Testimonials for Michelle

Dear Michelle,

Linda and I can not thank you enough for how amazing you were! Your words were beautiful and the way you expressed them almost brought tears to our eyes -- we were fighting hard to hold them back!

Always,

Jim Mui

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Dear Michelle,

Thank you so much for making our simple ceremony beautiful and lovely. It was an amazing day for us. Thank you very, very much.

Sincerely,

Ilona and Maciej

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Hi Michelle, Firstly, I would like to thank you for performing such a beautiful ceremony for Adam and I on Sunday. It was wonderful! Thank you so much for everything, you are so lovely! Marianne and Adam

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Michelle,

Thanks for doing such a wonderful job with the ceremony. We were both exceedingly happy with your officiant-ing. Best, Ryan

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Hi Michelle,

Thanks so much for a really beautiful and sentimental ceremony!! It was an honor to meet you. Thanks so much for making the day Special!! Mickie (Margaret) Baryol (Mother of the Groom)

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Dear Michelle,

Hi Michelle – I just wanted to thank you again for allyour help leading up to and for conducting our ceremony on the 27^th. You were great and Bryant said even without him ever speaking to you it was as if he knew you. We had a great time and I just wanted to thank you again for making our day very special.

A million thanks,

Jessica

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Good Morning Michelle...

Our honeymoon was such a joy and we are both just so happy to be together. Thank you for officiating our wedding, you are such a sweetheart. I think that all the decisions we made concerning our wedding worked out just right, including choosing you!

Thanks again!

Luz & Lang

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Michelle,

Thank you so much for officiating our wedding! It was truly perfect and you really played such an important role in our day.

Thank you again for everything!

Gabby

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Michelle,

Thank you! We are still only beginning to comprehend what a powerful moment we all had together in the park this morning. We thank you for being such an important part in it all! David and Fallon were also both really happy that you were there to officiate our marriage.

Onward and upward!

Cheers,

Jo and Freeman

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Thank you so very much again for making our day so special.

Warmly,
Elena & Jay Hanson

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New York Times

On Saturday, April 11, 2009, I had the honor of officiating a gorgeous wedding ceremony between Jim and Linda. It was a grand affair at the Lighthouse in Chelsea Piers. Linda and Jim are an incredibly sweet and optimistic couple. The following article appeared in the NY Times on Sunday, April 10, 2009.

Linda Law, Jim Mui

Published: April 10, 2009

Dr. Linda Law and Jim Mui were married Saturday at the Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers in New York. The Rev. Michelle Smith, an interfaith minister, officiated.

Dr. Law, 29, is keeping her name. She is an internist at University Medical Center in Princeton, N.J. She graduated from the City University of New York and received a medical degree from the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn. She is a daughter of Winnie Law and Dr. Sing Wu Law of Alpine, N.J. Her father is an internist in private practice in Manhattan, where her mother is the office manager.

Mr. Mui, 30, is a financial analyst at JPMorgan Chase in Manhattan. He graduated from New York University. He is the son of Tsui Fong Mui and Suk Hay Mui of Ridgewood, Queens. His mother retired as a seamstress at Lookout Sportswear in Manhattan. His father retired as the owner of Cherry’s Chinese Food in Metuchen, N.J.

If you are interested in announcing your ceremony in the NY Times, read the following article in the Weddings/Celebration section of the New York Times.

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A Secret Wedding in a Secret Garden

Is there a place in New York City that has special signifigance to you?  Have you ever considered turning that place into a wedding venue?

Sylvia, an architect, and Steve, a Latin scholar, have their own individual way of appreciating the Cloisters.   After being together for twenty years, the two decided to make their love 'official' and wanted to have a secret ceremony in the place they love to spend time together. Along with two witnesses, Steve and Sylvia cozied up in their favorite corner of the courtyard and exchanged vows and rings.  It was a very beautiful and significant ceremony. Since they decided to hold the ceremony on a Tuesday morning, there were not many people visiting the Cloisters and they had a bit of privacy for their nuptials.  

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Ceremonies Officiated by Michelle

Since I began officiating in 2007, I have had the honor of officiating many weddings. I work with approximately to thirty couples a year; however, at the beginning of 2009, I took time off to give birth to a gorgeous baby girl. Each and every wedding that I officiate is a joyful experience and following are a few highlights:

1. The first wedding that I ever officiated was for my very good friends, Aushra and Aleksander. Aushra is a former student of mine. When she asked me to officiate her beautiful wedding in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, I was delighted. It was through the planning of her wedding ceremony that I fell in love with officiating.

2. The backdrop of Ilona and Maciej's wedding looks like a scene out of a movie! They chose to get married at the Fulton Ferry Landing. The misty day added to the enchantment of the ceremony. Ilona was a beautiful bride and Maciej was extremely dapper. The way that they gazed into one another's eyes as they exchanged vows made everyone's eyes fill with tears. I feel honored that I was part of their loving ceremony.

3. Jessica and Bryant had a lovely fall ceremony at the Ladies Pavilion in Central Park. The weather was gorgeous and the backdrop of the park added to the beauty of the wedding. They flew in from Washington D.C. and wanted to have an intimate ceremony with their closest friends present. The iron gazebo is located next to Lake Hernshead. It is a gorgeous (and quite hidden) spot that is immersed in the nature of Central Park, and has a spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline off in the distance.

Ceremonies Officiated by Kim

After being together for 40 years Grace and Emil decide to make it official and tie the knot.  With family and close friends present, they were married on Valentine's Day at the Valbella Restaurant in Manhattan.  Grace was a stunning and elegant bride who made everyone cry when she made her appearance.  Everyone was so happy and excited for the bride and groom. It was an honor helping them celebration of love for one another. 

Erica and Brant got married October 25, 2008.  They had an intimate ceremony at the 41 Greenwich restaurant.  The ceremony was on the patio with candle light and friends and family surrounding the beautiful couple. 

Elisa and Michael got married in October in Manhattan.  They had a beautiful rooftop wedding at the Thompson Hotel.  It was really exciting to be able to greet the guest with a welcome statement in Thai.  Elisa and Michael had  the unity ceremony of the Puang Malai Ceremony which is a Thai wedding tradition, the garland is placed around the couples shoulders by the parents, to wish them good fortune in their life together.

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The New York Post

On Monday, March 2nd, we were contacted by Jennifer Tis, the editor of the weddings section at The New York Post.  She was interested in featuring some of our newlyweds.  Two of the couples that I married were selected.  

Samir and Sabina had an intimate ceremony held at the Ladies Pavilion in Central Park.  They wanted to have a ceremony with close friends and family because this summer they will have a Hindu Ceremony in Canada with over 600 guests.  Instead of exchanging rings, they chose the Sand Unity Ritual.  They also included the Box of Good Wishes in which they wrote letters to one another.  During the ceremony, they passed the box around and had each guest hold the box and send them good wishes for a happy marriage.  

Derrick and Lisa were married in an intimate wedding at the Brooklyn Bridge Park amongst very close family and friends.  In August, they will have another ceremony that I will conduct as well. The August ceremony will be a larger celebration and Lisa's parents will visit from Taiwan.

To read more about our couples, visit The New York Post online.  Unfortunately, The New York Post will not be featuring weddings in the Sunday paper any longer.  However, you can still submit your engagement and wedding information online.

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Ceremony Types

The most sacred part of a wedding is the ceremony. Although wedding ceremonies vary among different religions, cultures and preferences, they usually all include the exchange of wedding vows, presentation of rings and an official pronouncement by a religious figure or a wedding officiant with authorization from the state. We have many samples of ceremonies to select from. First, decide the type of ceremony in which you are interested.

Do you want a spiritual, religious or a non-denominational ceremony? Are you interested in traditional or non-traditional vows? Do you want something simple like a civil ceremony or do you want a customized ceremony including poetry readings and symbolic rituals?

After you decide the type of ceremony in which you are interest, select which elements you want to include. We have many samples; however, if you do not see a ceremony that suits you, you can create your own. We will supply you with a ceremony guideline to aid you in deciding which aspects you may want to include. Once you choose the elements, you can alter order of the format and select the wording. We have many examples of additional wording for each part of the ceremony.

Contact us for the Four Orchids Ceremony Booklet.

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