Ernie was the most perfect officiant we could have asked for. After searching and searching for the right person, the moment we saw his smiling face, we knew he would be the one to marry us. From his contagious smile, to how easy he was to speak to, to how informative his website and blog was, we felt like we didn't even need an interview before hiring him! During his interview, we talked for nearly two hours, and it felt like we had known him forever. As the wedding date came closer, we sat down with Ernie over coffee, and he asked us questions we never thought to even ask ourselves. By the time we were done, Ernie knew more about our relationship than I had ever thought to share with anyone! He just knew the perfect things to ask to get to know us. After the meeting, he sent us resources to read over, poems and such that we could add to the ceremony, which we decided on a handfasting ceremony. The day of, Ernie arrived early and quickly learned the knot we wanted to use during the handfasting. During the ceremony, he had taken our previous conversation, the reading we had chosen, and everything in between, and created the most beautiful ceremony we could have ever dreamed of. Our guests were in tears, we couldn't stop smiling, and it was truly with Ernie's beautiful words that our day was perfect. Thank you Ernie, for everything you did. We are so grateful for having found you! Photography: Naba Zabih Photography Florist: Trellis Fresh Flowers Venue: Mt Hood Skibowl DJ: Pure Vision Entertainment HMUA: Style Me PDX Dress: Wear Your Love read more

When looking for an officiant, we had several options. We decided to meet with Ernie and get a feel for him and see if we clicked. We wanted our officiant to feel like an old friend, someone we could be 100% comfortable with. We were absolutely blown away after our consultation with Ernie. He took as much time as needed to learn details of our lives and what we wanted in our ceremony. The whole time, he took detailed notes. He helped, guided and made suggestions with anything we were unsure of. He was prompt on rehearsal day and guided us all through rehearsal. He was prompt the day of the wedding and reassuring to everyone. He maintained great communication from the time we first meet with him and all the way through to the wedding day. During the ceremony is when I really understood how detailed Ernie was. He told our love story perfectly. Our ceremony was tailored just for us. He picked up so many details from our consultation and pieced them together and delivered it beautifully. During the reception, we got many compliments from people saying they really liked Ernie. Do yourselves a favor when looking for an officiant, hire Ernie. He will help you make this as easy and worry free as possible. read more

Ernie is a Godsend! Our elopement was so last minute that I talked to Ernie for the first and only time 3 days before the day of the wedding! He asked me some simple questions, talked about the weather :) and then he ended the call saying that he would take it from there and not to stress. That phone call was such a blessing because I finally felt like I could breathe! The most important part of a wedding is THE ACTUAL WEDDING! So much can get lost in the planning of everything else, but when you get down to it the words spoken to each other and by the officiant are what really matters. Ernie's words were perfect beyond anything we could have hoped for. They brought me to tears and made me smile the entire time. In the short time we were on the phone he must have had us all figured out because it was so wonderful and felt so personal. All in all, I would recommend his services in a heartbeat to anyone and everyone! Thank you Ernie, for making our short and sweet ceremony one that I will never forget and will always cherish. You are wonderful and I hope the best for you and your family in all the years to come that God blesses us with! Sincerely grateful, Christi & Family read more

We hired Ernie Claeson to be our officiant on our 9/13/25 wedding. A family member also had hired Ernie to officiate their wedding and he made a lasting impression on us, so when it came time to think about who we'd like to have such a big part in our wedding day it was an easy choice. Ernie is very reasonable on his pricing for the amount of time he puts into learning about the bride and groom, and for the effort given to make sure he gives all the options from religious, to non-traditional and from unity to other options to make the wedding day truly personalized and your own. Ernie showed up on time if not early making sure things were going to plan, he was dressed well and looked perfect for the occasion. He is very well-spoken, speaking beautifully and with intention. All of our guests also felt they he spoke clearly and with the perfect amount of volume for all to hear. Ernie was able to give us many phone call meetings to talk about what we wanted and to get to know us, and he was able to ease my anxiety as a bride. Ernie has a calmness but thorough way about him, and it made it easy for us to create a perfect ceremony! 1000% recommend Ernie for your wedding ceremony! read more

We live in Virginia and planned an Oregon wedding during a global pandemic coupled with riots & protests. Being a COVID bride had its challenges but having Ernie as our officiant made the entire process that much more enjoyable. We were originally scheduled to wed in downtown Portland, OR on May 23, 2020 but COVID had different plans. With just 55 days to go, we changed our date from Saturday, May 23 to Friday, July 31 in Newburg, OR. We planned our entire wedding from the East Coast and Ernie was such a huge part in easing our anxiety. He was incredibly flexible with the change in dates, venues and cities as well as meeting with us virtually to discuss how we wanted our ceremony to go as well as our story. Our guests were very impressed with his energy and presence. It felt like we had known him for years! I have been watching our wedding video back and am instantly brought back to that amazing day and am so grateful to Ernie for being our officiant! 2020 will not be tainted by the chaos, as it holds one of the best days of my life! I would hands down recommend Ernie to anyone planning a wedding! read more

We got married Oct 2021 and Ernie was such an amazing officiant. He was so personable and easy to work with and wrote a ceremony that had the perfect balance of thoughtfulness, incorporation of our personalities and our story, sweet moments and advice. We had a meeting a few weeks before the wedding where he asked detailed questions to get to know us better and helped us to know what to expect on the day of our wedding. He included lists of quotes, readings, and ceremonies for us to consider for inclusion in our ceremony, but also let us know that we didn't need to include any of them if we didn't want to. He was flexible in adapting to the degree of religiousness we were looking for and clearly spent time making sure that the ceremony felt like us. We are so incredibly grateful to have found him- so many of our friends and family commented on what a meaningful and great ceremony it was, how easy he was to listen to, how the speaking volume and pace kept the ceremony moving but also kept it easy to understand and listen to. He is truly wonderful and we cannot recommend him enough. read more

Look no further for a wedding officiant. Ernie is by far the best out there! We got married September 2021 and had such a busy schedule we had to reschedule our meeting with Ernie 3 different times. Ernie was so responsive over text message and it was always easy to reschedule with him even though he had a packed schedule with all the weddings that were moved due to COVID. He always made time for us and took time getting to know us. We met with him for 1.5hrs a month before our wedding and he asked us so many great questions to get to know who we were individually and as a couple. He is so easy going and makes you feel comfortable planning your ceremony from the moment you meet him. Ernie was always quick to respond to email or text and was available night or day to answer questions we had as they came up. Even with our last minute planning and not being able to meet with Ernie until a month before the wedding, our ceremony was so beautiful and we got numerous compliments after the wedding on how great Ernie was! You will not be disappointed! Ernie is the best!!! read more

Ernie did a great job officiating our wedding in April 2022. After attending my niece's wedding just a month after my own, I now realize just exactly how important having a professional, experienced officiant for a wedding really is. My niece's wedding officiant seemed nervous and faltered a lot, and many times during the ceremony it seemed like nobody quite knew what was supposed to happen next, which made things a little awkward. My husband and I both commented afterwards how grateful we were that we had Ernie for our ceremony! Ernie showed up on time, was dressed for the occasion, and he pulled the whole ceremony together. He took the time to get to know us and made sure he added all the little personal touches we wanted for our ceremony. He encouraged us to contact him anytime we needed to, and he was always easy to reach. He returns texts and emails in a timely manner, and he made us feel comfortable and at ease immediately. His services are very affordable, as well. We were very pleased! read more

We are so happy we came across Ernie on TheKnot! We were hesitant to have someone we didn't know MARRY US, it's such an intimate life moment and we just felt a little uneasy about having someone we hadn't known for a lifetime officiate our wedding. We couldn't have been more wrong... we are now SO thankful we found Ernie! He went above and beyond as our officiant. Throughout the planning process he met up with us and always was a text away with any questions we had regarding the Big Day. He gave the sweetest speech during our ceremony that left guests teary-eyed and something we will remember for a lifetime. He happily took on the task of mailing our marriage certificate for us - something we didn't want to think about when we wanted to soak in the moment and enjoy our honeymoon. We will absolutely recommend Ernie to our friends & family in the future, just as we'd recommend him to any of you! If you're hesitant, meet up with him, he's got your back! read more

We had such a wonderful experience with Don Gloud as our wedding officiant! From the very beginning, Don was incredibly responsive and organized, which made the entire planning process smooth and stress-free. His professionalism and warmth truly stood out. His wife and assistant, Dodie, was equally amazing. She has an incredible eye for detail and made sure everything was perfectly arranged for our special day--even down to coordinating Don's tie with our wedding colors, which was such a thoughtful touch! Don himself was so kind and genuine, and he performed a ceremony that was deeply meaningful and personal to us. One of my favorite things was his speaking voice--it was calm, engaging, and added such a special touch to the ceremony. We couldn't have asked for a better officiant team. Highly recommend Don and Dodie to anyone looking to make their wedding day truly unforgettable! read more

Ernie was the officiant at a friend's wedding in October of last year and when we got engaged in December I knew just who I wanted for our wedding! We had a super small family only elopement in Cannon Beach and Ernie was incredible to work with! We wanted a very simple and straightforward ceremony and he provided everything we wanted. He had a ton of options to choose from and I can tell that he really cares about making sure each wedding is personalized for the bride and groom. Ernie was amazing to work with throughout the entire process and after our ceremony our family raved about what a great job he did. He was especially helpful during the covid 19 pandemic when everything else was soooo difficult! I would recommend Ernie to ANYONE who is getting married! You will not be disappointed! Thank you Ernie for everything! read more

Ernie was absolutely wonderful! We were so fortunate to find Ernie on such short notice. We were in a last minute scramble 2 weeks before the wedding when our original officiant had an emergency. Ernie was quick to respond, easy to work with and assisted us in customizing the ceremony wonderfully. He had several examples and ideas for ceremonies that we were able to pull from! We revamped everything (which was both nerve wracking and terrifying so close to the date), but Ernie was able to ease any anxiety we had and tailored everything to our liking. He answered all questions we had promptly, was on time and incredibly well spoken! We received several compliments from guests about Ernie and we have since referred another friend to him. Would highly recommend him to anyone looking for an officiant! read more

We had Ernie from EC Matrimony officiate our wedding and he was truly one of the highlights of our ceremony. From our first conversation, Ernie was responsive to every question we threw at him and explained everything clearly so we knew exactly what to expect. He arrived early on our wedding day, and his professionalism made the whole experience feel smooth and stress-free. Beyond just saying the vows, Ernie took time to understand our story and made the ceremony feel personal to us. He also made sure all our paperwork was in order before the big day, which took a huge weight off our shoulders. We would definitely recommend Ernie and his team to any couple looking for an officiant who actually cares about getting it right. read more

Highly recommend EC Matrimony! From the very beginning, their communication was great. We initially worked with Ernie to find an officiant that best fit us and our wedding. He answered all our questions and sent over a ton of resources to help us find the ceremony that worked for us. Don Gloud was our officiant and he was amazing! We received so many compliments from our guests on how well he led the ceremony. Don and his wife Dodie sent us a pre-wedding checklist to make sure we got our marriage license on time and all the little details were taken care of. After the ceremony they instructed us on how to complete the license and took care of mailing it in for us. They made the whole process so easy. read more

Couldn't have been happier with choosing you Ernie, from the free consultation where you made sure we understood everything and how things would play out, to you making yourself available to questions at any given time or moment, straight down to when you came to check in on me moments before walking down the aisle. There wasn't a single complaint or down side to hiring you. You made everything so comfortable. As if we had known you for quiet some time. And that's something very comforting for a very nervous bride or groom. I appreciate everything you did for us on our special day. Thanks for kicking all the anxiety and pressure right in the butt! read more

Ernie was fantastic! I was not sure what to expect, but I knew he was amazing because when I asked for referrals, his name was given constantly. He made it so easy and stress-free. I wasn't sure what I wanted and to be honest, after all the wedding planning, I didn't even care lol my brain was fried. But, Ernie sent over so many documents of examples, and got to know us during our meeting. At the wedding, he was clear and concise, Humorous, when appropriate and Romantic as well. Our guests loved him and he made my husband and I feel so comfortable. Highly recommend if you're in the Portland metro area read more

Ernie is great! He has been so amazing throughout our whole journey. We originally had a different officiant but he was not professional, we found Ernie and he was such a great resource for us planning our wedding. Unfortunately with COVID our wedding had to be rescheduled for next year. We decided to do an elopement this year and Ernie was so helpful and supportive of the change. He did a great ceremony and the family we had attend were very impressed by him. We booked him again to do our rescheduled wedding for next year! I really recommend him to all couples for their weddings or elopements read more

Ernie was absolutely amazing! We initially reached out to Ernie based on all the great reviews he had and we made the right decision! Super helpful throughout the entire process and answered all of our questions that came up leading up to the wedding. He met with us months before to discuss details and to get to know us so our ceremony could be personalized to the way we wanted it to be. Thanks to Ernie our ceremony went by super smooth. We couldn't be happier with how it turned out! Would highly recommend Ernie to anyone who is getting married - you won't find a better officiant! read more

We worked with Ernie on our wedding day and we couldn't have asked for a better officiant. He made himself available to customize the service to make it as personal and special as our big day was to us. The day of the ceremony he came early, handled the license tasks, and performed so well. If you are looking for a class act officiant then Ernie is your guy! You will be glad you did! He was so kind & professional and knew exactly what we wanted and needed for the day. We are so happy, our ceremony was flawless. Best part, Ernie stepped out of the way for our first kiss!! 10/10!! read more