All Faiths Ceremonies by Dr. Sheila Gay Gross

Dr.Gross is really a very sweet and caring lady. She took her time to get to know both myself and my wife well ahead of time to really create a special and very memorable ceremony. Her ability to weave interfaith thoughts was beautiful. We really were happy with the outcome.

Sheila was a dream to work with. I felt an initial connection with her upon our first phone conversation. But despite that, I went against my better instincts and hired someone else. When I notified Sheila that I'd went with another officiant she was the ONLY one (of all the other officiants I had reached out to) that despite not being chosen, still took the time to write me a beautiful, heartfelt message wishing myself and soon-to-be-hubby the best of luck in this next chapter of our lives. Some of the other officiants got a bit on the rude or pushy side, or failed to say anything at all in response. Needless to say, plans fell through with that other officiant and for the best because as soon as that happened I knew it was meant to be that we pick Sheila. Since 'Day-1' Sheila has truly taken the time to get to know me on a personal level and went out of her way to understand our love story. We communicated frequently throughout email and phone in the months leading up to our wedding. She kept me up-to-date on the progress of our ceremony throughout the entire time. She is not only professional, reliable and dedicated... but she is such a lovely human being. She made our ceremony a unique and memorable experience for us and our guests. We pretty much hand-made that whole ceremony from start to finish. We worked collaboratively and fed off of one another for creative additions. She appreciated our need to be unique and to have our ceremony be as far from traditional and predictable as possible. One-on-one she shared her script with me over the phone and it helped me really paint the picture of how our day would be. I got teary eyed hearing her words. And knew that the ceremony would flow perfectly. It did. And even better than I had imagined. She improvised and really made our couple-story sparkle with bits and pieces of who we are as individuals... and most importantly who we are as a couple. Can't thank you enough, Sheila. You were a huge piece of our Big Day and I couldn't have imagined doing it without your guidance and warmth.

Sheila was an amazing officiant. From the moment I spoke to her, I knew she would be the perfect touch to my wedding. She was so personal and cared genuinely about the story behind our love. She took detailed notes and got to know the two of us as we learned about her as well. Over the many months that I spoke to her, we grew closer and closer. I had full confidence in knowing that my ceremony would be so special and perfect. She performed our ceremony beautifully and left people smiling, crying, and laughing. My guests were awed by her, telling me how amazing she was. One guest even told me that if he had a girlfriend, he might have had to call her and propose. I absolutely loved Sheila and would recommend her to anyone who wants a unique and personal ceremony.

Sheila was amazing! Even at our first meeting we were so excited, surprised and impressed at all the ideas and originality she was going to bring to our ceremony. My wife and I are not religious, but we are spiritual and Sheila understood everything we envisioned and added so many additional unique elements making our ceremony truly specialized to our relationship, even while including our friends and family. If you are looking for a completely special, memorable and beautiful ceremony to start off your lives together, Sheila is the officiant to use!

Sheila is truly blessed in her ability to officiate a wedding. In our case -- a non-denominational wedding -- Sheila had many helpful suggestions for incorporating symbolism and meaning into our ceremony in a variety of ways, and we worked together with Sheila to create a personalized ceremony unique to us. Sheila also has a natural proclivity for connecting with people and making them feel like they are part of the ceremony. We really feel she managed to engage all the ceremony attendees, and tell our story in a way that resonated with our friends and family. The ceremony was beautiful, unique and touching, and we were approached by countless people afterwards telling us how much they had enjoyed the ceremony and how beautiful it was.

Reverend Dr. Sheila Gay Gross officiated our Wedding on October 14, 2011 in Shamong, NJ. She did an amazing job. She created a beautiful ceremony that reflected our 9 year relationship. She custom designed every part of our ceremony; she incorporated wine for the winery we were married at and she included our mothers which brought tears to many guests. She had all our guest in love with the ceremony. We are still receiving compliments about Sheila! The personal touches made it seem like she has known Joe and I for years. Lots of family and friends said it was the best ceremony they had ever attended. Joe and I would highly recommend Reverend Dr. Sheila Gay Gross! She really made our day special. We love Sheila and hope she can perform a baby blessing when the time comes.

I there are no better words, that I could think of, to describe to describe how wonderful, amazing, creative, intuitive, patient, and accommodating that Sheila is. When we met Sheila we all just clicked! She was very thorough in her questions when she met us because nether my husband (fiancé at the time) or I had any idea where to begin. She walked us through every step. She helped us out with the family politics that always go into planning a wedding. She was even there when I needed to vent! When It came down to the actual ceremony, Sheila more than delivered! She knocked it out of the park! There wasn't a dry eye in the place! She made the ceremony so customized, personal, and tailored to my husband and I and our story. I was told by sooooo many of our friends and family that my ceremony was "the best they have ever seen" I have a big family and they have been to a ton of weddings so hearing that really meant a lot. At this point I consider Sheila more then just the person who married us, I consider her my friend. So I just had to pass this info onto all of you. Fell free to get my info from Sheila if you have any questions or need a reference about her.

Sheila,Words cannot truly express the joy you brought to our wedding day. Your ceremony brought our families and friends to life. The feeling of love and happiness filled the room and transcended through to the rest of the evening, and many days to follow. You not only captured the essence of who we are as individuals, but more importantly, who we are as husband and wife. Thank you for your patience, thoughtfulness and the love you have given us. The advice you have given is invaluable. What a magical way to start "our new beginning." We are forever indebted to you. Affectionately, Marissa & CJ

I have a lot to say about Sheila, but first and foremost..there's a reason that she's in the "spotlight"!I have to admit, we weren't so sure in the beginning...she doesn't do a "traditional" ceremony and it wasn't something that we're use to. It was a little out of our comfort zone, but we went with it. But that's the point! It was such a beautiful ceremony, NOT traditional and NOT boring. I had so many compliments! It was meaningful, personal, emotional, and remember-able. She really takes the time to get to know her clients and form a ceremony around their relationship. Thank you SO much, Sheila! :)

When my wife and I first met Shelia, it quickly became apparent that we would have a wedding like no other. She took the time to get to know us and created an incredible one-of-a-kind ceremony. Every single person at our wedding told us that it was best ceremony they have ever seen.

Dr. Sheila Gay Gross did an EXCELLENT job when she performed our wedding ceremony! She has a unique way of getting the guest involved, by making them laugh and cry! She is very Professional and I would recommend her HIGHLY for gay friendly and all other weddings!!!!Jacqueline & Lettie9-10-11

Sheila was the officiant at our wedding this past Sept in Stony Point, NY. My wife and I went back and forth regarding the use of a rabbi and priest to officiate our wedding and finally agreed upon using an interfaith minister. We truly got lucky by finding Sheila. She welcomed us into her home to discuss who we were as individuals and as a couple to get to know us, our personalities, and the true reason why we decided to get married. She was extremely attentive, asked the right questions, and pieced together all these bits into a ceremony that truly represented the union of my wife and I. Aside for being available whenever we needed her (helped write our vows, discuss ideas for our ceremony, etc.), Sheila was extremely reasonable in regards to price. Looking back on it now, I can honestly say her service to us was worth twice as much as we paid. She really got know us and create something special for our ceremony. This was not a cookie cutter presentation the other potential officiants offered which felt like a generic ceremony that was more like a madlib.I could go on and on, but at the end of the day Jess and I want to again thank you Sheila for making our day perfect! Our guests thought you were awesome. We will see you at our friend Rachel's wedding.

It didn't take us long before we realized we wanted Sheila to officiate our wedding. From the first moment we met, she made us feel comfortable, welcomed us into her home, and really took the time to listen and understand the kind of people we are. Sheila had many good ideas and suggestions, and we really felt that she was sincerely interested in making our ceremony as perfect as it can be. Many of our guests said it was the most unique and personable ceremony they ever witnessed! Thank you Sheila for being so easy to work with, and for making our day so special!

(copy of my letter) To Sheila Gay Gross,We want to thank you for helping to make Jenna and Ryan's wedding day so fantastic! You made them feel comfortable from day one and encouraged them to do it their way, helping them to incorporate beautiful traditions with new twists, testaments to special loved ones, the symbolic joining of the families of the bride and groom, and the promises that they presented to one another. Many of our guests said that they had never experienced a marriage ceremony that was so personal, warm, and spiritual. Everyone was made to feel part of that special moment when, at your lead, we all joined in to pronounce Jenna and Ryan husband and wife! Wow, what a beautiful, amazing memory that we will all cherish forever! Love,Maureen Margolin xoxoox(mother of the groom)

We cannot say enough about Sheila. She made our wedding truly special. We read the reviews and chose her to officiate our wedding based on that and she far exceeded our expectations. We initially thought that we just wanted to get married and have a quick ceremony so that we can get to the "good part" of celebrating and partying. The ceremony was by far one of the absolute best parts of our wedding day. From our first meeting we sat down and spoke to Sheila and she got to know us. We spoke about how we met, how we fell in love, about the things we loved about eachother and about our families. It was a wonderful experience for us because we opened up a lot to here and told her things that we didn't even tell eachother. It was very special. She wrote our wedding ceremony based on what we told her and incorporated different elements that signified the union of both families which I loved. Our guests could not stop talking about the ceremony even during reception which I thought was hilarious because guests usually enjoy the party aspect of weddings and can't wait to eat and drink. I was told that the ceremony was so personal, that it told our story, that it was beautiful and that they had never been to one like it. We didn't write our own vows but used ones that Sheila had written prior to even knowing us and guets kept asking did we write them because they were so spot on. In fact I did a draft of my vows and wasn't sure if I should use them. When I read her vows it incorporated everything I had written in mine so I decided to use hers.During the ceremony we was so proud and honored to be there getting married by Sheila. She surprised me because a lot of what we said in the meetings she said during the ceremony. We kept mentioning that we were eachothers best friends and she kep emphasizing that during the ceremony which almost made me (Clarice) cry each time. Sheila wants your wedding to be perfect and exactly what you want just as much as you do. The ceremony is the reason why you're even celebrating in the first place so why not make it as special and memorable as you can? She made us realize that after the first meeting and we knew we were in good hands after that. We can go on forever and ever but at some we have to go on the honeymoom LOL :). We will never forget this wedding, it was magical, beautiful, and special. Sheila, we cannot thank you enough. You will always been in our hearts. We will keep in touch and send you pictures. Thank you for starting us off on this incredible journey with an outstanding ceremony. We truly appreciate all of the time and effort put into our special day. We know its your job but we have been to many weddings and you have gone above and beyond anything we have ever seen at other weddings. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Clarice and Andy

Dr. Sheila was so kind, helpful and accommodating from the start. Not only did she offer guidance and advice about the marriage license and how to get this, she also put together the most heart-felt ceremony for me and my partner. We thought we only wanted something simple as we're celebrating with all our family and friends when we're back home in the UK, but Dr. Sheila still managed to add her spin and make our ceremony really special, something we'll remember for the rest of our lives.A week or so after the marriage, we found out that there were a few hold ups with the processing of our certificate which was obviously quite stressful. But Dr. Sheila went above and beyond to help get it processed ASAP which was much appreciated.As a result, we've never met anyone so kind and willing to help every step of the way. Our experience would have been totally different without her and we're happy to have found her.

When first looking for officiants, we noticed the stellar collectionof reviews for Sheila. After our initial meeting with her, it wasalready apparent that she was special. Sheila asked insightfulquestions that allowed her to quickly connect with us. She was veryconsultative in planing a customized ceremony, one with featuresunlike any ceremony we had ever been to.Many of our guests remarked that it was the most beautiful,personalized ceremony they had ever been to, and of course I agree.Sheila makes sure you are the stars of your ceremony, using your storyas the central narrative. She is a gifted listener and speaker, acombination which makes her a great officiant.

I don't think I could have had a more perfect wedding ceremony. I'm a big believer in things happening for a reason and I know very well that having my wedding officiated by Sheila Gay Gross was meant to be. It was a bride's worst nightmare where everything that could have gone wrong did....but Sheila was able to erase any prior unhappiness that we might have felt once she began the ceremony and for that I am ever so grateful for. If you are looking for a personal and touching event Sheila is the one for you. I highly recommend her and can honestly say that your wedding will be filled with love and happiness and charm just as mine was. A huge thank you to Sheila for all she managed to do.

Rev Gross was beyond AMAZING! We met over the telephone and she was so inquisitive into our relationship and our lives together. Her service was intimate, personal, spiritual and humorous. We were thrilled and would refer her without question. At our service, Rev. Gross met our puppy, Obie and volunteered to "dog sit" whenever we needed! Who knew that she would care for him while we were on our honeymoon for 2 weeks! Our puppy was so happy with Rev Gross and her husband Steve. To find an officiant that will not only embrace your service but love your puppy...what more can a bride ask for?! She's the best!

Dr. Sheila Gay Gross was such an amazing officiant, she was genuinely interested in our story and completely personalized our ceremony to fit us and included our family and friends. She completely breaks the mold for cookie cutter officiants. She has a warm, gentle heart that is felt by all during the ceremony, her soothing voice helped calm the butterflies for me. Everyone of our guests loved her and raved about how beautiful our ceremony was!!! We loved Her!