If you’re not having a religious ceremony as part of your wedding, one of the many challenges can be finding an officiant to marry you. Sometimes you can try to find a friend who is willing to do it (although they have to go through some paperwork), but if that’s not the case, you will want to find someone who can really provide a ceremony that is suited to your personality. This is where Daniela VillaRamos comes in. Ms. VillaRamos is a Love Storyteller and Wedding Officiant for adventurous non-traditional couples who want to kickstart their wedding with a kickass ceremony. Her mission is simple: spread love, laugh lots, and breathe heartfelt fun into wedding ceremonies one love story at a time! Crafted with the personal touch of a friend, Daniela's ceremonies are full of heart, laughter, and happy tears. You can see some of her storytelling skills at our upcoming event, but here’s a quick into to help you get to know her even better.
Why do you think Once Upon A Vow has been so successful?
Many couples nowadays want their friends to officiate their weddings for that personal and heartfelt experience but are unsure about how polished and smooth it will actually be. So, when modern, adventurous couples who don't want a boring ceremony find me, I break the mold in their minds of what a wedding officiant is *supposed* to be! To them, I'm a pro who feels like a friend, gets to the core of their relationship right away, and delivers completely personalized ceremonies that are authentic to THEM.
I measure success in the reactions of my couples, the smiles and happy tears on their guests’ faces, the sweet comments from the crowd afterwards who assume I've known the couple for years! But my success truly comes from the couples, themselves. They're the ones who open up to me, give me all the good stuff, and fuel me with the inspiration I need to craft a one-of-a-kind ceremony. If they didn't do that, I wouldn't be able to do what I do.
Describe one of your favorite wedding experiences.
That's really hard to choose, because I'm lucky enough to work with incredible couples who get that marriage takes work and isn't the 'happily ever after' grand finale that Disney spoon-fed us growing up.
But I'd say that my favorite wedding experiences are:
The Vegas Wedding for a couple from my hometown of Brooklyn, NY who flew me to Vegas for their destination wedding. It was special because it was the ultimate family/friend vacation where the weekend was a giant party and their ceremony kickstarted it! Plus, it was my birthday so I felt their wedding day was EXTRA SPECIAL!
The Surprise Wedding, where this couple was engaged for years and they invited their friends for a "birthday party" that ended up being their wedding day, FINALLY!
Any vow renewal! Because choosing each other after years of marriage is a whole other level of touching for me! *TEARS*
What advice would you give to couples?
I feel like couples receive so much advice during this stage of their lives for both wedding planning and marriage so I'll keep it sweet and simple:
Roll with the punches! Things aren't going to go exactly the way you planned it and that's okay. There might be a downpour that will prevent you from having that dream outdoor ceremony you always wanted. Your husband might forget your wedding rings (which happened in my own wedding). Your flowers might wilt way faster than expected because of that damn summer heat! But none of it actually matters. Because all that matters is that you're getting married to your favorite person on Earth and about to have the best time partying it up with them and your loved ones! Besides, this is great practice for MARRIAGE and LIFE! Ya can't control everything around you, but you CAN control your reaction to things!
We’re so excited to have Daniela with us on Thursday for our picnic in the park. Come plan with us and learn more about how an officiant officiates, along with meeting some of our other guest vendors. We’d love to have you there, but if you are unable to attend, contact us to learn more about creating wedding plans that are unique to you.