- Kind Words -
It is always nice to hear what others have to say… this can help put your mind at rest, and know we’ve got your back!
We also have 100+ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Google reviews - simply search ‘Married by Friends’ on Google for them to pop up.
EVERYONE COMMENTED ON HOW PERSONALISED AND RELAXED THE CEREMONY WAS
Soph was incredible, and was a perfect fit for us, her warm and comforting energy was felt not only by us, but our guests as well, everyone commented on how personlised and relaxed the ceremony was. The resources Soph shares to help in writing the vows were greatly appreciated and the prompt follow up with information was very helpful as well, she has great communication and a seamless experience all the way through, I would highly recommend Soph!
— Caitlin & Trent
ASH WENT TRULY ABOVE AND BEYOND
Ash went well and truly above and beyond to make our day magical.
We highly recommend her and I couldn't imagine our wedding being as amazing as it was without her.
— F & C
SO MANY COMMENTS FROM FRIENDS AND FAMILY
Thank you so much for all your work with our wedding. The ceremony, the way you spoke and guidance throughout this process was so super calming, and exciting!
So many comments from friends and family on how great they thought our ceremony was, and how great you were! So, thank you!
— Kendyll & Steve
WE COULDN’T HAVE ASKED FOR A BETTER CELEBRANT
You were so amazing thank you so much!
The day was so perfect to us and you definitely helped make it all run so smoothly so thank you!!
POSITIVE, PROFESSIONAL (YET RELAXED!)
We can't thank you enough for the part you played in our special day. It was so nice having someone as positive, professional (yet relaxed!) as you were! Such a vibe.
— Zoe & Corey
WE’RE STILL TALKING ABOUT IT DAYS LATER!
We LOVED our ceremony and we're still talking about it days later, it was absolutely beautiful and really represented us as a couple. We couldn't have hoped for a better celebrant, your lovely and happy demeanor from the start has been an absolute joy to work with and to have represent our big day. So a massive thank you from us both ❤️
— Carmen + Dylan
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING JOB
Thank you so much for everything, you did an absolutely amazing job being our celebrant and MC!! I can’t thank you enough!!! I will definitely be recommending you to others!!!
— Nicole & Niall
ANNA IS A SUPERSTAR
Anna is a superstar to say the least, she’s patient, organised, takes initiative and gets the job done to a very high level with ease. We couldn’t be more thankful to this powerhouse of a wāhine toa for keeping us calm and collected on the days leading up to and on the wedding, even when facing a storm at an all outdoors ceremony! We highly recommend Anna and the team at Married by Friends, you’re expectations will be exceeded by their care and professionalism throughout such a special time for you and your loved ones.
— Angela & Ben
WE COULDN’T HAVE CHOSEN ANYONE BETTER
Thank you again for being a part of our day! We couldn't have chosen anyone better to ensure that everything went smoothly, was taken care of beautifully from start to finish and to make sure that we all had a bit of fun along the way! You calmed our nerves and made the process easy and enjoyable. Your communication was amazing and we were able to trust that we were in good hands, right from the start of the process - thank you so much!
— Cat & Ash
WE HAD THE MOST BEAUTIFUL TIME
I cannot recommend married by friends enough. We had the most beautiful time being married by Soph. The organisation and communication was second to none giving us a stress free and smooth ceremony.
We can’t thank you guys enough. It was absolutely perfect xx
— Stevie & Nick
WE STILL CAN’T BELIEVE HOW PERFECT IT WAS
Thank you 🥰
More photos to come from our amazing ceremony with you. We still can’t believe how perfect you made it for us and how personal it was to our relationship! And we are so glad you gave us a copy of it so we have it as a keepsake. Thank you so much again 💕✨
— Amy & Josh
SOPH IS HONESTLY AMAZING
Sophia was our celebrant for our wedding in wanaka 3 weeks ago and we cannot thank her enough! We feel so privileged to have had Soph as our celebrant! She knows just what you want without needing to ask and has the most perfect calming energy needed for your big day! We cannot recommend Soph enough.
— Leah & Penetana
BEST DAY OF OUR LIVES
We were looking for a unique and amazing elopement experience in one of the most beautiful locations on earth. From the onset Soph provided fantastic client service and made sure the whole lead up to the big day was seamless and easy (just what we wanted). On our wedding day we were well prepared for what was to come. The day turned out to be flawless in every aspect.
Our ceremony was held on Coromandel Peak which in my thought was the perfect location to get married (unbelievable views). Soph read some beautiful words on top of Coromandel Peak which was really touching, creative and special.
Honestly, we couldn’t have asked for anything more on the day. Soph organised everything from whoa to go and made our day so special, we will never forget how fun, easy, amazing & epic it was.
— Emma & Soliman
SOPHIA WAS INCREDIBLE FROM START TO FINISH
She helped us through every step of our wedding planning and helped us find the most amazing spots and photographer. Our wedding wasn't the traditional type and Sophia was totally onboard with it. She has a kind and friendly nature which makes you feel comfortable and relaxed. We would highly recommend Sophia to anyone looking for a celebrant, she truely made our day unforgettable! Thanks for being so amazing!
— Katie & Buddy
THE CEREMONY WAS PERFECT
Thank you so much for being part of such an amazing day. The way you ran the ceremony was perfect!
Everyone commented on how well it went and how relaxed it was.
— Sarah & Paul
YOU MADE US FEEL SO RELAXED
Thanks so much for being apart of our special day, you made us feel comfortable. Our guests also thought you were amazing too.
— Jenny & Kevin
SOPH MADE US FEEL SO COMFORTABLE
Thank so much for officiating our very special day in Wanaka. You gave our wedding exactly the friendly, casual vibe we were looking for!
— Alice & Yi-Luen
THANK YOU AGAIN!
we just wanted to say thank you again! We had an incredible day with so much love and joy!
The venue and the ceremony were perfect! You allowed us to be just as we are.
— Lina & Lukas
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING!!!
We don’t know how we got so lucky to have you but you truly went above and beyond for us. You were part celebrant, part emotional support person, and part friend in the lead up and on our wedding day. We (literally & figuratively) couldn’t have done it without you.
As Regan was saying on our wedding day, we wanted you specifically because from the moment we met you you were so warm, down-to-earth and so active that your reasons for moving to Wanaka were exactly the reasons Central Otago is one of our favourite places on earth. We felt so understood and you personalised our ceremony so beautifully. We truly felt like you captured everything about our love story and we loved your sense of humour woven throughout.
Thank you for your uplifting words and warm hugs at our rehearsal and on the day! We had the MOST AMAZING guests and suppliers on the day who could not have been more incredible in every way and helped create a day that was truly magical despite the chaos. As you know, it was extra emotionally charged as we mourned the day we had spent months planning and envisioning. No one else would know, but about half the things we had planned didn’t happen and you just said all the right things in that moment - it’s okay to feel all the feels, they’re all valid, and no one will know but us. Plan E will never be as good as Plan A, but we were just over the moon to be married and in the past few days getting little snippets of photos and videos from our guests and our media team mean we’ve been reliving these amazing heartfelt moments of the day. Regan’s sister bawling during our signing, our best friends’ speeches, little glances between us captured at different moments, literally running around on the lawn during cocktail hour, our friends going so hard on the dance floor. Our guests actually grabbed all the clear umbrellas and danced to Rihanna’s Umbrella - it was the best and we laughed so hard.
Thank you for pivoting so fast and adapting to change so easily! People loved going from outside to inside and said it was so moving and fit so well with the atmosphere. We also want you to know that you were one of if not the most complimented part of our day. Almost every guest we spoke to asked for your name and said you and the ceremony were their favourite part of our wedding. Your words were so moving and you really set the tone for the whole evening. We may have blacked out some parts a little in the overwhelm of the moment but we remember the genuine warmth, love and joy we felt throughout the ceremony. You did an incredible job, we couldn't have asked for more. It was perfect in every way.
If we’re back in Wanaka we’ll definitely let you know! We might try and make it back to snap one sunny photo at Rippon next year (hehe). If not, we’ll definitely be grabbing a wine, looking out over the lake and reminiscing on what was one of the best days of our lives. Thank you for helping us create beautiful memories we’ll cherish for a lifetime. You're amazing!
— Regan & Edwin
SOPH WAS SO WARM, FUN, HELPFUL, THOUGHTFUL AND ORGANISED
From our very first enquiry through to the wedding, Soph was so warm, fun, helpful, thoughtful and organised. She walked us through what was required at every step, perfectly tailored the ceremony to us (including helping us add fun elements like a ceremony selfie), and made the entire day so incredibly special and personalised.
We could not more highly recommend Soph as a celebrant!
— Freya & Cayden
YOU WERE SO GOOD YESTERDAY!
The way you described our past brought back all the memories and made me starts to feel emotional. It was a perfect ceremony just like how I wanted - all credited to yourself.
—Shehnee & Weilun
OUR DAY WAS PERFECT!
Thank you for all of the help during the lead up and especially on the day with the last minute changes. You were a dream to work with.
— Jessie & Adam
STEVIE WAS AN ABSOLUTE DELIGHT!
He delivered the perfect ceremony and was a wonderful addition to our little wedding party.
— Amanda & Michael
FOREVER GRATEFUL
Thank you so much Soph Forever grateful you helped us get through the day. You were definitely a soldier... It was honestly a perfect day all round. You made us very comfortable and removed the stress out of the whole process.
— Tyla & Nic
WE’LL BE FOREVER GRATEFUL
Thank you for marrying us! Anna, you were amazing and created a beautiful ceremony for our elopement. Thanks for your beautiful words and support in putting everything together. We'll forever be grateful.
If you're looking for a wonderful celebrant who will bring love into your ceremony, I highly recommend Anna.
— Laura & Chris
SOPH WAS INCREDIBLE
Soph was incredible! We could not have hoped for a better wedding ceremony. She wrote the most beautiful ceremony that reflected us as a couple perfectly! All our guests were also raving about how great she was.
Soph also expertly guided us through the pre-wedding process and gave us plenty of materials to write our vows and design our ceremony in a way that fit us. Communication was easy from Australia and Soph always responded promptly.
— Alyssa & Chris
IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL
Thank you so much for our ceremony. Scott and I could not be any happier with how it all came together. You were amazing!
Small world.. we caught up with our friends while in Queenstown and told them we had eloped. Turns out you married them also!
— Vanessa & Scott
YOU MADE EVERYTHING SO SEAMLESS!
Thank you so much Stevie you were incredible; you made everything so seamless! You are a superstar, we had the best day ever.
— Gennady & Sean
THE CEREMONY WAS AN ABSOLUTE MATCH
Soph was an amazing celebrant! The ceremony was an absolute match to both my partner's and my personality and vision of our elopement. Planning everything from California was seamless and still felt like we were involved from such a distance. Making the decision to use Married by Friends is an easy yes!
— Annie & Steve
SO HAPPY WITH HOW PERSONAL AND TAILORED IT WAS
Soph did an amazing job and exceeded our expectations. We were so happy with how personal and tailored [the ceremony] was to our relationship. In the lead up and planning of our wedding we initially struggled to find a suitable celebrant. At the time this proved quite stressful. But after inquiring to Soph she immediately responded and within 2 days we had things rolling! Soph was by far the most organised and punctual person we dealt throughout all aspects of our wedding. Hannah and I could not recommend her more highly.
— Hannah + Campbell
SUCH A FANTASTIC JOB IN CAPTURING US IN THE CEREMONY!
A massive thank you!! You did such a fantastic job in capturing us in the ceremony! We loved your energy, chill vibes and easy laughs! I read it on some of your reviews and it's so true, you have mastered the ability to combine the seriousness of getting married with a lot of laughs and light-hearted mixed in.
Thanks for sticking with us with all the COVID changes, thanks for the guides on writing vows and making sure we did them in time!
— Zancha + Claud
SOPH WAS PERFECT
As soon as Adam and I spoke to Soph on the phone, we knew she was going to be perfect!
She really went out of her way to understand our relationship and put so much love and care into her ceremony.
So many of our friends and family asked if Soph was a good friend of ours, because her lovely words couldn’t have been more on point! Which is beautiful and I honestly couldn’t recommend her enough!!
We are so grateful for everything Soph did for us.
— Adam & Maddy
SOPHIA’S CEREMONY WAS PERFECT
We were travelling to NZ for a month from the UK, so Sophia was great in helping pick a location and making arrangements over there for us. We eloped and Sophia even helped us pick a photographer and arranged for a friend to be our witness. Communication was great throughout and we were able to get the ceremony planned smoothly. It was good to speak to Sophia over Skype whilst we were planning and we even met for a coffee the day before we eloped which was lovely. Sophia is excellent at explaining the process and making arrangements on our behalf. We would recommend her to anyone looking to get married in Wanaka!
— Sammi & Chris
SOPH HAS THIS SPECIAL WAY OF MAKING YOUR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER FEEL SEEN
Sophia is a celebrant who does her job with genuine enthusiasm and her whole heart. I immediately felt comfortable when we met her for the first time - it was a like meeting an old friend!
I should mention that we had a big switch-up in our wedding plans - going from 120 guests to an elopement/small wedding hybrid and brought the date forward four months. I was nervous that we wouldn't be able to book her, but Soph was locked in as soon as we mentioned elopement and was highly communicative and easy to work with in the lead up. On the day, Soph had tailored our ceremony to fit us immaculately, with the perfect balance of tears and belly laughs. Our intimate wedding was what it was because of Soph's work and beautiful, friendly nature enhancing the magic of the day.
Soph is a fantastic celebrant who has this special way of making your love for each other feel seen and believed in. If you're getting married in Wanaka, Queenstown or the surrounding areas, do yourself a favour and get married by Soph.
— Sascha & Kieran
SHE REALLY UNDERSTOOD WHAT WE WANTED
Sophia was the celebrant for my husband Noel and I for our small wedding on NYE 2019. We wanted a really chilled out, small ceremony, elopement style, with just 4 guests. We didn't want to have to plan it too much, and just go with the flow of the day. This included being really relaxed on a location, which we only chose the evening before the wedding.
Sophia was brilliant. She helped us to design a perfect ceremony. She was really relaxed, but also super professional. In the end, we just felt like it was all really well-run, even though it was a loose and spontaneous affair. She brought an order to the spontaneity, which meant it was exactly what we wanted, while still being a proper marriage ceremony.
Her bright personality and easygoing attitude and attention to detail, just made the whole interaction special and fun. We also contacted her really last minute, and she was so accommodating. She even helped get other bits and pieces sorted out, i.e. recommending flower shops, hairdressers, ceremony locations, etc.
We were so happy to have Sophia with us on our special day!
— Lena & Noel
SOPHIA IS AMAZING
She married us in Wanaka and made everyone feel right at ease! She tailored our ceremony to suit us as individuals and a couple, helped us with numerous emails back and forth for months. We had very little idea on how weddings worked as we haven’t even been to very many as guests ourselves! She explained everything, offered solutions and options, and gave plenty of ideas on how we could do things to make it OUR day. Professional and calm, highly recommend!!
— Renee & James
SOPH WAS BRILLIANT
Highly recommend Soph, as she's extremely professional, very energetic and vibrant, but also a kind soul that understood our needs and catered for them. Thanks Soph!
— Jodie & Anton
WE CAN’T THANK YOU ENOUGH
We can’t thank you enough for being there with us to support us and officiate our ceremony.
You were so amazing with Tilly and it really took a load of us. You made us feel at ease leaving her with you and she was so comfortable and happy with you. Thanks for taking good care of her.
— Anna + Ben
WE CAN’T THANK YOU ENOUGH ASH
You made our wedding even better than we could have imagined.
— Bene & Yurika
YOU REALY MADE THE CEREMONY ALL ABOUT US!
Thank you for being an amazing celebrant you really made the ceremony about us !
We really appreciate all your help and everything you did.
— Bianca & Ryan
ANNA RADIATED BEAUTY, KINDNESS AND BUBBLY ENERGY
Anna, our amazing celebrant, radiated beauty, kindness, and bubbly energy. With her expert management of time and seamless flow of events, we felt completely at ease. Anna's effective communication and meticulous attention to detail made our ceremony extraordinary. She even went above and beyond, helping me steam my dress at the last minute. Thanks to Anna, we were able to fully immerse ourselves in the joy of the day, without a worry in the world.
— Jess & Braden
WILL BE RECOMMENDING YOU TO OUR FRIENDS
Thank you so much for all your hard work! You were perfect and made the day very memorable for us!! Couldn’t have picked a better celebrant, everyone said that you were really good! Will be recommending you to our friends
— Grace & Luke
COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT ANNA
If your getting married in the Wanaka or Queenstown Lakes area then I cannot recommend Anna at Married by Friends enough!
Anna spoke extremely well and made our ceremony fun, funny and comforting as I had a lot of anxiety to be in the spotlight. She made this so much easier for [us] with her all beautiful fine touches and additions to our ceremony, including our guests which we had requested to take the pressure off of us a little. We couldn't have imagined a better wedding and I couldn't have done it without Anna! I cannot speak highly enough for her and what she has done for our dream wedding. She is passionate, funny, conscientious, reliable, considerate and heartening.
— Sasha-Lee & Rob
WHAT AN ABSOLUTE ANGEL
If you are looking for an organized, lovely, flexible, and kind celebrant, who is able to take your ideas and makes it million times better, and to offer you a relaxing and happy experience on your wedding day, Sophie is the one.
Thanks for all you did for us Soph ☺️
— Neda & Sam
YOUR WARMTH AND PROFESSIONALISM TRULY MADE OUR SPECIAL DAY MEMORABLE
Thank you for the detailed information on how to change my name in New Zealand; it was incredibly helpful. We also want to express our heartfelt gratitude for being our wedding officiant.
— Regine & Warren
SOPH WAS SUCH A CHAMPION
Soph was such a champion through our whole process! From our first zoom meeting through to the day itself, we felt so well supported and guided at every step. The ceremony itself was so smooth and we loved just being able to relax and enjoy the day, knowing we were in calm, fun hands. If you are looking for a company who will hear you, value you as people and as a couple and build a wedding ceremony that reflects all the things important to you, this is the one.
— Carly & Emma
EXACTLY THE VIBE WE WANTED
We wanted to say thank you for an amazing wedding. The ceremony was beautiful, you did a great job!
It had exactly the vibe we wanted. Our family and friends were rightfully jealous. ;)
— Lisa & Lyssy
WE ABSOLUTELY CANNOT RECOMMEND SOPH ENOUGH
From the very beginning she was so warm, friendly and welcoming. She made the whole process of creating the perfect ceremony and absolute breeze and lots of fun. We had no idea where to even begin and Sophia guided us through every step. Also as a Wanaka local she was able to give us so many tips on other aspects of wedding planning that we hadn't even considered. We even had so many comments the day after our wedding about how amazing she was.
— Rosanna & James
IT WAS LIKE WE WERE MARRIED BY A FRIEND
After initially doing some internet research for a celebrant in Wanaka, Soph was recommended to us by Jen from Alpine Image and I am so glad she was! from our initial correspondence and FaceTime introduction we knew that she was the one for us, she made the whole process so simple and easy and went above and beyond in terms of organising everything for the day, answering many questions, giving suggestions and helping with suppliers on the ground as we were organising our wedding from Melbourne. It was like we were married by a friend, I can’t recommend Soph more highly for anyone getting married in Wanaka!
— Daina & Sam
SOPHIA WAS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT
She talked us through the whole process (as we were clueless) and guided us whilst allowing us to put our own personality into the ceremony, including performing a hand fastening for us. She was friendly and approachable, we had multiple Skype meetings beforehand as we weren’t local to the venue and she ran the whole show flawlessly on the day (even with everyone crying). Would highly recommend Sophia to anyone!
— Lucy & Tom
THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR ADVICE AND HELP
It turned out so perfect, and we were so happy we changed the ceremony location, at your recommendation.
You were amazing, thanks so much! We had the most amazing day. Couldn’t have had a better time.
— Farlie & Joseph
SOPHIA WAS PERFECT!
We could not hope for any one else other than you to be our celebrant as you exceeded all our possible expectation. Especially in making us comfortable before and during this so special day.
You played such an important role and you did it so well!
— Lou & Chris
MAN IT WAS AWESOME
Everything went so well! Thanks for all of your help, we loved having you as our celebrant.
— Bridget & Jason
WE HAD A GREAT DAY
The ceremony exceeded our expectations! And the weather didn’t hurt either.
Just wanted to say thank you so much.
— Ashley & Hamish
WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND SOPHIA
Right from the start we felt a spark with Sophia. She was great to communicate with, easy going, nothing was ever too hard and an amazing celebrant. Thank you Sophia!
— Ashley & Ben