Elaine and Ryan
Julie was an amazing asset on our wedding day! She is a free-spirit, well-spoken, organized and very conscious of what you want and need on your wedding day. We had a small intimate destination wedding which included our immediate family. Everyone remarked on how beautiful our ceremony was and how Julie's presence and performance was outstanding! We came all the way from Michigan and trying to find someone to help us with our wedding day plan was difficult at first, but once we found Julie, that changed. We contacted her last minute after we found out one of our family members might not be able to officiate our ceremony. We were starting to worry that we would have to change our entire day's plan! She responded quickly and was able to make everything work the way we had originally had our timeline set up. She made the process so easy and fluent for us. Julie wrote our ceremony from start to finish, it was so true to us as a couple. It wasn't "just another ceremony", it was unique and inspiring! As wedding videographers, my husband and I watch many ceremonies. We had NEVER heard what Julie had written for us, not once at a wedding before. It was custom designed for us, which made our ceremony feel that much more special and in the moment. The ceremony was well-rehearsed and she made sure we knew what to say and do and when to do it. She brought everything she needed for the ceremony and handled all the legal documents, making everything convenient for us. She was readily available for questions and support before and after our wedding day. Julie is not only amarriage officiant, but someone who truly cares about your experience. It was by far the easiest and most comfortable choice we made on our wedding day! Thank you a million times over Julie!
- Vanessa & Darryl
We were so pleased to have Julie Ann officiate our wedding! She took the time to get to know us and ensured that our personalized ceremony reflected us as a couple. We were amazed at all the fresh ideas she had, especially since we were a bit unsure as to what we wanted to include in our ceremony. Our “snappys” ended up suiting us perfectly and made our ceremony so special, allowing our guests to see into our world through a bit of humour. Thank you Julie Ann for your professionalism and charisma. You helped us turn our thoughts into words and made our day so memorable!
– Kathryn & Devon
Julie Ann took the time to get to know us and as a result she helped make our wedding day perfect. We appreciate everything she has done for us, right from the very beginning, in order to make today go as smoothly as possible. We will always remember how comfortable you made us feel on a day when we were already excited and anxious. Julie Ann not only made a ceremony that was heartfelt, but also provided us with beautiful flowers and centerpieces for our venue. She also made lovely boutonnieres, corsages, and a bouquet that everyone commented on how beautiful and fresh they were. Julie Ann helped us share our love with all our friends and family and that is truly invaluable to us. It was absolutely perfect and everything we could have asked for, and we both feel she played a big part in that. Thank you.
- Catherine and Lucas
We were very impressed having Julie Ann as our wedding officiant. She was great at communicating, always prompt at responding to e-mails and answering all of our questions. She was able to write a beautiful ceremony that spoke to who both of us are as individuals. She was also able to include details that were important to us. We would not have thought to include a hand tying ceremony if Julie Ann had not suggested it and are so glad we did as it ended up being our favourite part of the ceremony. Julie Ann was very well spoken and we had compliments from many of our guests on the ceremony. You can tell that she has a passion for the work that she does and tries to honour the uniqueness of each couple she works with. We were happy to have her be a part of our special day!
- Kaitlyn and Mike
I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to Julie Ann Derer. If it were not for Julie my wedding would not have been as spectacular as it was. My wonderful wife Bryony Woodman, now the gorgeous Ms. House would also like to thank Julie for all of her hard work. Not only did Julie provide a heartfelt, tear jerking ceremony for us, she provided all of the flowers and center pieces. I guess I should mention my father in law Mr. Mike Woodman, he after all cut down a tree and centered out 12 amazing tree stumps so that Julie could add the most beautiful flowers to them. Julie and her wonderful husband Ivan also attended our reception and we could not have more exited to invite them. Lastly your words of wisdom and thoughts of jubilation for Bryony and I will remain in our hearts till death due us part. I apologize for the horrible wedding pun. Thank you again ever so much Julie.
- Bryony and Brad
Even before the first moment we contacted Julie Ann to officiate our wedding, her website showcased her open and welcoming personality and we were sure that she would make sure our wedding day dream a reality. Since we had decided to elope to Bragg Creek with less than three weeks notice, we held our breath as we emailed her to ask if she was available. In a very short period of time, Julie Ann made arrangements to fit us in between a rehearsal and another wedding the next day and we were meeting with her in person at her home to discuss our lives as a couple and what we wanted our wedding to look like. In all, from day one, she went above and beyond to accommodate us, as well as listen to and enjoy our story, thereby connecting with us on a very deep level.
Julie Ann not only hosted us at her house for our little wedding, she created a beautiful ceremony tailored just for us, she catered the event with amazing food, she made the bouquet, boutonnieres, and flower hair pieces, and she celebrated our marriage wholeheartedly with us with wine and the most amazing homemade cheesecake. Nothing short of incredible.
On an even more personal level, we felt that we made an immediate connection with her kind and kindred spirit. One particular moment stands out in our mind: When we walked outside to the ceremony, we took off our shoes to be barefoot in the grass and Julie Ann immediately exclaimed that she would be barefoot as well. Walking down the ‘aisle’ of flowers she had set out for us, feeling the dew on the grass, connecting with the earth and each other was a powerful experience, followed of course by the ecstatic experience of marrying each other (soul mates!).
Julie Ann, we look forward to a lifelong friendship with you, Ivan and your awesome dogs. Thank you for being the incredible person you are and for changing the world the way you do. We appreciate the immense difference you have made in our life.
To DREAM about a wedding is a wonderful experience, but to HAVE your dream wedding in reality, that is just surreal. Weddings to Bragg About made it all possible.
With much love, Thunder Shanti & Freddy Narooz van Egteren
Weddings to Bragg about is truly something to Bragg about! We had the pleasure of having Julie Ann as our officiant for our big day. Words can't describe how amazing she was to us and our big moment, from creating our own personalized ceremony, helping us make the day to be so special, and most of all giving us a level head when the moment came and nerves were setting in! Julie was more then an officiant that day she was a friend to lean on! Thanks so much for all your hard work and making our day the best it could be
- Chalcy & Drew Thomson
As a marriage commissioner myself, wedding ceremonies are a big deal to me. My wedding ceremony was perfect to me, the bride. My husband, family, and friends loved and raved about it as well! I couldn't help but imagine performing my own ceremony. How would I look at my ceremony, if I were my own officiant? From that perspective, my wedding was a disaster! It was outdoors, and the skies were roaring and pouring (thank goodness for the tent!). There was a tent full of guests, the bride was anxious, the groom was nervous, but yet we couldn't get started as the shuttle bus carrying both sets of families, and half the bridal party, was late! Despite these odds, we went on and had a most beautiful wedding. When I reminisce, we only feel happiness. And this is testament to how a great marriage commissioner is able to set a calm tone and have everyone at ease. Julie Ann was lovely in her delivery, she knew when to slow down, and when to rush. I am forever grateful she patiently waited for the bus to arrive, so we could finally get married. It was also amazing to see how she had taken care of all the little details, including the sound system, and keeping the marriage license safe and dry despite the thunderstorm! She was always great to communicate with, and would get back to our queries promptly. Julie Ann, it was a pleasure having you, and I hope to learn more.
"Julie Ann was the perfect choice as commissioner for our intimate riverbed marriage ceremony. She was extremely helpful by providing us with multiple ceremony outlines to choose from, as well as open and encouraging when we wanted to change parts of the ceremony to make it a true reflection of us as a couple. Thank you for helping to make our wedding day as wonderful as it was!"
- Kaihla + Mark
From the moment we first met Julie Ann we knew she would help make our wedding a special one, we just didn't realize at the time how special it would be. Julie Ann is one of the most genuine, caring & real people we have ever had the pleasure to meet. She wrote such a personal and special ceremony for us, it was as if she had looked right into our souls and could really see the long journey we have been on together and perfectly put it to paper. She completely took care of us on our day in any way that she was able. She even made the most beautiful bouquets I've ever seen for my sister and I, boutonnières for family members and a very special, gorgeous antique boutonnière for Dave that we will keep forever. We can't say enough good things about Julie Ann but Dave said it best, "Our day would not have been as perfect as it was had we been married by someone else." Thank you so much Julie Ann, we truly hope we will stay connected & you will always be a calming and supportive symbol of our marriage.
Julie Ann, Thank you so much for making our day so very special. It was fantastic working with you throughout the entire process. You were so easy to deal with and contributed some great ideas to improve our ceremony. We could not imagine having anyone else officiate at our ceremony.
- Ken & Karen
We want to thank you very much for officiating our big day and taking the time to personalize the ceremony so perfectly about us, our journey, and our life together as a family. We were so happy that our surprise wedding turned out to be such an amazing day, everything was perfect. I'm so grateful that Azuridge and yourself made our big day one to cherish and remember always.
- Lesley, Nathan and Jesse xx
Julie Ann, we can't even begin to tell you just how instrumental you were in making our wedding day such a success, but we'll try:
- Meeting with us to discuss the ceremony.
Suggesting on having a rehearsal to put all our minds at ease (which of course it did).
Arranging the ordering of the flowers and putting together the bouquets and bringing me more for the rehearsal.
Acting as co-coordinator on the "big day."
Your wonderful and touching speech
Extra flowers, vases and even though he didn't get to wear it the flower crown for the buffalo head.
And everything else that we forgot to mention.
- Love Wendy and Steven
Julie Ann,
Thank-you for making our wedding day so special. From the effort you put into planning our ceremony to the day itself + the amazing rendition of "oh the Places You Will Go." The day was perfect - we are so appreciative of the role you played + making everything run so flawless. Many thanks,
- Kiley + Mark
On our initial meeting, Julie Ann congratulated us with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and welcomed us with a bottle of wine. From the very start, it was clear that she loves her role as a marriage commissioner and takes it well beyond a basic ceremony. As we sat to get to know each other, my partner and I shared our desire to break from traditional matrimonial roles and Julie Ann showed herself to be both understanding and sensitive to our relationship. She spent the time required to really get to the root of our love, offered creative ideas and suggestions to mark the occasion, and reflected it all perfectly in the ceremony she created.
What truly made Julie Ann stellar was she didn't stop there. In addition to the ceremony (and more flowers), she also offered to handcraft boutonnieres from her collection of antique buttons and knickknacks with some sentimental items we supplied. She presented them to us on the day and explained the meaning of each item she selected to include. We were incredibly touched by her artistry and this made our day really special.
The ceremony was incredibly moving and Julie Ann carried us through both tears and laughter. She found the absolute right balance of poetic beauty and whimsical magic in our intimate ceremony and she was the perfect addition to a tiny elopement guest list. We're truly grateful to have had Julie Ann tailor a meaningful and momentous event for us. All the best to you!
- William + Christopher
Hello Julie Ann,
We want to say thank you again. You made our day special! You and the ceremony you performed was great!
- Andrey and Nina
Hello lovely lady !
I just wanted to tell you how amazing and magical our wedding was thanks to you :)
- Blessings, Kim and Karl
Julie Ann, this is amazing! You had us both in tears at different points throughout! I've never heard a ceremony like this and it couldn't be more perfect for us. All in all, there is not one single thing we would change. We can completely visualize it and it's going to be amazing!!
It's amazing how people come into our lives. Before you, we were thinking a quick, boring, stereotypical ceremony likes the ones we've seen before but now it's totally changed. The connection with nature and spirituality is something we couldn't have asked for or put together ourselves into the ceremony and you have done it flawlessly and I can see that you're as spiritual as I am and that makes it even more special. Neither one of us could imagine our day without you being in it. Everything happens for a reason seems to be our motto and we're so happy and grateful that it will be you marrying us. Thanks again,
- Sarah and Dave
"Our experience with Julie Ann was fantastic! She was so helpful with everything and we couldn’t have asked for better communication :)
Thanks so much Julie Ann!"
- James & Jennafer
"Julie Ann thank you so much for coming to our home, the wedding would not of happened without you. You are so kind and beautiful, keep doing what you are doing because you are so good at what you do, and that is to make people happy. That was a beautiful ceremony that you performed and very fun, so thank you."
- Best regards, Lianne & Mel
A person’s wedding day is a day that holds expectations of happiness and perfection. With months of planning details that will make the day exactly what the bride and groom want, the most important part at the end of it all is that the couple vow to love each other forever. Those vows are shared between two people, but the third person officiating the ceremony is an essential part. That third person’s character and personality can make a huge impact on the ease to which both the bride and groom feel during the ceremony.
After meeting Julie Ann for the first time, my now husband and I immediately felt relief that we had found the perfect person to marry us. Julie Ann brought very creative ideas about how the ceremony could go and at the same time allowed us to have our own personal touch to the ceremony. She not only recited Dr. Seuss for our ceremony, which is no easy feat with all the rhyming, but she also met with my husband and me before the ceremony to calm our nerves. Julie Ann also brought us beautiful flowers to put outside in the ceremony and made my husband’s boutonniere; simply out of kindness. She also bought us a copy of the Dr. Seuss book that she recited in the ceremony and wrote inside of it, which was such a nice sentimental gift and reminder of our day. The ceremony was a perfect balance of spiritual, traditional and also more modern in some aspects. The ceremony went perfectly and that is because of Julie Ann’s commitment to making every Bride and Groom feel special on their day.
We are so grateful for our experience with Julie Ann and would highly recommend her to anyone entering the adventure of planning a wedding and starting a life together.
- Jazmin Harvey & Ryan Moncrieff
"Julie Ann was very pleasant and helpful to us. She was very open to our ideas but very knowledgeable about the marriage process, which was very helpful. She recommended several areas in Bragg Creek and even said that we could meet her at one place, and if it wasn't perfect, she'd be happy to relocate with us. During the ceremony she was very sweet and took her time. After the ceremony, she invited us to her beautiful cottage-style home in Bragg Creek where she served us champagne and we signed the documents. Overall, our wedding experience was really special and warm.
Thanks again for your time and lovely words, and making our marriage ceremony so loving and special. We really enjoyed it as well and won't forget the experience."
- Amanda and Alex
"We could not have asked for a better marriage commissioner than Julie Ann! She worked with us to tailor a beautiful ceremony that perfectly reflected us as a couple as well as our out door venue, and made some great suggestions for the ceremony we would never have thought of ourselves. She also helped us with planning and recommended some great vendors, was a great and calming support to us on the wedding day, and even made sure the groomsmen's pocket squares were presentable! We would definitely recommend Julie Ann to anyone looking for a marriage commissioner or wedding planner. Thank you Julie Ann!"
- Brandon and Kaitlynn
"Julie Ann, Thank you for being here with us on such a special day! We are so blessed for such a beautiful ceremony! Thank you for opening your doors to us and sharing a beautiful night in your house you are and amazing person and we are so excited to have you in our life!"
- Best Wishes, Lindsey and Derek
We wanted to say thank you very much for the photos and the card you sent us, it was a beautiful ceremony and we appreciate all that you did to make it wonderful! Thank you again, you did an amazing job, and the photos were very thoughtful.
- Chat soon, Holly & Adam
First off, thank you so much for contributing to our special day. Your warmth, passion and genuine care for two people who have found love was transparent to everyone and meant a lot to Anita and I. We know the ceremony was short and sweet, but it really did mean a lot to both of us as it was not something typically done in our traditional ceremony. Thank you again, and all the best to you in the future.
- Shawn + Anita
"Mike and I had been waiting over a year to find just the right place, right time and right atmosphere to make our previously postponed wedding finally happen! It was really important to us to have someone who understood our needs and what we wanted to feel just at that moment when we said "I do"; someone who we had a connection with and felt supported by....
Luckily for us, after some searching, we found Julie Ann. 5 minutes of phone conversation and we felt as if she had known us for years! Julie Ann helped us prepare for and be fully engaged in our small but very anticipated wedding ceremony. She was there for us emotionally and as a supporting friend who helped with so many aspects....she helped walk our 6 year old ring-bearer down the aisle, found us just the right flowers and even offered for her wonderful husband Ivan to graciously step in to "give me away" when my own father was not able to make it out due to medical reasons...
We couldn't have asked for a more caring and compassionate individual to conduct our ceremony. Julie Ann brought in so many wonderful suggestions, including a "handfasting" ceremony that everyone loved and we will forever cherish! We are so very glad we found you Julie Ann and we feel as though we have also made 2 new friends through this process! Thank you again for all of the time you took with us and for the absolutely flawless ceremony you provided!
- Sincerely, Tara and Mike
We knew that Julie Ann was the right marriage commissioner for us at our first meeting. She was warm, attentive and really wanted to get to know us to make our big day as special as it could be. Julie Ann was very professional as she promptly came up with ideas that would suit us for our wedding ceremony. She was diligent in making sure it was truly a concerted effort in planning this. After the ceremony we heard nothing but wonderful things from our guests about how beautiful everything was. Many had commented on how intimate the hand-tying ceremony was while others asked how we knew Julie Ann as it seemed like we had such a close relationship. Overall, the experience was everything we hoped for and more! Julie Ann is very passionate about what she does and I think that is what made our ceremony extra special.
- Meaghan and Marc
We had a lovely experience with Julie Ann Derer, because she was a delight to work with. Everything came together just like we planned.
- Amanda and Keegan
Julie, you were absolutely incredible to work with. The ceremony was the most important part of our wedding, and we felt so blessed to have you as our commissioner. You helped us personalize our entire ceremony and vows until it was exactly what we were looking for, and you were so genuine and sincere in the words you spoke. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.