The best Lehigh Valley wedding officiants offer a valuable experience so your ceremony is infused with your personality. Having a service that is authentic to you sets the stage for an incredible marriage.
We’ve witnessed many weddings in our time working in the event industry. If there is anything we’ve learned, it’s this: wedding ceremonies set the tone for the rest of the day. A great wedding officiant will not make things awkward (we’ve seen it a time or two..), but instead contribute to making your day an incredible memory.
For more traditional couples getting married in a church, often your “officiant” is already predetermined – a pastor/priest at a church you already attend. But, for less traditional couples, the choice of officiant may matter more as you need to consider who will fill this role effectively for your celebration.
Fortunately, there are some amazing wedding officiants in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding region.
All of the officiants featured on this list are based in (or work regularly in) the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania – which includes the 3 major cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton. We have selected officiants based on their reputation (from client reviews online), as well as personal experience working with each in the wedding industry.
Donna Forsythe
We would consider Donna and her team of officiants (operating as Lehigh Valley Celebrants) to be one of the best Lehigh Valley wedding officiants. She has taken the fundamentals of wedding officiating and created an offering that is much more of an experience for couples that work with her. In our experience, she leads celebrations with passion and joy that is infectious.
Her services are customized to be a reflection of the couple. Want to incorporate religious traditions that you feel strongly about? You got it! For non-traditional couples, she is also a wonderful option as she is fully endorsed by the National Humanist Society.
You can learn more about Donna Forsythe and Lehigh Valley Celebrants by visiting their website. They provide celebrant services for weddings, elopements, micro-weddings, vow renewals and other events.
Alisa Tongg
Alisa is a nationally recognized officiant based in the Poconos, PA – but regularly officiates wedding ceremonies in the Lehigh Valley. Our first experience with her was when we photographed a small elopement celebration at her micro-wedding venue Promise Ridge (well worth checking out on it’s own right if you’re looking to have a PA Elopement or Micro-Wedding!).
We absolutely loved the ceremony she conducted. It was beautiful in it’s authenticity, sincerity, and the passion she brings. A quote from her website best sums up what you can expect:
“I primarily create and perform wedding ceremonies for couples and families looking to tell an authentic and unique story to set the stage for their celebration. My secret goal is to make people cry.” – Alisa Tongg
(We should add – we saw the tears in person, it’s raw joyous emotion that gets us every time!)
Lois Heckman
Lois is one of the expert officiants in the NEPA region – from a formal education as a graduate of the Celebrant Foundation and Institute, certification through the Humanist Society, as well as offering inspiration and leadership through weekly columns in the Pocono Record and online instructor at the Celebrant Academy. Did we mention she also runs Harmony Gardens – a small elopement venue in the Poconos?
This great background supports the professional and personal experience she offers her clients. We had the chance to work alongside her during a sweet little elopement held at Hickory Run State Park, and through chatting we learned she regularly officiates weddings through Pennsylvania. She is a particularly great choice for couples wanting an officiant that has a rich understanding of a wide range of wedding traditions & cultures, particularly those less traditional.
Visit Lois Heckman’s website to learn more.
Celysmar Santana
Cely (for short) is another officiant operating under Lehigh Valley Celebrants. Aside from the expected reasons for her inclusion on this list, including a valuable history in the field along with a warm and vibrant personality, her Spanish language skills are invaluable for supporting ceremonies in that language. This is an incredible trait to come paired with a professional officiant considering the number of Spanish speaking people that live and get married throughout the LV.
You can learn more about her here.
Conner Drigotas
We had the privilege of photographing Conner’s wedding, and got to learn that he enjoys officiating weddings. While he doesn’t have the level of experience the notable ladies above do, he remains an excellent option on personality alone (so down to Earth!). A recent client summed up their experience with him, and nails perfectly why Conner would be a great Lehigh Valley wedding officiant to consider. They said:
“We opted for a very intimate ceremony in our home and with just 9 people present Conner was able to fully captivate our guests. He spoke from the heart, incorporated personal anecdotes and customized the ceremony to our story, and worked with us along the way to ensure that we were completely comfortable with his words before the big day. Having Conner officiate our wedding was the best part of our day and we are so honored to have had his support and guidance throughout the process of getting married!”
You can learn more and get in contact with Conner through his Wedding Wire.
Finding the right wedding officiant in the Lehigh Valley is easy with the right recommendations. We love seeing our couple’s have beautiful weddings – small or large – and know having a great officiant is an important piece of this.
Planning an elopement or wedding of your own and unsure where to start? Inquire with us to receive our 15 wedding planning tips + chat with us to learn more about our photography services and how they can compliment your day beautifully!
