Apart from a photographer, only one other person is usually present for an elopement: your officiant. Knowing who they are and how they run a ceremony matters because they set the entire mood of your event. I also can’t be in two places at once, so partnering with an all-in-one wedding coordinator and wedding officiant frees me up to do my best work! See the amazing experiences that my marriage officiant partner and I create together!
Meet Your Elopement Day Marriage Officiant Extraordinaire
I call her the wedding day Mary Poppins. Sarah Kay is integral to any elopement, adding a little bit of magic to the day in so many different ways! To Sarah Kay, every elopement is a unique event poised for personal and meaningful touches that tell your love story.
In addition to being an officiant (and/or witness) she is also a wedding designer, wedding coordinator, photography assistant, and works with wedding florals (including silversmith work). She does it all!
When working as my on-site assistant, responsibilities include dog wrangling, ensuring the couple is warm in colder months, and managing the logistics of finding a first look spot. She also sets the dress, bouquet and boutonniere for your bridal portraits. Her knowledge of how to make the florals last as long as possible has been instrumental in capturing the best elopement photos!
This elopement magician will also pull from her “carpet bag” of tricks in response to any hiccups that occur. Sarah Kay keeps on hand everything from hairspray and bobby pins to safety pins, magnets, and anything else that you didn’t know you needed!
After working together for so long, our strengths work completely in sync with each other. There are many husband and wife elopement photography teams out there and Sarah Kay fills the role of my work wife! There are no cookie-cutter wedding ceremony templates when we work together. The experience is matchless!
Why You Should Hire an Elopement Marriage Officiant
Like I said, photographing and performing your ceremony at the same time isn’t usually possible. In order to make a ceremony happen, Sarah Kay fills in all the gaps which includes her primary role as an elopement marriage officiant.
As a former life coach and camp director, Sarah Kay has an ability to draw out the story and help direct your intentions. She has the most amazing way of making your personality as a couple shine through in a ceremony crafted especially for you.
I spoke with Sarah Kay and she shared all that she walks her couples through in preparation for the elopement day!
Creating the Wedding Ceremony Timeline
Sarah Kay’s first interview with a couple generally lasts over an hour. That’s where she gets an idea of what they do and don’t want for their day. She asks about what they value in each other and the story of how they first met.
According to Sarah Kay, “a lot of emotional awareness is required during these intimate ceremonies and I revel in helping create the space for that connection.” After gathering these answers she notes that “one can almost feel the quality of love between partners and that’s all it really is isn’t it? Finding the defined points and shining them up!”
Guiding a Grand Canyon Elopement Experience
I shoot primarily as a Grand Canyon wedding photographer and became a Grand Canyon guide in our work together. Knowing the landscape of this national park has informed such choices as not using live flowers and alternatively creating flawless artificial wedding flowers.
She also makes it a point to provide water collected from Sedona’s natural roadside spring in tiny recycled water vessels. Sarah Kay sources from many excellent native and natural resources for the elements of the ceremony:
- Alligator juniper for lapel cards.
- Cedar for smudging.
- Piñon pine cones for bouquets.
- “Turquoise is endlessly useful–I love including a little of my grandpa’s turquoise for those that don’t have an honoring element.”
- Navajo wedding vase–by far the most requested ceremony element.
- Sandstone and lava–often incorporated into the ring box or bolo ties.
- Antlers.
- Pottery made by herself or local creators.
A Marriage Officiant’s Story
Becoming ordained for a friend’s wedding was Sarah Kay’s true beginning as a marriage officiant. At the time, she was already working in wedding design. But, it was this experience that sold her on being a wedding ceremony officiant. Sarah Kay was hooked from that very first experience of crafting a ceremony with a couple!
In discussing the wedding ceremony planning philosophy she’s developed over time, Sarah Kay shared, “I feel like ceremonies are really important milestones.” It’s the time for a couple to really go deep and pay attention to “the little hint or tickle in your soul” that couples shouldn’t be afraid to share. Sarah Kay explains, “it is my intention to help you pull it forward and honor it.”
According to this wedding planner and officiant, what she enjoys the most is “the process of going deeper with clientele as they get more intimate and specific with each other through this process.” I can definitely ditto Sarah Kay’s sentiment: “It’s my honor to do this work.”
Let’s get started on booking your wedding day officiant and photographer together!
Wedding Vendors
Photographer | Terri Attridge Photography
Wedding Coordinator & Marriage Officiant | Sarah Kay
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