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Murphy Birdsall, Celebrant Reviews

Murphy Birdsall, Celebrant

Murphy Birdsall, Celebrant

Montclair, NJ
5.0 out of 5 rating, 19 Reviews
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Reviews

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19 Reviews
100% recommend it
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Awards

19
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2012 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2011 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2010 Winner
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    Heather Sent on 10/18/2015
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    Murphy was a great officiant and helped my husband & I make our ceremony exactly what we wanted it to be!! She had the vibe/tone we were looking for (more serious but not too conservative). We are very happy with her services-- she was a pleasure to work with!!
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    Andrew K. Sent on 09/19/2015
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    Oh, where do we start? Right from the get--go, Murphy just fit. On time, on-point and a caring listener, Murphy was wonderful.
    What we thought so important was how she remembered what we chatted about during the few times we were together.
    Many of the details that have brought me and my new wife together were brought out during the ceremony. Simply. Kindly. All listening loved hearing of them. Murphy was a more adhering, gathering soul with us this so important day, than I believe we thought she would be.
    We feel truly blessed to have found her.
    Thank you, Murphy.
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    Paolo Sent on 09/03/2014
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    We went with a celebrant as neither myself or my wife are particularly religious. Murphy ensured that the ceremony still had a spiritual feel to it and 5 months on guests still bring up how much they enjoyed it for its uniqueness.

    Murphy brought fresh ideas and really listened to what we wanted. My wife and I were instantly sold after our first meeting with her, she laid out ideas and took the time to get to know us- asking about how we met, how I proposed, our family member and other members of the wedding party etc. Her planning was excellent and it never felt like a chore to answer questionnaires or choose elements of the ceremony when she got in touch.

    What we liked most about Murphy was her emphasis on the wedding being about us. Nothing was too important to have in the ceremony if we didn't like it and no detail was too small if we wanted to include it.

    Couldn't recommend Murphy enough!
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    Nicole Sent on 03/01/2014
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    I cannot recommend Murphy enough! My husband and I ended up changing our wedding plans last minute and we found Murphy on Wedding Wire. We are now so glad that we did! Although we had only a month until our wedding day, you would never know it. Murphy created such a beautiful ceremony for us that truly reflected our love.

    Murphy took the time to get to know the two of us and you could definitely tell that in the ceremony. The ceremony was heart warming, touching, and had just the right amount of laughter. Murphy made our wedding day perfect and we highly recommend her!!!
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    Eric Sent on 10/22/2012
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    Hiring Murphy was one of the best things we did for our wedding day….

    My wife and I found Murphy through WeddingWire after our original wedding officiant went MIA two and a half months before our wedding. We were panicked that we wouldn’t find someone in time, but luckily Murphy was still available and quickly responded to our inquiry. After our first meeting with Murphy, it was evident that we had significantly upgraded our ceremony.

    Everything that has been written in previous reviews is true. Murphy is a true professional when it comes to planning a ceremony. Probably the best part of working with her is how committed she is to giving you the best ceremony she can. Murphy spent a lot of time getting to know us, our relationship, and our expectations of our wedding day in order to create a one-of-a –kind ceremony.

    As you find out when planning a wedding, it can be frustratingly difficult to get in contact with certain people, regardless of how soon the wedding is. Murphy, by comparison, was always easy to get in touch with. She was always prompt to meetings and quick to reply to emails. She gave us a schedule of when things would be done and was always on time.

    In the end, our ceremony turned out AMAZING. Murphy created a very personal ceremony that reflected our relationship perfectly. We are still getting compliments about our ceremony, months after the wedding.

    We are forever grateful Murphy! Thank you again!

    -Eric & Lisa
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    Josh Sent on 11/21/2011
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    My wife and I really appreciated the thought that Murphy put into crafting a ceremony that was right for us. She has a kind, soothing voice which, in the high-stress environment of planning a wedding, comes in handy and made both of us feel relaxed when it came to exchange our vows. Additionally, Murphy's knowledge and experience ably addressed any questions we had, especially when she led both our families through the wedding rehearsal, a process that could've been difficult but that under her direction went smoothly.

    Not only that, but as we were on a low budget, she was willing to work with us to make affordable choices. Based on all these points, we highly recommend Murphy as she did an outstanding job.
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    Carrie Sent on 12/10/2010
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    I cannot say enough great things about Murphy! Murphy married my brother and sister-in-law back in 2006 and I remember thinking to myself at that time, "What a beautiful ceremony!" As soon as I got engaged, I could think of no other person I would want to marry me and my now husband. Our ceremony was exactly what we wanted it to be, funny and light-hearted, just like us. It was personal, yet entertaining for our guests. We had so many of our family and friends come up to us after the wedding to tell us how much they enjoyed the ceremony and what a great job Murphy did. Murphy even sent us a beautiful copy of the written-up ceremony after the wedding with a touching note. If you want an original ceremony encompassing your true selves, Murphy is the celebrant to choose. I guarantee you won't regret it.
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    Daisy Sent on 12/10/2010
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    Murphy is not only a celebrant, she's a visionary. When I got married, it was precisely the experience I had dancing in my imagination for years -- only better. Murphy can tap into your emotional and stylistic impulses and not only honor them but improve upon them. Don't feel like you have to come to the table having mapped out your wedding down to the last detail. (Although you can, and that would also be fine!) We played around and tinkered and learned a lot in the process, and ended up with a ceremony that made us and our guests feel a lot of love. So many people came up to me afterwards to say it was the nicest wedding they had ever attended. (It was a relatively low-budget, low-frill affair, so they were responding to mood and inclusiveness, not production value.) I admit to having a certain advantage, because Murphy is my aunt and I've been close to her all my life. But I know how she is with everyone, and that is: curious, warm, enthusiastic, and deeply attuned to the joyous things in life. She can really make your wedding a true celebration.
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    Mary Sent on 01/09/2011
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    Words alone cannot begin to describe how happy we were with Murphy. I discovered Murphy when she officiated at a friends wedding in 2007 and knew she exactly what we were looking for. My husband and I are not religious and really wanted a ceremony that was about us. We wanted it to be personal, but also involve our friends and family who mean the world to us. What Murphy put together was absolutely perfect. I can't tell you how many people came up to us after the ceremony and said "that was the best ceremony I've ever been to" or "what a touching ceremony!" We laughed, we cried - everything was perfect! The ceremony was our favorite part of the entire day and it was all because of Murphy. We'd get married all over again just to work with her again.

    Mary
    Married Sept. 2010 in Columbia County, NY
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    Emma Sent on 12/12/2010
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    Murphy did a wonderful job with our wedding. At times my husband and I had different thoughts about what we wanted, and Murphy was able to incorporate all of our various ideas into the ceremony seamlessly. We didn't want an elaborate wedding, and so she created a ceremony that was short and simple but very meaningful. Murphy has a great sense of humor and the ceremony had the appropriate blend of lightheartedness and solemnity.
    Overall we had an excellent experience- she is professional, warm and patient. Highly recommended.
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    Richard Sent on 09/02/2011
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    We highly recommend Murphy. She helped us put together a unique and beautiful ceremony. She's great at what she does, and it's clear she enjoys doing it. She's responsive, reliable, thorough, full of ideas, and a great writer. We're glad we chose her to play such a key role on our special day.
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    Melissa Sent on 11/22/2009
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    We couldn't have asked for a more special, personal, humorous, unique ceremony. It was exactly what we had hoped for! We are still getting compliments from family and friends on how they all felt like part of the ceremony and what a wonderful job our celebrant (Murphy) had done! Murphy's beautiful ceremony speech set the tone for our entire marriage - one that is happy and filled with love.
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    Lee Sent on 06/22/2009
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    Murphy married us this spring in New York City, and we were 100 percent happy with the experience. She did an excellent job writing and editing our ceremony according to our vision. She really listened to who we are and what we wanted for our ceremony, and followed through with a wonderfully personal and intimate program. In our meetings, Murphy was attentive and easy to talk to, and it was clear from the beginning that she loves what she does and takes the task of marrying people seriously. On the day of the wedding, Murphy was a calm and supportive presence, unfazed by the complex logistics of our ceremony (a standing ceremony and champagne toast in a public Manhattan park). She read the ceremony exactly as we had agreed and followed through with the ceremony plan perfectly. Later, at the reception, guests were coming up to us and complimenting Murphy's style and the intimate ceremony she helped us create. I've never heard of wedding guests complimenting an officiant! Murphy was really a winner. Highly recommended!
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    Samantha Sent on 06/24/2009
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    Murphy was wonderful. My ceremony was so beautiful! She personalized it so well that my guests were asking me if my husband and i wrote it ourselves.
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    Jackie Sent on 04/13/2009
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    We knew Murphy was a perfect fit for us from our very first visit with her. We had a pretty good idea of the type of ceremony we wanted, and Murphy was able to provide advice and suggestions to further enhance the ultimate outcome. We're still receiving compliments on the personalized and unique ceremony we created along with Murphy. It will truly be a day that we will always hold close in our hearts!
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    Randy Sent on 03/31/2009
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    Murphy was wonderful to work with; she was sensitive, professional and so open hearted. She surpassed all of our needs and met all our requests with humor, kindness, respect and lots of love. She provided a perfect wedding ceremony for us!
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    Kim Sent on 03/23/2009
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    We want to thank you again for everything you did to make our day unique and beautiful. This is a compliment we also extend on behalf of our families and friends who were truly impressed by the comfort and emotion you brought to the day.

    We wanted a simple, elegant, and tasteful ceremony- one that would be an entire reflection of ourselves. Murphy achieved all that while also incorporating family members and friends into a bilingual (french/english) ceremony. She took time to take us through all of the steps and planning to make our wedding day unforgettable. The ceremony was everything we could have asked for and more. We are so thankful to have had Murphy make our day so memorable!

    We very highly recommend Murphy! Thank you for your kindness, friendship, and support.
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    Sara Sent on 04/23/2009
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    We were thinking of having our civil union in a courthouse when my sister told us about Murphy. After meeting with Murphy, we knew we had to do something more. She suggested so many ways to make our ceremony meaningful, understood our intent, and was so warm and thoughtful. She beautifully structured everything--and did it in record time! Anybody would be lucky to work with Murphy.
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    April Sent on 03/26/2009
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    Murphy was wonderful to work with, and she provided us with the exact ceremony we were looking for. I received so many compliments from friends and family about how unique and personal our ceremony was. We were extremely happy with Murphy and would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a Celebrant!
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