The officiant search was perhaps our biggest wedding planning challenge. We didn't get married in a place of worship and neither of us belonged to a local congregation, but we wanted something a bit more personal than a wham-bam rent-a-rev. My husband found Bruce--where else?--on Yelp, and we couldn't have been more pleased. At our first meeting he presented the choose-your-own-adventure of wedding celebrations: a planning booklet with suggested readings and ceremony components. We were welcome to pick and choose the elements that best fit us, or come up with something entirely different. He took the time to get to know our style, perspective, and beliefs in our introductory meetings and offered his own suggestions when appropriate. Super organized, Bruce assumed the role of ceremony coordinator, diplomatically guiding our family and wedding party through the rehearsal and big event. He lent a touching, personal perspective to our ceremony, and his reflections drew raves from our conservative family members and progressive friends alike. Highly recommended. read more

Bruce conducted our wedding ceremony on July 9 at Salvatore's Ristorante...and, we couldn't be happier! To put it simply, he GOT us as a couple and tailored our ceremony to us. No cookie-cutter ceremony with Spirited Weddings. Our guests raved about him, his words of wisdom and humor. It was absolutely the best part of the whole day. THANK YOU BRUCE! read more

My now husband found Bruce online and I'm so glad that he did! Bruce gave us exactly what we were looking for in our ceremony. Neither of us are religious, but we still wanted our ceremony to be familiar to our guests and family. Some traditional aspects of the ceremony were important to us, but we also wanted to keep it contemporary. As soon as we met with Bruce, we knew he was the right man for the job. His kindness, warmth and humor were evident from that first meeting. He made the whole planning process so easy and he was great during our rehearsal - being clear and keeping everyone relaxed. So many friends and family have told us that our ceremony was perfect and one of the most moving they have experienced. We could not be more pleased and we're very glad Bruce was part of our special day. read more

Our wedding was just about a month ago and still we are hearing compliments on Bruce and what a wonderful job he did! Bruce was wonderful to work with and we couldnt have asked for anything better. We created a beautiful ceremony together that was fun, emotional, and memorable for our guests. We enjoyed getting to know Bruce along the way and even after the ceremony was over.....he came in to say thank you to us.....which we will never forget. Our families enjoyed meeting him as well.....and he made the planning process for the ceremony very easy for us. We were and are still thankful for Bruce and the wonderful job he did! Nate and Tess read more

My husband and I are of mixed faith, so when finding an officiant for our wedding we had a lot of criteria that needed to be met. Bruce met it all! When you work with Bruce you design your own ceremony, which was exactly what we wanted. Bruce also adds his own twist to make your ceremony special. Bruce was professional, kind and respectful. Our ceremony was beautiful, Bruce made it feel like it was just my husband and I standing up there. Our ceremony was quick, and many guests remarked how awesome Bruce was. read more

Bruce conducted our wedding this past weekend and I must say he was outstanding. Very organized and made planning the ceremony so easy (especially considering we were planing our Chicago wedding from out of state). During the process he asks all the right questions you don't necessarily think of and is just all around super helpful. Many guests from our wedding told us how much they enjoyed the ceremony and Bruce as our officiant. I would not hesitate to refer him again! read more

Bruce officiated our wedding in April 2016. Working with him was so easy and pleasant. He is warm and professional. During our first meeting, Bruce spent some time getting to know us and then talked us through the sections of the ceremony and explained his handbook. He also handled our rehearsal dinner, which helped everyone relax. I highly recommend working with Bruce! read more

My husband and I had the pleasure of working with Bruce Otto for our Sept 4th wedding. Bruce was exactly what I was looking for in an officiant. Finding someone to marry you is not easy if you do not belong to a congregation. I did not know where to start, but I knew I wanted a spiritual (not necessarily religious), warm, intimate, and personalized ceremony. Bruce delivered on every aspect. I found Bruce (Spirited Weddings) on line. Next step was to exchange a few emails with Bruce to see if we were on the same page. Bruce invited us to his home for an informal meeting. We were able to get to know Bruce and learn his process for conducting ceremonies. Bruce is warm, approachable, and intelligent. He broke everything down in a very thoughtful manner. My husband loved the fact that we were basically able to build our own ceremony. Bruce gives you choices for each component of the ceremony and you get to create the ceremony that best reflects you. This was huge for us. Bruce offered his opinion and advice, which we welcomed. Fast forward to our rehearsal and wedding day. Bruce was very calming, confident, and warm. He understands that everyone is a bit nervous, which is why his calming nature is so perfect. We had a small wedding (2 bridesmaids/groomsmen) and 80 guests. We did not have a wedding coordinator. Bruce acts as the coordinator on your wedding day, keeping everyone in check, and informing all when they should do what they need to do. Bruce's homily was so heartfelt. Practically every guest commented on how much they enjoyed Bruce's words. They all asked where I found him! Anyway, I could go on and on! Bruce made the most important part of our wedding day, absolutely beautiful and a truly wonderful memory. Thank you, Bruce! read more

Spirited Weddings - Officiants Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Bruce was wonderful to work with. Bruce offered really helpful guidance on the procedures. He was accommodating and professional. We met with him twice to plan the ceremony. He was also very helpful the day of in prepping all of us and giving some helpful tips on what to do and what not to do. We would recommend Bruce. Thanks Bruce. -JZ read more

Bruce officiated our May 6th wedding, and was truly wonderful. We met with Bruce two previous times to get acquainted and run through the wedding ceremony. Bruce is incredibly organized and calm - two very important traits to have on the day of your wedding. We received countless compliments from our guests about our ceremony and Bruce's homily. If you're looking for someone who will perfectly tailor the ceremony to your own needs and wants, as well as be refreshingly calm and organized both throughout the planning process and on the day of the wedding Bruce is the officiant for you! I cannot recommend Bruce highly enough. read more

Bruce officiated our wedding at Promontory Point, and he did a fantastic job. He is extremely well organized, prompt, and polite while planning the service. He was able to help us create a non-religious ceremony that was emotional and heartfelt. Bruce has a wonderful presence, and his voice and mannerism are calm and reassuring. We could not be happier with our choice to have Bruce officiate our wedding, and recommend him without hesitation. read more

Bruce did a phenomenal job for our wedding ceremony this past winter! He is extremely organized, professional and responsive. He provides his insight and guidance on what will make a beautiful, personalized ceremony. He will customize every aspect of the ceremony to what works for you as a couple. He works extremely hard to make sure the ceremony goes off perfectly. He pays attention to little details so that you don't even have to think about them. He has an amazing presence and his personal comments were meaningful and made people smile/laugh. Thank you again! read more

Bruce was our officiant for our March 30th wedding at The Adler. Bruce did a wonderful job and all of our guests commented on how great the ceremony was. Bruce is true professional. You won't have to worry about him going off-grid like I've seen other officiants do at weddings and he knows the ropes and has worked with most of the major Chicago wedding vendors. Bruce will plan your ceremony with you after getting to know the two of you as a couple and will treat you with respect and courtesy. He is also a very kind and empathetic person, which was truly appreciated when I lost my father a month and a half before our wedding. Bruce very easily adapted to the fact that we wanted a traditional wedding where religion played a part (for me, due to my religious upbringing) but wasn't the central focus (for my then-fiance, who is not actively religious). He also incorporated a few other culture ideas seemlessly into the ceremony (such as the Indian Seven Steps for my then-fiance). Bruce and Spirited Weddings come with our highest recommendation and we thank him for a very special (and seemless) ceremony on our wedding day. As both a professional and a wonderful person, his presence at our wedding as our officiant was so very much appreciated. read more

Bruce did an amazing job officiating our wedding. Several married couples approached us after the ceremony to confirm for us the truth and value in Bruce's advice during the ceremony. We received many more compliments from our guests on as to how beautiful the ceremony was and how much they liked Bruce himself. It's hard not to like Bruce. He has such a warm personality but also has a commanding presence when addressing a crowd. That's a perfect combination for wedding officiant! Working with Bruce was a breeze. He is very organized and professional and makes it easy for you to customize the ceremony to your own style. He provided excellent suggestions that worked well with the aesthetic and flow of our ceremony. He was also fantastic during the rehearsal dinner, efficiently guiding everyone through the ceremony and making sure everyone understood their role. And he was able to accomplish this while keeping everyone smiling and laughing. His years of experience and keen attention to details impressed not only us but our entire bridal party. We originally found Bruce via yelp and can now confirm from firsthand experience that all of his 5 star reviews are no coincidence. Thanks much, Bruce! read more

Bruce Otto performed the ceremony for our August 16, 2014 wedding and he was phenomenal! His method for wedding ceremony preparation was seamless and professional. He gave us a planning guide that made things very stress free and he allowed us to customize our entire ceremony, which was a great alternative to writing our own vows. Bruce delivered a thoughtful and well spoken ceremony that all of our guests appreciated. The section where he added his own words was full of great advice and we were so grateful to have him with us on our special day! Thank you, Bruce! read more

My husband and I were married by Bruce Otto just this past weekend. As we planned our wedding, my fiance and I knew we wanted a ceremony that was short and sweet. And Bruce delivered just that! In preparation for the wedding, Bruce was professional and warmly guided us through the process of selecting benedictions, prayers, readings and vows. He was extremely flexible about us adjusting the language to suit our preferences too. Bruce also arranged a series of video chats since my husband and I live outside of Chicago. Bruce made himself available for our rehearsal which was very comforting. He lead the bridal party efficiently through processional and ceremony with authority. During the ceremony Bruce delivered a very sweet homily that was touching and insightful. His delivery was warm and genuine with just the right tone and cadence to match the joyful solemnity of the event. Immediately after the ceremony, a handful of friends enthusiastically said that it was a great ceremony and paid great compliments to Bruce's impeccable performance. I was so impressed with Bruce and can not endorse him enough for any nearly-weds! read more

Bruce Otto officiated our wedding ceremony in May 2017, and we absolutely couldn't be happier! Bruce was very professional and easy to work with throughout the planning process. I am Jewish and my husband is Catholic, so determining how we wanted our wedding ceremony to be structured was a bit overwhelming at first. With Bruce's help, we put together a ceremony that was unique, warm, very "us", and a nice combination of our two backgrounds. We also loved how Bruce inserted his own sense of humor and wisdom into the ceremony. We received a TON of compliments from our guests on our ceremony, and would definitely highly recommend Bruce to any couple in the Chicago area who is looking for a wedding officiant. read more

Finding an officiant was my job, and I was behind the ball. My wonderful fiancee was not pleased, as she had just about everything else well in hand. Several options fell through or didn't feel right, but with just less than a month left, I finally found Bruce. And he couldn't have been better. We didn't have a lot of specifics in mind when it came to the script or structure of the ceremony, and he made that easy, with a few simple questions and a binder full of suggestions that we could customize. As a non-religious couple with a few very religious family members, we were looking for a secular wedding that wouldn't make elderly aunts weep for our heathen souls. Bruce delivered - in fact, he had those aforementioned aunts swooning. He's tall, looks sharp, and projects a very warm image. (Looks terrific in photos.) He doesn't stick around after the ceremony, but he was up front about that and arrived early on wedding day. We're glad he was part of our wedding! read more

We are so happy that we had Bruce officiate our wedding back in November! He could not have been easier to work with. He was extremely well prepared and professional. He also took the time and effort to get to know us and that really showed during the ceremony. Bruce provided an amazing (and much needed) sense of calm and confidence during our rehearsal and ceremony. With his help, there was never a doubt that things would go smoothly. He truly did a wonderful job making our ceremony special and we cannot recommend him highly enough. read more

We looked at three different pastors to marry us, and we couldn't have been happier with hiring Bruce as our officiant. We are non-denominational churchgoers and Bruce was perfect. We received compliments on the perfect ceremony. Thanks Bruce read more

Bruce was perfect for our wedding. He spent quality time with us to guide us through the process of planning our ceremony, kept the rehearsal orderly, expertly officiated the ceremony, and had the congregation amazed at how perfectly "us" the whole thing was. He also had worked with our wedding planner a number of times, which made for a seamless ceremony. There's a reason Bruce has such positive reviews, and we're happy to add ours. read more

Bruce was a wonderful officiant and made the ceremony memorable, beautiful and stress free. Even given some delicate family dynamics, he was able to specialize the ceremony to our wants and needs and made the day truly special. He gave wonderful suggestions for both religious and spiritual readings and his homily was heartful after our few meetings. Family and friends alike commented on how great the ceremony was and commented on the romantic and intimate feel of the day, largely due to Bruce. Lastly, Bruce was essential in helping with coordination of music, readers the day of as well as the processional. Most of all, he was a calming, reassuring face that I appreciated tremendously. I would recommend his services to ANYONE! read more

We had Bruce officiate our wedding a few weeks ago and he definitely delivered. He wrote us a short but sweet ceremony, which is what we wanted. He is a great speaker and all of your friends and family enjoyed the ceremony he put together for us. He is very nice, calming and laid back which is my husband and my style. I would recommend him to anyone looking for a great officiant! read more

We just got married in Chicago on Sept 26th at the Rookery and Bruce Otto conducted our ceremony. To the say the least, it was the most wonderful moment of our lives and Bruce did a great job. He provided us with a structure to build our own custom ceremony, and he was flexible to include quirky elements (like a pinky swear thumb lick vow that was special to us, but obviously a bit goofy). There were moments of appropriate sadness during the Remembrance, solemnity during the more Religious parts, and authentic wisdom bestowed upon us by Bruce during his homily. We didn't know Bruce very well and never met him in person prior to the wedding rehearsal (because we live in California), but nonetheless, the way he conducts the entire planning, rehearsal, and ceremony itself is very professional and sincere. We couldn't be happier with the service Bruce provided for us on this momentous occasion. read more

Bruce is amazing. My now hubby and spent quite some time trying to find an officiant for our wedding. Neither of us are particularly religious, but we wanted someone with an open religious background, who was warm and accepting and took the job seriously. Bruce was perfect! Everyone else was either too "out there", too spiritual, or just not comfortable to be around. Bruce has a wonderful calming presence and was great to work with from the start. We met with him at his home where he provided us with his background and options for the process. He then provided us with a "menu" of different selections for the ceremony content. We were able to go through what he had, pick our favorite excerpts, add some things of our own, and create a ceremony that fit us perfectly. Once the wedding came around Bruce was wonderful again. He ran the rehearsal efficiently and the proceedings for the ceremony were done beautifully. We got so many compliments on how wonderful he was, how special the ceremony felt and how it seemed like we knew Bruce for years (we didn't). He was just great and would recommend Bruce to anyone! read more

Bruce married my husband and me on May 17, 2008. He was an absolute pleasure to work with from start to finish. The documentation that he provided to help us plan/ structure our ceremony made the process easy and stress free. He was organized, dependable and had an engaging and personal touch. Many of the guests commented on how special the ceremony was and we have Bruce to thank for that. His words on marriage were touching and balanced with just the right amount of light heartedness and humor. We loved working with Bruce and would highly recommend him to anyone! read more

Upon inquiring about Bruce's services he was short, rude and dismissive. He will not get my business.

Since I planned my long distance wedding using Yelp, I know how important it is to have an accurate and unbiased review of the businesses on this site. My husband and I were looking for an officiant that could put together a ceremony that would reflect our non-religious vows, without offending our multi-cultural backgrounds. Bruce Otto was able to provide a very structured outline for the ceremony, but giving us complete choice for each category. He has so much experience making customizable ceremonies, that each ceremony is as unique as the couple themselves. His warmth and humor, not to mention his words of wisdom had our wedding guests impressed and light hearted and in the perfect mood for the party! Every photo from the ceremony shows the happiness shining through our eyes and the joy our families felt for our marriage. I could not have asked for anything more!! I Thank Bruce and all the other Yelp reviewers for showing us the way to have our dream ceremony. read more

We worked with Bruce for our wedding and couldn't be happier! When we initially were researching officiants, we didn't really know what we were looking for, we knew we wanted a non-denominational wedding with a few Orthodox Christian elements incorporated and Bruce helped us craft the perfect ceremony. He was responsive, dependable, well-spoken and witty. Numerous people came up to us after the wedding and told us what a phenomenal job he did. Many took the advice he gave for a successful marriage and put it into effect that same night. We highly recommend Bruce! read more

Bruce Otto was the perfect officiant for our wedding! He is very friendly, professional and provides customized ceremony. We have received numerous compliments from our wedding guests about the awesome job Bruce did. I would highly recommend Bruce Otto to anyone. read more

My husband and I got married in November 2008, and could not have been happier with our choice of Bruce Otto as our officiant! Bruce was the first and only person we interviewd, and instantly knew he encompassed all that we wanted in our wedding ceremony. He helped us create a ceremony that was unique to us, and it turned out to be exactly what we wanted. Bruce's presence was incredibly calming and professional, and we received many compliments regarding his service. He was always available to answer any questions or concerns, and truly did an amazing job. Anyone looking for an officiant in the Chicago-land area should seriously consider working with Bruce, he made our ceremony beautiful and memorable---exactly what we wanted. read more

We struggled with the question of who was going to officiate our wedding, as neither one of us are regular church-goers. We wanted a personal, meaningful ceremony that reflected a balance between traditional (weddings are traditional after all-- we wanted some of that solemnity) and our more modern values. Bruce listened to our needs and helped us create a beautiful ceremony. He made an effort to get to know us a little and completely put us at ease. We liked that he provided us with a framework that we could add to or take away from, which made the ceremony flow nicely. He also took it upon himself to coordinate with the musicians and photographer so everything just came together seamlessly. If you go with Bruce, the ceremony is just one less thing that you will have to stress about on your wedding day. read more

My husband and I found Bruce through our wedding Planner, Lindsay Stein Cohen with Designer Event Chicago. At first, I wanted a friend to marry us. Now that I look back on it, I am so glad that we went with Bruce. Sometimes having someone you know marry you can get a little awkward - especially if they have never performed a ceremony before. Bruce is a pro. He is cool, calm and collected. Meeting with him is also very easy. He makes you feel right at home and he is easy to discuss things with. He also has everything outlined perfectly for you. He gives you a ceremony packet and instructs both the bride and groom to go through it on their own and then together. He lets you pick out what you want included in the ceremony. At first, the reading material may seem a little frightening, but it actually is a great activity to do together and a way to make your ceremony "yours." Bruce truly sets the bar high for wedding officiants. read more

Rev Bruce Otto married us on 12/27/13 at the River East Art Center, after only being engaged 3 months! My husband and I are both Catholic, we desperately searched for a Catholic priest to marry us and reached out to several, including those at my parish downtown, with disappointing results of no returned phone calls or emails or being told by a secretary that "you need to do Pre Cana first and our first open sessions are Feb 2014, sorry we can not help you" At our quits end, we were told by a friend to contact Rev Bruce Otto. I emailed him with 6 weeks to go before our wedding and within 20 mins, he responded to my email. I can not explain the relief I felt from just actually getting a response from an officiant, and not even knowing what he had to say. Rev Bruce said he could preside over our ceremony, and we just needed to meet with him a few times before the wedding day. I heard angels singing as I read his response and then read it again out loud to my then fiance. Rev Bruce Otto is wonderful! He is direct, thoughtful, professional, thorough, and most of all he listens to what you want your ceremony to be like. He tailors the ceremony to your wants and ideas for the perfect union. He can make the ceremony as religious or not as religious as you desire. He knew we were Catholic and that we wanted to incorporate a touch more Catholic feel to the ceremony, and so he did. Bruce gives you many choices of each section of the wedding, and you get to choose which selection best suits you. Our wedding ceremony was perfect! Many people approached me afterwards telling me what a fantastic job Bruce did. The accolades kept coming for weeks after the wedding. I highly recommend Rev Bruce Otto, and I am honored we were able to have him preside over our union of marriage. read more

We couldn't have asked for a better officiant for our wedding! Bruce was incredibly organized throughout every step of the planning process and helped us design a ceremony that was unique and personalized. His ceremony delivery was warm and genuine and we received so much great feedback from our guests. Thank you Bruce for making our big day even more special!! read more

Bruce performed a beautiful, simple, heartfelt ceremony for our restaurant wedding in Chicago. It was exactly what we had hoped for--a personal ceremony that was about celebrating our relationship with each other and our community, and it set the tone for the whole rest of the evening. So many people approached us throughout the night to say how lovely and perfect for us the ceremony had been! read more

Bruce Otto was a fantastic officiant for our wedding. He worked with us to really personalize our wedding to be perfect for us. He has an amazing book ("or menu") of choices for each part of the ceremony. This way you get to choose every word that he says except for his homily, but you don't have to write it all from scratch! He has enough choices for just about any type of couple to work from. This really made our ceremony feel extra special to us. We did not want to have an actual rehearsal due to timing logistics and Bruce worked with us and just did a quick overview before the ceremony which was perfect for our group. He has a very soothing and wonderful speaking voice. He coordinates the entire ceremony including speaking with the musicians about timing and lining up the wedding party. He also takes care of the marriage license paperwork and mails it in for you. Guests told me it was the most beautiful ceremony they had ever heard. I could not recommend Spirited Weddings with Bruce Otto more! He was the perfect officiant for our personalized ceremony. read more

Bruce was so great to work with. You can tell he has been doing this a long time. He is reasonably priced, he answered my emails right away, and in general he is a really nice person. After booking him he sent us a template for the ceremony which was awesome it had so many options to pick from. You could pick more religious, or more spiritual, or a mix of the two. It was completely customizable. We did not do a rehearsal dinner but did do a mini rehearsal at the venue the day of the wedding before guests arrived and that is really all that we needed. He was so helpful in instructing everyone and calming on such a hectic day. During the ceremony Bruce stuck to the script and during his homily he gave us some great advise. Guests during the night came up to me and complimented him on what a great job he did. We were very happy with the ceremony Bruce gave definitely contact him if you are need of a officiant. read more