About

Dr. John Girdwood (above officiating a wedding on left and with his wife on right) is an ordained minister with over 20 years of experience in teaching / public speaking. He has an excellent reputation for delivering cheerful discourse with an attention to detail and a strong voice. He is a “5 STAR” rated Officiant by every single client! Why not hire the best?

Dr. Girdwood became an ordained minister in 2020 to extend his love of working with people for something truly unique and magical. Your wedding officiant should be an excellent public speaker with poise and the power to make your ceremony a transformative moment that you will cherish forever. Work with Dr. Girdwood to create the exact ceremony you desire. He will take the time to understand you as a couple and to craft a script that reflects you as a couple. 

He is currently a Social Studies Teacher in Hamtramck, Michigan, and he has lectured many courses at Wayne State University and Montcalm Community College over the years. In working with students of all ages and in speaking in front of various crowds, he has the skillset to create and deliver an exceptional wedding ceremony for you on your sacred wedding day. Dr. Girdwood earned his Ph.D. (2018) and M.A. Teaching (2005) from Wayne State University, as well as a B.A. from Michigan State.  

Recent RECOMMENDATIONS

• Alex W. “Very polite, positive energy, and remarkable!” (October 19, 2022).
• Tiffany G. “Let me just say planning a wedding is no easy task. It can be stressful and overwhelming. But choosing our officiant, Dr. Girdwood was a absolute blessing. He made the whole process easy. He displayed his expertise and professionalism and was super helpful with the whole process. We could not have asked for a better ceremony and it was truly a day we will always remember forever. Dr. Girdwood helped make our once in a life time moment absolutely memorable. He made our ceremony our own with the personal touches and attention to details. He Added a personal touch to our wedding brochure that helped tell our love story to our guests in such a beautiful way. We thank Dr. Girdwood for everything he has done for us. He takes the time, effort and commitment to make your day special in every way. He is compassionate and professional in what he does and it shows. Thank you! (October 18, 2022).
• Shawn M. “We had a very unconventional small wedding on our pontoon. We had some rain at the start which pushed back our plans. John was very understanding and patient waiting with the rest of us having conversations with our guests and ourselves. Once finally out on the water John was fantastic!!! I would recommend him to anyone I know (August 19, 2022).
• Rosemarie B. “Caring and professional and made sure he did exactly what we wanted . Has a real nice strong voice” (August 12, 2022).
• Molly B. “Dr. Girdwood was amazing during our wedding planning process. He took the time to meet with us several times leading up to the wedding. He also went above and beyond to make our programs for the ceremony. As far as the ceremony itself Dr. Girdwood did a great job at mixing spiritual aspects with our vision of a more modern ceremony. He also gave a nice blessing before the meal and promptly mailed our marriage license to the county clerk office. Overall, we could not of been happier with Dr. Girdwood. He made us feel comfortable through the whole process and made our special day memorable!” (July 17, 2022).
• Barbara C. “Working with Dr. Girdwood was an awesome experience. He helped us on short notice and was very professional throughout the process. He even traveled to us! His prices are also reasonable and worth the service he provides. Would definitely recommend reaching out to him to be your officiant (June 15, 2022).
• Charles M. “Dr. John Girdwood made our wedding day very special and was exceptional on how proactive, well planned out, well written and professional He was. He was not only our officiant, but a very lovely guest and we were completely blessed and honored to have him. He made our Catholic style wedding feel ideal to us in many ways” (June 13, 2022).
• Carolyn W. “We would highly recommend him! He did a great job and was very professional.” (April 4, 2022).
• Joy E P. “Very understanding to diversity, and other cultural nationality. I am Big on excellent customer service and gut energy, felt it so I selected Dr. Girdwood. If I had to do my special day again yes.” (November 29, 2021).
• Michael R. “I highly recommend Dr. Girdwood as your matrimony minister. He was very professional, easy to work with and made the process smooth and seamless. Communication was excellent and event was perfect!” (October 14, 2021).
• Anna O. “Dr. Girdwood made our special day truly personal. He guided us through the whole process from start to finish. John provided us with ceremony scripts and offered help with making it our own. We were very pleased with his professionalism and personal touch to make our day feel even more wonderful. There were some laughs, there were some happy tears. In all, it couldn’t be a more perfect ceremony! Thank you again!” (October 7, 2021).
• Michelle J. “Wow! He is truly amazing! He’s a people person and knows how to do things very well! Super professional, but also laid back and just a cool and good man! Blessed to have him part of our day! He also made these amazing pamphlets for the wedding! Absolutely amazing and loved them! If you’re worried not having someone who knows you…don’t worry? He’ll do great! He communicates very well, if you need that as well! (October 2, 2021).
• Rachell N. “We had a great experience with Mr. Girdwood from start to finish. He made the process feel simple and stress-free (as it should!) and gave us plenty of templates to look at so we can cut pieces from it to customize our ceremony. I accidentally signed my old last name on our marriage license and he went the extra mile to go to CVS and get white out to ensure there wasn’t any confusion!” (August 23, 2021).
• Victoria G. “I would definitely recommend Dr. Girdwood. He did a fantastic job with our ceremony. Answered all of our questions, listened to what we wanted for our ceremony to help tailor it to fit us, and communicated very quickly!” (August 17, 2021).
• Krystal S. “He did a great job. Very friendly and affordable!! He communicated well and often!” (June 10, 2021).
• Miguel T. “Good ceremony, tailored to what we wanted. Good experience.” (April 19, 2021).
• Tyffani A. “We definitely recommend Dr. Girdwood! Super friendly and communicates well, he was very professional and responded fast to all my messages. I would highly recommend him to anyone that needs to get married. We couldn’t be happier! Thank you so much Dr. Girdwood for making our special day so wonderful!” (April 18, 2021).
• Abby M. “Dr. Girdwood made the wedding process a breeze, and was beyond helpful. It’s no secret that weddings can be stressful, but Dr. John eased many concerns and was always willing to help us and accommodate us in any way possible. 10/10 would recommend his services, whether it be a small get together or a 300 person event. We also really appreciated his website and the clarity behind the whole arrangement. Overall, he was extremely professional and eager to help with whatever we needed, which was greatly appreciated. We will forever be grateful for his help in making our special day happen!” (March 29, 2021).