We recently connected with Lauren Snead and have shared our conversation below.

Lauren, appreciate you joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

In 2007 one of my dear friends from high school got engaged and asked me to officiate their wedding. I didn’t have experience officiating a wedding before but knew we wanted to create a unique, meaningful ceremony, so I started asking he and his fiance questions about their relationship and what marriage meant for them.

Together, we created a wedding ceremony that was sentimental, heartfelt and that genuinely reflected who they were individually and as a couple. During the ceremony, we laughed, we cried and had all the feels.

The couple expressed how happy they were with the outcome, and apparently word began to spread because next thing you know, another friend from high school reached out and asked me to officiate THEIR wedding.

Over the next few years, couples kept reaching out and I started to sense that I might be onto something….but was it simply a side hustle or was it something I could actually grow and build into a career?

Parallel to all this, I was working in nonprofit management. I liked my job, but when I evaluated my fulfillment level, the growth opportunities and the pay scale – it wasn’t a grand slam.

On the other hand, I noticed that when I was working with couples and officiating ceremonies, I was LOVING the experience and couldn’t wait for more! Fulfillment? Check! Opportunities to grow? Check! Pay scale…hmmm….

It was 2012 and I was ready for a career change. I began seeing a life coach (shout out to Lael Jepson of She Changes!!). This experience was enlightening, empowering and completely transformative. I allowed myself to explore the possibility that maybe I COULD build a career as a professional Wedding Officiant…

I didn’t have any role models for this. I couldn’t identify one single person that had a full time career as a Wedding Officiant who was actually making a healthy living.

So I started to dream big! I interviewed dozens of couples and spent time reflecting on what I had to offer that held the most value for them. I leaned into my background in Theater, Psychology and English to enhance all the skills required for a job like this. I also became certified as a Professional Life Coach (CPCC) to bring a deeper level of skill and awareness to how I worked with my couples.

With each wedding I officiated, I courageously charged more money. I’ll never forget my coach Lael asking me “how much money would you charge a couple before you felt like you were going to puke!?” I started charging that amount…and couples started paying!!! WHAT?!

In 2013, I looked at my savings account and thought to myself “Lauren, if you can make it for 3 months, you can make it for 3 MORE months…and 3 more months after that!” I left my day job, launched my own business and went for it!

That was over 10 years ago, and I am incredibly proud to say that I have a THRIVING career as a Professional Wedding Officiant. WOOT WOOT!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I officiate weddings for sentimental, spontaneous couples who are excited to explore their love! I’m also reinventing the concept of “Wedding Officiant.” After attending many traditional wedding ceremonies, I began to notice that couples were missing a huge emotional opportunity to create a heartfelt, meaningful wedding ceremony that truly celebrated the essence of who they are.

I believe that getting married isn’t just about going through the motions; it’s an incredibly rich and dynamic emotional experience that has the power to bring people closer together. And because I couldn’t find anyone else doing just that, I decided to become the Wedding Officiant who would fill that gap!

What sets me apart? When I begin working with a couple, the first thing I do is get us on a text thread so that we can communicate quickly and easily. I let couples know that if there is anything bubbling up for them around the wedding that’s causing stress or anxiety, I want them to reach out to me so we can schedule 1:1 time to connect. My couples know that – in addition to creating and officiating their wedding ceremony – I am there for them and genuinely care about helping them FEEL how they want to feel on their wedding day…happy, grounded, present.

What am I proud of? That I have built a career centered around my values and my life purpose. Love, connection, integrity. To me, there is no higher calling than to celebrate love. Yes, in the big moments like during a wedding, but also in the little moments along the way too. Self care and self love…always the answer!

I’m also proud that in an industry that focuses so much on aesthetics and the party, I’m proud that I’m able to help couples shine a spotlight on what matters most: THE LOVE!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Along the way, I’ve discovered that I’m not the right fit for every couple, and not every couple is the right fit for me. There have been occasions where I’ve met with a couple and sensed that we would not be a good fit, and I’ve had to say “no” to working with couples that have wanted to work with me.

That’s been painful! I don’t like saying no. One time, a couple got really upset that I suggested we might not be the best fit, and they wrote a scathing 1 star review. It was brutal, and it was the first and only time I’ve gotten a review like that.

As I moved through the process of receiving and responding to this review, I had to do some deep soul searching…is there anything I could have done differently? Was I disrespectful or hurtful in any way? Had I caused pain, even if I didn’t mean to? If so, was that about me or was it beyond my control?

At the end of the day, I had to trust myself and know, deep in my core, that I had acted out of integrity and self care. It took a lot of inner strength NOT to take it personally, and to know that I had communicated with respect, and made a choice that was best for me…and ultimately best for them too.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been…hands down…BEING MORE AUTHENTICALLY ME!!!

Who is my dream client? Someone who is a lot like me! Fun, playful, given to tender emotion and nostalgia. Someone who wants to go deep and take time to explore their relationship and what marriage means to them.

The more authentic I am, the more likely I’ll be to engage others who share the same values, interests and characteristics as me. This doesn’t mean we’ll have the same demographics…in fact, I LOVE that I work with such a huge diversity of people from all over the world. While my couples and I may have different cultural backgrounds, or grown up in wildly different environments, we are united in our values.

The concept of building an authentically unique brand is easy to comprehend…but the process of really getting CRYSTAL CLEAR about who I am and who I want to go on this journey definitely took time. I worked with a brand specialist (shout out to Jeff Jochum!!!) to find language that genuinely captures the ESSENCE of who I authentically am and in turn, who I want to work with.

Getting clear on this has influenced the images I choose to use on social media, what I share with my couples during our initial consultation, who I draw towards me AND who I don’t!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.laurensnead.love
• Instagram: @laurensneadweddingofficiant

Image Credits
1. Silvana Di Franco Photography 2. Kate Anfinson Photography 3. Nicola Leigh Photography 4. Jak Wonderly 5. The Hendry’s 6. Esmerelda Rodriguez Photography 7. Me :) Lauren Snead 8. Gretchen Gause Photography