About Ceremonies With Lisa
The Heart & Soul Of Your Wedding Day
Hi I’m Officiant Lisa Hunter and I’m on a mission to help the wedding world remember that the ceremony is the most important part of your day.
In fact, it’s the entire reason for your day!
When a ceremony is powerful and done right, it’s not just some spoken words or signatures on paper, it’s a lived experience of crossing the threshold from engaged to married and into the next chapter of your life. That’s the power of ceremony, and when facilitated with conscious intention - you elevate your day from “great party” or “great adventure” to “not only was that beautiful and fun, that was profound and life-changing.”
1,057 wedding ceremonies and counting.
With soulful, amazing couples just like you.
Here’s the story of how Ceremonies With Lisa started with wedding ceremonies…
Added in elopement adventure packages…
Then also added training for new officiants.
It’s been a wild and amazing ride!
The Joy & Deep Meaning Of Venue Wedding Ceremonies
I started officiating back in 2013 and had the honor of working with such thoughtful, interesting and soulful couples who were blessed with real, true love.
I’d just finished the two-year program at One Spirit Interfaith Seminary, and was a newly-ordained Interspiritual Minister (which means that I believe there are as many recipes for spirituality as there are people in the world).
My wedding calendar filled up so quickly - it was clear that this work was a great match for me. So I dove into the joy of getting to know my couples, writing from the heart and guiding them to relax, enjoy and anchor in their connection during the ceremony.
And then…
The Discovery Of Mountaintop Elopement Adventures
While I was busy officiating at venues, every now and then a couple would ask me to meet the two of them, or them plus a few friends and family on a mountain top or next to an alpine lake or at the base of some peak to officiate their elopement.
After a few of those, I was hooked - these experiences were just as amazing as venue weddings but in a very different way. The simplicity. The total immersion in nature. Every moment about the couple’s connection. The fact that it was a wedding and a mini adventure.
I teamed up with a photographer friend to create elopement packages with photography, ceremony and gorgeous mountain spots. We’ve planned and completed hundreds of these since 2015, each one a true joy.
So now I’m an expert elopement guide too. I freaking love that I came into this expertise accidentally, and now it’s a thriving branch of my work.
And then…
The Privilege Of Teaching Friend & Family Officiants
As an officiant, I spend a lot of time with wedding planners, and I noticed a recurring theme: they’d mention that so many couples have friend or family members officiate for them, and they ask the planner for guidance on how to write and/or perform the ceremony.
At that point, years of wedding ceremonies and elopement adventures had given me such incredible insight into the art of writing and officiating.
So I made an officiant kit. It’s got a tried-and-true ceremony script in it, with guidance to personalize it into a unique ceremony. I also made a pro tips guide, including every single tip I’ve learned over the years for officiating on the day-of. It’s a LOT of tips lol.
I just counted the other day, and the officiant kit has helped more than 200 friend and family officiants so far!
“From our first meeting Lisa made us feel so comfortable. She spent time in the consultation really getting to know us and learning about our coming together. You could just tell that she was genuinely happy and excited for us. Lisa has an incredible program in place with workbooks, activities, and meetings leading up to your day. Every part of the ceremony was so perfect and we are extremely grateful. Thank you Lisa for helping to make our special day so sacred and incredible.”
- Love, Kelly C.
And… Some Fun & Relevant (And Sometimes Random) Facts About Me
Thanks for hangin’ around, I look forward to meeting you!
When I attended two-year seminary, I had no idea I’d use my training to officiate weddings. But a good friend asked me to do her wedding ceremony and I loved it so much, I had to do more.
As a minister, my specialty is rite of passage. I think it’s the coolest thing ever: recognizing major life passages and traveling them with intention. That’s why I love weddings - they are a major life passage!
I’ve won a bunch of awards from The Knot and Wedding Wire over the years.
Before becoming a minister, I was a performing singer-songwriter. I recorded five CDs (yeah it was a long time ago lol), plus my songs were featured on the Disney Channel, the Discovery Channel and in an instance of bizarre pairing, I opened up for the rapper Eminem to an audience of thousands.
Before that, I was an environmental educator in Yosemite National Park. I lived in Yosemite and got to hike sixth-graders around the park, teaching them about nature.
If you couldn’t already tell, I’m a total mountain girl. That used to mean epic backcountry trips when I was younger, but now I can just sit on a granite rock in the sun next to a Ponderosa Pine and I’m happy as can be.
My husband Mike and I live with our Doodle Lemmy in Durango during the winter and Boulder during the summer. That photo is us on our wedding day.
I’ve included TWO photos of Lemmy because I can’t stop taking pics of him. If you’re a dog owner, I know you understand ;)