Testimonials
From Shannon and Meranda:
“We were both excited about the opportunity to get legally married in California, but sitting in our living room in Texas, weren’t really sure how to go about it. After looking at some websites, we came across Rev. Sheila Kappeler’s and thought she was a good match. After a few emails and a conversation with her on the phone, we felt confident she could perform the ceremony we were looking for. Even with changing it up a bit and deciding not to do our own vows hours before the ceremony, she still made it work perfectly. Neither one of us is very good at being the center of attention, but Sheila made it fun and went out of her way to make us feel special and comfortable while performing a ceremony that we will remember the rest of our lives. We absolutely recommend Rev. Sheila Kappeler to anyone we knew who was looking for someone to make their wedding memorable.”
From Brett and Eric:
“Rev. Kappeler was a blessing for our gay marriage. My partner and I traveled to San Francisco, California from Tennessee to announce our love for one another in a legal gay marriage ceremony. Gay marriage, a legal union of same sex couples, is recognized by the State of California as a civil right but denied in Tennessee.
“We came to California having only planned an appointment to get our marriage license at city hall. After going through several gay wedding officiants we found Rev. Kappeler online at gaycouplesgetmarried.com. After contacting Rev. Kappeler we were delighted by her universal approach and openness. We both knew that Rev Kappeler was in support of gay marriage and our special moment. Rev. Kappeler was highly accommodating and a tremendous help with the planning of our ceremony.
“Rev. Kappeler was the perfect officiant during our ceremony. Her kind and caring demeanor was just the right touch we were looking for in a gay wedding officiant. Rev. Kappeler’s officiate skills made our gay marriage ceremony blossom into a beautiful testimony of our love.
“We have already recommended Rev. Sheila Kappeler and gaycouplesgetmarried.com to our friends planning their gay marriage. And we highly recommend that anyone planning a gay wedding in California should use Rev. Sheila Kappeler for their fabulous gay wedding!”
From Kate and Alison:
“We had never really discussed having more than a commitment ceremony, only because same-sex marriage is not legal in Florida; but when our attendance at another wedding brought us to San Francisco, we decided to take advantage of the opportunity!
“A random internet search finally led us to Sheila’s web page; and her testimonials made the decision to ask her to perform our ceremony easy. We were delighted when she responded so quickly and with a positive attitude, ready to help meet our needs. She was always quick to respond to emails and made the whole process go very smoothly. She kept in touch and made sure to confirm everything along the way (changes to the ceremony, receipt of payment, when and where to meet, etc.).
“On the day of our ceremony, Sheila met us on time just where we had planned. She was friendly, easy to talk to, and very accommodating to performing the ceremony in the spot we had chosen in City Hall. She patiently allowed us to organize our friends and family as we wished and prepare ourselves for taking the final step. She even helped us relax by taking a moment to let us breathe…in our last moment of being “single”. Neither of us had felt creative enough to write our own vows; and we were immediately happy we had allowed Sheila to speak for us, as the words she had written said everything we wanted to say!
“In the end, we were glad we had the ceremony created by Reverend Kappeler, rather than a formulaic recital of the same words read at City Hall everyday! It was a perfect and beautiful ceremony, thank you!!”
From Russ and Anthony:
“Saturday, October 4, 2008 was a magical day for my spouse, Anthony and me. We never thought a wedding day would come for us, but it did; first through the ruling of the California Supreme Court, but most importantly, through the care and guidance of Rev. Sheila Kappeler, who married us.
“Sheila talked us through all of the decisions we needed to make beforehand that made our wedding day something we felt was truly special and truly ours. We can wholeheartedly recommend her services.”
From Shannon and Sara:
“When California revoked the law banning same-sex marriage, Sara and I were ecstatic, and we rushed to make plans as soon as we could—which was not soon enough, as we found out quickly that officiants and ceremony appointments were already booked everywhere. There was suddenly so much to do, so fast! I found Sheila online and she was helpful from the very beginning—she kept in constant contact with us, addressed our questions, and tailored a ceremony that was both right for us, and just in time for our four-year anniversary/vacation time.
“Our wedding day was beautiful, and Sheila really helped to put our frazzled minds at ease with her calm and caring demeanor. I’d recommend her to any of our friends, gay or straight, who’d like to be married by someone who honestly cares about your wedding being the special moment in your life that it should be—she helped us so much, we really can’t thank her enough. Getting married in San Francisco, as well as in the same City Hall that Harvey Milk served, was just an incredible experience I can’t accurately describe in words, and we couldn’t have put it together without her. Thank you, Sheila!”
From Pat and Eve:
“When Eve and I decided to get married, things started to happen very quickly. Our trip to San Francisco was coming right up and we had little time to make arrangements. We went online and got an appointment at City Hall to get a license and then faced the problem of finding an officiant to perform our ceremony. Online again. This time we contacted a few people with reasonable websites. Almost immediately, Sheila replied and in no time at all, we had all the arrangements made and we started the process of sweet anticipation. From her first email, Sheila made us feel confident and assured, mostly because she radiated those qualities in herself.
“On the Big Day, Sheila met us at the Clerk’s office and we made our way to the balcony we had selected to be the site of our ceremony. Eve and I were oddly nervous considering we had lived together for the last 25 years. Shelia took control in a gentle supportive way. Our ceremony was emotional, meaningful and beautiful. And beyond our personal connection with each other, we were completely delighted to have Sheila be part of this important event in our lives. She was everything we had hoped for and more. She made our ceremony simply perfect!
“So, to anyone who is dreaming of a wedding as we were, and wondering who might be the perfect person to make it as special as it should be, trust us, Sheila is the one!”
From Mary and Claudine:
“We felt so fortunate to have been married by Sheila. While planning our wedding, we were advised that an officiant sets the tone. We wanted to be be sure to pick one whose style fit ours. Sheila’s style fit our vision for the day perfectly.
“She listened to us and interpreted our needs. Sheila brought the ceremony to another level, one of reverence and openness. It made us and our guests feel relaxed but profoundly moved. Instead of being a bundle of nerves, her presence kept us emotionally open and enjoying ourselves. While there were moments of laughter, there was barely a dry eye by the end of the ceremony. Our guests commented on what a wonderful presence she has. She definitely has a serenity beyond her years. The entire process from our initial meeting to the ceremony was supportive, patient, thoughtful and spiritual. We highly recommend her!”
From Peter Howells and Vince Constabileo:
“Sheila’s officiation of our marriage ceremony was very personal and thoughtful. She helped us articulate the importance of our relationship to each other so we could share our feelings with our friends and family who attended the ceremony.
“Her empathetic and thoughtful approach took the stress out of planning our marriage celebration and we were very happy with the results–a meaningful and personalized service that was well prepared and went off without a hitch…”
From Lizandra and Carlos:
“Sheila did an amazing job of conducting our ceremony. She held a loving and grounded energy that created a safe and respectful space for us to become a married couple. In the ceremony she generated insight and loving thoughts that moved our relationship into a new place beyond the vows we exchanged. If you have a chance for Sheila to be part of your loving union, you are a lucky soul.”
From Aimee and Austin:
“We would recommend Sheila for her helpfulness, patience, openness, and ability to embrace all spiritual traditions.
“Sheila had an enormous calming affect on us while we were in the stressful throws of planning our wedding events. For this reason, we looked forward to each meeting with her . Our time spent with her provided us with an invaluable perspective of the entire wedding planning process.
“After our wedding we received an abundance of compliments about the ceremony from people who attended. Compliments came from an array of guests, including some strong-minded and devout Catholic family members and born-again-Christians, though little about the ceremony was Catholic or Christian, as well as friends who normally resist any form of religion. In some ways, our ceremony was the closest experience to a coming out party that we, as a straight couple, could have. We stood before all the people we love and stated who we are, what we believe, and why we love one another. The reaction of our friends and family was one of overwhelming warmth and joy.”
