Absolutely! I love personalizing wedding ceremonies with my couples. It helps to make your wedding unique and tells your story perfectly.

I enjoy incorporating unique and personal touches, especially with unity rituals, into ceremonies. In addition to the popular unity candle and sand ceremonies, there are many other ways a couple can express their individuality with a unity ritual. For example, if the couple are fans of the film The Big Lebowski, we might incorporate movie line references and include a unity ritual where the couple mixes ingredients into a White Russian cocktail. There is no limit to the things we can do!

Absolutely. I have a simple elopement package that includes a very brief ceremony text (about 3-4 minutes) modified with your wedding details. It’s an economical way to tie the knot if you’re interested in keeping things simple. Make sure you are aware of the minimum legal requirements by checking with the appropriate state agency.

State of New Jersey

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

State of Delaware

State of Maryland

I am a non-denominational interfaith minister, ordained both through Universal Life Church and through Soul Community Church (Pennsylvania). I can perform any legal marriage ceremony authorized by the state.

I am currently licensed to perform weddings in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, and Maryland. I am happy to get licensed if your wedding takes place in another state or even another country. I need to know well ahead of time in order to apply for and obtain that license.

I do perform vow renewals, which is merely a ceremony where an already married couple renews or re-affirms their wedding vows. This can be new text, or a repetition of their original vows. To some couples, a vow renewal might be an opportunity to have the wedding they dreamed of, but for some reason could not have earlier. To others it may signify the desire to mark a significant anniversary milestone, or to perhaps strengthen their commitment following a difficult time.

I do not perform funeral services at this time. I do offer comfort services to those in need and who do not have a church pastor or other resource. As an interfaith wedding minister I am happy to come and speak comfort to friends and family who are losing or have lost a loved one. It is important to be clear that I am not theologically trained in this service. That said, I have come and spoken words of comfort to the dying and I am happy to do so for my couples, their friends, and their family.

I do offer pre-marital counseling sessions, with the understanding that I am merely someone experienced with weddings and with life in general. I am not specifically licensed or trained as a counselor or life coach.

It is not normally necessary for me to rehearse, as I have been involved with hundreds of weddings and can say with a high degree of confidence that I will be able to stand there and do my part well on your wedding day. When asked to be part of the procession, all I have to do is walk in a forward direction. That doesn’t usually require rehearsal either. Most often, rehearsals are for planning when and how wedding party members and parents process, and what they might be asked to do during the ceremony. Those things have never involved me, at least so far since 2014 when I became ordained.

If you do not have a wedding coordinator, I am happy to help lead your wedding rehearsal either on the day of, or on the day before. Either scenario depends on my availability, of course. It is possible for me to perform more than one wedding in a day. Therefore it is prudent to decide this need early on, to make sure I am available to guide the rehearsal for you.

Officiating a wedding is more than just the act of getting ordained online. It requires creativity with writing the ceremony text. It requires a confident public speaker that can properly enunciate and professionally deliver the text. It requires a person who can improvise and speak extemporaneously if something happens that is outside of the plan. It requires experience with weddings, to know about possible problems before they arise. It requires someone who understands how the license should be filled out and returned to the proper authority.

This is your wedding. You have probably spent thousands of dollars to make it as perfect as it can be, and you put the tone of the entire day at risk if you don’t have a really good, experienced, professional officiant. There is only one chance to deliver it in a way that is elegant, entertaining, beautiful, sensitive, easily understood, and confident. One chance. Trust it to a professional. If you want to involve a cherished friend or family member in the ceremony, there are many ways to accomplish this without putting your entire wedding ceremony at risk. Anyone can buy a baseball bat. That doesn’t automatically make them Bryce Harper.

Now, all of that said, sometimes it is understandable wanting to have someone close to you perform your wedding ceremony. There are things they need to know or they could actually cause your wedding not to be legal! So, I do offer a quick Zoom live one-on-one “how to” for new officiants which is just $25.

I don’t charge for travel if your wedding takes place within the included travel range for the package you select. Any travel beyond that range will have a travel reimbursement quoted with the package price. For travel to locations more than three hours away from Medford, NJ it is possible (though not required) that an overnight lodging reimbursement will also be necessary.

For destination weddings, actual travel expenses will be added to the package. I am happy to facilitate travel in any way that helps keep costs down. I have worked at weddings all around the U.S. and even in Europe. One time, my couple actually used their frequent flyer miles to fly me “across the pond” for their wedding in Scotland because they wanted a known person that they could work with before the wedding. There are many benefits to working with a vendor you know and have reasonable access to. You will have met me in advance, so you know what you’re getting and you know you’ll be comfortable with me. And, when your friends and family ask you for a recommendation on an officiant for a wedding, you will be able to give them one in your area.

It is important to note that some states and countries will require I be registered with them as an officiant. Sufficient lead time is necessary in these cases, so please be sure to book me at least thirty days in advance if you are getting married in a location not currently in my list of licensed locations.

The license to get married is something that the couple has to acquire in person. My fee includes delivery of the marriage license to the appropriate agency immediately following the wedding. If you want to turn it in yourselves, you are welcome to do so, but I am more than happy to do it for you.

Each township’s web site usually has helpful FAQs about the license and the post-wedding marriage certificate. The best way to begin is to perform a search on the township you’re getting married in, and “marriage license.”

Some townships (especially in New Jersey) want the name, address, and title of the officiant. Mine is Michael Chadwick, Minister (if they request a title), 6 Nantucket Court, Medford NJ 08055, 609-975-9766.

This is information your township clerk might request. My title is Minister, and here is my contact information.

Michael Chadwick
6 Nantucket Court
Medford, NJ 08055
609-975-9766

I offer unlimited access to me for my couples, regardless of whether you’re eloping or getting a fully customized ceremony. Multiple pre-wedding sessions are rarely required, and they can be done virtually to help with travel time and expense. I am here for you as an information resource, and I’m happy to share my extensive wedding knowledge and experience with my couples.

Happily! We perform weddings for any loving, consenting couple who wish to tie the knot. To Chadwick Weddings, a same-sex wedding or LGBTQIAP+ wedding is just a wedding, treated with the exact same reverence and joy as any other wedding might be. We believe in equal kindness, respect, and treatment for all.

While I do not perform this service for you, I can offer some guidance. The license does not affect name changes, it merely gives me permission to marry you. The certificate is what you receive from the township in which you got married (in NJ) or at the county clerk’s office where you got the license (in PA), after I turn it in.

After the wedding:

1. Sign the marriage certificate at the township or county with your new last name.
2. Get multiple copies of your certificate to avoid larger fees for additional copies later. I recommend seven or eight copies.
3. Update the “big three” which are Social Security, driver’s license, and passport. Inquire at each regarding their specific requirements before you just show up.
4. Update other things that use your name such as bank and credit cards, lease agreements, loans, car title and registrations, insurance, mortgage, utilities, medical, etc.

There are also services that can assist you with changing your name, such as hitchswitch.com

Unless requested specifically, I do not typically stay beyond the cocktail hour following the performance of a wedding. Once the wedding ceremony is completed, I will get the marriage license filled out, “grip and grin” a little with your guests while you’re doing the same or getting photos done, and I will check out with you before I depart. Some couples have asked me to stay and offer a blessing before dinner, which I am also happy to do. Even in that case, you do not have to provide me with a vendor meal, a seat at any table, or anything like that.

I’ll chat with you about that in more detail, but the short answer is your choice of either a suit or a black cassock (robe). With the cassock (or the suit, for that matter) I can also wear either an ivory or a rainbow stole (like a long scarf). I also have a black standard tuxedo if that is preferred. I am happy to dress in any way that is appropriate for your wedding. If any wedding is so specifically-themed that an entire costume rental or purchase is required, that exact cost would have to be reimbursed.

I have access to a portable amplification system. This service can be added to your wedding ministry package at an additional cost. This is rarely a requirement. I suggest first you look into your venue having one, then your DJ having one, and if neither of those are true, then consider it. If your space is on the smaller side, there is a very good chance I will not need to be amplified. I sang opera for decades and have a powerful enough voice to be heard in almost any setting. That doesn’t mean I can be heard in every setting, so this is a conversation worth having if you’re concerned about me (or you or your readers) being heard.

I cannot make any specific recommendations, as each couple’s name change needs are unique. There are services available to assist couples with this need, including “Hitch Switch” (https://www.hitchswitch.com/) who have packages starting at as little as about $40.

Yes, this is a common request, especially after the pandemic. It is not legally permitted for us to perform a fake ceremony, so a copy of your marriage certificate would need to be provided as proof. If you don’t want to be “pronounced” you can be “announced” at the end of the ceremony, just let us know ahead of time. If your legal marriage is a secret, let us know that as well. In that case you would be “announced” during the ceremony (it’s a very subtle difference no one has ever noticed so far) instead of being “pronounced” as spouses.

As a wedding photography studio, it can be safely assumed we’re in favor of you having the best possible photographs of your ceremony. We do not restrict your photography team, we simply ask that they do not be so obvious and in our faces that it becomes a disruption. As a seasoned wedding photographer myself I can tell you there is no circumstance in which any professional wedding photographer should ever need to be up in the faces of everyone at the altar.

And yes, whenever I am the minister, I always get my 6’7″ body out of the way for the kiss photo!