LI Officiant

Serving all of Long Island
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Introduction

Congratulations on your upcoming ceremony!

My name is Michele LaRosa, but in the wedding world I'm better known as LI Officiant!

I am beyond blessed to be able to do what I do. My ordination allows me to work with couples from any and all backgrounds. I believe is that love is love...period (or better yet, I should say exclamation point!!)!

I pride myself on being able to recognize the unique personality of each couple. I promise to be sensitive to your philosophical and spiritual beliefs, your wishes, needs, and values!

It is my belief that your wedding day should be exactly what you imagine it to be. There is no one right way to conduct a ceremony. A ceremony can be short and sweet, you can use pre-scripted vows, or you can customize your own vows.

I love creating ceremonies that showcase and honor each couples story and their vision for the perfect ceremony.

The Wedding Industry

Had I asked my 20 year old self where I would be 20 years later, I couldn't have imagined that I would be a wedding officiant.

At 23 years old I began a career in law enforcement as a probation officer. Later I got married, began a family of my own and I stopped working to be a full time mom!

I unknowingly began my wedding journey in 2011 when the New York State marriage laws changed for the better and recognized same sex marriages!!! ~Hooray!

I’m very close with my cousin, and she and her partner had been waiting for this day to arrive! Not only was I honored that they asked me to officiate their ceremony, but I was also humbled by the trust that they had in me.

This was their special day....their wedding day, a day they would never forget. Eeek! To say that I was nervous was an understatement. However, they knew me well enough to know that when I do something, I do it to the fullest, and I am a stickler for detail.

And so it began. The passion and joy I experience each time I meet a new couple is overwhelming. To know that I am turning the page for couples so that they can begin to write the story of their life together is amazing.

I thoroughly enjoy listening to couples as they tell me their story, their likes, dislikes, and what they hope for in the future. I have to admit, it's truly a gratifying experience each time I see a new couple turn and walk down the aisle with their lives wide open right in front of them.

The Wedding Memories

I have so many amazing ceremony memories!

I've taken part in so many different types of ceremonies; private elopements, back yard extravaganzas, castle weddings, beach weddings, light house ceremonies, low key / intimate weddings, a Cat In The Hat Ceremony (cute and truly meaningful to the couple), yacht weddings, surprise Halloween Weddings, and so many more.

But my favorite memory of all.... the sky diving ceremony!!

When I got a call from the groom asking me if there was any way I'd officiate at 13,000 feet with a parachute on....I nearly jumped out of my chair! Little did he know that I grew up watching my father sky dive as a pararescue jumper, so the day I turned 18 I went skydiving, and subsequently did so again and again.

What were the chances that this groom was calling ME!?! I think I was just as excited as the bride and the groom when the plane took off and the ceremony began! They each said, "I do", exchanged rings, and then it was time to jump! WHOA!

Specialization

Above all else, I can guarantee two things to each and every one of my couples.

Number one: there will be so surprises!

Each couples is sent a draft of their ceremony script to review ahead of time.

I am a true believe that this is YOUR wedding day, so while I may love the ceremony I've scripted for you, unless you're pleased it doesn't matter.

I'm more than willing to edit until you're both 100 % pleased. Though my true goal is to exceed your expectations!

I tell couples all the time: during the ceremony you're going to be in your own world. You'll be looking at one another, speaking with your eyes... and more often than not you'll quietly be speaking to one another during the ceremony ( I think it's cute!). You will only actually hear about 50% of what I'm saying, so at least you'll know ahead of time that everything I'm saying is exactly what you wanted!

Number two: it will all go smoothly!

Experience is the only reason I can make this guarantee. When I arrive at the venue I always do a mini-run through of the ceremony with each couple. We go over the hand-off with the brides escort, the ring cues with whomever will be holding the rings, the flower cues with the maid / matron of honor, and then I go over exactly what the couple should expect during the ceremony.

But once the ceremony begins, I pretend that the couple doesn't know a thing and I guide them every step of the way.

I go slowly, saying only a few words at a time when there's a repeat after me. I quietly prep you with your response before I ask a question, and when
I need you to do something (like join hands or complete a task for a unity ceremony) I tell you exactly what to do.

The ceremony sets the tone for the rest of your day, and I don't take that lightly!

I’m here for my couples every step of the way…

From the moment they make contact; be it through email, a phone call, or social media, I do my best to make the process enjoyable and stress free. Couples can be as hands-on or as hands-off as they’d like when it comes to scripting their ceremony. And in the end, each couple has the final say over every word I say, unless their wish is to be surprised!

It’s all in the details….

With an in-person meeting, a questionnaire, phone calls, and emails I’m able to get to the core of their love for one another and craft a ceremony that’s personal and meaningful!

Logistics and preparation are key…

Together we go over; preparing for the day, what they should expect during the ceremony, obtaining the marriage license, tissues on hand, maintaining eye contact with one another throughout the entire ceremony, holding that first kiss so I can get out of the way & they’ll get the perfect photo of that ever so important moment (without me in the background)!

Making them feel at ease….

With confidence, experience, and genuine passion I’m able to emit a feeling of calm and assurance to even the most nervous couples. They’re confident in knowing that I will guide them every step of the way through the ceremony, and in turn they feel a true connection with one another during the ceremony! ~ Some have described it as “electric”

Company History

LI Officiant has become more than I could have ever imagined!

I began as Sealed With a Kiss, and with absolutely no technical skills I somehow created a website on my own, and much to my surprise...people started calling!

I was almost shocked because for one, I couldn't even find my own website when I searched google for a wedding officiant, and for two... I didn't have any reviews.

Over time I started getting busier and when I knew things were headed in the right direction I re-branded myself as LI Officiant. ~This time I hired a professional to create my website!

But I have to say, the real boost to my business, and my confidence came from two amazing women who have been in the business for years!
Alicia, from Fantasia Bridal believed in me and I couldn't believe it when she allowed me to put my business cards in her boutique! ~ I had always admired Alicia as a business woman so this little gesture meant so much to me!

And then, I had the privileged of meeting Joy (from Elegant Designs By Joy). She was at a venue finishing up all of the floral arrangements. At the time, all I knew was that her name was Joy... and her work was amazing. So I was truly taken aback when a couple called to book their ceremony and told me that Joy had referred me. I still get all sentimental when I think about that moment!

Joy has been in the business for quite some time, she knows everyone, and everyone knows her. The fact that she recognized something in me during our brief encounter gave me the confidence I needed to really put myself out there!

Joy and Alicia gave me what I needed to get started and over the years I have been fortunate enough to meet so many amazing people in the wedding industry! I have had venues seek me out and ask me to be their in-house officiant. I am beyond appreciative that they sought me out, and we have now built an amazing working relationship!

But the cherry on top...the reason that LI Officiant truly is what it is, has been my couples!

A tidbit about myself: I'm Irish, and so naturally when I'm nervous my skin flushes and it appears as though I've sat in the sun for five hours too many. And to this day, well after 500 ceremonies I still get flush.
Why? Because I genuinely care! I want your ceremony to be as perfect as you want it to be. I'm not happy until I know for sure that you were pleased.

I have received some of the kindest emails, reviews, and thank you cards from my couples! Each time I receive a new one I run to show my husband. He reads it and often says "why are you always so surprised!" Again, my response is, because I care! In that moment, when I read and email, a card, or a review that's when I know for sure that I've done my job well. That's what keeps me going!

The fact that so many couples have allowed me to play a role in one of the most important days of their lives is truly humbling! I will forever be grateful!

FAQs

Q. How do we get our marriage license?
A. Great question! Your marriage license is THE most important thing you'll need on your wedding day.
You and your fiance must go the the clerks office within the 60 days prior to your ceremony to obtain your license. (You need to get it at least 24 hours prior to your ceremony). You will then need to make sure you have your license with you on the day of your wedding! **When we meet we will go over this is great detail!

Q. What do we have to do for the ceremony?
A. Well, that's up to you! You can be as hands-on or as hands-off as you'd like. Some couples like to put together the entire script on their own, but most leave it up to me. *You will receive a draft of your script to review ahead of time and I will edit until you're 100% pleased!

Q.What will you wear?
A. Typically I wear either a black dress or a black suit. I will wear my robe upon request, and if you're having a theme wedding or for any reason you'd like me to wear a particular color or pattern please just let me know!

Q.What happens to our marriage license after the ceremony?
A. Once you give me your license, I handle the rest. I send it via certified mail to the clerks office. They will then file your license and mail you your official marriage certificate.

Personal Hobbies

When I'm not preparing for or officiating a ceremony you can find me in the kitchen. I love cooking!

We're a family of six, and 5-6 nights a week we have company for dinner ~My twin sister does not cook. She's a busy lawyer and I swear she has hidden camera in my house because she and her family always seem to walk in the door just as I'm putting dinner on the table! I wouldn't have it any other way.

When I have time I love to read. I tend to be a binge reader, 3-5 books a month and then 3 months will go by before I get to pick up another book.
Other than that, at this time in my life my kids fill my days! I have three boys and a girl (ages 14, 12, 9, & 7). They're amazing, crazy, loving, and all so different. It makes for an exciting home.

Additional Info

I'm always more than honored when a couple reaches out after their ceremony to let me know how they felt. The fact that they go out of their way to share their feelings with me is humbling. I love the pre-ceremony process and the ceremony itself, but those post ceremony emails are what keep me going.

Here’s a link that will allow you to see some of the reviews I’ve received over the years:

https://www.weddingwire.com/vendors/reviews/

BOLI Love!

Michele was an awesome wedding officiant for our November wedding. She spoke and zoomed us weeks prior to the event to go over all the details so to the smallest detail, without being a bother. The day of our wedding, in a day of complete chaos and nerve filled anxiety she made sure to quickly review the entire event with us to get rid of all the pre wedding butterflies. And then finally up at the altar she was there to bare with us and repeat and clearly tell us what we needed to say/do all that stuff that seems like a hurdle when your nervous. She was a total joy and I would recommend to anyone considering her as an officiant. Thank you Michele for making our special day more special with your presence and help.

Megan V.

At the very first meeting with Michele we felt like we had known her personally for years! Michele is so thorough, kind and warm. She wrote the most beautifully personal ceremony for us. When Michele speaks you can’t help but listen, she speaks softly and warmly but still commands the room. We never had to worry, she ran our ceremony so seamlessly and with ease. Michele is the best of the best!

Stephanie K.

When trying to find an officiant my husband and I had reached out to a bunch of people to see if they were available the day of our wedding. Everyone who responded and was available immediately asked for a deposit and to sign a contract except for Michele! Michele’s first email back was asking to meet with us via zoom before we booked anything to see if we thought she was a good fit for us. Over zoom she asked us a bunch of questions and wanted to get to know us and our relationship and what our vision was for the wedding. We left that zoom call and immediately decided she was perfect for us. You can tell she loves what she does and actually cares about having it done exactly how you envisioned it. We had decided to write our own vows and the day of the wedding I was so nervous I told her I couldn’t read them. She offered to read them for me and I am so grateful she did and that I have no regrets for them not being read. She read them with such passion and made it sound absolutely beautiful. Everything went so smooth and after the ceremony we received so many compliments on how beautiful it was and what a great job she did. I cannot say enough good things about her. She really made our day so special!

Kim K.

I can’t thank Jacqueline enough. The wedding ceremony was beautiful. Jacqueline made the day so special we were extremely grateful to have her officiate our ceremony. The script for the wedding ceremony that she had written for us was so personal and thoughtful. It included the most meaningful details and shared our story and the evolution of our relationship which brought us to this day. Only from a questionnaire and follow up emails, Jacqueline was like talking to a close friend. She officiated our wedding ceremony with the the most genuine narrative, capturing our relationship and highlighting the best moments. The wedding certificate arrived by the end of the month. We appreciate everything and will we recommending Jacqueline to others.

Erin D.

Michele was absolutely amazing. The ceremony she created was so personal and captured our love and story beautifully. Our guests thought Michele knew us for years based on how personal the ceremony was. Her process was amazing; we met over Zoom to discuss the ceremony and for her to get to know us and filled out a questionnaire so she could get all the details of our story. About a week before the wedding she sent a draft of the ceremony and it was absolutely perfect the first time around. The day of the wedding she was literally a life saver. My husband started to feel faint during the ceremony and she picked up on it right away. Somehow she was able to continue on with the ceremony without missing a beat, got Chris water while my Aunt was doing her reading, and helped keep our guests attending the ceremony from even noticing. I highly highly recommend her!

Melissa L.

We used Michele for our Memorial Day weekend wedding this year, and were highly pleased with her! Our original meeting was with her via Zoom and she was very thorough in her questions and getting to know us and our story. We ended up seeing her officiate two of our friends wedding between then and our wedding, and each time we were more impressed. Everyone raved about how well Michele spoke to us as a couple and her professionalism. Would highly recommend her for any officiating needs!

Katy M.

Hiring Michele was one of the best decisions we could have made for our wedding! We had a very short and simple ceremony, but Michele worked with us to create exactly what we needed for our special day. Thank you Michele for your professionalism, prompt attention, and flexibility! 

Beth F.

Michele officiated our wedding and we are so thankful we had her! From the start, Michele was professional, easy to work with, super responsive, and made the entire process so simple. She provided us with guidance and information on securing our marriage license, and sent us reminders on what we need to bring with us day of. She wrote an absolutely perfect ceremony script and provided it to us about 2 weeks before the wedding, and asked us for any edits. We didn't have any revisions- it was so well written and beautiful we did not want to change a thing. On the day of our wedding, Michele arrived 30 minutes early and walked us through the ceremony, reminding us that ultimately we don't need to remember anything because she will guide us the whole time, which made us feel so at ease going into our ceremony. Michele executed the ceremony perfectly - it flowed so nicely and her speech and delivery were absolutely flawless. So many of our guests complimented us on Michele and asked if we knew her because our ceremony was so personalized and heartfelt. We feel so lucky to have had Michele officiate our wedding and could not have dreamed of a better ceremony! Thank you so much Michele

Marissa D.

Michele LaRosa is an officiant beyond what we expected! She performed the most amazing, well written, beautiful ceremony. We are beyond grateful for her and would recommend her so highly over anyone we have ever seen!

Nicole A.

Michele is a passionate, intelligent and charismatic person. We had no idea how important is to have someone with those qualities officiating your wedding, but we are so very glad we found her.

We asked her to wrote our vows and she delivered very far above our expectations. Many of our guests complimented how well the ceremony went, and how beautiful and clear the vows were spoken by Michele.

We will certainly recommend Michele to friends and family for future events

Lisa H.

Michele was hands-down the most perfect officiant we could’ve asked for for a big day! Our ceremony was short and sweet but had so much meaning behind every word she said! The ceremony was so personalized to our relationship! All of our guests (us too!) thought she was amazing! 10000000/10 recommend!

Danielle H.

I cannot speak highly enough of Michele! My husband and I figured out the rest of the vendors for our wedding fairly quickly, but were very nervous about choosing an officiant. Once we met with Michele, we could see how passionate she is about getting to know about her couples and giving them the best ceremony they could want no matter their individual needs. She wrote us the most incredible ceremony filled with love and a bit of humor, which was exactly the tone we were going for. Our family and friends were in awe of our ceremony and agreed that Michele is amazing at what she does and her love of officiating shines through. They couldn't stop asking us where we had found her! We cannot recommend her enough!

Cristina S.
Michele was absolutely amazing throughout our entire planning process. She was so attentive and responsive every time we had a question, she asked details questions to make sure our ceremony was as personalized as possible! Everyone at our wedding came up to us to tell us how amazing our ceremony was and how everyone was crying throughout the whole thing and I owe it all to Michele. We love her and if you want to have an absolutely amazing ceremony like we did, you need to have her
Desiree G.
Michele is an absolute angel!! Extremely friendly, professional, prompt, and truly connects with her couples! We immediately clicked with her, and on an even more personal level as our husbands share the same career. At the time, my husband was going through some changes at work and she would always ask him how it was going and always wished him the best which really meant a lot to us. She helped me a lot in editing my vows also which was so thoughtful of her and really just shows the extra mile she goes for her couples. The day of, she was on time, and went over everything with us one last time in the bridal suite before the ceremony. We truly feel like we made a friend by booking Michele and I’d recommend her to anyone!
Amanda M.
Upon our first correspondence with Michele, we knew that our ceremony would be very special. She took the time to understand what we were looking for and and was very responsive with all of our questions leading up to our wedding day. She wrote a truly beautiful ceremony that perfectly captured our relationship. Our guests continue to remark on how beautiful the ceremony was. We would recommend Michele to all couples looking for a wedding officiant.
Kim W.
Michele is amazing at what she does! We hired her for our Oct 2020 and when we postponed she was unable to come on the new date. When we postponed again she was available!! It was so great to finally work with her and absolutely worth the wait we are so happy with her and all our guests said the ceremony was beautiful.
Caitlin F.
Michele was so professional and wrote the most accurate, meaningful ceremony that brought tears to our eyes! Our wedding would not have been as special if it weren’t for her! We got countless compliments on her amazing reviews and she is so thorough and answers every single question you have big or small! If you don’t book her you’re making a mistake! She is the BEST!
Melissa F.
Michele was so amazing for our wedding 9/18/21! From the moment we met with her we knew she would be a perfect fit for our ceremony and booked her on the spot. Michele is accommodating, polite, and has great attention to detail. Everyone is still raving about our ceremony and how it brought them to tears! It was absolutey beautiful and everything we wanted & more, all thanks to Michele!
Daniella N.
Michele was fantastic! She provided us with the perfect questions to set her up for an incredible ceremony script, and was a calming soothing presence during all pre-ceremony chaos. We felt like we'd known her our entire relationship as she spoke about our love story.
Alexis P.
Michele is an amazing Officiant. She wrote a beautiful script for my wedding ceremony and is so well spoken and such a pleasure to work with. We received so many compliments about how beautiful our ceremony is and how lovely Michele is. She is a true professional and this is absolutely her calling in life!
Tyler E.
Such an intimate and emotional ceremony! Michele was recommended by a few brides on Brides of Long Island Facebook page and we met her via FaceTime. There was an instant connection and speaking with her came natural. There were many laughs and tears during our ceremony and our parents were so happy we chose her.
Valentin F.
Michele was absolutely amazing! Everyone made sure to come up to us and tell us how wonderful she was! She really captured our relationship well, spoke clearly, and was amazing throughout the entire pandemic! Can not recommend her enough!!
Becca K.

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