I might be biased. Take it from people I've worked with.
The ceremony was chilling from the opening bell to the closing bell. I was absolutely enraptured by the words that were spoken. I don't know where you found that magician (Evan) but that is the kind of ceremony people should be engaging in when it comes to promising their lives together and to each other....And just the fact that it wasn't that whole you must be tied to some man to serve and.... It was so equal and beautiful and uplifting and celebratory, which I have never actually seen in ceremonies. ... Honestly the best wedding I have ever been to!
There are no words to express just how grateful we are to have found you to officiate our wedding. We received so many compliments about you and about how wonderful and personal our ceremony was. You successfully created a warm and intimate environment for 175 people, and the ceremony set the tone for the rest of the evening. Everyone had a blast, and I think that the 'Community Blessings' [section you added] helped just bring the group together right from the start, so thank you for taking the time to develop the right ceremony for us. We could not have imagined a more perfect way to get married. Our friends and family loved it, and more importantly Jack and I truly enjoyed the experience. I'm looking forward to reliving the memories over and over.
My husband and I have had the incredible pleasure of working with Evan Kavanagh as our wedding officiant for our wedding. Right from the first contact with Evan, we knew we picked the perfect person to lead our lovely wedding ceremony. We found Evan to be professional, kind, talented, creative and insightful. This was our first wedding and needed gentle guidance in the direction we wanted our spiritual path to take as we exchanged vows. Evan provided us with that guidance and expertise, right from the start. There was never a moment of concern or hesitation on our end as we collaborated with Evan on choosing the words, rituals and time spent celebrating our love for each other in front of friends and family. Our wedding ceremony was beautiful and perfect...we have Evan to thank for bringing his love and talent into our ceremony and lives. Literally everyone that said hello or goodbye to us commented on what a beatiful wedding ceremony we had and we owe much of that to Evan.
Evan helped us find the public face and the right tone and feel for our wedding ceremony. In preparation, Evan began the process by asking us a series of elementary, thought provoking questions which helped us focus on the aspects of our relationship and our connection to spirituality, community, ritual, and commitment that we wanted to share, celebrate, and affirm with one another and before our guests.
Evan provided a basic structure for the ceremony and collaborated with us in determining its final, elegant form. He easily integrated elements that were important to us, such as readings by members of the wedding party and our choice of a more oratory style of personal vows, into the format.
The ceremony was perfect for us: Evan conducted the ceremony with the grace, clarity, joyful presence, and humor that has marked every step of the process. Through his own focus, sureness, and words, Evan helped us be present and mindful of our assembled guests, the site of our wedding, the sites and sounds; and importantly, our sincerest emotions. The simple structural elements and props that he suggested and used during the ceremony incorporated sound, color, interaction and exchange into our experience and helped define the stages of our commitment, as well as, those of the proceedings.
Friends and family--including those used to very traditional, denominational weddings--found the ceremony meaningful and moving, and Evan's presence and work wonderful.
I have known Evan Kavanagh for many years and for all of them, have had a deep respect for the gentleness, and elegance that Evan exudes. He is one of the most spiritual people that I have ever known. I've always known Evan as a man who honors each person for the path that they are on, and have never known him to be unkind or to judge others for their mishaps or mistakes.
With poetry and elegance, Evan presided over the ceremony honoring my husband after his death. The number of people who contacted me afterward to ask if he was ordained for such services led me to contact Evan and encourage him to become ordained. It was, in the words of many of those who attended, "the most beautiful service" they had "ever attended" and I felt that Evan had opened a door to a new direction in his life. One where he could bring the same joy and dignity to others that he brought to my husband and me.
I will be honored to call on him again whether for my wedding, should I marry again, or for my funeral should I pass before he does. Thank you Evan for honoring us with your service, I will always be grateful to you.
There isn't another person on earth whom I would rather have officiate at [my son's] memorial. Evan is one of the most empathic, nurturing, gentle and wonderful men I've ever met. [Referring me to him]...is yet another gift you have given to me during this very difficult time...Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Evan officiated our wedding ceremony in May 2010, and we are so grateful for the amazing work that he did. When we first met with Evan, we had only vague ideas about how we wanted our ceremony to be - but we both knew that crafting a personal, unique ceremony was very important to us.
Evan was such a skillful guide in helping us create a meaningful ceremony that felt like a real expression of who we are and what we value. He brought wonderful suggestions about how the ceremony could be ordered, rituals and phrases we might use - while at the same time giving us so much space to modify the ceremony in a way that made it uniquely ours.
We were so pleased with the end result. On the weekend of the wedding itself, he was a calm, gentle presence at both our wedding rehearsal and our wedding. We heard from many friends and family members that they found our ceremony as beautiful, touching, and honest as we did.
This process that we went through with Evan of defining and writing our intentions for our marriage not only allowed us to create a beautiful ceremony for the day itself, but more importantly allowed us to bring this definition of our commitment forward into our actual marriage. Evan gave us a lovely copy of our ceremony that we can keep and refer to over the years. We recommend him highly.
