After 30 years of working in legal, criminal justice and corporate environments, I knew I wanted to do something different for my post-retirement career. I wanted to surround myself with happy people, contribute meaningfully to the world, and do work that fills my heart and feeds my soul. Officiating weddings ticks all of those boxes!
One of my favourite parts of any wedding ceremony is watching the couple react to seeing one another for the first time and hearing the pronouncement that they are officially married. I am always so touched by the genuine display of emotion and joy.
My wish for couples getting married is to be open with one another and to maintain your sense of humour over the years. Remember why you fell in love in the first place and always leave room for your partner to be their authentic self. Long after the newlywed novelty wears off, I hope that the kindness, laughter and respect you share sustains your relationship.
My mantra in life is: Do the right thing, but have fun doing it. I find my spirituality in nature and you’ll often find my partner and I foraging for wild mushrooms or enjoying the beauty of Vancouver Island with our two border collies. You might also find me tuning into the latest true crime series or being inspired by local food artists and chefs.
A personalized wedding ceremony is your chance to express your uniqueness as a couple through your vows and wedding script. By doing so, you’ll make your ceremony experience so much more meaningful and memorable. As a progressive and inclusive officiant, I look forward to meeting you, sharing your love story and being a part of your happy day!
Melinda from Young Hip and Married did the perfect job for our little backyard wedding. She was passionate and enthusiastic! Sweet and funny! Honami and I just want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making our wedding day the perfect day! Thank you once again!
Daniel & HonamiWe wanted a simple elopement style wedding and chose the Intimate Elopement and Photography package. Our officiant Melinda and photographer Jade were both fantastic and easy to work with, and made our ceremony memorable and totally stress free.
Caroline & AaronSuper great service. Perfect for a quick elopement!
Megan & JoelSuch a wonderful experience. Our officiant (Melinda) was a joy to work with. She was collaborative, open to our weird secret wedding plan, and made us feel really comfortable and at ease. All of our guests talked about how excellent she was during the ceremony. Can’t recommend Young Hip & Married enough.
Tom & KatrinaMelinda and Jade made our big day so stress-free and seamless; our ceremony was well written and Melinda was so helpful in preparing for our intimate elopement. Jade made us feel so comfortable as well in getting the best photos of us. Thanks also to Mieke for being a great witness! It was perfect.
Katherine & EricMelinda O was so nice, kind and accommodating! She made our special day even more special with her smiles and joy!
Herve & TraciWe had the amazing Melinda Orlowski officiate our wedding on Pender Island a week ago and she was simply wonderful. From the moment we met her, we felt understood, celebrated and really safe in her hands. She captured our love story perfectly and took the heavy lifting when it came to guiding the ceremony and setting the tone for the wedding. We could not appreciate her more or recommend her more. If we could leave 20 stars we would!
Brittany & GraemeMelinda, our officiant, was amazing! She was genuine, flexible and made our day very special. Young Hip and Married was very easy to work with.
Naomi & CraigMelinda was incredible. We had a last minute ceremony (literally hours) and she made it feel like it had been planned for months. It was organic and so natural. It was like we had known her for years and she knew everything about us. It was a special day for us, as we reconnected after a lifetime of being apart and we cannot put into words how truly special our day was, and can only speak highly of our experience.
Lorne & KeriMelinda was the perfect officiant anyone could ever ask for! She was extremely accommodating and patient with us. She was super, super friendly and just all around the best. She definitely made the whole experience easy and pleasant. Thank you so much!!!!
Eanimi & Emmanuel
