Coordinating a long-distance wedding is a logistical nightmare: first, obtaining the license from the circuit court (where do we go, how much, what do they need), then finding an officiant (religious or secular), scouting and procuring the space (outdoors or in, church or other), finding flowers (what kind and will they deliver), and insuring all is captured on film (no cell phone poses for this ceremony). A logistical nightmare unless you work with Ed Ingebretsen who handles the official components with ease and confidence and the emotional elements with kindness, respect, dignity, and a gentle spirit. Once we found Ed and picked a date, he worked closely with us to make sure our piece of history happened effortlessly and beautifully. Ed kept us apprised of the licensing process and gave us terrific suggestions about where to hold the wedding. Though we wanted to be outside amidst the cherry blossoms, we ultimately were married in The Church of the Holy City, at Ed's suggestion, a beautiful old gothic church with charm and character. Ever the gentleman, Ed brought us freshly picked daffodils from his yard which was great since we forgot ours! If you want to get married in D.C. and need guidance, Ed Ingebretsen is the man to help. He assuages fears, demystifies the legalese process, thinks two to three paces ahead, a trait that enables him to handle the unforeseen, and all the while he exudes friendliness and warmth. He feels for us and the beauty of the moment, and saying vows with him at the alter was perfect. read more

I feel so blessed to have worked with Rev. Ed. My wife and I live in Florida and had a large wedding here but we wanted to be legally married in DC. Because of the distance, Ed processed all of our paperwork and we just had to show up for our ceremony. He did all of this in a very short time (about 2 weeks from my initial contact to our ceremony). He was extremely responsive in regards to speed and information. Ed gave us such great insight into locations and timing. He was incredibly flexible. Also, we used a photographer that Ed recommended - James. He was also fantastic. For an extremely reasonable price, he took almost 70 pictures of our fairly short ceremony and they turned out GREAT. We couldn't be happier with how they turned out. James has a very creative eye, is easy to work with, and a very great guy. I would definitely recommend using James' services! My wife and I will be forever grateful for Ed and James. Not only did they care of everything, they were such a pleasure to work with. Ed and James are kind, thoughtful and passionate. I would recommend Ed and his photographer James to any couple (gay or straight, local or not). read more

My wife and I met in Baghdad, Iraq. She was serving in the Air Force and I with the Army. Once our tours ended, we found ourselves on two different continents, due to our military obligations. I must admit, I can take no credit for coordinating our day or finding Rev. Ed Ingebretsen. Rev. Ed was kind and reliable enough for the two of us, from two different continents, to plan and successfully execute our wedding. We were able to name the place and time, and Rev. Ed took care of all the tedious filings with the courthouse while we continued with our busy lives. I cannot tell you how convenient all the work he did was. I especially enjoyed when he asked us what terminology we wanted him to use for our vows. When we answered "wife" and "marriage" he was pleased and continued to stress that ours was indeed a marriage. He made certain we were aware that what we were getting was not some downplayed designer imposter of a wedding - and it was not. The vows had my family and friends - not to mention my wife - in tears (with smiles of course). I don't think anyone will forget that day. It was perfect. Rev. Ed rocks! read more

My partner and I, after 11 years together, decided to take the next step and get married. We are located in Atlanta, so, Washington D.C. was our logical choice. The Rev. Ed Ingebretsen proved to be an invaluable resource in our endeavor. In fact, I highly recommend his services to anyone, specifically those outside of D.C., planning a destination wedding there. His knowledge of the system and its requirements aided us immensely. He navigated us through the application process and, in doing so, prevented the necessity of a prolonged stay in Washington and even the possibility of an additional trip. His services saved us additional expenditures. He was sensitive to our needs, a small intimate ceremony, and helped us tailor a service conducive, with our desires. His familiarity with Washington, combined with his passion for our cause, resulted in the perfect Washington trip. With his help, my husband and I are now able to embark on the next stage of our lives' journey together. I strongly recommend utilizing his services for a D.C. wedding! read more

My husband and I wanted to join the chorus and give a shout-out for Ed. We thought he did a fantastic job officiating our wedding this past October - and judging by the comments of many of our guests, they agreed. Ed offered us the perfect blend of freedom and guidance - he made sure that we always knew that we held the reins for the ceremony, but at the same time gave us much-needed and well-intentioned feedback and input when we needed that. We wanted our wedding to feel like a cocktail party from start to finish, with a brief ceremony dropped in - Ed helped us balance the casualness we sought with the importance of the occasion, and the end result was better that the sum of its parts. In short, he is sure to help you create and shape, with confidence, a ceremony that is beautiful and personal to you, just as he did with us. We strongly recommend him as a kind, thoughtful, and attentive officiant for anyone's special day. Thanks again, Ed! read more

Thanks to you, our wedding was perfect! Our wedding was out of state for us and we decided on Washington D.C. without knowing anything about the process there. Ed guided us through every step. The location he suggested for us -- the island on the Mall with the Signers of the Declaration of Independence monument -- was perfect for a summer outdoor wedding, too. We were married under willow trees surrounded by water and ducks. Rev. Ed's intelligent and loving nature made the wedding ceremony exactly right for us. He rightly asked us not to refer to each other as "spouse" but to instead call each other "husband" -- and he explained why. This has given the word husband richer meaning to us. There were many things he did that we liked and appreciated. One was his ability to remember all of the names of our guests and to incorporate our guests into the experience of our wedding. Because of Rev. Ed, our wedding ceremony was deeply personal not generic. read more

Ed is fantastic. My wife and I had a somewhat complicated situation. She had started a new job and was living in VA, while I was still in Ohio. Furthermore, I am transgender and my OH license said male, while all my other legal documentation still said female. I had concerns that my documentation would be questioned because of this. Ed coordinated with us through email, filed our paperwork for us, and dealt with the difficulty of me having two genders listed on my documentation. Because neither of us was familiar with DC, he recommended several locations for the ceremony. He was also willing to do simple, secular vows for us. As if that weren't enough, Ed is just a great guy. He is warm, caring, and personable, which made the experience that much more enjoyable. My wife and I were married in September at the National Arboretum and it was perfect. We could not have asked for more! We recommend Ed unreservedly. read more

Ed was wonderfully helpful throughout the months leading up to our wedding. He was always quick to respond to emails and voicemails, offered helpful suggestions about ceremony location, and walked us through the proxy process. Although, we did not have the opportunity to meet him prior to our wedding day, he worked to put us at ease and even sent us a picture of our marriage license to reassure us that it was ready and awaiting our arrival in DC. On the day of our ceremony, he arrived on time and delivered a beautiful service tailored to our personal preferences. Our families and friends were very impressed with him, as were we. Ed also offered continued service after the wedding if we ever need any help getting official copies of our marriage certificate or have any other issues with documentation for our marriage in the future. We highly recommend his services! read more

Ed and his furry companions were an absolute delight! My husband and I were a bit spontaneous with our decision to be married and wanted to have it done as soon as possible. I began the search online while at work and Ed's info came up on an officiant search site. He listed his cell number and had a welcoming invite to text, so I did just that. Immediately a conversation ensued between he and I. I informed him of our urgency to be wed and he arranged his schedule so that we could have the ceremony that night! My husband and I were ecstatic! Ed brought his trio of adorable, incredibly well behaved pugs along as our witnesses. We had a serene, private ceremony on the docks of Annapolis. (Ed made the drive all the way up there for us!) He helped ease our nerves and made the whole experience so much more memorable than I believed it could be! I thank you, Ed! read more

We live out of the DC area in a city that does not recognize gay marriage and turned to Ed Ingebretsen to facilitate the legal marriage process from afar. So how did it turn out? FANTASTIC. We are so grateful for his efforts and enthusiasm. Here is what Ed did for us: 1. Coordinated representation by proxy at the courthouse 2. Filed necessary documents 3. Communicated promptly by phone/email/text messaging 4. Arranged photography 5. Recorded Marriage Certificate His assistance made our entire personalized event all that we had hoped. He followed through on all of his promises and tasks in a prompt and respectful manner. It doesn't hurt that he has a great heart and perky personality too! Because of our incredible experience we highly recommend Rev. Ingebretsen services. - Chuck in Florida read more

The Rev. Ed. Ingebretsen married us in Washington D.C. on November 14, 2010. We have been together 43 years. We were discouraged with California's Prop 8 and felt it was time to contact an Officiant in a same sex marriage state. After many contacts we were fortunate to find Rev. Ed. We needed someone who could take care of our spiritual needs as well as the bureaucratic complexities of obtaining and filing all documents. Rev. Ed's services were exemplary in all aspects. We arrived in D.C. on Friday evening and we returned to California on Monday evening after a beautiful private wedding with Rev. Ed and friends. We are eternally grateful for all of Ed's assistance in making our deepest dreams and desires become a reality. read more

Above and Beyond! The better half and myself showed up to the District of Columbia's courthouse for our scheduled ceremony. We were told that we "were not on the schedule" from the administrator (typical DC government). Ed happened to be leaving the office after dropping off paperwork for another client. Luckily Ed had left me one of his business cards. I called Ed on his cell, he turned around and came up to the office and married us across the street in a public park. He even brought back the necessary paperwork to the courthouse afterwards. This day could have been an absolute disaster. Ed made it very memorable. He takes his responsibilities seriously and did a great job with the ceremony. I owe you one Ed! read more

Since a Texas marriage was not an option, my partner and I flew to D.C. for a quick and quiet legal ceremony. Rev. Ingebretsen was amazing. We found him through some online searching and took a leap of faith, which was well worth it! Rev. Ingebertsen was trustworthy and prompt in responding to calls and email. He gave us suggestions on loddging, restaurants, ceremony locations, photographer, flowers, etc. He knows the area well and can coordinate services to fit any budget and ceremony type. It was very convenient for me to work only with with Rev. Ingebretsen to handle all of the arrangements via email prior to flying to D.C. He really takes care of everything, and now we're legal! Yaaaaaay! read more

Jon and I flew up from Albuquerque, NM, to have Ed marry us in the District of Columbia. Ed took care of every single detail, dealing with the registrar of marriages, paperwork, back and forth again with license, etc. for a very nominal fee. Ed is a sweet man, wrote us a lovely set of vows, and was fun to meet and work with on our wedding day. He made it very special for us and made us feel relaxed throughout the entire process and the day of the ceremony itself. I cannot recommend Ed highly enough for anyone wanting to be married in DC. For us, marrying in the nation's capitol had much significance. And Ed made this day very, very special. read more

We got married on May 14th, 2011, and Rev. Ingebretsen gave us a sweet and intimate ceremony, which suited our small wedding so perfectly. We did not have a rehearsal, as we were having a small and low-key wedding, and the ceremony went completely smoothly, as Ed was on top of directing everyone on what to do and where to be. All of our guests commented on how lovely the ceremony was. He also explained and took care of all the paperwork, and it was wonderful to know we were in such knowledgeable hands! We highly recommend Ed as an officiant for any wedding, large or small! read more

Rev. Ed officiated at our wedding in September 2013, and I cannot say enough nice things about him. He created a very moving, touching ceremony and really helped framed the significant of our marriage. All of our guests commented on how touching the ceremony was and how elegantly Ed spoke. Many guests assumed Ed was a long-time friend of either myself or my husband because of how personable he was! He also made all the arrangements with the wedding license, which was a huge help for us, since we weren't local. We would highly recommend Rev. Ed for any wedding. read more

We were completely satisfied with Ed's services- from start to finish. We were a little hesitant at first to send him our sensitive documents, but after checking references we felt at ease. He facilitated the filing of paperwork and was very helpful in our choice of location for the ceremony. All we had to do was drive to DC where he provided us with a beautiful and dignified wedding ceremony. Looking back on the preparations and the ceremony, we have only positive memories and absolutely no regrets. Thanks, Ed, for a perfect wedding! read more

Ross and I flew up from Austin Texas, and our families and friends joined us in Washington DC. We married on our 21st anniversary and Ed recommended the florist, bakery, and took care of all the licensing procedures. The restaurant recommendation was outstanding too. He allowed us to create a message in our vows to each other that was customized to us. We simply could not have had a perfect wedding experience without Ed. We recommend him to all who wish to be married in the nations capitol. read more

"Une valeur sure" We are really happy and felt lucky to end up with Ed for our wedding in DC (November 2010). His name was on a list at the City Hall, and we were not expecting such a dedicated professional, with good sense of humor, and nice presence during the ceremony that we held at a friend's place. All the guests also noted the quality of his way of conducting the ceremony, although we had given little and last minute indications of what we wanted. Highly recommended! read more