SocalVows made our special day incredibly easy. Everything was taken care of in advance and if there were any changes Socal was quick to email us. SocalVows kept in contact when they said they would and provided approximate dates when they would ask us some very important questions about our ceremony. They were flexible with us and accomodated our party of 13 guests. They made our special day so easy and stress free I would do it again through SocalVows. I highly recommend SocalVows to plan your ceremony. You won't regret it. read more

OMG HIRE KEN! I couldn't have asked more from Ken! He did an absolute amazing job officiating our wedding. He created the ceremony so uniquely personal and really captivated our audience to give them a sense of how my husband and I really came to love each other! Ken is extremely professional and carries such a wonderful energy. You will not regret this decision! If you want to WOW your family, hire Ken. I had at least 5 different people come up to me after our ceremony and compliment me on my officiant, like when does THAT ever happen?! He speaks so wonderfully in front of everyone, and so naturally and easily. Your families and friends want to hear about your love story and KEN IS THE PERFECT guy to tell it! read more

Socal Vows - Officiants Near Me

See all

Socal Vows exceeded my expectations. My wife and I originally were supposed to renew our vows (10 year anniversary) in Hawaii, but due to restrictions we had to settle for something local. Last minute planning and coordinating, my wife was able to contact Ken and for the amount of time we had he did a superb job! First, location was prime. I almost felt like I was in Hawaii minus the blue ocean & humidity! Decor was excellent as well. The arch, flowers and setup was elegant. The ceremony itself was planned. This was my first time meeting Ken and I truly felt his personal pleasant spirit. He conducted the ceremony with ease and even kinda made me cry during our vow exchange (probably because of the wife's words tho, but he set the tone for it nonetheless lol). Oh ya, even the music was planned so eloquently. Apart from my 4 little girls (one close to terrible 2's) being distracted by the sand and bugs, the ceremony couldn't have gone any smoother than I could have ever imagined. Ken and his wife know their stuff and it shows. What's nice is you can tell he really lives for the connection and unity between husband and wife. Just speaking with him after the ceremony about life and family he truly cares about humanity and positivity in this thing we call life. It's a little something we all need especially during these weird times. Keep doing what you doing Socal Vows! Doing great. read more

Socal Vows - La Jolla - Officiants Near Me

See all

Pastor Ken made our intimate wedding ceremony special with his warmth and personal touch. Leading to our big day, Ken was very responsive. He send us an email 2 months, 1 month and 1 week prior to the wedding to walk us through every detail of the ceremony, including when to get our marriage license. With minimal information of our relationship and engagement day, Ken performed a very personal ceremony. I can't refer Ken enough for our special day. He even mailed the marriage certificate, post ceremony. The next day, we got an email congratulating us again on our nuptials and send me a link to change my last name. We can't thank Ken enough for making our big day one we will never forget. read more

See all

My husband and I were married by Mark Murphy on September 23rd 2018. Mark was great. We told him about a website with some great vows and he was fine with reading from the website. He even added our 'story'. Very nice and on time. read more

We wanted to elope because of Covid and So Cal Vows made it so easy. We chose Sunset Cliffs and they got the permit and handled all the paperwork making it very stress free. Anytime I had questions or concerns, Penjo was right there with the answers. Our officiant was great with the vows and my ceremony was beautiful. I highly recommend this service. Made my elopement everything I could have hoped for. read more

Such a perfect experience! My husband and I didn't really know where to begin with planning our elopement in San Diego since we were coming from Arizona, but after one conversation with Ken we felt confident that our day would be amazing and we weren't disappointed. He picked the perfect location, communicated clearly and often, and truly made us feel like our ceremony was as important to him as it was to us. We had zero stress throughout the process. We put our trust in him and he met every expectation. Our ceremony at Windansea was everything we'd hoped it would be and Pinjo captured it beautifully. I wish we could do it all again tomorrow. Can't recommend enough. read more

I don't know how they're getting these many stars. Ken is ok- if you don't mind him having holes in his jacket, which is fine. Penjo, his wife, I'm sure has the best intentions of doing nothing for you. My bouquet looked like a half dead centerpiece from Thanksgiving or a graveyard. She doesn't respond to anything and she is horrible. They ruined my wedding. Everything I asked for with the vows- nope. The music- nope. Horrible horrible horrible. If you email them or speak to them about your wishes- they won't remember. And they'll keep reaching out for more money. Awful. read more

First, I would like to say that this review is primarily based on our experience at wedding ceremony this past February at Scripps Seaside Forum. Not our correspondence leading to the ceremony. Working with Ken Hudson was great! He made my husband and I feel comfortable, answered all of our questions, and guided us through our potential ceremony. Ken is so sweet and kind! After booking him, correspondence was quick and thorough. He even emailed me a few times to ask follow-up questions and reminded us to fill out his questionnaire. Because my husband and I are non-religious, we asked to customize our ceremony, which Ken was happy to accommodate! We emailed back and forth several times to ensure that our wedding ceremony would be exactly what we wanted, feminist phasing included. We also asked to add an additional reading to honor our mothers. I provided the reading and ceremony placement. We planned on giving our mothers a rose and an embroidered handkerchief. Ken never passed any judgment and often times offered several solutions, and ultimately agreed to all that we asked. Ken arrived about an hour before our ceremony to meet my husband and I, as we primarily communicated via email. He was warm and present. Before we walked down the aisle Ken clarified how to pronounce my husband's last name. My husband walked him through the phonetic pronunciation several times, Ken even took notes. Ultimately, Ken forgot about our request to honor our mothers. We were not given the opportunity to give them their roses and handkerchiefs, and the mothers reading we wrote was never recited. As you can imagine, as I knew when this reading was to take place, I was distraught when we moved to the next part of the ceremony. Definitely not what I was hoping to feel when I was minutes away from marrying my best friend. Lastly, after our first kiss as husband and wife, we turned to our guests to be announced for the first time....and our last name was utterly butchered. It was embarrassing and disappointing. Needless to say, the night went on and we had a fantastic time at our wedding. However, of course I would have wished for a different outsome during our ceremony. read more

I want to thank the entire team of SoCal vows for making it happened! It was a beautiful ceremony. My husband and I loved everything about your amazing work! Amanda and Luis were very patient with my arrival and coordinated perfectly. Panjo you have an amazing team! You guys are awesome! read more

Beyond my expectations!!! Wow wow. I HIGHLY recommend So CA vows. When trying to plan a wedding this is the way to go a package deal that fits your needs less stress. From the officiant included and Photographer ect. Extremely helpful leading up to the days my music on point. Your staff greeting me when I arrived and guided me to ceremony cite. From. Penjo intruding herself at the end. Xievier great comfortable Photographer above and beyond. Julia took her time made it fit to what we were looking for .. I can not say enough the entire team. My guest well impressed. Thank you So Ca Vows making my day unforgettable read more

Socal Vows - Officiants Near Me

See all

Ken was an awesome addition to our big day! We were planning from far away, and finding an officiant was pretty difficult over the phone; until we talked to Ken! He was quick-witted, open to my suggestions, and just very easy to talk to. We had a tiny bit of time to chat before the ceremony, but during the ceremony, it felt like he had known us for a very long time! He kept it quick (but not rushed), funny but not corny, and tapped into the emotions of the moments. Would definitely recommend! read more

Having Ken from Socal Vows to coordinate and marry my wife an I was a great experience. Everything went well we and couldn't ask for anything better. He was so accommodating and so professional. The photography we took in La Jolla came out beautiful & We highly recommended Ken and his staff to anyone who is thinking of getting married. read more

If I could give Ken a 20-star review, I would! Ken made our wedding day at a very busy beach so special. We met only a few minutes before the ceremony starts, but he was able to make it so special and personal for us. He's also very flexible with the planning and the location of our ceremony and we were greeted with the biggest smile the whole way! Please don't hesitate to book Ken as your officiant! read more

Socal Vows - Officiants Near Me

I had a lot of questions before the Wedding day and Ken answered every single E-mail and call, no matter what questions I was asking he was understanding and helpful. The ceremony was quick and easy like we asked and he helped us find a great spot on the beach even though it was a bit crowded. I also really appreciated all of Penjo's help and the great pictures that were captured. I'd highly recommend. read more

Absolutely Amazing! My husband (fiance at the time) and I wanted an easy wedding ceremony at the beach with just our immediate family and a couple close friends.  We both had been married before so we didn't need anything big and love the beach. So, I googled San Diego Beach weddings. Socal Vows was one of many companies that I emailed.  Ken was the first to resopnd and answered all my questions very quickly! As soon as we decided to go with him he sent me an email with a suggested layouts for the ceremony and questions for us to answer so he could get to know us and make the ceremony personal.  He answered all emails VERY quickly and sent informational emails about options we had. The day of my wedding was perfect! The photographer he works with is wonderful! Ken made our day very special! I definitely would recommend him! read more

See all

Socal Vows was an absolute dream to work with! Trying to plan a last minute intimate 50 year vow renewal (in the middle of a pandemic) from the east coast for my parents was an intimidating feat.... knowing only that we will be vacationing in southern California but not knowing the area at all. But Penjo and her team put me at ease and recommended a breathtaking location in Dana Point easily accessible for my eldery parents, provided the most caring officiant Ken and a photographer Xavier that risked his life for the perfect photo. It was beautiful, intimate, and everything my mom asked for. Wonderful memories were made and looking back brings me to tears. Highly recommend Socal Vows for anyones wedding or vow renewal celebrations! They are the BEST! read more

Socal Vows - 50 year vow renewal! - Officiants Near Me

Ken was amazing! He did such a great job and made our ceremony so special and memorable. My husband and I were so happy with his services. Our family and friends enjoyed the ceremony and he really did such a wonderful job personalizing it for us. Thanks again Ken! We would highly recommend Ken to anyone! -Chavon and Sean Kattner read more

My Husband and I recently got married and could not have been more happy with Ken Hoelscher from Socal Vows as our officiate. Ken made the entire process very smooth as we did mot know what all to expect. He gave us great tips along the way and made our ceremony feel very personal like he had known us for years. In fact many of our guests asked if he was a family friend as he told our story as of he had known us. The entire ceremony could not have been more perfect!. He also was a big help getting our marriage license process started and checked up through out the wedding planning process. Thanks Ken! Highly recommend using SoCal Vows for your wedding read more

Ken did a great job being our officiant. He was really good at consistently following up with us and reminding us of what we needed for our wedding day. We didn't really have much time to plan our wedding and didn't get a chance to meet with him prior due to our schedule but he did his research on our story and did a great job performing our ceremony and adding nice touches. He made the extra effort to make our day really special. Thank you Ken! read more

Socal Vows - Officiants Near Me

My wife and I had Ken from SoCal vows officiate our wedding. We honestly have nothing but good things to say about his service. He is clearly a professional at his job. Ken took a few ideas and feelings that we had about each other and extrapolated them into what truly was a beautiful ceremony. We received many compliments from our guests. He really did his part in making our wedding picture perfect. He also will do most of the leg work for you which is always nice when you have a thousand other things to stress about. Thanks Ken! read more

Ken was excellent! Made our special day very easy for us!!! He recommend a beautiful beach for our ceremony. Definitely can't go wrong with hiring SoCalVows Thanks Again Ken!!! Breah and Branden read more

The short: BOOK HIM!!! You and all of your guests will LOVE him! The long: Ken officiated our wedding this past August and was truly everything that we could have asked/hoped for in an officiant. From the first time that we contacted him, he was professional, accommodating, and quick to respond. We met up with Ken in order for him to get a feel for who we were as individuals and as a couple, and for us to get to know him a bit. It seriously felt like we had known him for ages and the conversation was natural and easy! Once we booked with him, he had us do a few activities in order to further get to know us and our story, and after that he reached out from time to time just to check on us and offer help with anything. While we never took him up on the offers, it was really nice to know that if we needed guidance on things like our vows he was there and happy to help. As for the ceremony...it was PERFECT. My husband comes from a more religious family than I do and he was hoping to have some traditional elements included in our ceremony, while I identify as more spiritual and preferred not to have an overly-religious ceremony. Ken was able to combine our beliefs and weave details throughout to create the most beautiful ceremony that I've ever seen (although, I might be a bit biased...lol). We received SO many compliments on how well he did and how personal he made it; several people even thought that he was our long-time pastor based on how detailed he was with telling our story and the type of humor he used throughout. After the wedding, Ken took care of sending in our marriage license and even followed up with us to see how the married life has been treating us. It's so nice to feel like we weren't just a "gig" for him, rather that he genuinely cares for us and has the highest hopes for our marriage. Ken is the person that should officiate your wedding to kick your marriage off right!!! read more

We choose Socal Vows for our wedding ceremony based on the Yelp review and we are happy that we did. Ken and the photographer David were very nice, kind and understanding. The ceremony went well, with a nice speech about love, commitment, and marriage. We could not ask for a nicer officiant. Thank you for being a part of our ceremony. We are looking forward to seeing the pictures! read more

Ken Hoelscher was absolutely great! I reached out only a week prior to the day we wanted to get married and he made it happen! He was quick to respond and help answer all my questions and concern. He really made our day special by asking us to share a little about ourselves prior to the wedding day and helping set up the order of how a ceremony should go. Even though it was just our parents that were there we felt very nervous about how it all would turn out, but it was perfect, Ken made us feel comfortable. It couldn't have been any better! Thank you again! ~Isabela & Daniel Herrera xoxo read more

Married the man of my dreams 1 week ago and still on cloud 9.. Ken Hoelscher did an amazing job officiating our ceremony. He took time to get to know us personally.. our guest kept complimenting us on our ceremony and on what an amazing job he did... Thank you for making us feel comfortable and even kept us laughing as well.. Great job.. #The Garay's# read more

We were very happy in the experience we had with Ken Hoelscher as our officiant for our April wedding. While our communication before the wedding with him was very brief, we were able to alter the vows and ring ceremony to fit our preferences; and he asked questions about us and our relationship that were well incorporated into the ceremony so we felt that the ceremony was very personal. Several people after the ceremony made comments about how personal the ceremony felt and how well it felt Ken knew us. read more

So let me start off with the good. 1. The price is fair 2. The set up can be beautiful Now here is the bad. I really am patient, straight forward and try to be as detailed as possible. Therefore I gave Ken our plans months in advance and then confirmed them weeks and days before the wedding. He did not reach out much regarding details I had reached out via email confirming things. I purchased 20 chairs. There was 30 (so many empty seats very tacky in my opinion). Ken did not speak or confirm ANY details the day or week before wedding except the date and time as well as a reminder that the balance was due. Via email I asked after the wedding if we can hang around and mingle with guest or do we have to leave and he confirmed that the next wedding was 3 hours after mine and I had time. However they tried to kick us off right after our quick ceremony and it was embarrassing to my guest. Also to add it took the bridal and groom party awhile to find the exact location the set up was on because we had no proper instructions. I don't know if it's because I had a smaller beach package and he didn't care or not but that was not okay and my special day felt cheap in my opinion. Literally they were setting up for next wedding when we finished and started taking wedding pictures. I have emails of how particular and on point I was and he failed us. I see the good reviews and I have to wonder are they even real because this was not okay to us at all. Lastly via email he said they would start our beach setup at 10:15 however the wedding party came early to help set up and could not find them and his phone was going straight to voicemail. When we finally got a hold of him the wedding was starting in 15 min and he said he was doing another wedding (previously he stated we were the first wedding that day) he could have updated us and let us know the time would be pushed back. We did not get that courtesy. He also didn't inform us the option of using option using a microphone and we had to suffer with the wind and guest/wedding party not hearing vows etc. Go with someone more reliable and consistent. If this happened to me it could happen to any one. Don't trust all the reviews I doubt this was a one time thing. I have emails pictures of the amount of chairs VS what I asked for. I have emails that show the time he said he would be there to start our setup VS text of him saying he was doing another wedding and the time stamp late. I wouldn't lie so I hope this business owns up and takes EVERYONES special day seriously **Ps his wife was really sweet and seemed helpful I don't want to discredit her kindness**Good luck all read more

After my husband and I got engaged, we were overwhelmed with the idea of wedding planning. We knew we wanted a beach wedding, but we didn't even know where to start. We stumbled upon SoCal Vows and hiring them was the best decision we could have made. After selecting one of their wedding packages, they started working on our permits, connected us with one of their officiants, connect us with their floral team, helped us get our marriage license, connected us with their photographer, provided all the day-of set up, and sent us emails throughout the process of what you should be working on as the day approaches. We got to choose our wedding theme and colors, as well as prelude, processional, and exit music. The only thing we had to schedule on our own was transportation to the wedding, and one of their first coordinator emails suggested a list of local businesses that could assist with this. If you are planning to get married in Southern California, make your life easy and hire SoCal Vows. We are so happy with the wedding they planned for us and would 10/10 recommend. read more

See all

Mark Murphy was a great officiant for our wedding! I really loved how he focused on us and really listened to our questions and concerns. Right from the beginning, he was professional and courteous. He introduced himself in our bridal suite and told us what to expect. During our ceremony, he kept it short and sweet, talking about our stories that we had given him in advance. I think it could not have gone better! Thanks for making our day so special and memorable! read more

Ken is so awesome! He makes sure he gets to know the bride and groom to make the ceremony as personal as possible. He made sure our ceremony went smoothly and fun. Everyone had nothing but great things to say about him. Having a great, fun and caring officiant is one of the most important things to consider for you wedding. I am so grateful for him and so glad we picked him for our special day! read more

Socal Vows - Officiants Near Me

My husband and I found Ken fairly last minute and we could not be happier. Ken was very responsive, kept us at ease and made out day feel as special as it should be. I would strongly recommend Socal Vows and Ken to anyone. read more

The location is absolutely beautiful but the service is absolutely horrible! They created so much additional stress for us before and the day of our wedding. Communication was always unclear and they were extremely rude the day of. One employee was nagging the bride before walking down the isle. The service was not good, we laugh about it now but they had questioned us to get an idea of who we are but then just read that in the ceremony (might have been nice to tell us that before) and it was extremely rushed. Our day was special because we made the most of it but their service could have easily ruined the day. I would suggest going with any other service than theirs! read more

Ken Hoelscher was awesome!! He was very natural. You can tell he loves what he is doing. He did a perfect job of describing our union. He made us feel every type of emotion, we laughed and cried. If we had to do it all over again I would pick Ken without a doubt. read more

Ken was a wonderful choice for our officiant for our wedding. He met us twice over coffee during our wedding planning and was very helpful in planning and organizing the ceremony. He modified the ceremony outline to accommodate our personalities and what we wanted. The ceremony was fun and sincere. He was able to incorporate the true meaning of marriage while also keeping it a joyous celebration. Ken also helped us in taking charge of the license and ensuring it was mailed back to City Hall for us. Thank you SoCal Vows! read more

Ken and Penjo are the absolute best! From the minute I spoke to Penjo on the phone I knew she truly cared about making our wedding day special. The planning was so incredibly easy!!!!!! They had everything scheduled out two weeks before. The deluxe package was perfect for our 20 guest beach wedding. The wedding decor was beautiful and the flowers were so fresh and perfect. Ken and Penjo were so quick to respond to any question I had. The photographer was amazing I couldn't have asked for more beautiful pictures!! We're still waiting on our video but I have no doubt in my mind that it's going to be perfect! I highly recommend Socal Vows. Our beach wedding was everything we wanted I wouldn't change a thing about our perfect day! read more

I found SoCal Vows after our wedding was postponed due to COVID. I originally had found another company that also specialized in beach weddings. However, during the pandemic, this company ended up closing. I actually found SoCal Vows while searching for reviews on another company. The reviews were so good that I contacted them. Penjo has been so responsive and has answered all my questions. I usually get responses back very quickly and even late at night from her. We wanted a small intimate wedding on the beach, and they provided everything we needed. It would have cost so much more to outsource all the vendors. We decided to book with SoCal Vows and put down our deposit. The process was so easy, and they helped us plan everything we needed. They really take the stress out of planning a wedding and provide you with a lot of helpful information. Our officiant was Luis and he contacted us early on so he could go over the process and for us to get to know him and vice versa. Luis is a really nice guy who explained everything to us. He was fantastic at the wedding and we are so happy he officiated us. SoCal Vows was very organized on the day of the wedding and everything went off without any issues. We had an amazing ceremony at Sunset Cliffs. My mom passed away and I had a chair in her honor as well as a bouquet charm with her picture on it. The photographer and videographer were very conscience of this and made sure to get pictures and video of these items in her honor. They were very sensitive to this and I appreciated the attention they gave to honoring my late mother. We got married a little before sunset and our pictures and video turned out amazing! The photographs and video are one of the only pieces you take away from a wedding and we have some great photos and video to always have as memories. I would highly recommend SoCal Vows to anyone getting married or wanting to do a vow renewal, they are fantastic! read more

Ken Hoelscher was great to work with and helped make our day fun and special. Ken took the time to get to know us and worked the info into giving a personalized ceremony that was both very touching as well as occiasionally humurous and entertaining. Ken did a great job meeting and exceeding our expectations. We would certainly reccomend him to anyone getting ready to take the plunge! read more

SoCal Vows was amazing. From day one, Penjo helped me through every step of the way. They were very organized and communicative on the day of the event and everything went smoothly. The wedding was beautiful and we had so many compliments. Ken did an amazing job and the team really felt like family. We are so thankful for you guys! read more

Ken was a wonderful officiant! He gave such a great speech. All of our family and friends commented on how wonderful he did.