Spike rocks it. We didn't want to be married by just anyone and as soon as we met Spike we knew we'd found the officiant we'd been looking for. She was quick to grok what we were looking for and worked with us to come up with a ceremony that really celebrated what was unique about us as individuals and a a couple. We knew exactly what we wanted to say, but Spike more than earned her keep by taking our ramblings and bullet points and turning them into something that other people could understand and relate to. She never tried to push her ideas or words on us and was open to whatever we wanted to say or do, she offered to dress as a muppet to be the officiant of our dreams, she read our "mawwiage" quote from the princess bride in flawless silly voice and then in the next breath delivered a quote from Rainer Maria Rilke with all the seriousness it deserved. She may cost a little more than some dudes in suits who will marry you but in the end it's worth it. Standing there together, seeing only each other and hearing only Spike 's voice, that's the place where the magic happened. Until I experienced it, I really didn't know how much that ceremony was going to mean to me and in retrospect I am so relieved that we found Spike and that with her help and experience were able to create a moment that truly defined what we want the rest of our marriage to be. Also, be sure to check out her awesome blog "Weddings are a racket" for some great advice and ammunition against the wedding hype - I just wish she'd started it sooner! read more

I absolutely loved having Spike officiate our wedding. From the first time we met her, the conversation flowed easily and naturally, like we'd known each other for years. She understood our needs, including the conflict between what we wanted and what my parents wanted and was very gracious about helping us navigate a middle ground. To help you figure out how you want your ceremony to go, Spike will send you samples of previous ceremonies. When I needed more ideas for placating my parents, she graciously sent more sample ceremonies. And when I needed still more ideas, she sent even more. I think I read through 20+ wedding ceremonies! Don't worry, you won't have to do that much work unless you want to, but if you do want to, Spike is there to help you. And it came together beautifully. We wrote some of it, she wrote most of it, and we sprinkled liberally with words from great thinkers, writers, poets, and philosophers. When we said we had 3 readings with 3 different readers, she didn't flinch! When 2 of our readers didn't have their readings on the big day, Spike was ready for it; so ready it was like she knew they'd need back up. It was a seamlessly perfect ceremony. It was like we rehearsed waaaay more than the 20 - 30 minutes that we actually did. Like other reviewers have said, i had many guests tell me how wonderful of a job they thought she did, including our hard to please parents, which is really saying something. She's awesome! read more

Recently my husband I were married on 12.21.12 and we had our best friend who performed the cermony for us, he was nervous of course. My husband and I found Spike online and then decided to meet with her to get some advice and guidance for our friend. Spike was very laid back, organized, generous and most of all she was there willing to help ensure our wedding went smoohtly, and it did. Spike not only assisted our friend in officiating the ceremony, she provided well wrriten vows, then allowed my husband and I a chance to modify the vows to meet our needs. Spike went out of her way to help us without her there could had been chaos but Spike then took charge after asking and then told the band when to start playing, as she came to get my Dad, Mom and I from the bridal room when it was time to finally walk the isle. It was perfect and after the ceremony she stepped aside and guided our friend on how to fill out the marriage license. Lastly, let me just say Spike is accomodating, provides quick response time in regards to any email questions. Spike, goes well beyond her job alliveating stress and providing ease to the wedding party members and especially the Bride and Groom we had no complaints in fact we are Thankful for her hard work and her time spent ensuring that for years upon years I can tell everyone how smoothly the ceremony went and how perfect the whole expirence wad. and exciting Thank you so much, Megan and Beau Jenkinson read more

We lovedlovedloved working with Spike! She made planning the ceremony super easy by giving lots of advice and assuring us that the whole ceremony could be done without a day-of coordinator (which we planned to do without). We met with her once, told her what we envisioned, and then worked the rest of the time with her via email (although she was totally flexible with meeting with us in person any time we needed--even during her birthday month :) ). We had written an okay personal story that she really finessed into a funny, memorable story that totally fit us. We did our rehearsal the day of and she was awesome in whipping our bridal party into shape and really explaining to us what we all needed to be doing and when. I felt totally confident in her abilities to keep our ceremony running smoothly. For the actual wedding, she was so awesome... everything went smoothly and she even was able to read the audience and improvise some funny jokes here and there. Even now people are telling us how wonderful Spike and our ceremony was. I learned that having a beautiful, memorable ceremony will really set the tone for the rest of your wedding! I also appreciated the fact that she had worked with a lot of our vendors before, especially our DJ (Erik from DJ Greenbelt Productions--who is also just as awesome!). It makes such a difference when your wedding vendors know your venue and the other vendors. :) Thank you, Spike! read more

We actually scheduled our wedding around Spike's availability. We started planning in February for an April wedding...yikes! We picked our date and were thinking that we would have an evening ceremony. When we ran across Spike's website, we both decided that she needed to marry us. I sent an email to inquire about availability, and it turned out that Spike already had an evening commitment for our date...so we decided to have an afternoon wedding so we could have Spike officiate. We hadn't even met Spike, yet, but her website struck the right vibe, so we wanted to make it work. It was important to us that we have someone laid back and flexible since we did not want to have a traditional wedding ceremony. Meeting Spike in person a couple of days later only served to seal the deal in our minds, and we hired her on the spot. Fast forward to wedding day. It turned out to be a beautiful day and we had the most fantastic wedding and party at our home. Spike was a star! We had two little boys carry our rings, and Spike guided them (and us!) through it all. We had the simple, meaningful ceremony we wanted, completely tailored to represent us. After the ceremony, we swung right into food, drink and festivities, and through it all, people kept mentioning how impressed they had been with our officiant and the ceremony. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with Spike. read more

Hiring Spike as our wedding officiant was the best decision we could have made. We knew we had picked the right person immediately after meeting with Spike the first time. We wanted our wedding to be fun, relaxed, and most of all, not stuffy. Spike is assuredly not stuffy, and was a pleasure to work with. She is also extremely responsive and communicative, which makes the whole process very easy. As others have said, Spike will give you as much or as little guidance as you want when it comes to your vows. She gave us a number of sample ceremonies to read through, and we were able to work with her on crafting our ceremony and vows. We wanted a mostly non-religious wedding with some blessings and fairly traditional vows, and Spike easily accommodated our requests and made our wedding ceremony exactly what we were hoping for. We asked Spike to come to our rehearsal, and I'm so glad we did. She kept everyone on track, and prepared us for the next day. The day of the wedding was even better. She kept the mood lighthearted, and even had tissue for me when I started crying mid-ceremony. Our ceremony made us and our guests laugh and cry in the best way possible, and our guests are still talking about it. If you are looking for an officiant, I can't recommend or speak highly enough about Spike. You won't regret hiring her! read more

Spike is simply the best. Leading up to the wedding, she was really responsive and enthusiastic, always making us feel special and letting us change the ceremony script the day before (I'm sure she'd prefer I leave that part out but oops). She provided advice and service, without trying to steer us one way or another with our ceremony script. We don't live in Austin so we only met her once, about 6 weeks before the wedding, but she managed to make us feel like we were in good hands through the entire planning process. And then the day of the wedding. She arrived early and looked great, in all black with black cowboy boots, it was pretty perfect. And most importantly, she gave us an amazing, memorable, heartfelt, funny, and US ceremony. I've been to lots of weddings where it felt generic and like the two people getting married could have been anyone, but not with Spike. Spike tailored the ceremony script and vibe to us. And our guests noticed and enjoyed. Plus, as we were both at the altar getting all emotional, Spike offered us tissues, made us chill out and smile, and struck the perfect balance of serious, yet still us. I would recommend Spike to anyone who wants their wedding to be personal. And awesome. read more

Spike may not know this, but she developed a cult following at my wedding. I got more compliments on the ceremony she performed than any other aspect of the wedding. My husband and I aren't religious, but we are strongly spiritual and I felt that she truly understood that. She infused our ceremony with magic and romance, while maintaining a sense of irreverent fun. The ceremony she crafted for us deserves to be framed. She told a bit of our personal story and found some amazing readings that I had never heard, including a beautiful passage from John Muir, the environmentalist, that we might never have found on our own but that captures us so well. One of my friends told me that she was very deeply moved by Spike's words, and another newlywed friend's husband decided it was time to try for kids! My aunt chased her down like a crazed fan afterward. If you want a wedding that is magical and beautiful, without stodginess and dogma, and an officiant that creates a sense of inclusivity and humor, call Spike. She is well loved by everyone who participated in my wedding. She's got something special. ...Oh yeah, and she really has her sh*t together! read more

After searching online for officiants and reading about them, Spike was the only one that seemed like a perfect fit for us - and indeed, she was! We didn't know what we were doing, quite frankly, and were confused by trying to figure out what we needed to say/do during the ceremony. One meeting with Spike and all was cleared up! She GOT us - I'm not kidding, she really did. She sent us prose and poems and sample ceremonies that she felt fit the spirit of what we were trying to do/say, plus an outline that made everything fit into place - she somehow knew we needed to be organized in order to accomplish anything! We were able to create the perfect non-traditional ceremony with her help, and afterwards had compliments from our attendees about how meaningful and practical it was. (I just read the ceremony again before I wrote this, and it STILL brings tears to my eyes.) The day of the wedding when Spike walked up, I felt like a cherished friend had arrived, and it was that comfortable and sweet during the ceremony, too. "Officiant" is too small of a word for the energy, delight, and loveliness she added to our day. Simply perfect. read more

It was such a pleasure to work with Spike! Our venue, Laguna Gloria recommended her for our wedding and we couldn't be happier! We are more spiritual than religious and Spike really helped us create a ceremony that was unique but at the same time integrated some traditional elements such as the unity candle and the traditional vows. There are so many ways to having a ceremony and at first we were overwhelmed with ideas. When we met with Spike, she made us feel at ease with her very personable, laid-back style. She provided us examples of her other ceremonies performed which really helped us figure out what we wanted for our ceremony. Not only did Spike help us with ceremony content, she also offered to help look over our personal vows since we wanted them to be a secret till the day of and wanted to make sure they were the same tone, length, etc. Anytime we emailed Spike she replied immediately and we felt she was always available. It made us feel at ease knowing we had a very professional as well as personable officiant for the most important day of our lives! We highly recommend Spike! She was absolutely the best. read more

Spike is terrific. I had done a lot of research online and came across her info. She was the first and only officiant we met with. Chemistry is very important to us and we immediately connected with Spike. We didn't even hesitate hiring her (and we are not the fastest decision makers typically). We knew we wanted a non-traditional, non-denominational, yet spiritual ceremony with tribute to my husband's Catholic upbringing. Spike helped us through the entire process providing samples, suggestions, readings and providing insightful experience that you only get after performing hundreds of ceremonies. Her responses were always very prompt. I can't tell you how many compliments we have gotten on our ceremony content as well as Spike's delivery. When we met to develop the personal story that Spike would tell about us, I didn't know how she'd come up with something from what we gave her. I was so pleased and amazed with what she turned it in to...it was touching, funny and engaging. I can't recommend Spike enough. I never want to get married again but sad I won't get to work with Spike again as a result :) read more

Spike is an amazing officiant and an awesome person. She has wonderful energy and was an absolute pleasure to plan with and finally meet. We worked together to personalize a vow renewal ceremony that our friends are still talking about. On the day of our event, she helped direct guests to the chapel area (at Chapel Dulcinea) and had everyone quickly organized and at ease. Our guests' experience could be summed up in the word, "Wow!" which is what we heard over and over again. We were already excited about renewing our vows, but Spike made the experience truly magical. She conducted our vows in a lovely, resonant voice, and dealt with the unexpected - our accidentally tearing the rope down from the bell as we were ringing it - with grace and humor. She was great with all the guests, and with my mom's shy little dog (our flower girl) and made us all so happy. My 80 year old mother said she kind of wished she could get married again so that Spike could perform her ceremony. And - one of my dear friends, who was unable to attend - was possibly more upset at missing Spike than our ceremony! Spike is truly the best. read more

Out of all the wedding planning I'm grateful to say that the Officiant part of it was one of the LEAST stressful! My husband and I were concerned about where to turn when we realized "Sweet, we're engaged but who do we get to MARRY us??" Neither of us are super religious and thus did not know anyone from a church... and going to a church specifically to get acquainted with the minister didn't feel right. We were also scared of flipping through the yellow pages for a "rent-a-pastor" as our friends have done in the past. Fortunately, while browsing Offbeatbride.com I found Spike as a listed vendor and read through her websites. Seeing how open she was with the variety of religious and non-religious ceremonies we scheduled a meeting with her. It just sealed the deal - she was just as personable and professional as she appeared on her blogs. She helped us with the marriage license, reminding us when to pick it up and taking care of the filing of it after the wedding. Day of she was a total sweet heart - very patient and helpful with the friends and family. We couldn't have asked for a better officiant. :) read more

When we were searching for an officiant, we were trying to find someone who did #1 non-religious ceremonies #2 was not cheese-y #3 is totally badass. I had found her on google and loved her website and knew immediately that she was the right person for the job! I contacted her and we met in person at a local cafe, and we knew for sure that she had to be our officiant. She's so cool and she has a wonderful way with words. I knew choosing her would make the ceremony interesting not just to us, but for all of the guests. She had many many examples of ceremonies - and one of them we loved so much, that we used almost the exact same ceremony only with different excerpts. She was very easy to work with before the wedding, during the rehearsal and on the day of the wedding. One of her best qualities was that she was always so calm! Everyone loved her - we loved her! I even cried during the ceremony and she was very prepared and handed me a tissue as a teardrop was making it's way into my nostril. Aptly timed Spike! I HIGHLY recommend her! I couldn't imagine having anybody else perform our ceremony. read more

I'd like to add my voice to the chorus of praises being sung here for Spike. You know you made the right choice when the people in charge of your wedding venue make audible sounds of relief when you tell them you hired Spike Gillespie - "oh, she's awesome, great, we love working with her." Spike is competent, professional, and ready to work with whatever kind of ceremony you dream up. From our conversations with her, it sounds like she's done it all. Religious weddings? Check. Secular weddings? Check. Hippie poetry readings? Jokes? Unicorn masks? Check, check, check. We met with Spike in person, then communicated with her through e-mail. We mutually agreed that she didn't need to show up to our rehearsal, because she and the venue were so acquainted with each other and our ceremony was so simple, but she absolutely was available for that. She provided us with multiple example ceremonies, from which we were able to craft our own personalized version that she read beautifully. She showed up on right on time, excited and friendly. I cannot be happier with my choice to hire Spike. You should do the same! read more

Spike is AMAZING. The end. She is so personable and easy to talk to, she has a really fun personality and you can't help smiling when around her. From the moment we met, Mark and I knew she was the right person to officiate our wedding. Actually, before we met we knew she was the one. We had spent some time researching her. Her reviews are awesome and her blogs are hilarious. Mark and I met with her once at a coffee shop and we got to share our story with her (which, by the way, she didn't even have to write it down to remember it!) After that we communicated via e-mail, which she was very good about. She sent us samples of ceremonies she performed, and asked us to put together our favorite parts. She was great about sending us updates. We were able come up with the PERFECT ceremony. It was personal, touching, funny, not religious based (she does perform religious ceremonies though) The ceremony was one of my favorite parts of our wedding, and I was so excited to share it with my family and friends. You will NOT be disappointed if you go the Spike route. Good Luck Mark and Abigail Kostroun read more

Spike is such an incredible officiant and we were so lucky to work with her for our wedding. She is extremely professional, but also warm and funny. She worked hard to help us get our ceremony right, providing us with sample ceremonies and making suggestions after our initial consultation, showing she really listened not just to what we were telling her, but what we didn't even know we were looking for in our ceremony. Obviously I am biased, but I think the ceremony and vows we gave that day were the most heartfelt and sweetest I can remember hearing. She gave us an extremely special moment and hit all the right notes. Afterwards, family and friends had praise for the ceremony (without prompting) and both my husband and I knew that we were not the only ones so moved by the ceremony! Spike is perfect for couples who are not necessarily looking for all the traditional wedding vows a ceremony- she is flexible with whatever you can think up and is willing to put a lot of work in to make sure you have a wonderful evening. Thank you for everything Spike! You truly were a pleasure to work with. read more

I would highly recommend Spike to anyone looking for someone to officiate their wedding. We contacted her and within a few days, had set up a meeting where we knew right away she was who we wanted. We only had a few weeks until our wedding as it was on short notice and was very small but Spike made the whole process so easy! She was easy to talk to, never pushed her own ideas on us and totally got what we were looking for. She helped write the ceremony and made sure that the vows we wrote ourselves were not too different from eachothers without us knowing what the other wrote. She showed up when she said she would and took charge instantly from making sure everyone knew where to stand to making sure all cell phones were silenced. The ceremony went off without a hitch and she lead us in a toast after the ceremony was over. She stayed a little after the ceremony to finish the marriage license and take a couple of pictures and then left so we could go to our reception. Spike was extremely professional, kind, friendly and was a joy to work with. read more

Spike Gillespie made our wedding day so very special. We wanted a secular ceremony that celebrated who we were as a couple with elements of literature we love and cultural references that are important to us. Spike had numerous suggestions and helped us in writing a beautiful text, well paced with proper transitions from one part to the next. During the planning phases, she worked with our hectic schedule and was so nice in gently guiding us. No pressure, no drama. Just what you want when you have a month to plan a wedding! It was an incredibly emotional day for me as bride, and for my children who were part of the ceremony. Spike was like a beacon of light guiding us through, offering tissues, and direction in a non-intrusive way. My family and friends are still talking about how lovely the day was and how good Spike was in making sure every word was heard and enjoyed by all. She is probably one of the most positive people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. She exudes a joy of life that is rare in most people. I highly recommend her. read more