Several years ago, good friends asked me to co-create a one-of-a-kind gathering to represent their unique relationship and kickstart their marriage together. That (unforgettable train station) wedding sparked a love for ceremonies big and small, simple and complex.
Meaningful ceremonies mark life’s precious transitions and help us make sense of the world, requiring a thoughtful guide for intimate promises to be shared, nerves be calmed, loud cheers be heard and your love stories to be told.
A wedding ceremony is a special gathering to honour your traditions, give voice to your commitment to each other and release you into your married life together: For couples to experience and share their love for each other. I love helping couples put thought and care into creating their own wedding ceremony.
When I’m not officiating weddings, I co-pastor and guide the work and witness of Estuary Church, an inclusive spiritual community. My partner and I love raising our three kiddos, chickens, biking everywhere we can, opening our home to cook for friends and strangers alike, as well as volunteering through programs like South Delta Basketball Association, Growing Chefs and BC & Alberta Guide Dogs.
As your wedding officiant, I look forward to getting to know you – learn about all of your traditions and quirks – and help you put language to your beautiful ceremony. Let’s shake off unnecessary expectations and create a ceremony that lets you be yourselves. Real stories of love, kindness and partnership are exactly what our world needs!
In the planning time beforehand, Darren made time to make sure he understood our hopes and vision for the ceremony. He was able to draw on his own experiences to help us craft a meaningful and fulfilling experience for us as a couple, as well as for our extended family and friends who were there to support us. On the day, he made us feel very at ease. His kind, respectful attitude was very appreciated. I highly recommend him if you’re looking for an officiant!
RyanDarren is a gift and I can still remember a question that Darren asked us when he was helping craft our ceremony. The question was simple and yet profound, “Why do you want to do this?” That simple question led to such a rich discussion, which Darren thoughtfully guided and then used to craft a truly meaningful marriage experience both for Lisa and I, as well as all our friends and family. Darren has this almost magical way of making you feel very grounded, that’s something I can very clearly remember feeling during our ceremony. Lisa and I have the honour of saying that we were Darren’s first wedding. The memories he helped us make were — like him — a gift.
Shum & LisaDarren was an incredible and integral part of one of the most important days of our lives. From our first meet up to our actual wedding day, Darren was so fun and easy to work with. There’s something special about Darren that makes him so good at what he does. He was very professional, knowledgeable and easy to connect with. Darren brought such an authentic and personable energy to our ceremony; with the perfect balance of humour and fun too. We actually had guests approach us after to share how much they enjoyed the service – he was such a light in our day. I highly recommend Darren. He pays thoughtful attention to the little details and you can rest assured he’s got the big pictures covered too. I couldn’t imagine our wedding without him to be honest. Oh, and to top it off, he even mailed us our vows on our first anniversary! Talk about thoughtful. Highly recommend.
Kim
