Randy Hamm was our wedding officiant in August of 2015. At the time of this writing, we have just celebrated our two year wedding anniversary and have had the full opportunity to reflect not only on our own thoughts about our wedding but also those shared by our family and friends who were in attendance. Randy's wonderfully kind and open nature was apparent right from the first moment we met him while sharing a coffee at Starbucks (which we now refer to as "Weddin' Starbucks") to get to know each other. His warmth and genuine personality was immediate and fit exactly with the type of person we were both hoping would be able to marry us. We found we all shared a sense of humour which was not only helpful in combatting many of the external pressures involved with the planning the various aspects of our wedding, but also any anxiety experienced during the ceremony itself. We wanted somebody who embodied all the qualities of our relationship, and we found all of that and more in Randy. Right from the start, Randy spent much time getting to know us and what was important to us. As we developed our vows he provided valued guidance by asking thought provoking questions to help put into perfect words the love we both felt and continue to feel for one another. He made himself available anytime in case either of us had questions or needed guidance. But he also identified the cases where we were ok to walk the path on our own. He runs his own councilling practice for new couples and spent time using his skills in this area to ask thought provoking questions about us and our relationship in order to get the best picture of us as a whole. Randy spent a lot of time with us discussing the type of ceremony we wanted. When we were unsure or didn't have any specific ideas about various aspects of our ceremony, he provided a plethora of creative suggestions that he felt would fit our desired ambiance and atmosphere. From those, we chose our favourites and came up with what we felt was a beautiful and meaningful ceremony. Even though we are not religious, we had some family attending our wedding who was very much so and had certain expectations. Not wishing any religious content within our wedding, we were concerned that it would be a delicate balancing act between our own desires for our wedding and the desires of others. When we brought this concern to his attention he immediately offered to have a reassuring chat with any of our family members to help alleviate any worries. In the end, Randy quashed any such concerns with epic skill and calm assurance! He performed a ceremony that absolutely encapsulated all the key focus points of love, commitment, and respect that are held dear by many religions. He managed this by using terminology and vocabulary that is common within the church, but he used it in a context that would appeal to those who are not religious. Even though we had Randy marry us as a wedding officiant, his being an ordained minister calmed any concerns that the more religious people in our family may have had. The ceremony itself was beautiful and Randy encouraged us both to soak in every moment of the occasion and cherish each one. Many people say that their weddings flash by in a blur and often the majority of it goes unremembered. But now, two years later, the memories we both have are clear and happy ones. A calm celebration of love on the sea as we joined our lives together on a yacht at sunset. Indeed, when we found a party boat in our vicinity through portions of the ceremony, Randy used his excellent humour to lighten the situation and help people to laugh and enjoy the distraction. He has a true love of life which makes itself clear in every situation. After our ceremony, while we were visiting with our guests and generally basking in the glow of the evening, Randy took a wonderful initiative to take the still running portable audio recorder we had set up to record the ceremony and asked each of our guests to say a few words so that we would have these as everlasting memories. We were so touched that even though his portion of the evening had completed and he was invited to relax and enjoy along with everyone else he went above and beyond his role to do everything he possibly could to help make our wedding evening truly special for us. So, with all this said, we wish to express our everlasting gratitude to Randy for being absolutely amazing. Of all the people we worked with to plan our wedding (of which there were many!), he was without a doubt the best. Indeed, for many months after our wedding, all our guests commented just how great Randy was. We would absolutely and wholeheartedly recommend Randy to any couple planning a wedding! His skill in determining and creating the exact atmosphere desired is beyond what anyone could hope for. As we continue to move forward in our lives together, we will always have Randy at the forefront of our memories. Thanks Randy!! read more

I'm so excited to finally be leaving this review. First off, THANK YOU YELP COMMUNITY for guiding me their way! Let me take you through our process with Young, Hip & Married. 1. I initially contacted them via e-mail on their website (www.younghipandmarried.com) on April 22nd I believe. On April 24th, Tara e-mailed me back to acknowledge our inquiry and clarify the packages they offer along with the prices. When we were planning the wedding back in April, we only planned to have about 14 guests so we opted for their Elopement Plus package which is $347+GST, up to 15 guests, 5-10 minute ceremony, vows, and ring exchange. 2. After a few days of e-mailing, she linked us up with one of the last few officiants they had for that really busy weekend of July, and we got paired with Cory Dueck. She got us in touch with him and he insisted that before we talked logistics of the wedding, he would meet one on one with my fiance (now husband) in BC, and I have a Skype meeting from California to make sure we would be a good match for one another. 3. Within 2.5 weeks of our initial e-mail, we had our Skype meeting and it was an instant yes for me. Cory took the time to understand our back story, took lots of notes, asked a bunch of questions, and thoroughly went over the different packages with me to make sure that was what we wanted. To my surprise, my husbands guestlist was a bit larger than what I had planned for and it ended up to be around 35 people instead of 14. Go figure. That wasn't a problem for YH&M, they just bumped up our package for an extra $100 and were able to accommodate us for a longer ceremony that included a unity ceremony, as well as the extra guests. 4. Cory sent us an e-mail with questions, and my husband and I answered them separately. He made sure we had our checklist of things to bring for our ceremony and that was about it. Day of the wedding he showed up just a few minutes late because he was coming from across town from another ceremony, but that wasn't a problem at all since some guests were still coming in due to the funky parking situation we had at the cottage. Anyway, Cory seriously surprised me at how natural he was up there, which made me feel a LOT less nervous. There's a certain ease that comes with being around him, and I'm so glad because I was a lot more jittery than I thought I would be. Cory telling our story was like watching a movie.. I couldn't believe how well he knew it without looking at his paper very much. Down to the dates, the years, the memories.. It's like he had been our friend for years. He was engaging, SO funny, hit all the right points, and made our ceremony so so so special. Our guests could not stop talking about him for days after the wedding! A lot of them said it was one of the best, if not the best, wedding ceremony they had attended. Honestly, our special day would not have been as special without Cory and we are both so glad he was a part of it. I can't thank Tara, Shawn, and Cory enough for all they did to fit us in their schedule and make us feel like family. 10000% would recommend Young, Hip & Married for their services. Out-frickin-standing. read more

Their name says it all! For anyone who wants something different from the typical stuffy, impersonal, traditional ceremony, YH&M is the way to go. We had been looking online for some time to find an officiant, but none seemed to have the vigor and personality that matched ours. We finally stumbled across YH&M and were instantly impressed. Browsing through the officiants that are in the Toronto vicinity, many popped out at us, and we ended up choosing Mark. The entire booking process was a breeze, and we had one less thing to worry about (i.e. an officiant) in a matter of days. Several months prior to our wedding we made contact with Mark again to begin the process of developing the ceremony script. Unfortunately due to living far apart and our hectic work and wedding planning schedules, we weren't able to meet in person, but Mark was very open and receptive to talking over Skype. Mark himself was fantastic - professional, energetic, passionate about officiating, and, most important, very keen on making the ceremony as intimate and personal as possible. To accomplish this he had both us as well as some of our friends answer some questions which he then adapted into a story that he recited at the ceremony as if he'd known us for years. Closer to the wedding date we weren't able to meet in person again, but had another Skype call in which we went over all the details of the ceremony, which was very helpful. We were finally able to meet Mark in person for our rehearsal, and he was amazing at teaching everyone their roles and was super nice. Come the day of, Mark showed up early to make sure everything was ready, came to greet/console/comfort us as we got ready to start the ceremony, and then delivered a beautiful ceremony that had everyone telling us afterwards how much they loved how modern and personal it was. Overall, I would STRONGLY recommend YH&M if you're like us and want something different from your ceremony. The entire process from beginning to end was extremely simple and straightforward, and the end results were amazing. read more

My fiance (now husband!) and I got engaged this past December and we knew we didn't want a long engagement. We decided to get married in less than 5 months and knew we wanted only about 60 of our family and close friends. With less than 5 months we knew we didn't have much time and knew we had to book our officiant first. We researched online and read some HORROR stories about some local officiants. Heck, the list they have online had no ways of contacting these officiants and they didn't have a website. What are we in, 1980? I came across YHM through yelp and loved the reviews here. We immediately reached out and was matched with Jane. We met with Jane, not knowing what to expect and had the best conversation. We went with a very basic package and didn't even have a rehearsal ceremony. However from our multiple of communication, we knew that Jane was really organized and we felt quite comfortable. I won't lie, the wedding day itself flew by so fast. Jane was so composed and reminded us to take a moment to breathe. She had the most perfect words. Weeks leading up to the wedding, Jeff and I have read her script a few times and even practiced at home with our vows, but Jane managed to make it quite special on the day of. My mom passed away in September last year and I had asked Jane to add a little excerpt for me. It made it that much more meaningful. She had us turn around in front of our family and friends and really appreciate all of them being there on our day. We couldn't have asked for more. I've said so many good things about YHM to all my friends and colleagues. Everyone who was there on the day, definitely saw it in person. Jane, you've been spectacular and we both wanted to thank you again. read more

We used YH&M because we knew we wanted to hash out some details before we got married, even though we have been together for 5 years. We don't really have any obvious problems, and we didn't want to go digging for problems that weren't there, so I thought we were stuck. Until I found YH&M. I talked to Shawn Miller and told him what we were looking for, and sure enough, we were headed down the path to meeting our awesome coach, Randy. We met with Randy multiple times and quickly fell in love with him. He was just so easy to talk to - calm, non judgemental, relaxed, open, accepting. We had to opportunity to dig through things we didn't even think to ask each other, bring up stuff we didn't know we wanted to tell each other, and talk about feelings we didn't know we had about things. What we got from this was a deeper sense of connectedness and a confidence that there is nothing we can't handle if we take care of ourselves, love each other, keep our priorities straight, and give the relationship the maintenance it needs and deserves. I cannot recommend this more highly. I actually now believe that anyone who doesn't do this before getting married is absolutely insane. We paid around $500 for the premarital coaching package, but I can't even put a price tag on its worth. We loved our coach Randy so much, we decided to use YH&M for an officiant as well. We landed with Rich and he was also amazing. read more

Planning a wedding can be so stressful trying to coordinate a billion moving parts. Working with YHM alleviates some of this stress as they are professional and organized. Tara at the office was prompt in email communications and their online forms and payment system was very easy to use. We originally met with Cory, who we loved. We were very disappointed when we had to make some timing changes to our ceremony and Cory was no longer available for the new time. This happened about 2 months before the wedding and we were starting to panic, but Tara quickly hooked us up with Jane. Jane was so wonderful and helped us come up with a schedule (and held us to it)! Based on our experience with YHM, I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone who is looking for a sincere ceremony that will be tailored to your personalities and style. We had so many compliments from our guests about our ceremony - our DJ even asked for the contact info so he could recommend them to his clients. Even when we started looking for officiants, people we contacted who weren't available pointed us towards YHM. It truly speaks to their quality of service to be so highly respected by their peers and others in the wedding industry. read more

One, if not the most important, decision to make for your wedding day is the one of the officiant. We quickly heard from some of our other vendors that there is only one place to go: Young Hip & Married! After browsing through their website and watching some videos we chose to go with Shawn and were lucky that his busy schedule could fit us in. After our first meeting we initially felt the connection and in the following months leading up to the wedding we were working together on our personalized draft. Shawn included us all the way in his process, had an ear for our our request, and made us feel very comfortable. After a final meeting and the rehearsal all our high expectations were met. Finally, the wedding day was there, a beautiful day and Shawn made sure to arrive early and set everything up as planned. His performance was touching, funny and included the guests. Just the way we wished. We would totally recommend YH&M if you're looking for an officiant for your wedding. read more

I have nothing but good things to say about this company!!! Me and my fiancé had planned to be married next year. Shawn worked with us and helped us organize a beautiful ceremoniy hiking up to the top of a mountain witness and photographer included! Last week we decided to get married next month instead! No we are not pregnant! Just in love. I emailed Shawn the request of change. Not only did he agree to the change he also went above and beyond to help us find a location in the area that would suit our love for the outdoors. They changed the fees from my extravagant hike to a "simple ceremony" without hesitation. I have never worked with such an accommodating company! I am so grateful for young hip and married. They made sure that our elopement will be amazing and it was a very smooth transition. I can't thank you enough Shawn! Last minute changes are very stressful on a bride to be and because of you it's one less thing to worry about. I am in very capable hands! read more

Chris and I were married on Monday and we used YH&M for our pre-marital coaching as well as our officiant. First, the coaching was so amazing! We have been together for 6.5 years and didn't know if the coaching would be necessary..but we learned so much about ourselves and each other. We feel stronger together then ever before and could not be more grateful for Erica and Shawn! We cannot wait to go to their marriage retreats! For our ceremony Darian married us and he did such a stellar job! Not only did he come all the way to North Vancouver for the rehearsal but he kept the ceremony so personal, light and yet full of depth and meaning. Everyone who attended out ceremony was complimenting us on how beautiful the ceremony was and we know it was because of Darian! He simply rocks! If you want to have one of the best weddings you must hook up with Young, Hip & Married! We promise you and your spouse that you will not be disappointed in the least! read more

There's something to be said about the fact that we had picked out the officiant we wanted before my husband and I had even gotten engaged - and we were 110% right! Realtalk: Shawn & Erika were amazing and phenomenal. They have an amazing energy, are attentive to details to ensure your day goes according to your vision, are prompt in their communication, are caring individuals, super chill, hilarious, flexible and professional. They took all the stress out of a day that could've been highly stressful and helped us enjoy the moment and the start of a new journey. Tara (aka Office Goddess) was prompt in communication and super helpful about guiding us through the logistics and process. It just doesn't get any better than this super team! We highly recommend! In fact, down the road, my husband and I might just have to go through a divorce and then a re-marriage à la Elizabeth Taylor just so that we have an excuse to work with these two again... :) read more

My hubby and I chose to do a destination wedding in Mexico but then found out in the planning process that we'd have to go through WAYYY too may "hoops" (blood tests by local docs, extra cash to doc, specified period of time in mexico before being able to get hitched and so forth). SO INSTEAD--we picked up the nifty matchbox with YH&M's info on it (that we got from a Wedding Show here in Vancouver) and sent them an email to see our options. We were very pleased with their speedy and thorough response and booked immediately with them. They were fun and flexible and we ended up getting legally married with only the YH&M officiant and our parents at the LightHouse in Stanley Park. We asked for standard "but fun" vows and they were just that. Maybe more on the FUN side which we really appreciated. I highly HIGHLY recommend Young, Hip & Married for all your wedded needs! YOU GUYS ROCK! :) The Whytes read more

Wow! I can't express how impressed I am with YH&M. My husband and I are both students so we were working on quite a budget, but we wanted a ceremony more personal than a city officiant could provide. Our first email was answered quickly and we were told Shawn would be more than happy to work with us! They were very accommodating of our budget despite our wedding not fitting into either of the categories listed on the website. Shawn helped my husband and I personalize our vows and fit our children into them as well. He kept the ceremony short and sweet - exactly like we wanted - but also made it personal and interesting! We mentioned that we were having a 50's/hipster themed wedding and Shawn definitely dressed the part. :) Thank you Shawn and Young, Hip & Married for being the cherry on top of our perfect day. read more

When I was first recommended to Young Hip & Married I was a little hesitant to call them based on their review here on Yelp. My Friends who were married by Shawn last summer said to call them and just set up a complimentary meeting, they had nothing but good things to say about the company and Shawn's services. I did what they told me to do and I was blow away. Shawn made us feel so at ease, answered all our questions and created the most amazing Wedding Ceremony for us. All our guest told us it was the most personalized Wedding Ceremony they have ever been to. Highly Highly Recommend this company but especially Shawn. After looking more closely at the yelp reviews I saw that hey have 11 filtered reviews the majority of which are very positive. Look there for a true representation of Young Hip and Married. read more

We used Young Hip and Married for our wedding ceremony and had the extraordinary pleasure of working with Shawn. The highest compliment I can pay Shawn is that after the ceremony, we had many friends come up to us and ask how long we had known him. We met with him once and worked online with him for the ceremony. What Shawn produced was an amazing and personal ceremony that me and my wife will never forget. Throughout the ceremony, there were tears and laughter. What Shawn had written for us was intimate, profound and perfectly us. It was my favorite part of the day and we have Shawn to thank for that. I would not hesitate to recommend Shawn and Young Hip and Married to anyone that will listen. They are extremely professional and will work with you to have a ceremony that people won't forget. read more

Just like the previous poster, we found these guys by their matchbox we'd received at a local wedding tradeshow. We had a destination wedding and did not want to jump through the hoops, not to mention the significant extra costs associated with a legal ceremony out of the country. Darian came to our house and married us in the comfort of our living room before we headed off to Mexico and it was an easy and comfortable experience. The communication with the team is fantastic and we liked the vibe that they put out there. Very happy with these guys and would recommend them to anyone whether you're considering a DW or staying local, whether you consider yourself non-traditional or traditional. They provided a great service and we count ourselves among their many happy clients! read more

My lover and I finally got married and it was so perfect, and so much fun. it was affordable, and beautiful. Any questions we had where answered promptly and with a personal flare. all our friends and family also where so impressed. the cake kinda did not taste great but totally cool with that, we did not want to spend a lot of money and did not have a crazy wedding fantasy, on our wedding day that morning we where getting stuff ready for our small after party and just hanging with our kids, it was so delightful to be a guest at our own wedding and not be stressing over all the details, and family members(with all good intentions) not getting to in grossed in our wedding, our people where relaxed and and enjoyed there time a lot thanks so much and good luck too all of you read more

We had Cory and he was such a delight. As a couple coming from two seperate countries we didn't have a lot of time to organize our wedding and Cory was just brilliant! He helped us out with vows and the order of the ceremony, told us where to pick up our marriage license and all the nitty gritty (honestly my husband and i had absolutely no clue haha) He was amazing on the day, so friendly, he came to check on us both to make sure we felt prepared and never once did the smile fade from his face. He was perfect, really delivered a ceremony catered completely to us. Everyone commented after how wonderful he had been and i know when they take the plunge they'll all be asking how to get in contact with Cory. Thanks Young, Hip & Married for a beautiful day!!!! read more

Cory was a total Godsend during our wedding! He was charismatic, helpful, and conducted the whole ceremony with ease and warmth - we could not have asked for a better officiant. When we forgot our marriage licence at home (oops), he promptly showed up the day after our wedding at our house to get it done, going above and beyond what we could have asked of him. Many of our guests came up to us afterwards and told us that they were extremely impressed with Cory and what a lovely ceremony it had been. He set a relaxed, loving tone that continued throughout the whole rest of the day. 100% recommend him and Young, Hip & Married in general for being awesome, organized and the one of the easiest parts of our wedding planning. read more

My husband and I were looking for the simplest and most stress-free way to get married when we found out that a city hall wedding wasn't an option. YH&M made the whole process easy. Though our elopement was private, we wanted to make sure we captured the moment for family and friends, so the elopement + photography package was perfect (compared to similar packages, it was much more reasonable cost-wise too). Shawn took the time to speak with me beforehand to help pick options for a venue, and the whole ceremony felt both simple and special. After we were married, Erica was really easy to work with for the photography (we both feel a bit awkward about the idea of traditional wedding photos). Would recommend! read more