- Personable : 5.0
- Customized Ceremony : 5.0
- Reliable : 5.0
- Presence : 5.0
Review: Truly special
03/21/2013
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ashleyw
Wedding Date: 03/02/2013
Reviews Posted: 1
- After four months of not enjoying the wedding planning process, my husband and I decided to cancel our original wedding date set for August and instead set a date two weeks away. I emailed a few officiants with my now rush request. Sheila was the first to respond (she emailed me back within the hour) and I knew after our first email that she had to be our officiant. We had family and friends flying in last minute from all over the country to be with us on our special day and I wanted the ceremony to be personal and intimate. Sheila made sure that happened. She was very flexible with our schedule and made us feel so comfortable that we really didn't worry about the ceremony at all. She added personal touches and stories that really felt like 'us'. We've had so many friends and family members tell us it was the best ceremony they've ever witnessed and there were both moments of laughter and tears. We both feel truly blessed that Sheila was able to share our special day with us. I would highly recommend her. THANK YOU SHEILA!
Overall Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
- Personable : 5.0
- Customized Ceremony : 5.0
- Reliable : 5.0
- Presence : 5.0
Review: Wunderbar! (5 of 5 stars :))
03/05/2013
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Katharina G
Reviews Posted: 1
- Wedding officiant make you comfortable? Why or why not? Sheila transformed all the details we provided into a wonderful, truly unique and special ceremony. She was able to totally capture “us” and our chemistry. Nothing about it ever felt manufactured or random. Every part of the process – from the first phone call to our personal meeting until the big day was a wonderful, easy, lighthearted, very personal though professional & caring experience. Amazing also how Sheila included our family and friends into the ceremony and made them feel to be a special part of it and still left room for spontaneity. Wunderbar!!! THANK YOU, Sheila! Love, Kat&Paul
Overall Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
- Personable : 5.0
- Customized Ceremony : 5.0
- Reliable : 5.0
- Presence : 5.0
Review: The best part of our wedding!
12/13/2012
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Rachel A
Reviews Posted: 1
- Wedding officiant make you comfortable? Why or why not? Sheila made us very comfortable. She is very warm and a great listener, from the moment we met, I felt she "got" us.
- What did the officiant or clergy add that was unexpected? She integrated so much of what we said about each other during our first session together into the ceremony. It made the whole ceremony very personal and truly about who we are to each other.
- How did you personalize your wedding ceremony? It was a surprise wedding, halfway through our engagement party! Besides that, we wrote our own vows, and our best man, my mother, and my grandfather made beautiful speeches.
- Favorite wedding ceremony comment from guests? This is the best wedding I ever went to.
Overall Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
- Personable : 5.0
- Customized Ceremony : 5.0
- Reliable : 5.0
- Presence : 5.0
Review: Central Park Vow Renewal
12/05/2012
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Mike K
Wedding Date: 11/24/2012
Reviews Posted: 1
- Wedding officiant make you comfortable? Why or why not? From the first moment i had established contact with Sheila I knew that I was dealing with someone who really cared about my needs. Sheila is warm, friendly and goes beyond expectations to make people feel comfortable, it did not seem to matter what time it would be, her response was always quick and reassuring. Since I was planning the vow renewal as a surprise for my wife, Sheila was there to lead me through the process and I felt that she would go to any length to work with our unique circumstances.
- What did the officiant or clergy add that was unexpected? My wish was for my wife and I to renew our wedding vows outdoors in Central Park. Keep in mind that we are talking the end of November and the conditions were never going to be all that pleasant. Sheila did offer alternatives but in the end we decided that Central Park was to be the venue and Sheila bravely stood out with us in the brisk cold air and performed a heart warming ceremony for us. I knew that I was asking a lot but Sheila was respectful of my wishes and for that I am truly grateful to her.
- How did you personalize your wedding ceremony? Our ceremony was more a celebration of my wife and her meaning to me. Sheila was able to create a wonderful ceremony and added plenty of loving touches and insight to the moment. Sheila has a great understanding of people and with intuition is able to say and create the right atmosphere for any situation. I am so glad we chose you Sheila.
Overall Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
- Personable : 5.0
- Customized Ceremony : 5.0
- Reliable : 5.0
- Presence : 5.0
Review: Catholic-Hindu Ceremony
09/07/2012
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Raghav H
Reviews Posted: 1
- Wedding officiant make you comfortable? Why or why not? The greatest compliments we received on our wedding were about the ceremony. Sheila composed such a warm, loving, tribute to our relationship. It was uniquely us. I am Hindu by birth, and my wife is Catholic. Our lifestyle is far from orthodox, but we wanted to incorporate Hindu and Catholic traditions to honor our families and our upbringing. My wife and I had no idea how to create this hybrid ceremony. Thankfully, Sheila came to our rescue. Sheila put our minds at ease when we met with her. Her experience and confidence showed through while offering solutions to all of our concerns. Before that meeting the planning process was just tasks on a to-do list, but after we met with her everything started to become real. It was the first time my wife and I were able to envision our wedding day. Sheila stayed in constant contact throughout. The weekend of our wedding she was gracious enough to drive 2 hours for our ceremony near Philadelphia, despite having to go back for another wedding the next night. Sheila delighted both of our families by weaving our two cultures together seamlessly. We are so grateful to have found her. Thank you Sheila, we love you!
Overall Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
- Personable : 5.0
- Customized Ceremony : 5.0
- Reliable : 5.0
- Presence : 5.0
Review: Highly Recommend this Officiant!!
08/22/2012
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Claire M
Wedding Date: 07/28/2012
Reviews Posted: 1
- Wedding officiant make you comfortable? Why or why not? Sheila is extremely friendly, outgoing, and welcoming. Both meetings my husband and I had with Sheila were in her living room, which made me feel like we were old friends, rather than clients. Sheila is also easy to talk to, obviously took our concerns and goals to heart, and was just a wonderful kind-hearted and interesting person to get to know! I assure you that you will find her to be extremely personable and easy to work with.
- What did the officiant or clergy add that was unexpected? Sheila is also amazingly flexible and responsive. She not only helped us create our dream ceremony down to the detail, but she was also available whenever we needed her to work through issues such as acquiring our marriage license (we were getting married out of the state we live in) and writing our vows. Every time I emailed or called Sheila she got back to me later that day, if not within the hour - not to schedule an appointment to talk but to actually have a conversation. I feel like you don't run into that sort of personalized service very often these days.
- How did you personalize your wedding ceremony? I really felt like she took the time to get to know me and my husband before beginning to suggest ideas for our ceremony. She invited us over to her home where she asked us questions about how we met, what we like about each others, our plans for the future, and our families. She also made sure she really understood what we wanted our ceremony to be like. My husband and I represent two cultures, and neither of us are religious but I would say we are spiritual. Sheila suggested some amazing ideas for our ceremony that incorporated our beliefs and backgrounds while really capturing our love for each other. Her ideas were so great and so sentimental that she made me cry during our initial meeting!
- Favorite wedding ceremony comment from guests? After the wedding (which was extremely sentimental and made both my husband and I teary eyed for its duration), many of my guests told me that our ceremony was the most moving ceremony they had ever seen. I had a guest describe the ceremony as "wonderful and uniquely you." Even my guy friends told me that they were choked up while watching the ceremony. Sheila's suggestions, ideas, and attitude were paramount to the ceremony's success.
Overall Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
- Personable : 5.0
- Customized Ceremony : 5.0
- Reliable : 5.0
- Presence : 5.0
Review: A ceremony filled with personality and love!!!!
06/18/2012
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Danielle R
Wedding Date: 05/20/2012
Reviews Posted: 1 (View all)
- Wedding officiant make you comfortable? Why or why not? First off I just need to say..... Sheila is now part of my family and always will be!!!!! Shelia was beyond caring taking her time to really get to know my husband and I. From the moment we had contact, my husbands schedule changes so often and sometimes last minute, Sheila was flexible. We went over her house and there were so many questions that evoked so many tears of joy and little things that go on everyday in our lives, (the things that really count) that we were able to share. My husband lost a brother when he was young and Shelia was able to bring that into the ceremony without making it upsetting rather celebrating his life. I never once felt rushed. I am the type that doesn't like surprises, but Shelia was on top of what she knew about us - taking notes, sending emails, calling regardless if she wasn't in town, building trust and making us feel secure. She was also great at giving options, because the reason we choose to meet with her, was because of bringing different cultures in. We had a few more meetings, mainly because I wanted to. A few days prior to the wedding, she called us, went over how it was going to run though, what she was going to say, and let us know she will be there prior to the ceremony for the rehearsal. Day of, I was really excited, not nervous at all and she surprised both of our mothers (my husband and I both knew what she was going to ask them to do) with a special moment in the ceremony. It was also very special by having my father bring up the glass to break. She also knows a ton about many cultures. My husband is Turkish and we did a little tradition that brought everyone to laughter. She had a way of incorporating our true personalities into the ceremony. When it was over, I CANNOT tell you, how many people came up to my parents, my husband and I and just gave us the most raving reviews on how intimate and personal of a ceremony it was and how excellent of an officiant Sheila was!!! In fact, I can guarantee no one else was ever at wedding that the brides and grooms true colors came through. By the end, I feel like she is part of my family now and I cant wait to go back to her for the next big steps in our lives.... children. She was truly amazing and I wouldn't change a thing!!! We love Shelia!!! <3
- What did the officiant or clergy add that was unexpected? We incorporated all parts of our faith, we wanted it to be traditional with some twists. She brought our mothers up during the ceremony, with a very special saying that she tailored to us that surprised and delighted them. She also asked the audience for permission to marry.
- How did you personalize your wedding ceremony? Sheila personalized the ceremony because it was more about us, our personalities, what brought us together, why we love each other and how we'll continue to keep that growing. She brought in little things my husband says that makes me laugh and things about my family and cats. We also broke a glass and before he did that, I stepped on his foot. In the Turkish tradition, the wife steps on his foot saying - I rule the roost. The other part, was having everyone involved. She asked the entire audience for permission for us to marry and let them them feel part of it. They truly loved it and felt such a presence with us there.
- Favorite wedding ceremony comment from guests? Honestly, this may sounds untrue, but i don't think there was one person that DIDN'T come up to us and my parents just ranting and raving and throwing compliments out to us on how special, unique and truly personal the ceremony was. Not one person has ever been to a wedding that touched them, like Sheila was able on May 20th!!!
Overall Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
- Personable : 5.0
- Customized Ceremony : 5.0
- Reliable : 5.0
- Presence : 5.0
Review: Happily married wife
05/22/2012
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Kim S
Wedding Date: 05/20/2012
Reviews Posted: 1 (View all)
- Wedding officiant make you comfortable? Why or why not? Our first meeting with Reverend Sheila Gay was extremely comfortable. She invited us to her house where we were able to talk about ourselves and our personal story. She did a great job, the atmosphere was warm and we were able to open up about the best times of our lives.
- What did the officiant or clergy add that was unexpected? She returned my inquiry at 10pm. I had just received word a few days prior that our previous Rev. had "scheduling conflicts" and wasn't able to perform our ceremony. Needless to say I was pretty stressed out. So I began searching again and found Rev. Sheila. After days of worry she called in a matter of minutes to alleviate all my fears. I didn't know how I was going to sleep that night knowing that, in a matter of months we were getting married with no one to perform the ceremony. I didn't expect her to take us on such short notice but I am blessed and so grateful that she did!
- How did you personalize your wedding ceremony? While talking with Rev. Sheila we realized what a profound impact trees had in our relationship together. Whether it was conversations under branches or proposals across fallen trunks, there was definitely a theme (not that we realized it at the time). Rev. Sheila was not only able to recognize this important factor in our relationship but also able to incorporate and elevate our personal history with trees into the ceremony. So ingenious. A tree planting ceremony was perfect, planting our roots and watching our lives together grow.
- Favorite wedding ceremony comment from guests? My uncle had brought his new girlfriend to the wedding, meeting the family for the first time. At the reception his girlfriend told me that "although I am just meeting you and your husband, after watching the ceremony I feel as if I know you already". Rev. Sheila was able to incorporate enough of our personal lives and experiences into the ceremony that strangers were instantly united as family. Love. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for such an amazing day!
Overall Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
- Personable : 5.0
- Customized Ceremony : 5.0
- Reliable : 5.0
- Presence : 5.0
Review: Carol Hannan
05/21/2012
Overall Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
- Personable : 5.0
- Customized Ceremony : 5.0
- Reliable : 5.0
- Presence : 5.0
Review: Dr. Sheila Gay Gross
03/26/2012
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Megan K
Wedding Date: 03/23/2012
Reviews Posted: 1
- Wedding officiant make you comfortable? Why or why not? Dr. Sheila Gay Gross recently provided her services as an officiant at my wedding. She did an AMAZING job with our ceremony. From the moment she first left me a voicemail responding to an inquiry looking for an officiant, I could tell she was a great choice over other officiants I looked at. My finance (husband now)and I, met with Dr. Gross at her home where she welcomed us warmly and our children as well. We spent a few hours getting to know each other, and filling her in about our story as a couple. She was great at eliciting information from us to incorporate into our personalized ceremony. I felt like she was really taking the time to get to know us and allowed us to share things about each other and our future that we really wanted to include for our ceremony. In addition, she is extremely creative and suggested ways to incorporate our older daughter into the ceremony which was fantastic.
- What did the officiant or clergy add that was unexpected? Also Dr. Gross is extremely creative, she is willing to perform the ceremony to accommodate the desires and wishes of the couple. Anything we wanted to include was included. She volunteered to read a letter on behalf of my grandfather who was not able to attend the wedding due to health reasons which really meant the world to me. Her words brought tears to my eyes but also laughter to help get me through the ceremony (which I was so nervous for). When our photographer failed to show up the day of our wedding, she got on the phone in the bridal suite and began making phone calls to get someone there ASAP. This was above and beyond anything I could have asked for.
- How did you personalize your wedding ceremony? My husband and I are a biracial couple and grew up influenced by two different religions. We are no longer are practicing either. We wanted out ceremony to be about the love between us and our children. After Sheila suggested quite a few creative ideas for our ceremony, we settled on a sand ceremony that allowed our older daughter to participate, a Celtic and an African American blessing to bring in our heritages. In addition, Sheila had our guests in addition to herself as the officiant announce us "husband and wife," which everyone really enjoyed. I can honestly say I have never been to a ceremony that was so unique as Dr. Gross made ours, and so personalized to my husband and I. I can only imagine that each couple feels the same way about their own ceremonies!! I had so many friends and family come up to me during the reception and ask how we found Dr. Gross because she did such an amazing and beautiful ceremony!! Dr. Sheila Gay Gross made a huge impact on our special day and I cannot thank her enough for all her ideas and exceptional execution!! Working with her was a real pleasure!! I would recommend her as an officiant to other brides who want professionalism, grace, creativity, and who want to work with someone who really values the importance of the services she provides.
- Favorite wedding ceremony comment from guests? "Where did you find her?" "That ceremony was amazing. Can I have her email to thank her for the fantastic job she did?" "What is the officiant's name, and where is she willing to travel for ceremonies?"
Overall Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
- Personable : 5.0
- Customized Ceremony : 5.0
- Reliable : 5.0
- Presence : 5.0
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