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The Wedding Monk Reviews

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Reviews

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57 Reviews
100% recommend it
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Awards

57
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2017 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2016 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2015 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2014 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2013 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2012 Winner
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    Rachel H. Sent on 06/14/2021
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    it was amazing the speech he wrote was so beautiful and unique, he was so kind, responsible and easy going

    it was amazing the speech he wrote was so beautiful and unique, he was so kind, responsible and easy going
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    The Y. Sent on 10/18/2021
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    An October Wedding

    We found Lawrence last minute for an elopement. He was perfect. He said our names accurately, listened to what we wanted. He was articulate, had a beautiful reading and ceremony for us. It was the perfect poetic and spiritual ceremony. Lawrence was calm and collected, made us feel comfortable and was extremely kind. He was even helpful in helping family members bring up items to the ceremony.
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    Stephanie M. Sent on 05/05/2021
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    Rev Lawrence was Amazing!!!

    Rev Lawrence made our Wedding so special and meaningful!! He was very easy to deal with and listened to all our needs and delivered such a moving Ceremony!! Thank you
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    Deborah E. Sent on 06/04/2019
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    Rev. Lawrence is fantastic!

    Reverend Lawrence was absolutely wonderful from the time we first contacted him. He is incredibly kind and warm, as well as a first-rate writer for all things related to your ceremony. He also provides a fabulous questionnaire that helps him get to know you as individuals, as well as how and why you fell in love. We met with him several times to discuss our preferences, and during those times he made many suggestions as to texts for the ceremony, as well as ideas about rituals that other people have chosen to include. He helped us tremendously to have a sense of what to expect, how to go about considering and choosing things to include in our wedding, and how to make it fit us as individuals and as a couple. When our day arrived, he made us feel completely confident and comfortable, and he guided us through the ceremony with ease and grace. You will not find a more skilled, perceptive, responsive, creative, gentle or eloquent officiant than Reverend Lawrence. We happily give him our highest possible recommendation.
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    Jenny Z. Sent on 10/25/2020
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    Rev Lawrence helped make our wedding ceremony so lovely, emotional and intimate

    Rev Lawrence replied really fast to our request and is very flexible with the time. He took time to know our story and made our ceremony very personalized. He was very kind and nice! We had such a lovely wedding ceremony, I’m so glad we asked him to be our officiant.
  • James
    James Sent on 08/31/2020
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    Great experience - exactly what we wanted!

    Rev. Lawrence wrote and performed a very nice short wedding service for us. We wanted something simple with some Buddhist references and it was perfect. Would definitely recommend him for a simple COVID wedding like ours, or for something more elaborate. He was great to work with and a nice guy.
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    Angela G. Sent on 11/02/2020
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    Wonderful officiant for a spiritually meaningful weddin

    Rev. Grecco officiated our August wedding in NYC. He crafted a personalized wedding ceremony for us that included key details about us as a couple, had all of the ceremonial elements that we wanted, and was deeply meaningful to us. Several of our guests said ours was one of the most beautiful ceremonies they had ever seen; it certainly was all that we had hoped it would be! Rev. Grecco was very flexible (including when we had to postpone our wedding due to the pandemic!), kind, and a pleasure to work with. As a Buddhist myself, it was important to me to have a Buddhist officiant, but I know that Rev. Grecco would work equally well with couples of all (or no) faiths. Highly recommended!
  • Michael
    Michael K. Sent on 11/08/2018
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    Strawberry Fields

    We contacted Lawrence because his Buddhist background spoke to us. Lawrence took great care to understand who we are together and was able to put together a service that far exceeded what we were hoping for. He has the perfect combination of seriousness and humor with his writings. I cannot imagine a better person to officiate our wedding.
    Getting married at strawberry Fields in Central park was important to us. Lawrence was very accommodating to our needs.
    We wholeheartedly recommend working with Lawrence if you need his services.

    The Wedding Monk's reply:

    Thank you so much for your kind words--it was a very special experience for me to officiate for you both.
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    Jill Sent on 05/25/2017
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    Lawrence performed my ceremony recently with little explanation from myself on what my wishes were. He intuitively put together the perfect evening that I would not have wanted any other way. He even translated the vows into Spanish for my husband who is from Ecuador. It was quaint, warm, spiritually and energetically everything I had hoped for. We highly recommend Lawrence, and we are grateful our special day was shared with him. We will always smile when we think of how perfect that evening was for us.
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    Craig Sent on 07/01/2017
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    Lawrence took the time to tailor the ceremony specifically for us. Guiding us through what the various customary parts of the ceremony and enthusiastically modifying or even eliminating the portions that didn't suit us. We had a great time and he even participating in our end-of-ceremony charade of a police raid. (We had a 1920s speakeasy theme and at the end got 'raided' where Lawrence eventually bribed the cops to leave. Allowing the event space to be adjusted to the reception floor plan during the distraction.)
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    John Sent on 11/05/2016
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    Lawrence brings a lot to the table and gave us many vow/intention options to choose from/modify to inspire us and helped guide us with a steady hand during a very nerve wracking time. He truly made our wedding a beautiful and meaningful day, My wife and I both felt that we were with a friend. He is easy to get to know and has an easy going personality. He delivered a truly magic ceremony. I would do it again!
  • User2671103 Sent on 07/02/2016
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    Rev. Grecco was amazing! Upon our initial meeting my fiancé and I found Rev. Grecco to be knowledgeable and friendly. We knew immediately that we wanted him to officiate our ceremony. He took the time to get to know us and always responded to emails in a timely manner. He worked with us to create a personal, creative and heartfelt ceremony. He also gave us feedback on the readings we wanted to include in the service. So many of my guests asked, "Where did you find Rev. Grecco?" I had an amazing wedding and having Rev. Grecco officiating made my wedding experience extra special. He is the best!
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    Jim Sent on 07/12/2016
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    Rev. Grecco went out of his way to understand us before crafting his first draft of our ceremony. He then took input from us in creative sessions and worked with us to develop an incredibly meaningful and powerful ceremony. After the ceremony, many of our guests took a moment comment on how our unique ceremony was deeply meaningful to them as well.

    Rev. Grecco's warmth and compassionate are the first things you will experience and both will remain with you long afterwards.
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    Lauren Sent on 06/07/2016
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    I always wanted to find a way to have a ceremony that was really special and meaningful without getting in a church. I'm not involved in any organized religion and my husband is not religious at all. When I came across Lawrence's profile and read the description on his website of "spiritual but not religious" ceremonies, I felt I couldn't have done a better job of putting into words exactly what we wanted!

    Lawrence wrote a beautiful introduction that truly captured our relationship and was the perfect way to start off our ceremony. He worked with us closely to design a completely customized ceremony where all parts had special meaning to us as a couple. He provided a suggested format and examples for inspiration, which were a great starting place, and then we worked through each part of the ceremony together. We picked most of our selections from a great book called "The Knot Guide to Wedding Vows and Traditions." He customized our vows by combining elements of a few different ones that we liked. We also added a unity candle ceremony. His presence and delivery during the ceremony were wonderful and the overall feeling of the ceremony was everything we wanted. Thank you!
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    Tricia Sent on 11/19/2015
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    Lawrence was wonderful. My husband and I knew we wanted to be married by someone who had practiced Buddhism for a long time, someone who we saw as a guide spiritually while we took our vows. Lawrence was all of these things. We did a session with him before the wedding and found him very easy to talk to. During the ceremony we were so excited to see him and all of our guests (many of whom were not familiar with Buddhist philosophy) commented on how wonderful he was. Lawrence was flexible, as we changed our minds a few times and incorporated a few Jewish customs that he blended into the ceremony beautifully. We were also worried about choosing our vows - we wanted something that felt personal to us but was still somewhat traditional. Lawrence had printed out options that we choose from and ended up loving. I would highly recommend Lawrence.
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    Ian Sent on 10/08/2015
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    Lawrence was wonderful from first contact and we can't recommend him highly enough. A wonderful soul with a warm and peaceful nature - he put us completely at ease. The words of his ceremony were beautifully written and he really took the time to know us best he could and understand our story.
    So happy he agreed to officiate for us - he helped make our day the most amazing day of our lives.
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    Laura K. Sent on 09/21/2015
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    There are few people in life who actually affect you the minute you meet them. The Venerable Lawrence Grecco is just such an individual. From the first time I spoke with him over the phone, to our face to face meeting at his home prior to our wedding, to the actual day of our nuptial, he was the picture and embodiment of grace and professionalism.

    My husband suggested that since I am Buddhist we should have a monk officiate over our wedding. I found Lawrence Grecco through Weddingwire.com. When I first read all of his reviews I have to admit, I was skeptical. Who is really worthy of a 5 out of 5 star rating on nearly every review? Answer...Lawrence Grecco. He will treat you at all times with a professionalism and calming demeanor that will instantaneously put you at ease. When my husband and I traveled to his home in NYC to meet with him just prior to our big day, we did not know what to expect. What we found is a man who is schooled in his duties, refined in his manner, devoted in his beliefs, and dedicated to serving his people be they paying clients or indigent souls seeking only his good ministrations.

    I cannot emphasize enough the satisfaction and happiness that Lawrence brought to our wedding experience. He is full of patience, humor, and humility. And these qualities shine through as he conducts whatever ceremony you invite him to in your life. I am already thinking of ways we can include him in celebrations to come.

    We wish you only happiness and joy in your upcoming life event. And we wish our monk peace, good health, and continued prosperity for all the years to come.
  • User2444900 Sent on 11/28/2015
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    Rev. Grecco provided the simple, personal ceremony my wife and I were looking for. He was very warm and did a wonderful job with the ceremony. I would recommend him to anyone.
  • User2180094 Sent on 06/15/2015
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    Rev. Grecco has conducted a ceremony that was absolutely perfect for us.
    He created an uplifting and inspiring energy at our wedding that touched people and penetrated deeper than words. It was magic of kind.
  • User2156786 Sent on 05/31/2015
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    Rev. Grecco was above all expectations. He carefully crafted our ceremony taking into account our preferences and requested, and he suggested reading to be included. We loved it when we reviewed it before the wedding - spiritual and uncomplicated. But the way he delivered, the high energy he created was absolutely majestic. Our wedding was such a memorable and special experience to all our guests in large part thanks to him.
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    Sarah Sent on 01/10/2015
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    Lawrence was wonderful, and provided a peaceful atmosphere for our wedding. He was open to including all the elements that were important to us, and made it a special and memorable event.
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    Elizabeth Sent on 10/31/2014
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    Lawrence worked closely with us to create a ceremony that completely captured our relationship. We did not want a "traditional" service, and he listened to our ideas, provided some of his own, and really made a memorable ceremony that we were both extremely happy with. Several of our guests commented that it was the best they have ever heard. He was very professional, kind, calm, and exactly the person we wanted for our special day. Highly recommend!
  • User1860919 Sent on 10/13/2014
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    Lawrence was a pleasure to work with. He wrote a heart-felt and touching ceremony that still has our family and friends talking about it. Lawrence was also very available during the planning process and met with us in person several times. We are grateful to have worked with him and highly recommend his services.
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    Kristina Sent on 11/11/2014
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    It was such a pleasure working with Lawrence for our wedding.
    My husband has been researching Buddhism for several years and his findings interested me, especially since I do not consider myself religious. So when it came time to choose a wedding officiant I knew I wanted to go down the Buddhism route.
    The ceremony is the most important part of the wedding but since we are not religious I was stumped as to what I wanted to do. I wanted it to be meaningful and spiritual, but not mushy or quirky. Rev. Lawrence found the perfect balance for us.
    I wanted a kind-of pre-marriage counseling where Lawrence could also get to know us, so after meeting with him a handful of times over the year of our engagement Lawrence wrote us the most beautiful, personalized ceremony that greatly exceeded my expectations. He listened to who we are and we're about and it was eloquently reflected in his words. He was flexible with us when we wanted to add a knot-tying ceremony and incorporated it beautifully into the rest of the ceremony.
    We were a little worried about the responses of some of our family members and friends who are staunch Catholics, but they were the guests who raved the most about how perfect the ceremony was and how wonderful Lawrence was. I think that attests to his ability to perform a spiritual ceremony that does not exclude people of any religion.
    It was a little bit more expensive than I had planned on, but this was only because we chose the customized option- I know that he has less expensive choices.
    I would definitely choose Lawrence again and I highly recommend him to others.
  • User1764805 Sent on 08/14/2014
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    My partner and I were blessed to meet Lawrence and have him celebrate our union with all of our family and friends. We met Lawrence at his studio in New York and with that one time meeting and a few email exchanged and it was like if we knew each others for a long time. Our ceremony was in Atlantic City and Lawrence made himself available to travel. Lawrence has a gift of expressing emotions through words, expressing YOUR emotions. He captured our love story and offered this beautiful journey to our guests in such a way that we will always remember. Thank you Lawrence!!!!!
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