We are a queer/woman-owned officiant/celebrant service in the Lower Mainland, and we would love to help you craft a meaningful ceremony!

Beth Carlson-Malena is an award-winning officiant, having performed at more than 300 weddings in the lower mainland. Based in Vancouver with her wife Danice, together they are able to provide ceremony services along with sound and music - whether you just need someone to play your cues for the ceremony itself, or if you're looking for a wedding DJ for the full night!

Pride + Joy Ceremonies knows that your love story is different from any other. When you gather your family, chosen family, and friends to celebrate with you, you want to make sure the ceremony reflects who you are and what you value. Together, we can reflect on how far your love has brought you, and find the best words to carry you into your next chapter. Whether you love timeless traditions or you prefer to think way outside the box, we can't wait to join you in crafting this central part of your day.

Here are some of our values as a team:

Listening for what matters.

We take time to listen to your story so we can weave it into the larger narrative of the ceremony. We will come curious about what matters to you, and we can consider together how our ceremony can honour the complexity of who you are (or, in the case of a Celebration of Life, who your loved one is), whether it's weaving in family/cultural traditions, quoting from a favourite song or film, or finding a role for one of your family members to play during the ceremony.

Thinking outside the box.

The last thing we want is to plug your name into a pre-written template. We will come to our meeting with ideas from past ceremonies, so we don't have to start from scratch, but we'd love to hear your ideas and brainstorm together as much as possible. We love trying new things, whether it's putting a new spin on a time-honoured tradition, creating a new ritual with elements unique to your venue, or adding a moment of humour. We see this as our collaborative effort to make meaning of this event in your life, which will never look exactly like it does in someone else's life.

Prioritizing inclusion and belonging.

It can feel vulnerable and risky to gather together in a ceremony, especially when emotions are raw and when we're awkward in trying new things. As we consider how to introduce and frame your ceremony, we focus on building a safe container so people can risk as much vulnerability as is healthy for them. As queer team members, we know what it feels like to be excluded from ceremonies, so we try to choose language, themes, and shared practices that explicitly include all kinds of people, creating belonging for each individual who has made the choice to be there, so that they know their presence matters.

Giving you peace of mind.

We'll keep making adjustments to the ceremony until you're fully comfortable with our plans. We're also very capable of rolling with unexpected last-minute changes and surprises. We are trustworthy and reliable hosts and facilitators, and our goal is to free you up to simply show up and experience it, along with the other people you've invited to participate, instead of having to fret about the details.

PLUS+

Did you know Beth has also done ceremonies in French? (All those years in French Immersion at school finally came in handy!) Contactez-nous si vous voulez discuter une cérémonie bilingue ou une cérémonie en français.

Beth is committed to making her work ecologically sustainable by going paperless and using her e-bike to travel to any meetings, rehearsals or ceremonies within Vancouver city limits. Let us know if you're hoping to keep your wedding as green as possible - we might be a good fit for you!

Pride + Joy Ceremonies is a wedding officiant based in Vancouver, British Columbia.