Personalized Interfaith Wedding Ceremonies in the San Francisco bay area
Your ceremony is the heart of your wedding day.
It’s the moment where everything comes together- your story, your commitments, your people, your values, your sense of the sacred. Long after the flowers and food fade from memory, most couples tell me it’s the ceremony they remember most.
Creating that moment deserves care, attention and deep presence.
That’s where I come in.
“Devlyn’s unique and intimate process helped us grow as a couple — we became closer as a result.”
A Collaborative & Reflective Process
Creating your ceremony is not simply about writing a script.
It is a process of reflection, storytelling, and co created art.
Through guided conversations, we explore:
- How you met and how your love blossomed
- What has shaped your relationship and the foundation that grounds you as a couple
- The traditions that matter to you, family, cultural and ancestral.
- The communities that hold you, your chosen and/or blood family
- The values you want reflected in your ceremony
- What is most meaningful for you in this ceremony and this marriage
- Worries, anxieties and stress management strategies for the big day
This process often invites couples to slow down, listen more deeply, and reconnect with what brought them together in the first place.
“As gender diverse folks, it was incredibly meaningful to work with someone who is also part of community. There was a level of understanding, safety, and care that made it easier to be fully ourselves in the process.”
Interfaith & Inclusive Ceremony Design
Many of the couples I work with are bringing together different faith traditions, cultural lineages, or spiritual perspectives.
Others identify as spiritual but not religious, secular, or somewhere in between.
Your ceremony can hold all of this.
Together, we may weave:
- Interfaith ritual elements
- Cultural or ancestral practices
- Spiritual or secular readings
- Family blessings
- Personalized vows
- LGBTQ+ affirming language and structure
The goal is not to dilute difference, but to hold it with integrity. My aim is to create a ceremony that feels cohesive, respectful, and deeply reflective of who you are and who you are becoming through your love.
“Rev. Devlyn did a beautiful job helping us create an interfaith ceremony honoring both our ancestral traditions.”
“Devlyn helped us put together the plan for the whole ceremony and made it the unique and intimate occasion we wanted it to be.”
Ritual Elements & Some Ceremony Possibilities
Every ceremony is a collaborative and co-created process. We will draw from traditions, practices and moments that feel meaningful to you.
Some couples arrive with specific rituals they want to include. Others are exploring what might feel resonant.
Together, we may incorporate elements such as:
- Handfasting
- Breaking the glass
- Chuppah or wedding canopy
- Unity candle or fire ritual
- Libation or water blessings
- Collective ring blessing
- Family or community blessings
- Ancestral remembrance rituals
- Herbal Ceremony and botanical practices
- Chanting, singing and meditation
- Secular or sacred readings
- Sacred play, clowning, or performance art
Please note, this list is not exhaustive! There’s all kinds of ways to do ritual and all kinds of ways to celebrate your love and values. Each ritual is framed in a way that feels cohesive within the ceremony – honoring its origins while integrating it meaningfully into your shared story.
The intention is not to assemble symbolic gestures, but to create a ritual arc that feels grounded, authentic, and alive within the moment.
“We had the ceremony exactly as I had dreamed it – a beautiful earth-based ceremony on the beach.”
Ceremony Creation FAQs
How far in advance should we begin the ceremony creation process?
Most couples begin working together 3–9 months before their wedding date, though shorter timelines are sometimes possible depending on availability.
Starting earlier allows space for reflection, collaboration, and thoughtful ritual design without feeling rushed.
Do you officiate the ceremony as well?
Yes. Ceremony creation and officiating often go hand in hand.
I both design and lead the ceremony, ensuring the ritual we create together is held with continuity and presence on the wedding day.
Can you create interfaith ceremonies?
Absolutely.
Many of the couples I work with are blending different religious, cultural, or spiritual traditions. I specialize in designing ceremonies that honor multiple lineages while remaining cohesive and grounded.
What if we’re spiritual but not religious?
Ceremonies can be fully secular, spiritual, interfaith, or anywhere in between. Together, we create a ritual language that reflects your beliefs and values authentically.
But my partner is an atheist — how will we work together?
Atheists and agnostics are welcome here! Contrary to what a lot of religious and spiritual people promote, religion and spirituality are just some of the ways that humans connect with meaning. I can work with you to craft a meaningful and powerful ceremony that doesn’t involve religion/or spirituality at all. Or a ceremony that integrates your belief and non-belief.
Can we include family or community members in the ceremony?
Family blessings, readings, ritual participation, and community vows can all be woven into the ceremony in meaningful ways.
What if we’re navigating family tensions or complex dynamics?
Most families have some tensions or dynamics they are navigating. It’s part of being human. And, as a board certified chaplain with over 12 years working in emergency rooms and ICUs, complex family dynamics is truly an area of expertise. As part of the ceremony creation process, I support couples in navigating family expectations, interfaith sensitivities, and relational dynamics so the ceremony feels inclusive and well-held.
Who exactly are you, and how did you come to this work?
I’m an interfaith minister and board-certified chaplain with over 15 years of experience officiating weddings and three decades of ritual leadership.
My work brings together pastoral care, interfaith ministry, and ceremony design — supporting couples in creating ceremonies that feel grounded, inclusive, and deeply personal.
If you’d like to learn more about my background, training, and approach to this work, you’re welcome to read my full bio and approach to officiating here.
Do you offer officiant coaching if a friend is leading the ceremony?
I love coaching new officiants! I have over 20 years of experience teaching people how to lead ritual in all kinds of contexts. If a loved one will be officiating your ceremony, I offer coaching to help them prepare, structure the ceremony, and step into the role with confidence. Check out this page for more details about my coaching work
Where do you officiate weddings?
I serve couples throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and am available for travel beyond the region by request.
What does ceremony creation and officiating cost?
Because each ceremony is custom-designed, pricing is offered as a personalized quote based on the scope of work, level of ceremony design, and location of the wedding. Most couples invest in a way that’s comparable to professional ceremony creation and officiating services in the Bay Area. In general this looks somewhere in the $800-$2500 range. Transparent pricing and values-aligned service are central to my approach.
Have a question not listed here? Schedule a free ceremony consult with me today and let’s talk through your ceremony vision and planning needs.
Devlyn was the officiant for my wedding, and I am so grateful for their warmth, reverent guidance, and skillful support with ceremony design. We are an interfaith couple from different backgrounds, and Devlyn asked questions made suggestions that weaved together the various pieces we wanted to include. They helped take the wild ideas my partner and I had and shape them into a coherent, beautiful, uplifting wedding ritual. It was an absolutely wonder-full experience.
Bay Area Interfaith Weddings 