My 5 Favorite Wedding Moments of 2025
As a wedding officiant that works closely with my couples to create custom ceremonies that tell their love story and reflect their sense of spirituality, I find something I love about every wedding. Every couple has fun details in their love story, a unique personality quirk they tease each other about, or a fun friend or family member that always makes everyone laugh through their nerves. But of course, there are some moments that stand out and I would like to share my top 5 from this last year, in chronological order.
Taylor and Roy’s Wedding. Photo by Brett Munoz Weddings
Taylor and Roy’s Wedding. This was a fun crowd. I could tell from the get-go that they were going to have a fun reception that night. As I was telling the story of how these two first met, I quoted Taylor, where in the story she told Roy that he was, “full of sh@*,” except of course, I quoted her exactly, without censoring. This was approved by the couple as it was their true story and many of the guests present were also present for that first interaction. They laughed. All but one guest—the ring bearer, who I believe was 9. As soon as I said the curse word, from the front row he shouted, “Oh yeah, that’s soooooooo funny,” very sarcastically. My first heckler. It was cutting and hilarious.
Mayra and Angelo’s Wedding. As you likely know if you’ve been following me, I am an interfaith minister. I went to an interfaith seminary and studied from the world’s religions in an interspiritual context. I believe in celebrating the common thread in all of the religions and I personally believe the main common truth is the truth of love. Because of my openness, my most common couples are spiritual-but-not-religious couples. However, I do get my handful of devoutly Christian couples, ones who tend to have more traditional views than I do. This couple was one of them. So, I was not surprised when they wanted a very Christian ritual for their ceremony—a foot washing ceremony. I had never performed one at a wedding before, but we had done a group foot washing in seminary and I knew it could be very powerful. And it was. It was very moving to see Angelo get down on his knees, unbuckle the delicate straps of Mayra’s heels, and proceed to gently wash her feet, pat them dry, and put her shoes back on. Then to watch Mayra do the same for Angelo; it was such a perfect representation of a couple serving each other, humbly, and equally. This feminist tía’s heart melted and her eyes teared up. There is such a beauty in ritual that when done with love, can transcend our mundane ways of thinking. I learned a lot that day.
Michelle and Matt’s Wedding. These two had a very cool, fun vibe. She wore a 50s style dress, off the shoulder, sweetheart neckline, and a circle skirt. They asked me to create a tequila shot unity ritual for them. So, towards the end of the ceremony, a silver tray was brought out with two tequila shots and two pairs of white sunglasses that said “Just Married” on the frames. Very fun! The way the ceremony was written, they were to do their shots and then I would pronounce them husband and wife. However, I guess they had envisioned themselves putting the sunglasses on and walking off into the proverbial sunset because that’s exactly what they did—they took the shots, put the sunglasses on, and proceeded to walk back up the aisle, as if they were leaving! The DJ thought he was late to play their recession music, so he started playing. I actually had to signal him, get on the mic, and say, “Uh…we’re getting ahead of ourselves.” The couple looked at me like, “wait, what?” and I said, “I haven’t pronounced you yet!” Everyone laughed, including Michelle and Matt, as they ran back for me to pronounce them and then they realized they had also forgotten their kiss! It was definitely memorable!
Joan and Mikey’s Wedding. Here’s another one with a ring bearer that caught my attention, but for his sense of style. First of all, he was a 10 year-old wearing a fedora with his Filipino wedding shirt. Very classy. Second, for some reason, he couldn’t figure out how to come down the aisle. He started to come down the aisle, but then suddenly saw his dad amongst the guests, so he headed into the chairs towards him, then was pointed back towards the aisle, but he somehow managed to weave back and forth through the rows. That wasn’t the end of it though. His shining moment came when it was time to present the rings. I called him up, and he came with a big box that was slightly bigger than the palm of his hand, and yet, he managed to hold the box out to me and in a one-handed gesture, popped the box open for me to easily retrieve the rings. It was the most stylish presenting of the rings I’ve ever seen, and I said so. He was very proud. All that evident practice paid off.
Arelly and Jimmy’s Vow-Renewal. This ceremony was special all-around. I was asked to do this vow-renewal for Arelly and Jimmy by Marigold Microweddings and Wish Upon a Wedding, a non-profit foundation that provides weddings for couples where a member of the couple is facing terminal illness or a life-altering health circumstance. Arelly has late-stage cancer and she and Jimmy have three small children. Their original wedding was a courthouse wedding, so they wanted a chance to have their big wedding and have all three kids be a part of it. And a part of it they were, especially their middle son, who is about three years old. When he walked down the aisle, he couldn’t wait to get to his dad and wasn’t shy about saying so. When his mom came down the aisle, he couldn’t wait to hug her in her beautiful dress. Then he didn’t want to leave their side and was in the mix for most of the ceremony, including the vows, until an auntie came to get him. Finally, we did a sand ceremony for their unity ritual, where the parents and kids were to pour different colors of sand into one vessel, representing the family. This same son came crashing in, knocked over his own sand, and proceeded to try and pick it up from the table by hand and sprinkle it into the vase, one little handful at a time. It was chaotic and joyful. It was perfect. I think this was absolutely my favorite moment of the year, in fact. If you want to know more about them, follow them on Instagram at Cruisnndroolin. There you can find a link to their YouTube and more.
Like I said, there were many more memorable moments, but too many to count. Honorable mentions include the couple that had me dress up in Victorian Steampunk, the couple that had me invoke Freya in the bride’s childhood backyard, the artist who had her wedding in a museum, and the peacock that came to greet me before and after a ceremony. There are just so many beautiful moments and experiences. I absolutely love my job.
If you’re planning your own ceremony and you want it to be unique, memorable, and filled with love, while making your family feel welcome and at the same time honoring your own sense of spirituality, feel free to contact me. Let’s chat. I can’t wait to meet you. Let’s make some fun memories in 2026.
