My Gift to You
I made you a vows guide.
Whether you work with me or not, I want to make sure you have everything you need to write stellar vows. Spare yourself the Googling and get my favorite vows template, and over 100 options for non-traditional repeat-after-me style vows.
Looking for a modern officiant who feels like a best friend? You've come to the right place.
Hi there. I'm Katie, the creator of Something Borrowed Ceremonies.
I'm a wedding officiant based in Portland, Oregon, and an online educator teaching first-time, friend-and-family officiants how to write and deliver phenomenal wedding ceremonies.
Whether you're looking for an officiant or exploring your options, I am here for you.
My mission as an officiant is to write a ceremony that is perfectly you: something that captures your and your partner's spirit, shares your unique path, and inspires others to live more loving lives.
I am available for full scale weddings, elopements, and anything in between. I'll gladly guide you in co-creating a ceremony that brings your vision to life, or help brainstorm ideas that feel right for you and your partner. Read on to learn more or inquire below!
Ready? Send me a message below.Here For Your Journey
Full Ceremony
Looking for someone who will help you and your partner feel at ease while wowing your attendees with heartfelt remarks and expert storytelling? As your officiant, I spend time getting to know you so I can best-capture your love story and share it with others.
Elopements & Micro Weddings
Whether you woke up, rolled over and said to your gorgeous partner "should we get married this weekend?" or have been planning a small-scale wedding for over a year...I would love to hike with you to a remote location off the coast, or meet up in your backyard.
Something New
Want to kick tradition to the curb and try something completely different? I'm all ears. Let's bring your vision to life. Send me a message with what you have in mind and I'll see what I can do.
Loving Words
“The perfect ceremony…”
"Katie orchestrated the perfect ceremony for our wedding. I was blown away by all the touches she put into her speech. She is organized, thorough and professional. She took a very thoughtful approach to preparing the ceremony and started the planning process well in advance of the big day. The end result was a beautiful ceremony that my wife and I will never forget. I would highly recommend her to anyone.”
~ John O.
“We're still receiving compliments about our ceremony…”
“I feel so fortunate to have had Katie officiate our wedding. She is exceptionally organized and thorough, and made our dream ceremony come to life. Katie's thoughtful approach ensured that our love story and personalities shined, and her warm presence made us feel completely at ease during such a big moment. Months later, we are still receiving compliments about our beautiful ceremony. I would recommend Katie to anyone in a heartbeat. She is professional, reliable, and above all, a natural.”
Anna G.
“Thoughtful and patient…”
"Katie was the officiant at my wedding, and she was great! I am from India and wasn’t super familiar with all the American wedding traditions. Katie was super thoughtful and patient with me. She took the time to understand what works best for us. We were very lucky to have Katie be part of our special day!"
~ Sachin S.
What to expect
My Process
Step 1.
Inquiry + Call
The first step in working together is scheduling a Discovery Call. During this 25-minute Zoom or phone call (your preference!) we'll determine whether we're a good fit. We'll talk logistics (when and where you're getting married) and you'll share more about what you're looking for.
Step 2
In-Person or Zoom Meeting
Once we've decided that it's a match, we'll schedule another Zoom call or in-person meeting to dive into what makes you you! This will be a longer call where we'll dive into your love story and themes in your relationship.
Step 3
Community Outreach
During our first meeting I'll ask you for 3-5 references whom I can reach out to who can speak to your and your partner's love story (time-permitting). This will help me home in on unique trends in your relationship and bring those into the ceremony.
Step 4
Behind the scenes magic.
I spend hours sitting with the information I receive during our meetings and glean from the community outreach to put your story into words. I take time to feel into what makes you special and pull from unique readings that call to me or texts that are special to you.
Step 5
Wedding Weekend
Once wedding weekend has arrived, I'll be onsite and available to run the rehearsal (or participate in the rehearsal if your planner is running it). I'll check in with each of you before ceremony time, and before you know it it'll be show time.
A note about last-minute elopements.
The process described above may vary slightly depending on the type of wedding you'd like and how much lead time we have. If you're looking for an alternative to a courthouse wedding but you're on a shorter timeline, we can still have a couple meetings and I can root into your story and uniqueness, or I can happily just show up and we can do it live. This can be so groovy and fun in its own way!
Let's get married
My guiding principles
#1
I balance reverence and levity.
My ceremonies are modern while paying homage to time-honored traditions where they still serve us. I work hard to balance humor and levity with deep reverence for the sacredness of the day. Most importantly, I love listening to the couples I work with to design a ceremony that is exactly what they want. My process is personalized, in-depth, and I work hard to get to know each couple so I can capture your story.
#2
I sweat the details.
Conducting the ceremony isn't the officiant's only job: it’s being responsive via email, coordinating with your planner, thinking through contingencies, managing the sound check, ensuring the processional is well-timed, and managing countless other small, ceremony-related details. Aside from creating a ceremony you love, my goal is to make sure you feel at ease going into your wedding day.
#3
I collaborate with you and your community.
As part of my process, I reach out to friends and family of your choosing to learn more about you and your partner! What makes your partnership special? What were your friends’ impressions of your first meeting? How'd you know you'd found someone you wanted to spend your life with? I love identifying themes in your love story and infusing these into the ceremony.
#4
I celebrate what makes your love unique.
People arrive at a place of commitment via many avenues. I love stories that exhibit patience, allowance, and understanding. My job is to capture what brings you and your partner together and honor your unique path. If you've broken up a thousand times on your path to marriage, I see you and understand you. Love is meandering and exists in it's own time—that's just as beautiful to me as any other path.
The story so far.
About me
I started Something Borrowed Ceremonies after I was asked to officiate several of my best friends' weddings between 2021 and 2023, and subsequently became a professional officiant based in Portland, OR.
Through officiating my friends' weddings, I learned that I love writing about love and capturing the ineffable elements of someone's relationship via the written word.
I believe that everyone should be able to have the wedding ceremony of their dreams–something that feels authentic, heartfelt, and captures the couple’s spirit.
I also believe in the power of love. Married or not, I can’t imagine a more challenging and worthwhile endeavor than the decision to love someone throughout the many phases of life.
Contact Me
Have questions? Concerns? Compliments?! I'm here for it. Feel free to submit the contact form or send me an email directly. I look forward to hearing from you.
General Inquiries
katie@somethingborrowedceremonies.com
Customer Support
support@somethingborrowedceremonies.com
“For one human being to love another: that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation.”
~ Rainer Maria Rilke
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