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Irene is truly doing her life's work. There are so many people out there with a "license to wed, " but if you truly want meaning and passion in your ceremony, choose Irene. Being a Celebrant is how I get to meet and connect intimately with people at significant life moments. Whether we collaborate on a wedding, baby blessing, life celebration or other milestone, I value getting to know you, listening to what's important to you and creating a ceremony with depth and meaning.My open-minded approach can include a spiritual, traditional, non-traditional, interfaith, civil or secular focus that represents your values and perspective.
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I became certified as a Life Cycle Celebrant after training with the renowned Celebrant Foundation and Institute. The program allowed me to clarify my own spiritual beliefs while exploring creative writing, ritual and ceremonial customs of diverse cultures. Since graduation and with years of experience, I've developed a ceremony style as a storyteller, adding poetry, prose and ritual to all my events. Prior to my Celebrant training I was a wedding photographer, covering all the aspects of the wedding day.
Irene was the officiant for our wedding at San Francisco City Hall last month and came recommended by a friend of ours. The whole process was so easy and we enjoyed every step with her. She really took the time to get to know us with her questionnaires as well our in-person meeting. We could not have been happier with our wedding day, and that all started with Irene and the ceremony she put together. She made it feel intimate and special which is exactly what we wanted and we will remember her forever!
If you dream of a unique ceremony that captures your magnetism, partnership, joy and journey together, I'm committed to making that happen. I take time getting to know you through a thoughtful questionnaire and interviews, then craft your love story-the core or centerpiece from which other components such as your vows and ring exchange will grow.
Baby Blessings have existed for centuries and have most often been known as Christenings. Today, many parents choose to have a more familial gathering in their home, park or community center; they're referred to as Baby Blessings or Baby Welcomings. As the Celebrant, I look for ways to involve family members, friends, godparents or "guideparents " who will be an influence in the child's life.
Reviews (22)
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Fadia D.
May 02, 2022
Irene was such a pleasure to have as our officiant. She was so organized and easy to work with. We loved that she had many options from which to choose to craft the ceremony that spoke directly to our values and families. We especially loved how she invited our audience to not only begin our ceremony with an approval for our wedding, but then to also end our ceremony with a pronouncement of our marriage. Everyone felt like they didn't just attend our wedding, but that they participated in it. Twas truly magical. Thank you Irene!
Don M.
Mar 06, 2022
Irene is the best, She does her research about the people she is marrying. She gets to know the people. She is really on top of the ceremony. She does an excellent job. She made our day even more special. I would definitely recommend her to everyone.
Britney T.
Oct 09, 2021
Irene us truly a sweetheart she takes her time to really make sure we are 100% in love with her game plan. Irene definitely made us feel comfortable and safe on our big day reminding us to take deep breaths and especially involving our family in our ceremony definitely recommend Irene she is an amazing women
Tiffany S.
Sep 01, 2021
Minister Irene created the most beautiful ceremony for my daughter's baby blessing. It was at Pulgas Water Temple.
Induja S.
Jul 28, 2021
Irene was awesome and super helpful throughout, from the first time I emailed her. I contacted Irene less than a month before our small wedding ceremony in June. She had the date available and we quickly had a call to get to know each other before finalizing. Irene is super responsive via email and text. Even though Irene was traveling in between, she helped us finish our tasks on time, and helped us figure out what we want in our ceremony.

She thought of even the small things which my husband and I had missed while planning. She had also written an awesome and personal script which we loved. Our guests were also very moved by the whole ceremony and thanks to Irene's help, we were able to make our wedding ceremony perfect.
Samaneh E.
Feb 04, 2021
We had our socially distanced wedding ceremony with Irene during August 2020. She was great at giving us advice on how to get the marriage license and what outdoor locations are good options. Irene is friendly and very informative. We are very happy that she performed our ceremony.
Christine Q.
Nov 27, 2020
Irene was amazing before and during our wedding! My husband and I virtually met with Irene twice before the wedding to discuss details and to get to know one another. She made us feel so comfortable and taken care of. Leading up to the wedding, Irene kept consistent communication with us and guided us through created our wedding ceremony. We planned a wedding within 2 months and Irene helped us with getting our license and getting through the legal progress.

She did an amazing job of taking our words and weaving them into her own. We received so many compliments from our guests who attended in-person and virtually. Irene was mindful of wearing a mask and maintaining social distancing throughout the ceremony. We are so happy to have worked with Irene. We cannot recommend her enough!
Jason T.
Oct 08, 2020
Irene is awesome! During this whole covid thing we had no choice but to do it virtual. She was very responsive and pays attention to details. I will recommend her to anyone looking to get married. She also made sure to get our names pronounced correctly.
Eunice M.
Sep 04, 2020
The pandemic has made it very difficult for the wedding industry and all the small businesses involved but Irene effortlessly made our wedding so exceptionally wonderful! She is proof of exceptional adaptability, compassion and was very fun to work with. She responded to every email very quickly, and was extremely easy to communicate with. Irene is such a professional and made great recommendations to make the big day more special, and spoke so beautifully during the ceremony as though she was an old friend who knew the both of us.

She took the time to really get to know us and our families which made a world of a difference. The best way I could describe my overall experience was that she gave us a lot of peace and assurance leading up to the big day, and I felt so much love from her the day of. We couldn't have picked a better or more loving officiate.
Rose W.
May 25, 2020
We had our elopement wedding during Coronavirus quarantine. The three of us wore masks and kept social distance at the ceremony. Despite all of these, Irene made our wedding run extremely smooth. Irene suggested a place by a serene hiking trail and went there to take pictures for us to decide. She provided a collection of vows and readings for us to choose from.

We selected an alternative vow which represented our marriage the best. Irene also incorporated our personal messages into the ceremony, which was so sweet and became one of the highlights of our ceremony. Although we've only talked via video call before the wedding, Irene's calming energy made us feel relaxed immediately when we met. The logistics was quite straight forward as well. I would highly recommend Irene- thank you for making our wedding a special and lovely memory!
D. K.
Dec 29, 2019
We love Irene! She was referred to us by our wedding venue and we're so glad. Irene is so sweet and made our ceremony planning process easy and fun for us. Her calm, positive energy and presence was exactly what we wanted around us for our wedding. Many of our guests told us that they really liked her too. We can't thank Irene enough for everything and highly highly recommend her for all Ceremonies and Celebrations :
Balala N.
Sep 30, 2019
We had our local vendor with their own officiant included. When we called them and ask them if they can write and elaborate on our love story, they pretty much said that wasn't part of their job. This is when we got in touch with Irene. Irene was super pleasant to work with. She wrote a beautiful story of how we met and fell in love. She was very patient and detail oriented.

We got to practice with her beforehand and she answered all of our questions. Irene definitely provided a unique experience for us. It felt much more human-like in contrast to a lot of vendors that provided standard "factory-like" services. Highly recommended!
Molly D.
Sep 23, 2019
We hired Irene for our elopement in Napa and it could not have gone better. We found Irene on yelp initially and had a couple of phone chats prior. She was able to totally personalize our ceremony. It felt so special and like she had known us our whole lives. She also kindly printed out our vows which we can save and keep forever. Everything went so smoothly. Would highly recommend Irene for your next big wedding or elopement!
Dyhanne S.
May 01, 2019
Irene made our wedding so special! We love how she told the story of how we met and fell in love. She gave us guidance in writing our own vows. We told her we wanted to do a special ceremony to include our daughter ( my step-daughter) and recognize our new family bond. It was our favorite part of the ceremony! Thank you again Irene. You helped create a day we will never forget :-)
Yuan K.
Apr 15, 2019
Irene was a wonderful officiant for our secular wedding. She had a wealth of suggested rituals and readings and got to know us through an extensive survey. She wrote a beautiful ceremony and helped us rehearse all the little details from walking down the aisle to practicing putting rings on. Our guests really enjoyed her balance of grace and humor!
George D.
Feb 03, 2019
Our wedding would not have been the same without Irene. Several people told me afterward what a fantastic job she had done with the ceremony, and I agree entirely. She helped manage the logistics of where we should walk, how we should do hugs, what kind of mics we should get for sound, etc. The custom ceremony that she built was completely amazing. Her energy was calming, which helped us a lot in the moment. There is nothing that she could have done better. So solid.
Greg Young
Jan 22, 2019
Irene was like family! We used Ceremonies & Celebrations for my mother's "Celebration of Life". Irene did not know my Mom, but in great detail, she interviewed, and listened to stories of her life. By the date of the celebration, she drew a beautiful picture of my Mom, and her life. Irene, is kind, and considerate, and worth way more than she charges. Irene. Thank you so much! Greg Young
Victoria C.
Dec 16, 2018
I used Irene for my wedding for my Nov. 2018 wedding. She was absolutely amazing. One of my biggest fears going into wedding planning was the officiant because they can make or break the ceremony! Irene was perfect. She was easily accessible via email or phone any time I had a question, she was so flexible for the unique kind of ceremony I was looking for, and made some great recommendations as well.

All of guests kept complimenting us on how professional she was, and just what to do if something wasn't going right. I would absolutely recommend Irene for your wedding! We loved her!
Bruce Gekko
Nov 10, 2018
Irene is wonderfully calm and seems to be a super nice person. I would totally recommend her.
Mary Almestad
Nov 09, 2018
Irene was the celebrant for a celebration of life service my family planned for a dear friend. After our very first conversation, I felt that she was the right person to enlist. She was very personable, warm, and I could sense her calm manner. She gave me a clear plan of the shape that the service would take, yet was open to our ideas as well. After filling out a questionnaire and talking with family and close friends, Irene wrote a beautiful tribute that really honored the spirit of the person whose life we were celebrating.

I felt a great sense of relief knowing that Irene would help us plan the service and guide us through the actual program as the celebrant. No one in my family felt comfortable or qualified to take this on ourselves, nor did we have any religious community to turn to. Irene is a certified life celebrant, which made me feel that much more confident that she was the right person for us. Her professionalism and experience were evident throughout the entire process, and I can't thank her enough for helping my family and I through an extremely difficult time.
Evelyn Aldarondo
May 13, 2018
You can't go wrong with having Irene perform your marriage ceremony. She's amazing! Truly a natural one at this type of work. Her professionalism is an A plus. Outstanding in every aspect. I'm so thankful that we found her to perform our lovely ceremony. Thank you again Irene for making our day so special.
Julia H.
Sep 25, 2016
Irene was the officiant for our wedding in Walnut Creek and I can't thank her enough for such a wonderful ceremony! I highly recommend her as an officiant/celebrant for any wedding. During our first consultation, you could tell that Irene truly cared about getting to know us and what we envisioned on our wedding day. She worked closely with us throughout the entire wedding process and was very responsive over email.

We met her in person several months before our wedding to review everything and she provided us with lots of resources and information that helped us customize our ceremony. We loved how she sent a questionnaire for us to fill out individually and she created a personal story that was not only memorable and special, but also lighthearted and fun. A few weeks before the wedding, we met her again in person for a rehearsal where we ran through the entire ceremony process.

I really appreciated how many tips she gave us to make sure everything ran smoothly. After the wedding, we received lots of compliments from our guests, specifically mentioning how great Irene was during the ceremony. I have nothing but positive things to say about her! She was a great officiant for our wedding and I highly recommend working with her if you're looking for one!