Testimonials

Weddings, Commitment Ceremonies, Self-Marriage Ceremonies, Birthday Rituals, Home & Family Welcoming Rituals, Baby Blessings, Memorials, Pet Memorials

WEDDINGS, COMMITMENT & SELF-MARRIAGE CEREMONIES

“Barbara Brady proved to be a WONDERFUL officiant for our wedding day, and we couldn’t imagine anyone else “at the helm!” She was extremely responsive, inquisitive, accommodating and easy to work with. We loved what she did with our wedding story and ceremony. Barbara was incredibly knowledgeable and prepared, guiding us on and before our wedding day, answering all questions we had and communicating clearly via email and phone. She comes highly recommended as a wedding officiant and we thank her so much for making our special day so memorable.” – Jessica

From wedding of Jessica and Jason, Highlands, NC, September 2015

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“Barbara was so helpful and really listened to what we wanted for our wedding ceremony. She took the time to talk with us and truly understand our vision. If we could get married again, we wouldn’t hesitate to have Barbara officiate again!” – Julia

From wedding of Megan and Julia, Asheville, NC 2018

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“I can not say enough good things about Barbara. I knew from the minute we spoke on the phone I wanted her to be our wedding celebrant. My husband and I were both very nervous about being center of attention. Barbara took this into consideration when planning our ceremony and had many tips for us. She walked onto site the day of the wedding and fit right in with our families. She was professional and approachable, reassuring and strong, confident and humble. We are so blessed to have found someone like Barbara for our destination wedding. Although, Barbara was only in our lives for one day she left an impression on our hearts that will last a life time. – Mindy

From wedding of Mindy and Hayes, Weaverville, NC, November 2015

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“My life partner and I celebrated our marriage last week and I cannot imagine the day without Barbara. She was a dream. From the planning stages up until the day of our celebration, she was on top of everything. Barbara has a lovely, warm, and genuine way of interacting with couples that makes you feel comfortable with her, whatever type or size event you are planning. You can tell she loves what she does, she emits a loving energy and smiling heart that is palpable.” – (private client)

From marriage celebration of life partners, North Carolina, November 2013 

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“Thanks so much for your help making our wedding day perfect!” – Andrew and Scott
From the wedding of Andrew and Scott Phelps Asheville, NC, May 2019

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“Barbara did a great job at our wedding. Through our questions she wrote up a lovely one of a kind ceremony for my wife and I. We we’re able to provide feedback and answer additional questions to make the ceremony exactly how we wanted it. My wife and I are non-religious but neither one of us had ever been to a non-religious ceremony. She was able to advise us on what it would be like and provided us with examples of other weddings as well as walked us through the steps of our own wedding. I can honestly say I would not have changed a single part of the ceremony. I’m so glad we decided to go with Barbara.” – Moshe

From wedding of Victoria and Moshe Dolejsi, Sapphire, NC, June 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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“Barbara was absolutely Wonderful!!! We had a very unique Wedding and Barbara was more than accommodating to our needs. She was very helpful in planning the ceremony…giving us suggestions on readings and making it personalized. She made our day very special for us! I would HIGHLY recommend her!! Thank you Barbara!!! Anna & Joel” – Anna

From Wedding of Anna and Joel, Black Mountain, NC, August 2015

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“Barbara was a pleasure to work with! My husband and I were completely satisfied with her services and we would both recommend her to anyone looking for an officiant to craft a one-of-a-kind wedding ceremony.” – Michelle

From wedding of Michelle and Aaron, Glenville, NC, July 2014 

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“Barbara was amazing from start to finish. She helped up craft a wedding ceremony that truly represented who were are as a family. She was helpful with ideas and made our special day perfect. She is very professional and great at co-creating the wedding of your dreams.” – Suzanne

From wedding of Suzanne and her husband, North Carolina, August 2014

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“Barbara went over and beyond to make our ceremony extra special! I found Barbara through a recommendation from another officiant. After interviewing two other officiants, I knew hands down Barbara was a perfect fit for Chris and I. I remember after my initial conversation with Barbara, I was so excited to tell Chris about her and explained that I knew she would marry us! Planning an out-of-town wedding can produce many challenges however Barbara made this part of the wedding planning super easy. She got to know us both through phone conversations and emails. She crafted a perfect ceremony that included our love story and a handfasting ceremony that was very unique. Our ceremony was lighthearted yet personal…just like we wanted! We received many compliments from our guests about how our ceremony was a perfect reflection of us and our relationship. Barbara was very responsive through the whole process and no request was too much. One of our favorite things was the wedding ceremony keepsake that she sent after the ceremony. It is a transcript of our ceremony that we will cherish forever! We highly recommend Barbara for officiating a wedding!” – Tiffany

From wedding ceremony of Tiffany and Chris Kinney, Asheville, NC, May 2014

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“Barbara was there at every turn helping us plan the perfect ceremony for our wedding. She was informative, helpful and above all she made the whole process so much fun. Her creativity with words made our ceremony so beautiful, personal and heartfelt. She was wonderful in every way and I felt like I had known her my whole life. Thank you Barbara for making our wedding day one of the most beautiful days of my life and one I will never forget!!” – Mista

From wedding ceremony of Mista Whitson and Joe Sollazzo, Weaverville, NC, February 2015

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“Barbara was a wonderful officiant for our wedding. She took the time to meet with us, learn more about us, and personalize our ceremony. We can tell Barbara is passionate about what she does and works hard to make the events she is part of special. We definitely recommend her!” – Kelcie Barker

From wedding ceremony of Kelcie and Phil Barker, Del Rio, TN (Max Patch), October 2013

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“Barbara was a pleasure to work with! My husband and I were completely satisfied with her services and we would both recommend her to anyone looking for an officiant to craft a one-of-a-kind wedding ceremony.” – Michelle

“The ceremony was perfect, thank you so much!!!!” – Laura Lewellin

From wedding ceremony of Laura and Joe Lewellin, Kingsport, TN, May 2011 

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Laura & Jon’s Wedding, October 31, 2009

“You, my dear friend, contributed so much to the wedding ceremony – your words were so heartfelt and so specific about how Jon and I feel about each other…” -Laura

“Thank you so much for your words at the wedding. You were wonderful and I thought what you said was the most meaningful or at least as meaningful as our vows!” – Jon

From wedding ceremony of Jon and Laura, where I didn’t officiate, but wrote and read the couple’s story and my personal wishes for them, Weaverville, NC, October 2009

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“Thank you so much!  The wedding went exactly as I had hoped. It was perfect.” – Ashley

From wedding ceremony of Ashley and her partner, where my colleague created the ceremony, and I officiated, Asheville, NC, October 2009

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BIRTHDAY RITUALS:

“Dearest Barbara, Thank you for leading such a love-infused, joy-bringing birthday ritual last night. It was a sacred space you helped to create which was exactly what I wanted for my special day…I was also very touched by the depth of your love and friendship…” – Shonnie Lavender

From the 40th birthday ritual I co-created with Shonnie and facilitated, Asheville, NC, December 2011 

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HOME & FAMILY WELCOMING RITUALS:

“Barbara Brady provided a deeply meaningful and profound ritual experience for myself, my 11 year old daughter, and my fiancee.  I had asked if she could create a ritual where my daughter and I could welcome in and make space for my fiancee who would be officially moving in when we got married.  It was very much our “girl house” and I wanted to make it as welcoming and spacious for him as well to call HOME.  As well, I was looking for another bridge for my daughter to open up to having a new step-dad.

Barbara and I communicated for a few weeks prior to the ritual and she asked very thought provoking and wonderful questions for both myself and my daughter to answer.  In doing so, she really got to understand what we were looking to create.  She came in on the appointed day and the ritual was so beautiful and perfect.  Perfect that she met me and my daughter where we were at and walked us through the entire ritual with grace, ease, and laughter, lots of laughter.  At the very end of the ritual she had previously asked and we had invited my fiance to join us at the end after we had made the space for him.  He did and it was a wonderful way for all 3 of us to connect.

With Barbara’s clear understanding and vision of what I could only dream of, she accomplished in a very meaningful ceremony.  I am extremely grateful for Barbara’s wisdom, intuition, grace, and skilled facilitation of a ritual that was at a pivotal turning point in the two biggest loves of my life, my daughter, and my fiancee.  I would highly recommend Barbara for leading any celebration or ritual.” -W.M., Black Mountain

From the Home & Family Welcoming Ceremony I co-created and led with W.M. and her 11 year old daughter, Black Mountain, NC, May 2012

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BABY BLESSINGS:

Riley’s Baby Blessing, June 17, 2011

“Thank you so much for the absolutely perfect baby blessing that you designed and facilitated for our sweet Riley. We talked about it for days afterward…how simple and wonderful it was to be surrrounded by the energy of our friends. We LOVE the special heart bowl and the stones charged with good wishes and blessings from our Asheville family…Thank you for all the time and love and energy that went into planning it!”- Elizabeth and Eric Barbour

From the baby blessing I co-created with Elizabeth and facilitated for Elizabeth and Eric’s newly adopted daughter, Riley, Asheville, NC, June 2011

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MEMORIALS:

“THE ANGEL NEXT DOOR

Barbara Brady has been my neighbor for the last seven years. We always had loving relationship and appreciated our closeness in space and in spirit. So naturally Barbara offered to be our celebrant when we needed help in arranging and running the memorial for my husband. We had one day to plan and Barbara sat with me and my two daughters to see what we would like it to be. In few hours she had a plan that was so fulfilling of our wishes and visions. We had a singer and she figure out the right time to have her sing and the chosen songs. She planned when I would talk and when she would add her offerings which included quotations that were my husband’s favorites and also added some of her own. She allowed for time for people to eat and talk as they were many people who haven’t seen each other for a long time. After a while she asked people to share their experiences and memories of Michael. All was done with intuition and wisdom of what were the family needs for this occasion.

By the time I was over my daughters and I felt that in spite of the loss we also had a special time with the friends and relatives who came to be part of the parting memorial. Thank you Barbara!  – Maria Thomas

For the Memorial Service I co-created with Maria and her daughters for Maria’s husband, Asheville, NC, November 2015

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PET MEMORIALS:

 

“We had our two 15.5 year-old kitty brothers euthanized for painful and incurable illnesses. For this “goodbye” experience we created a deeply sacred space in our living room, intentionally relished this last time with our cats and gave them as much love as possible. Then we held them as our compassionate vet gave them injections for sedation and death. Though this experience was a fitting “end” to the amazing relationship we had with these two extraordinary felines, we sought out Barbara for help in creating a burial ceremony where we would release their bodies to the earth and also inter the ashes of three other beloved cats who’d died in preceding years.

Barbara emailed us questions that allowed us to share fond memories, precious moments, and appreciations for the years we shared with our cats. Simply considering the questions and writing answers brought about many tender feelings that helped soothe the pain of seeing our cats get suddenly and severely ill. Barbara stood with us at the side of the grave my husband dug in our garden and led us through a ritual that combined solemn dignity with deep joy and lasting gratitude. She really helped us honor our profound feelings and the blessing it was to live with our four-legged children. Though we still deeply miss our warrior-lover boy and his home-turf guardian brother, the burial ceremony Barbara created with us has helped us remember our cats from a place of love rather than loss.” – Shonnie

From pet memorial I co-created with Shonnie Lavender, her husband and daughter, Asheville, NC, January 2015