The wedding ceremony shouldn’t be the thing that you and your guests have to suffer through to get to the good part.
Looking for Long Island Wedding Officiants, Ministers, Rabbis, a Justice of the Peace (JOP), or resources and information about marriages in Nassau and Suffolk? Do you require a marriage license Signature Service or “Sit and Sign”? Explore this website!
We promise you a meaningful, enjoyable, ceremony that everyone will remember for years to come. You deserve the moment you become married should live on in your memory as the best part… of the best day of your lives.
Whether you want it short and sweet; traditional or out-of-the-box; secular, religious, or interfaith; literary or pop-culture themed; or simply and beautifully wrapped in your personal love story… We can do all of that and more.
Our ability to write meaningful ceremonies… Our attention to detail, calming presence, humor, skill and delivery is unmatched in the industry. With literally thousands upon thousands of ceremonies crafted and performed, we are poised to bring your ceremony to life and deliver it in a way that will be remembered long after your last dance.
info@churchofancientways.org / 917.863.7865
Traditional • Alternative • Spiritual • Religious • Secular • Interfaith • Bilingual • Dual Officiant • Minister & Rabbi • LGBTQIA+
Our Team
Founded by Pastor Marie April Gismondi in 1997, The Officiants at Church of Ancient Ways are an award-winning team of joyful, seasoned, and professional Pastors, Ministers & Rabbis, recommended by many of Long Island’s most amazing venues. All of our officiants hold Church of Ancient Ways ordinations and are 100% fully legal to perform marriage ceremonies in all jurisdictions of New York State and beyond. We primarily serve Long Island and the greater NYC Tri-State area, but destination wedding requests are welcome too!
Check our our team bios, social media, and individual Vimeo video page links below.
Reach out to Pastor April or Rev. Joe for more information and let us bring you vision to life!

Pastor Marie April Gismondi
Pastor April has performed nearly six thousand ceremonies. As a writer, her talent for using rich and descriptive language to mirror her couple’s own thoughts, backgrounds and emotions is unparalleled. As a public speaker, she is warm and engaging; eliciting laughter and happy tears in all of the right places. Yet, it is her professionalism and vast knowledge that have made many countless couples happy; serving as the bench- mark that all of us at The Officiants at Church of Ancient Ways strive to achieve.
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Reverend Joe Iadanza
Rev. Joe Iadanza served on the Board of Directors at the seminary where he trained and was ordained as an Interfaith Minister. Raised an Italian Catholic, he is an actual family member to Saint Padre Pio. Yet, with a focus on individual spiritual growth, music, and meditation, Rev. Joe is just as comfortable in the secular as in the spiritual. As someone with a performance background, he brings a heart-centered and joyful perspective to every ceremony while remaining detail-oriented, on-point and professional.
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Reverend Aviva Sala
Rev. Aviva Sala was trained by Pastor April herself and has been working exclusively for The Officiants at Church of Ancient Ways for over a decade. Aviva is a great speaker who is lauded for her listening and writing skills. From traditional ceremonies to off-beat creations, she is truly at the top of her game right now. Aviva’s creativity and humor have made her a particular favorite of our non-traditional couples who seek her out for her ability to wrap their love stories around pop-culture themes; creating masterpieces that are recalled long after the final, “I do’s”.
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Minister Brenda Santana
Minister Brenda Santana’s background in singing, acting, and performance, richly informs her work as a celebrant. In addition to writing meaningful ceremonies that touch hearts, Brenda has a presence and delivery that are quite-simply exceptional. Did we mention that her family hails from Puerto Rico and that she’s fluent in Spanish too? It’s true! She moves fluidly between English and Spanish without a trace of accent in either. Brenda is known for her gentleness and flexibility from first introductions right through your wedding day.
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Reverend Lorili Henry
Rev. Lorili Henry has been officiating for over twenty years. With an uncompromising presence, radiant delivery and elocution, she is brilliant at, not just her craft, but also at being truly joyful in the moment. As a seminary trained culturally Jewish Interfaith Officiant, Lorili is comfortable working with many faiths. She’s also a life-long yoga teacher and has a beautiful way of attending to all of life’s sacred moments, whether in a religious context or a secular one.

Reverend Catherine Smith
Reverend Catherine Smith was trained by Rev. Joe Iadanza himself and comes to Church of Ancient Ways with over twenty years of background as both a writer and performer. Her writing is lauded for its open-hearted and celebratory spirit, while her sweetness and attention to detail is a comfort to her couples from their first calls, right through their big day.

Rabbi Mark Getman
While Mark’s roots and congregation are in the Jewish community, his time in Military and current service in the National Guard as a Chaplain gave him the opportunity to serve in an Interfaith capacity. He is well versed in world religions and is happy to serve couples with a secular spirituality. He has a background in theatre, and currently has a recurring role as the Rabbi in the Marvelous Miss Maisel. So his performance skill are first rate.

Reverend Deb Viola
Rev. Deb Viola has been performing ceremonies for almost as long as Pastor April has and she is amazing! Her nature is warm and welcoming, her demeanor soothing; which is reflected in how relaxed her couples are on their wedding day. Whether using sample pieces from our library or writing fully custom and personalized ceremonies, every couple benefits from Deb’s talented, compassionate style.
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Rabbi Sara Shonfeld
Rabbi Sara Shonfeld joined Church of Ancient Ways when she saw that the needs of culturally Jewish couples, and those with a religious background but no temple affiliation, were not being met. Sara is seventh generation Israeli who speaks Hebrew perfectly. As a seminary trained interfaith officiant, she can perform ceremonies that honor any religion, represent multiple faiths, or make no mention of religion at all. Most importantly, Rabbi Sara is truly one of the most joyful human beings on the planet and it shows in all of her celebrations.
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Choosing us as your wedding officiant, takes all the worries out of planning the perfect wedding ceremony.
Are you getting married in the New York tri-state area and want a ceremony to remember? From sample ceremonies to general information about the marriage process, this is intended to be a resource for couples and officiants alike.
As professional celebrants, we offer 21st century word-smithing and original writing for all of life’s most important occasions. We also offer a comprehensive library of prewritten ceremonies, readings and poetry.
So, whether you want it personalized or traditional, we can do that. Short and sweet, yet meaningful? Yup! Looking to incorporate your favorite theme? We can do all of that too!
We include the aspects of a traditional ceremony that are important to you and skip the things that are not; blending cultures, personalities and faiths seamlessly while bringing life to your truest vision. In honoring that vision, and listening to and caring about your input, we craft something that truly represents you and that will keep your guests attentive, connected and engaged.
Whether fully a custom ceremony or one chosen from our library, we bring an authentic and personal feeling to every ceremony we perform.
Take a look around our site and explore! And when you’re ready, contact us and let us help bring your ceremony to life!
GIFT CERTIFICATES!
We adore how many times we are recommended to our couples by one of their parents who saw us at another wedding and took a card in the hopes that they would see us at their own son or daughter’s wedding. Nobody wants better for their children than a parent. Sometimes our services are even given as a wedding present! Our goal is always to give the couple what they want for themselves so they feel seen, represented and fully celebrated. Many times this includes saying how much they appreciate both families.
With all the faiths and cultures here on Long Island, believe it or not, it’s less of a balancing act and more of a joyful journey when we all come together to celebrate something wonderful as true and abiding love. A joyous ceremony that’s delivered well comes through as though we have known the couple forever, leaving everyone feeling closer to the newlyweds and to one another.
Is this a gift you would like to give your special couple? If so, we now offer Gift Certificates for all of our levels of service and they’re completely transferrable!
Our Couples & Reviews
To our incredible couples, thank you! Thank you for letting us into your lives and for allowing us to be a small but meaningful part of your love story. We’re so grateful to have celebrated with you, laughed and shared happy tears with you. Thank you too, for your kind words and reviews! It is because of you that we get to do this work that we love and share it with everyone you love.
“Rev. Joe Iadanza from Church of Ancient Ways really knocked it out of the park and was the talk of the night! We wanted a non-traditional, non-religious ceremony and I never imagined a script like the one he provided us. “This was the best ceremony I’ve ever witnessed” was said to me countless times last night! Not only are his writing skills top-notch, but his delivery and presence were also stellar. Not to mention, his amazing skills at tying a handfasting knot with not 1 or 2 but TEN ribbons! Thanks so much, Rev. Joe for being the highlight of our special day!” – Kimberly M.
“April married us the first time in October 2020 when we had to postpone our big wedding reception due to COVID, but still wanted to have a small ceremony for our parents and siblings to become legally married. Obviously, the process of planning a wedding is stressful, but even more so when you find yourself planning and postponing and shifting in a pandemic! April was with us every step of the way. She wrote us a gorgeous ceremony and was patient and compassionate through the entire process. April, and the Church of Ancient Ways, are for the couple that wants a truly custom wedding ceremony that is personal and meaningful in a way you won’t find anywhere else.” – Emily S.
Upcoming Showcases & Events
Showcases are a wonderful time to meet our officiants, chat and get answers to all of your questions, all while tasting and experiencing the offerings of some of Long Island’s most incredible venues. Here’s where we’ll be next!
Book Your Officiant Today!
Fill the form out below or call us for more information and to book your us for your big day. If you haven’t seen our reply within 24 hours, check your junk mail folder. Adding revs@optonline.net and joe@churchofancientways.org to your contacts or safe senders list will help as well! You can always get us at info@churchofancientways.org too.