, businessman and ham. I enjoy helping couples orchestrate the ceremonial aspect of the happiest day of their life. I enjoy coaxing the details of love stories from the minds and the lips of the couples whom I am fortunate enough to call clients. I enjoy helping them find the best words for their best day.
I have suited-up on Wall street, toiling at Goldman Sachs, which is a great place to work especially if you enjoy stress.
In the spring of 2012, I became a Certified Life-Cycle Celebrant as a graduate of the Celebrant Foundation & Institute, with a specialization in Weddings. Celebrants are the luxury sedans of ceremony creation, as we dream, imagine, think and create outside the traditional ceremony box. Celebrants are well-schooled in the art of ceremony creation, passionate about giving voice to deep-seeded dreams of our clients, and skilled with the wordsmithery and phraseturnery that can turn your ceremony into an event so meaningful and filled with love that you and your guests will remember it forever.
The Celebrant Foundation has been featured on NPR, CBS TV News, the NY Times, BBC News, CNN and Money Magazine just to name a few.
For more info, visit the CFI press page at: http://celebrantinstitute.org/?p=presscoverage
While my home base is New York City, I also have a home in Cincinnati, Ohio, where I am also licensed to perform weddings and make marriages legal. Why Cincinnati? Why not? (It's a long story.)
Weddings require complementary performance skills, including the energized, strategic timing of Stand-Up, the grounded presence of dramatic acting and the instinctive crowd-managing of an MC. It's fun to make people laugh, then cry, then laugh again. It's an art form. Balancing fun and dignity is tricky. Energizing a room of people is my thing.
I got into the wedding business because I sat through a lot of ceremonies where the person officiating missed the opportunity to celebrate. My goal is to make ceremonies moving and entertaining. Officiating weddings calls upon my skills as a writer, performer, classically trained actor, businessman and ham. I enjoy helping couples orchestrate the ceremonial aspect of the happiest day of their life. I enjoy coaxing the details of love stories from the minds and the lips of the couples whom I am fortunate enough to call clients. I enjoy helping them find the best words for their best day.
I have suited-up on Wall street, toiling at Goldman Sachs, which is a great place to work especially if you enjoy stress.
In the spring of 2012, I became a Certified Life-Cycle Celebrant as a graduate of the Celebrant Foundation & Institute, with a specialization in Weddings. Celebrants are the luxury sedans of ceremony creation, as we dream, imagine, think and create outside the traditional ceremony box. Celebrants are well-schooled in the art of ceremony creation, passionate about giving voice to deep-seeded dreams of our clients, and skilled with the wordsmithery and phraseturnery that can turn your ceremony into an event so meaningful and filled with love that you and your guests will remember it forever.
The Celebrant Foundation has been featured on NPR, CBS TV News, the NY Times, BBC News, CNN and Money Magazine just to name a few.
For more info, visit the CFI press page at: http://celebrantinstitute.org/?p=presscoverage
While my home base is New York City, I also have a home in Cincinnati, Ohio, where I am also licensed to perform weddings and make marriages legal. Why Cincinnati? Why not? (It's a long story.)
Photo courtesy With Love By George Photography
