I would love to celebrate your wedding with you.

I have been writing and officiating ceremonies since 2005, finding joyful connections with my brides and grooms, and guiding them through the creative moments of celebrating this beautiful life commitment!

I am an interfaith minister. All service, no dogma! I was ordained in New York City in 2003.

I am based in Washington, DC, and have officiated ceremonies throughout Maryland, DC and Virginia. Want to marry in another state? Just ask. I’ve even officiated ceremonies in Mexico!

Ceremony fees vary according to the level of customization, which is entirely up to you. Typically $350 to $600. Additional fees may be charged for travel or rehearsals. (Please inquire about your specifics.)

I also performs child blessings and other ceremonies.

If asked to officiate your ceremony, I will surely give the full power of my heart, mind, and intuition to guiding you to and through a ceremony that reflects and celebrates who you are and what this moment means to you.

Testimonials

“We had the honor of having Rev. Karen Gray officiate at our wedding during the height of Covid. We spent several sessions together in advance to plan. She wanted to be sure that she set the tone that we wanted and she certainly did. Our diverse group of friends and family all felt comfortable and included. You will not find a more professional, thoughtful, or loving officiant for your wedding. We highly recommend her.” —Brittney and Marc
“When we were planning our wedding, Karen took the time to truly get to know us as individuals and also as a couple. She tailored the ceremony to reflect our unique personalities and love story, making it deeply personal and meaningful. Karen seamlessly wove symbolically important Jewish traditions into the ceremony, which helped my family feel connected. I will also never forget her calming, joyous, and warm presence on our wedding day. We are incredibly grateful for her and cannot recommend her enough.” —Mike
“Karen is an amazing officiant! She made the whole process fun and easy. We had no idea where to begin or what to do. She gave us plenty of templates and examples to help with our planning. Her guidance really brought together a ceremony that reflected our values and personalities. ” —Marianne

What I do

Connection. I get to know you in person and/or over the phone or video chat. Plus, I share some easy (and fun) questions for you to answer for me.

Personalization. If you wish, I will create a ready-made ceremony, always loving and heartfelt. Or we will create something personal just for you.

Structure, Guidance, Examples. I ask the right questions, so that your wedding ceremony will be just what you want. What’s your vision? It’s your choice to be traditional, spiritual, original, or multicultural. I will share with you examples of language, structure, etc. to help us craft your ceremony.

Something Different! If you’d like, I’ll research and help create special rituals or ceremonies to celebrate the culture or tradition that is important to you. It has been my joy and privilege to include a variety of wedding rituals, including honoring such traditions as: a Vietnamese Tea Ceremony, a Persian Sofreh, Seven Circles (Indian ceremony), Jumping the Broom,and Celtic hand-fasting! And More!

So much fun! So much love!

Rev Karen Gray with the Ceremonial Lion.jpeg

Rev Karen Gray with Brides in Kilts.jpeg

What I need from you

“We knew immediately that Karen was the person to lead our most important day. From the moment we sat down with her to plan our wedding, she went out of her way to make sure the ceremony reflected our personalities. Her willingness to entertain all of our multicultural and non-traditional ideas resulted in a wedding that was a truly one-of-a-kind, personal, and memorable event. From individual interviews ... to ideas and examples ... to agreeing to sing “It Must Be Love” by Madness as a postlude, Karen was the perfect Master of Ceremonies!”

— Amanda

Come to this with joyful anticipation!

Be YOU, and let this ceremony be an expression of the unique relationship we are celebrating.

Celebrant Experiences

“Karen is very charismatic. She brought our ceremony to life. Our guests specifically told us what a wonderful speaker our officiant was. My partner and I wrote our own vows. Karen was the perfect sounding board and made sure our vows were compatible. Karen is very experienced and gave us useful advice as well as things to avoid. Our wedding would not have succeeded without her. We recommend her as a must have!”

— Rachel

“Karen is an amazing officiant! She made the whole process fun and easy. We had no idea where to begin or what to do. She gave us plenty of templates and examples to help with our planning. Her guidance really brought together a ceremony that reflected our values and personalities.”

— Marianne