Today we’d like to introduce you to Sacha Jones.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My life as a wedding celebrant actually began somewhat by accident. My sister and her betrothed came to NYC with the idea of eloping but all that was on offer at that time was City Hall or a religious institution – neither felt like a good fit for them. And so, we created a ceremony which I officiated. It was quite a magical event and planted a seed for me.

It wasn’t quite time for that seed to sprout, but a few years later, when planning my own wedding, my partner and I came upon the same dilemma – who would marry us? Strangely it was not an easy search to find someone who matched us.

After that I went on a quest, and stumbled upon a small ad in the Utne magazine for the Celebrant Foundation and immediately signed up for their certification program, where I learned about the art and ritual of ceremony across the milestones, and graduated as a Lifecycle Celebrant, specializing in Weddings and Memorial Services. I then became ordained as a non-denominational minister with the Universal Brotherhood Movement.

This was back in 2010 and my business, Sacha Jones Ceremonies, has not only sprouted, but fully bloomed.
I marry couples from all walks of life and from many parts of the world, and also officiate ceremonies for celebrations of life and naming ceremonies.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s never a smooth road, running a business all on your own. But I am a pretty independent person and working for myself, despite it’s many challenges, is how I prefer it.

Marketing and getting seen or known about remain the toughest part of it all – algorithms in social media make it extremely hard, and for me at least, it is tough figuring all of that out, when there are weddings to be written and officiated, and meetings to be held, and all the very full time stuff that goes with business ownership.

There are so many components which I think people don’t really realize.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I create meaningful, personalized, beautiful ceremonies across life’s milestones. At the core of each ceremony is “the love story” – whether I’m creating a wedding ceremony, or a memorial, or a baby naming ceremony – LOVE is at the heart of it all.

I get very involved and pour myself into each story I’m working on, and I feel so deeply connected, that by the time the ceremony happens, it’s as if I know the couple or the family really intimately. Inevitably someone will come up to me afterwards and ask me how I know the couple, the family, or the deceased. It’s a true honor to hold space for people in that way.

Additionally, on the actual day, I’m really emotionally present and help people breathe into their nervous butterfly bellies and have a very calming influence. Sometimes things don’t go to plan, sometimes there are conflicts with permits and so on… but I am quite a level headed calm person to help navigate it all.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I don’t think this question is easy to answer at all.

But in my work, I think it shows up on an individual level – moment to moment. When someone comes up to me after the ceremony they’ve just witnessed, to tell me it was the most beautiful wedding they’ve ever attended – that feels like I was successful. When I see people crying emotional tears during a ceremony – I have succeeded in helping people emote. Similarly when I receive another beautiful testimonial or review after the event, I am confident that I was successful in making people very happy.

Would I like to be more classically successful, in regard to income and such? Absolutely.

But I am also extremely sated by these mini markers of success, and I know in my heart that I am really good at what I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: sachajonesceremonies.com
• Instagram: #sachajonesceremonies