FAQs
Who is Kim Kirkley?
What does Kim believe?
Why does Kim perform ceremonies?
What is a certified Civil Celebrant?
What makes a Celebrant different from an Officiant, Judge, or Justice of the Peace?
Who would use the services of a Celebrant?
What’s so special about a wedding ceremony anyway?  Who is Kim Kirkley?
Kim Kirkley is a joyful, professional civil Celebrant and has received the prestigious "Modern Bride Trendsetter" award. Kim's warm smile and calm, pleasant demeanor encourages people to honor the best of themselves through ceremony. She seeks to inspire and elicit the sense of hope, communion, and peace that comes from being actively engaged in commemorating life's transitions. As a Celebrant she stands in the power of ritual and invites everyone to celebrate a meaningful, personalized wedding ceremony -- religious or non-religious -- full of the warmth, great expectations and sincerity that are the
foundation of a joyful union.
Kim has volunteered with numerous cultural and social justice organizations including the American Friends Service Committee, Kitua cha Sheria (a free legal advice center in Kenya, East Africa), the Haitian Refugee Center (a multi-service community center in Miami, Florida), and visited with Ileaiye (a multi-service community center in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. A graduate of Hampton University and the Rutgers University School of Law (Newark), Kim currently makes her home in Brooklyn and, as an instructor with the Celebrant USA Foundation, she enjoys mentoring other community minded people as they become certified Civil Celebrants.
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What does Kim believe?
As a Celebrant, Kim honors and respects all belief systems – religious or non-religious. Experience has shown that a certified Celebrant’s personal beliefs are immaterial to creating a meaningful, distinctive personalized ceremony. Celebrants believe that customized ceremonies are an important way of conveying a couple’s happiness, and the connection and beauty within society. Celebrants are trained to focus on the values and priorities of the couple. The client-centered ceremony is a reflection and an extension of the honorees at the ceremony.
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Why does Kim perform ceremonies?
Kim says, “Every ceremony I perform touches my heart and reminds me of the real values in human life – family and human relationships. As a Celebrant I have the unparalleled opportunity to encourage people to appreciate their lives, families, and communities.”
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What is a certified Civil Celebrant?
A certified civil Celebrant is a professional secular ritual-maker – a community-minded person who is professionally trained to perform a variety of ceremonies to mark life's milestones, including: weddings, renewal of vows, same sex unions, baby-welcomings, adoption commemorations, end of life tributes and other rites of passages. The Civil Celebrant's mission is to create a ceremony that reflects your needs, beliefs, cultural background, values and tastes. The Celebrant USA Foundation and Institute, the only U.S. certifying organization, was established in 2001 in the tradition of Australian Civil Marriage Celebrants, founded in 1973
(www.celebrancy.com).
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What makes a Celebrant different from an Officiant, Judge, or Justice of the Peace?
In a Civil Celebrant Ceremony, the couple is empowered. Nothing is imposed. Instead, in a collaborative process, the Celebrant assists the couple in choosing rituals, readings, symbols and music to fulfill their ideals.
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Who would use the services of a Celebrant?
Anyone and everyone who desires a meaningful, heartfelt ceremonial experience will appreciate a Celebrant guided ceremony. Celebrant couples come from every walk off life. The one thing they all have in common is that they are seeking a ceremonial experience that is distinctly their own.
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What’s so special about a wedding ceremony anyway?
A wedding ceremony is an extraordinary event in our lives. It is one of the few opportunities to express and appreciate the real values in life – family and human relationships. When they are infused with meaning, ceremonial moments are special. Ceremonies have the potential to mark and reflect the essence of life.
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 Kim Kirkley is an ordained Celebrant and non-denominational minister who delights in creating personalized wedding ceremonies. She can be reached via e-mail at Kim@kimkirkley.com
or 718.753.1993. Contact her today for your free introductory consultation.
Your Ceremony, Your Way
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