Leslie Bockian

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Leslie made our wedding perfect. We never met face-to-face until the big day, since I am in San Francisco and she is located in Southern California, but we communicated constantly by phone and email to build a ceremony that was uniquely us and still included the traditions of our respective families (mine Protestant, his Jewish). Everything time I thought something was an emergency, Leslie knew exactly how to handle it with a grace and aplomb you rarely find these days. She was invaluable not just for the ceremony, but for helping me work with my family and smooth ruffled feathers. She calmed every fear and really helped with the isolation that can sometimes come with wedding planning. No matter what happened, I had her in my corner, and she came through 100%.

After a 26-year courtship the last thing we wanted in a wedding ceremony was a big hoopla. Somehow, Leslie managed to create a loving, memorable atmosphere, perfectly attuned to our taste, with very little to work with. She is obviously terrific at what she does because we celebrated our tenth anniversary last year. I would recommend her to any couple who wants someone who can accommodate their needs and put a little magic into their relationship. A very special person for that special day!

Two years after our wedding, we still think all the time about how lucky we were to find Leslie. We spoke with many, many officiants--all much more expensive--and we just weren't impressed by anyone. We were just about to give up when we found Leslie, and it turned out that she was heaven-sent!



We loved so many things about our wedding but, truly, SHE made the whole thing as special as it was. Her warmth, humor, intelligence and--yes, sentimentality--made our service so memorable. We were so impressed when we met with her to help us plan our service; we truly felt there was nothing she wouldn't have done to make our day unique and thrilling, and she absolutely listened to us and heard what we wanted. She went back and forth with us a number of times, offering to meet or discuss as often as needed. Our marriage was interfaith, and she turned what could have been a difficulty into a very special melding of cultures and faiths.



We continue to be touched by the fact that Leslie still thinks of us and reaches out to us every now and then to see how we are. She loves what she does and that's why she is the best!!! What a special human being.

We are so glad we found Rev. Leslie. We were a little stressed about planning the ceremony in a fairly short time. But after meeting Rev. Leslie, we felt much more relaxed. She created a ceremony that was personalized to us. She incorporated a verse from a song that was meaningful to us. She even helped us find a beautiful location! She had warm and sincere enthusiasm for our wedding from the very beginning, which showed during the ceremony. It was beautiful and we received several compliments from family and friends, who all love Rev. Leslie too! We are coming up on our first anniversary and still talk about our wedding and how perfect it was. We HIGHLY recommend Rev. Leslie!

Michael Leek & Scott Robertson, West Hollywood, CA

For our 10th anniversary we decided to celebrate with a Renewal of Vows ceremony in our back yard. We were delighted to reconnect with Rev. Leslie who had officiated at our original wedding in a park near Santa Barbara. Leslie continues to be a joy to work with. Just as she had 10 years earlier, Leslie helped us feel comfortable and supported from the initial planning stages to The Big Day with her enthusiasm, caring, attention to detail and sense of humor. She helped us craft a ceremony that was really personal and special to us. It incorporated some of the readings and poems that we loved from our original ceremony and added some new ones. I can't imagine a happier experience for us and our family. I wholeheartedly recommend Rev. Leslie!

Leslie was a life saver! Not only was she available on such short notice, I couldn't imagine the best day of my life to be officiated by anyone else. She was very professional and detailed when getting to know Joe and I, and customized our ceremony to be exactly what we had in mind. All of our guests thought she was related to us because she is so heartfelt and personal. She went over and beyond our expectations for an officiant. I highly recommend her services to anyone. ~ Amanda and Joseph Anthony, married October 11, 2008

It would be faint praise indeed merely to say that Reverend Leslie Bockian "officiated" at the wedding of Chris and Bruce. She was thoroughly and joyously involved, carrying out their special wishes, making it a very personal ceremony. It was a time of deep feelings for everyone, and we felt that she helped us all participate in a very meaningful way. We appreciate her calm manner, her obvious pleasure, and her humor; and we thank her for her very memorable words. Marj Hart, Cabot, Arkansas

We are happy to write this review for Reverend Leslie Bockian. We will sing her praises forever.



Thanks to the California Supreme Court decision handed down on May 15, 2008, we were able to finally be married in our home State on July 19, 2008.



We searched online for a wedding officiant, e-mailed several, and spoke with several. When we heard Reverend Leslie for the first time on the phone . . . her warm, gentle, genuinely loving nature clearly came through . . . we both knew we needn't look any further.



We had such an incredible wedding ceremony. So many of our friends and guests shed tears . . . tears of joy. Many commented to us afterwards what a beautiful ceremony Reverend Leslie had performed. One of our friends said to us, "She made me feel so warm and safe, I felt like I was in a cocoon."



The wedding was videotaped, and we mailed DVDs of the ceremony to some of our friends who were unable to attend. We have heard from many of them that they cried when they saw the DVD, and of course, had wonderful things to say about Reverend Leslie.



She did most of the speaking. We of course said "I do" and read our vows aloud. Otherwise, everything else was left up to Reverend Leslie, and our wedding was wonderful. What she had written flowed beautifully.



Chris's 80-year-old mother, who flew from Cabot, Arkansas for our wedding, wrote in an e-mail after having received and viewed the DVD of the ceremony that we mailed to her: "I've been to many a wedding in my life, but I don't believe I've ever witnessed one that was so warm and sweet, so meaningful and touched with happiness and moments of fun. It was all that such a time should be."



Reverend Leslie's website is ajoyfulwedding.com.



Her e-mail address is [email protected].



For more information about Reverend Leslie, our wedding, and same-gender marriage, please visit our wedding site:

http://bruceandchriswedding.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.html.



Bruce Lund and Christopher Hart

Castaic, California