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Weddings

About

On WeddingWire since 2018

Valerie Russell is a registered Officiant with the Humanist Association of Canada and she is available for a variety of events, weddings, elopements, destination wedding and vow renewals. Valerie caters to secular couples of all backgrounds and she is the perfect person for all kinds of events, a small elegant ceremony or a grand wedding. Valerie serves the Durham County, Northumberland County, Peterborough County and beyond.

Services offered

Valerie allows the couple, to write their own vows to make the ceremony more personal and unique. She can create a highly customised wedding ceremony according to the beliefs and expectations of the couple. If you are searching for a great wedding venue, her small farm and garden in Gore's Landing is also available. The services of Valerie are offered for civil unions, non-religious weddings, vow renewals, and ceremony rehearsals.

Other services

Along with weddings, the services of Valerie are available for other events, such us:

  • Naming ceremonies
  • Funerals
  • Elopements

Frequently asked questions

What types of weddings and events do you provide services for?

Civil union
Non-religious
Vow renewal
Ceremony rehearsal

What services do you provide?

Licensed
Allow couple' own vows

What religious affiliations do you serve?

Agnostic
No denomination
Earth-based

On average, how long are wedding ceremonies you officiate?

Less than 30 mins.
30-60 mins.

What is the starting price for your wedding services?

$350

Does starting price include the ceremony rehearsal?

No

What is the starting price for ceremony rehearsals?

$50

If you offer pre-marital counseling, what is the starting price for (per session)?

$15
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Any other questions?

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5.0 out of 5 rating
22 reviews
  • Quality of service
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Response time
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Value
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    5 out of 5 rating
100% Recommended by couples
Heidi
Heidi A. Sent on 13/11/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Valerie was attentive, cooperative, tailored vows to Robert and I

Valerie was amazing! She included a poem that I adore, and was so lovely, attentive and wonderful to work with. The day was perfect!
Emilie
Emilie S. Sent on 31/10/2022
5 out of 5 rating

We are so happy Valerie was our officiant

Val was a wonderful officiant! It was easy to schedule meetings with her (both virtual and in person). We had phone conversations with several officiants before deciding, but after our meeting with her she was already at the top of our list.
She sent us many example ceremonies that we could read through at our leisure and choose what aspects we wanted to use in our ceremony. I really liked getting to read through them all, and pick the pieces of each that we wanted in our ceremony. Then Val took what we liked and put it all together so that it flowed well and suggested parts to add if it felt like something was missing.
On the wedding day itself, Val even had tissue for us to use during the ceremony. There was a small hiccup in the ceremony, that lead to Val improvising in what ending up being the most memorable and special moment of the ceremony.
We definitely recommend Valerie as an officiant!
Abi
Abi M. Sent on 08/09/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Valerie is the Best!

Valerie was great from the moment we connected with her in the summer of 2021. She was well spoken, gave us clear direction, and provided us with a lot of options for our ceremony. Valerie allowed us to be part of writing our own ceremony to make it more personal for us and our guests, and talked us through the editing process. She was super organized and put together all the notes and our personal vows to help make our ceremony run as smoothly as possible. Her professionalism was also amazing when we had a series of questions regarding last minute illness (what to do if she got sick) and helping to give recommendations when friends of ours lost their officiant with weeks to spare. Thank you Valerie for making our ceremony a beautiful and personal memory for us to remember forever.
Jen
Jen M. Sent on 06/09/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Valerie is the best!

Highly recommend Valerie to be the officiant of your wedding! She is very responsive and willing to answer any questions. As she had done numerous weddings at our venue she was also able to offer some insight and advice on options for signing etc. which I was thankful for.
Jennifer
Jennifer Sent on 28/09/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Highly recommend!

From the moment we "met" Valerie on the phone, we had a great feeling about her. She is warm, personable, and feels like speaking with an old friend. She arrived on time, despite having two prior officiating engagements before ours! She was accommodating of our ceremony requests, and executed everything perfectly. Highly recommend Valerie as your officiant for your special day!
Emilee
Emilee Sent on 23/08/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Valerie was amazing!

Valerie officiated our wedding ceremony in Stirling and she was absolutely incredible leading up to the big day and delivered a beautiful ceremony! We would absolutely recommend Valerie to anyone looking for an officiant due to her professionalism, flexibility and willingness to accommodate. We wanted a personal and non traditional ceremony and Valerie was so amazing to make it happen!
Jonathan
Jonathan Sent on 28/07/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Book her now

Valerie officiated our ceremony in Roseneath ON on July 27, 2019 and Valerie was a complete gem to work with. While we lived in Toronto, Valerie was more than accommodating to find dates and locations to meet with us. She was very responsive and put us at ease on how our day would go. She came very prepared with a whole encyclopedia of example scripts and on the day of, she spoke very well and our guests specifically mentioned how beautiful our ceremony was, in part due to Valerie’s officiating.
Rena
Rena A. Sent on 26/06/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Absolutely Lovely!

Valerie is so very lovely and was awesome to work with. She was kind, patient, and genuinely loves what she does. Definitely would recommend to any couple looking for a beautiful non religious but meaningful ceremony!
Jennifer
Jennifer D. Sent on 29/05/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Beautiful ceremony

This review is for Humanist Officiant, Valerie Russell. Val was beyond accommodating and helpful. She gave us a beautiful ceremony that we won't forget. Val is kind, punctual, reliable and wonderful to work with. She goes out of her way to make sure you have a special day. You won't be disappointed!
Vanessa
Vanessa Sent on 27/09/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Not One Complaint

Valerie was amazing! I would definitely recommend her to anyone! She was more than helpful with ideas, very accommodating of our location and went over and above what I was expecting. Wanting only our kids at the ceremony, we would have been short a witness if her husband didn't come along and sign for us as well. They were both wonderful people and they helped make our day perfect! Thanks again Valerie!
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Awards

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Map

5166 Traill Rd. Gores Landing ON K0K2E0 Cobourg (Ontario)

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