About Mary
About Vows to Cherish
Welcome to Vows to Cherish, where love takes center stage, and your special moments are crafted with care. Founded in 2023 by Mary Barneby, a seasoned professional with a heart dedicated to celebrating love, her mission is to be your premier choice for wedding officiant services in Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
Mary’s Journey
Mary's vision was clear: to create a space where couples could embark on their marital journey with a ceremony that truly reflects their unique love story. Her wealth of experience in leadership, coupled with a passion for love and celebration, sets the tone for the personalized and inclusive services that define Vows to Cherish.
Mary’s Commitment
The Vows to Cherish Experience
Why Choose Vows to Cherish
Experienced Guidance
Mary Barneby, your officiant, brings a wealth of experience to guide you through every step of the process.
Inclusivity
Mary celebrates love in all its forms, making her services open to couples of every background, race, and orientation.
Personalized Touch
Your love story is one-of-a-kind, and your ceremony should be too. Mary takes the time to understand your vision and craft a ceremony that resonates with your unique story.
Founded on Love
Vows to Cherish was born out of a commitment to love and celebration, making Mary a trusted name in wedding officiant services since 2023.
Let's Create Unforgettable Moments
Meet Mary!
Wedding Officiant
What my clients say
a very professional job….(she is) very nice to get along with….would not have wanted anyone else
It was a joy to collaborate with Mary, creating a meaningful moment in time. Through her kindness and sincerity- her presence, a natural connection; our vows flowed beautifully. So grateful to have found Mary for our ceremony!
Our officiant, Mary was truly amazing from beginning to end. She is warm, kind, and friendly. Went out of her way to assist us in any matter that we needed, and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. She made us feel relaxed and ourselves. Highly recommend her.
Mary was the best officiant ever! She was very communicative and asked all the right questions when discussing vows. Even the ones I would never remember to ask! She made them very personal and unique to us. She was on time and ready for the wedding! She took care of all of our signatures for the marriage license/certificate! She made my day special!
Mary was amazing from the minute we connected with her. She took the time to understand who we were and what was important to us. Her suggestions on how to craft the ceremony were extremely helpful. On the day of the wedding, she came prepared and she delivered the vows in a way that resonated with our guests. Highly recommend!
Mary was amazing, and we honestly now consider her a family friend! She was nothing but friendly, warm, accommodating and knowledgeable about getting married in DE. She made our ceremony fun and tailored it to our love story. Our wedding day wouldn’t have been the same without her! THANKS MARY!!
Mary was incredible!!! If you are looking for someone to officiate your ceremony, contact Mary! I spoke to several others about officiating the ceremony before I found Mary. She was more about the union of marriage verses greed of making a huge profit off of an “Out of state” wedding. After 22+ years I married my best friend and soul mate 🥰💍. Thank you Mary for everything you did for us!!!
Professionalism, communication, level of service and value – those are just the nuts and bolts of what Mary provides. The soft skills of emotional intelligence, sincerity, kindness and thoughtfulness are the ones that really make working with her a pleasure and a joy. Couldn’t recommend enough and you never leave reviews for anything.
We loved having Mary as our officiant! She was offered so much support and was very flexible, even with some of our last minutes changes to the ceremony. She was so wonderful to work with and definitely wanted to make the ceremony personalized and work however we wanted it. We would definitely recommend hiring Mary!
Mary was our wedding officiant for our beach ceremony in Rehoboth and she was a joy to work with for our wedding. Mary was responsive to all of our phone calls and emails and met with us multiple times ahead of our wedding day because she really cared about getting to know us and catered our wedding ceremony to meet our needs. She made the whole process very easy and took care of the paperwork responsibilities. We highly recommend hiring Mary as your wedding officiant.
Mary was absolutely wonderful and helpful every step of the way for our marriage renewal ceremony on the beach. She even brought flowers from her garden for me and my daughter!
Frequently Asked Questions
I generally work in Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. However, I may be willing to travel farther if travel and lodging reimbursement can be factored into our agreement.
I am open to being your officiant whether your ceremony is on the beach, in your backyard, on a boat or in a grand wedding venue.
Once I understand a couple’s vision, I will tailor the vows and ceremony to meet their goals. I can provide traditional, modern, short or longer programs and I can include additional parts to the program, if requested by the couple, such as readings by friends or family, candle lightings, hand fasting, etc. Ceremonies can refer to God or a religious deity, or be secular, with no religious reference.
I offer my services joyfully to all regardless of their religious or spiritual beliefs, their sexual orientation, their race or ethnicity and am happy to work with interfaith couples.
My work with each couple is customized and unique to their wishes and goals. Here are the general areas I cover:
*Introductory conversation with the couple to understand their goals and details for the event.
*Helping them navigate the process for obtaining their license and filing their marriage certificate in the jurisdiction of the wedding.
*Preparing and receiving their feedback and input on the vows and the agenda for the ceremony. (The means including any specific ceremony additions such as readings, candle lightings, hand fasting, etc.)
*Being present at the rehearsal, if requested.
*Conducting the ceremony and filing the signed marriage license with the appropriate jurisdiction.
The couple can be as involved as they choose. Some couples prefer to write their own vows, while others prefer sharing their vision and having me draft vows that reflect their wishes. I do ask that each couple spend some “upfront” time with me via telephone, virtually or in person (if possible) to work together so I can gather the information necessary to create a customized plan.
The actual cost is based on the specific plan created for the couple. For example, a thirty minute ceremony within driving distance of my home generally costs about $250. Once I have a good sense of what a couple requires, I will provide a written proposal which will detail my services under an inclusive price.