Thank you Dean for not only officiating but making our wedding so special. We highly recommend Dean Merrill, he was professional, punctual, organized, heartfelt and made us feel ready and relaxed. Do not give it a second thought, reach out to him and book him. Thank you!! read more

My husband and I were in the 11th hour for selecting an officiant and when we met with Dean there was no need to continue the search anymore. The immediate reassurance he makes you feel that this is YOUR day and he is going to make it everything you want it to be is fantastic. He asked all the right questions and made the process seamless which is always nice to have one less wedding detail to worry about. So many guests after our ceremony asked if we knew Dean or if he was a long time family friend because of how he presented our ceremony and were shocked when we told them we just met. My husband and I are so grateful for Dean making our wedding ceremony one to remember and will sing nothing but praises for him. Thank you, Dean! read more

Dean Merrill Weddings - Officiants Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

Dean deserves a 10 star rating based on the fantastic job he did for our wedding, we had many guests tell us that the ceremony was the best they have ever witnessed. Dean met with Maris and I before the wedding to meet us and customize our wedding, he took the time to learn who we were and what we liked and incorporated that into our ceremony. Dean also gave us a small pre wedding assignment which really allowed me to say the things I felt in my heart to my amazing bride on our special day. Our ceremony was a story of how we met and how our love grew through the years. Dean did an amazing job of telling our story. We are so grateful that we were able to find Dean for our marriage ceremony. read more

Dean officiated my wedding in Santa Barbara and did such a wonderful job. He talked with my husband and me on the phone and got to know us in the weeks before the wedding while also walking us through the ceremony and making sure we were comfortable with everything in it. You can tell that he tailors each ceremony to the couple and makes it personal and special with just the right amount of humor and sweetness. So many guests told us that they loved the ceremony, and that it really captured our relationship and reflected our love for each other so well. He was so enthusiastic and made me really comfortable at the altar. I'd definitely recommend Dean Merrill! read more

Dean was sensational as our Officiant at our May 2013 wedding. We were worried about how we would plan our ceremony because we come from two different cultural and religious backgrounds, and we didn't want to offend any of our guests. We ended up making the ceremony about our love story, the values we want to uphold, and Dean gave wonderful advice to us and our guests about living life to the fullest. Dean met with us twice and was very detailed in writing down our story. He asked questions and really wanted to get to know us as a couple. On the wedding day, he delivered the ceremony beautifully. He added some humor and made our story even more special. Guests laughed, clapped, and cheered for us. It felt extremely intimate and special for everyone who was there. Throughout the reception, guests came up to us to say how beautiful the ceremony was and how they all felt that they knew us because of the stories he told. From our first meeting to our first date to how he proposed, it was all in there. It was truly wonderful! And our guests felt even more close to us. And to this day, guests still talk about how incredible Dean was. I would definitely recommend hiring Dean as your Officiant. He listened to what we wanted and the ceremony was perfect thanks to him. read more

Dean Merrill Weddings - Dean Merrill did a wonderful job as our Officiant. He made us laugh! - Officiants Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

Dean, we wanted to thank you so much for making our wedding ceremony one to remember for us and our guests! Everyone raved about how you made the ceremony uplifting and celebratory and not generic and boring! We loved how you made the crowd laugh and engage to the content. We are so lucky we got to have you as our officiant! Especially I wanted to say that you made it easy and fun and not heavy and complicated! Thank you so much for all your efforts and care! read more

Dean was absolutely amazing and supported all our wished for our ceremony. He responded quickly to me and was readily available for conversations before our wedding day. My husband and I had a simple ceremony with just family. Dean developed a ceremony that was special and unique to our story. Dean is very professional and truly wants to help your day be special. You can tell he loves what he does and I am so grateful we found him. read more

Dean was the officiant for our wedding in November and he was fantastic. He takes the time to learn about your relationship so that he can personalize his words for your big day. Some questions he asks separately so that you can hear what the other answered for the first time during the ceremony. It was so sweet! I was very nervous walking up the aisle but Dean made it fun and made me feel at ease. Thanks again for a wonderful ceremony. read more

This review is based on my experience with Dean from a booking point of view. We never ended up working together so understand that I don't know what his professionalism is like from a ceremony standpoint, but after MULTIPLE e-mail threads, and once I had finally asked Dean where I could send me deposit to secure him for our summer wedding, he told me he had just then looked at his calendar and was suddenly booked. It was very unprofessional and a complete waste of my time. The first thing he should've done was ensured he was free on the date of my wedding from my initial e-mail (which I included my specific wedding date in.) So be weary of this if you do contact him and make sure that he properly checks his calendar before it's too late. read more

My husband and I are so happy that we hired Dean Merrill to officiate our wedding. His blend of humor and sincerity engaged our guests and made it a truly special ceremony. He really did an exceptional job at setting the tone for our entire wedding. Dean also took the time to get to know us, and was extremely flexible. We decided last minute to add a rope tying ceremony, and he was totally on board. Dean is very experience and extremely knowledgeable when it comes to all things wedding related. He helped to answer any and all of my questions and knew just how to bring my stress level down. In fact, my husband and I enjoyed working with Dean so much that we decided to hire him to be our day-of coordinator. He did an amazing job at making sure everything went off smoothly and without a hitch. My husband and I couldn't have been happier and highly recommend Dean! read more

See all

Dean was amazing! He designed the wedding vows to fit us as a couple and they were perfect. His easy going manner and sense of humor played into our wedding so well that our guests asked if he was a family friend. It's been 3 months since we tied the knot and I still have family members tell me how great our minister was! Would recommend him to anyone getting married in the area!! Thank you Dean! read more

Dean provided a truly special touch to our wedding ceremony. During this unusual time, Dean made my family feel completely supported and special as we reaffirmed our wedding vows. His professional advice and personal touch made our day unfold better than we had hoped for. Dean had the right words and the right delivery to bring our family together in this unique time!!! Thank you Dean!!! read more

Dean did such a wonderful job at our wedding! We were so thankful to have his services on our special day. He made the whole process so stress free for us, especially considering how close to our wedding date we found him. He took the time to get to know us. After the ceremony, our guests kept asking if we knew him personally! We received multiple compliments on how great he was. Highly recommended! read more

Dean did an amazing job with our wedding. He listened to us and made the wedding personal and intimate. Our family and friends were equally impressed. Thanks for sharing our story with the ones we love in such a memorable way. read more

When was the last time you attended a "very personal" wedding? Most of the time, you could substitute any bride and groom into the typical ceremony. The script used by most reverends, pastors, or officiants are a cookie-cutter, boring affair. Dean married my wife and me. Because of his diligent efforts, our ceremony was a very personal, touching event for everyone to enjoy. Many of our guests said it was the best wedding they had ever attended, and we credit many of those compliments to Dean's efforts. He will spend time getting to know the bride and groom; he actually becomes "one of the family" because you'll feel like you've known him all your life. If you're looking for a two-minute-long shotgun-style wedding, I'm sure Dean can accommodate your needs, but that is not why we chose him, and I'm sure that is not what you want on your special day either. read more

Dean was an amazing officiant! You know when you go to weddings you never remember the officiant at all. Well about three years ago I went to a close friends wedding and loved their officiant. So when it came to my own wedding I knew I wanted him to officiate my wedding. We live in San Diego and Dean came all the way down to be there for our big day. My husband and I really wanted the ceremony to be about us and really personal. Dean has a way of bringing the story of his couples to life! He made it very special and we will never forget our ceremony. Many of our guests have come up to me asking where we found him and raved about how memorable the ceremony was. Thank you so much for being part of our special day Dean. You did an amazing job!! read more

Dean Merrill Weddings - Dean officiating our big day on August 1 2015 - Officiants Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

Dean was superb in ever aspect and phase of our wedding planing and ceremony. Dean spent time getting to know us and our unique story. He then brought this knowledge to the ceremony, making it more intimate for us and our guests. All very upbeat. I would highly recommend Dean Merril to anyone who would like to have their wedding ceremony uniquely customized to their views, history and beliefs. read more

Dean was great! He tailored our vows to fit us perfectly. He really has a knack for this! He got to know both of us before putting our vows together. I was told quite a few times that our officiant seemed to really know us and "did we know him outside of the wedding?" haha. Would definitely recommend him to anyone getting married. He's amazing. read more

Dean was the officiant at our daughter's wedding and he did a great job. He spent time getting to know them and made the ceremony very personal so that our guests really got to know about them. Dean really made the day very special and captured some great pictures too! read more

My now-husband and I were looking for an officiant who could create a unique, custom ceremony for us. From the moment we met Dean we knew that he was perfect officiant for us. He is very nice and easy to talk to. He really took the time to get to know us and to understand exactly what we wanted in our wedding ceremony. He wrote a completely unique ceremony for us that included the perfect amount of humor and reflection, celebration and the meaning behind what marriage is. Many of the guests at our wedding commented that it was the first time they have ever been fully engaged and listening throughout an entire wedding ceremony. I would highly recommend Dean to any couple who wants a unique, custom, memorable wedding ceremony! read more

I cannot say enough about Dean Merrill. What an amazing man. I have been to so many weddings that were beautiful but the ceremony never seemed to be personal towards the couple. It always felt like the bride and groom didn't have a connection with their officiant. Not with Dean though. From the moment I first called him to officiate our wedding I knew he was different. He is beyond caring about you and your future partner. I loved the meetings where Dean took the time to get to know my future husband and I. It really made us stop during the stress of the wedding process and look at how we've grown together. He was always attentive and easy to reach, and so helpful during the whole wedding process. I couldn't have asked for a better ceremony! It was so personal and touching. I've had so many people say they loved how Dean put everything together with the ceremony. :) If we decide to renew our vows we would love to have Dean be our officiant again. read more

Wish I could give more *stars*! With less than 3 weeks to go to the wedding (due to a change in venue my original officiant could not make it), I happened upon Pastor Dean's website and contacted him. He was fast in response (via email and phone), and once I chatted with him on the phone I had a great feeling about it. With such little time to work with, he set a happy and relaxed tone as he came to visit with me and my fiance and got to us and our story. That's the key right there. We realized how lucky we were after we met him b/c we could tell he loves what he does and is extremely passionate about creating a memorable ceremony. Definitely not cookie cutter. He lets you be as creative as you want, while also lending a helping hand to guide you and your fiance in finding how and what you want expressed on our big day. We chose to exchange personal words and it was so natural. On the day of, Pastor Dean was on time, impecabbly dressed, and was so warm and friendly with us and our guests (and he was a calming presence when he visited with me in my bridal suite). Our wedding was small and intimate and having Dean lead us through our ceremony was beyond perfection. All of our guests raved about how personal and touching the ceremony was (and it also had its moments of laughter too!), and everyone was engaged in the ceremony. Even the event director fell in love with him and the ceremony he provided. We couldn't have been more happy with Dean, and so much so, we asked him to stay and hang with our guests for cocktails! Believe me, save yourself the time and have Dean officiate your wedding. You can have complete confidence in someone who loves what he does, a unique and memorable ceremony, is a happy and warm presence, professional, will always respond to your emails/phone calls, on time, creative, and generous in spirit. read more