Creative Weddings of Southern Maryland-Joe Orlando, Reverend

Rev. Joe was an absolute professional. When my husband I first met with him we were immediately impressed with his calm persona and confident manner. When it came time for the rehearsal he was available and kept the practice time running smoothly. We also appreciated the personal touches to the ceremony. I highly recommend Rev. Joe to anyone looking for a wedding officiant.

Joe was perfect. Made me feel very relaxed! He made my day. I would highly recommend him! He is the best!

Rev. Orlando is very caring and was willing to work with us. We had so many wonderful and postive comments rom our family and friends after the wedding.

The day of our wedding, our officiant called to say she would be 1.5 hours late, and then 30 mins later she called back to say she was in a car accident and wouldn't be able to make it at all. The B&B we were hosting the wedding at called Joe and he came over right away. He had never met us, and knew nothing about us, but came anyway out of the goodness of his heart to help out a couple on their wedding day. He came straight from another wedding and was likely tired and a little apprehensive having never met us, but he performed the most beautiful ceremony I've ever heard. He spoke with warmth and love and made us feel like he had known us forever. I lost count at how many guests came up afterwards and commented on how much they really enjoyed the officiant -- which is not something a bride usually gets compliments on! Things may not have worked out the way we planned, but everything happened the way it should have and we have Joe to thank for that.

Reverand Joe Orlando was a perfect fit for our wedding. He took the time to get to know us and the understand the kind of ceremony that we envisioned for our marriage. He captured the feel of the day ... the exchange of vows felt like a celebration, interspersed with spirituality, reverence and humor. He was supportive when I wrote my own vows and helped calm my nerves in the days before, and the day of, the wedding with his gentle advice. He was fabulous and I highly recommend him. He will help make your day even more special.

Joe was absolutely incredible. From start to finish you will not find a more professional, tension easing, or caring officiant. My wife and I have already suggested to others that we know to look no further. Thanks again Joe for all you did.

Joe was great for our needs-- very responsive to our simple, yet unique requirements and gave us a great referral for flowers (in the 11th hour). We couldn't be happier with the way our ceremony turned out-- Joe captured all of the details we asked for, showed up exactly on time and tailored the ceremony to all of the specifics we wanted. I would certainly recommend Joe to anyone.

Rev. Joe was wonderful! I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a pastor! He was easy to meet, flexible, and a true professional. Thank you again Rev. Joe for making our day so special! Not only did my family comment on how great he was so did my friends.

Reverend Orlando was the officiant for my wedding on May 28, 2011. He met with us immidiately upon inquiry at his bookstore in Leonardtown. We immidately knew that Joe would be the person to marry my now husband and myself. He came to our rehearsal and stayed until everyone felt comfortable with their roles in the ceremony. The day of the ceremony everything went smoothly - I couldn't have been happier. It was one of the best choices we made throughout our wedding planning. I would highly recommend Reverend Joe Orlando to anyone looking for a wedding officiant.

The overall goal for our wedding was being as stress free as possible. We were looking for a wedding officiant who would perform a non-religious ceremony focusing on our love and relationship. We went through a couple phone calls with other officiants who seemed overbooked (offered to squeeze ours between 2 other weddings on the same day - no thanks!) or were insanely expensive.We emailed Joe with questions about performing our wedding (prices, availability) and he immediately returned our email with a very reasonable cost and a short form asking about us. We were pleased that he would make the extra effort to get to know us, as opposed to using a canned ceremony speech. Surprisingly answering some of the questions were actually difficult, but fun!Up to the wedding Joe kept in full contact with us, we went back and forth with the ceremony outline, adding and cutting pieces until we were happy with it. On the day of the wedding Joe showed up well ahead of time dressed very nicely which fit our wedding "look".The ceremony was excellent, and during the reception we received compliments on the officiant. Things like..."He was really good" and "I liked your officiant, where did you find him?". We couldn't have asked for a better ceremony.Call Joe, you won't be disappointed!Chris & Allison

Joe was a pleasure to work with. He was professional & personable.He allowed my husband & I to write essentially the entire ceremony ourselves, and added a bit of tweeking here & there as needed. He made the ceremony light & fun, which was exactly what we were looking for. We couldn't have asked for a better officiant.

Reverend Joe did an amazing job with our wedding. We wanted a short (15 minutes max,) simple non-denominational service appropriate for our families of different religions, as well as for a beach-side noon wedding, and Rev Joe delivered and more. He went over everything he would say with us beforehand and was extremely responsive via e-mail. But the best part was the service itself. The 90+ guests could hear him perfectly despite the windy beach, and his presentation was both heartfelt and appropriately humorous. We'd already known what he was going to say, but his delivery made everything even more special for us. We can't recommend him enough.

Reverend Joe was so kind and understanding. He wrote our ceremony personally for us, and included everything I asked for as well as his own beautiful words. I received many compliments from guests and could not have been more pleased. I would recommend his services without hesitation to any couple, especially those of mixed faiths who need a personal touch!

Reverand Orlando was wonderful to work with! He was very patient with our silly group and had a great sense of humor. I would definitely recommend him to anyone!

Reverend Joe Orlando provided us with the most professional and considerate officiant service imaginable. His warm and friendly nature made the entire process very easy and fun! When it was time for the ceremony his years of experience was very apparent and I would recommend his services to any and everyone.

Thank you so much for making our day so special!!! You were great!

Reverend Joe Orlando was the most amazing officiant we could have hoped for. He was extremely professional each and every time we needed to meet with him, and through all of our email correspondence. He was able to provide us with unique ideas for a personalized ceremony, and we were never pushed to have it done one way or another. We were able to take bits from many different ceremony examples, in order to make the one that was perfect for us. It was a perfect solution, since we are not a religious family. When it was time for our rehearsal, he was on time, (although most of our wedding party was not), and he was patient in letting us rehearse over and over again, until we felt completely comfortable.I would recommend Reverend Joe to anyone that I know of getting married. I have already recommended him to a couple who is getting married in the near future! He was great, and thanks to him, our wedding day was perfect. Thank You! -Mr. and Mrs. McClain

Joe really made our ceremony special. He created a service that was unique to me and my now husband. I would strongly recommend Joe and his services to anyone who os getting married.

We cannot say enough about Rev. Joe. He made us feel very comfortable at our first interview and always answered our e-mails immediately. The way he read our vows and emphazied each line and projected his voice was perfect!! We had many compliments about him from our guests. We could not have had a better officiant at our wedding. We highly recommend him! Linda and Andy Hilbert

My wife and I were extremely satisfied with Reverend Orlando. We found Joe on-line while searching for non-denominational Officiant's in our area. Having a non-denominational Officiant marry us was very important to both my wife and myself and, in fact, was our number one requirement. He was the first Officiant -- and I'm very pleased to say "the last" -- that we called. My initial phone conversation with Joe revealed to me that he was a man of kindness and compassion, a man that truly loved his profession, and a man that recognized first and foremost that the wedding ceremony was about no others than the bride and groom. At his request, we met with Joe for an hour one Saturday morning at his cozy and very quaint book store. When we walked in, Joe had fresh brewed coffee waiting for us. Over that hour, my wife and I had a chance to tell Joe all we could about ourselves and about what we envisioned for our wedding day (it was very important for Joe to become acquainted with us before he started drafting a wedding ceremony for us). No more than 2 days after our meeting, Joe emailed us a draft ceremony. It was an excellent fit for the two of us. Nonetheless, Joe worked with us over email to make minor tweaks here-and-there. Fast-forward to a month before the ceremony... We ran into Joe and his wife at a local store. He was very happy to see us and shared with us his notes from a recent wedding he had conducted at the same venue at which we were about to get married. This conversation lasted for a good half hour, and Joe never once made us feel like we were intruding on his personal time. Joe even followed that impromptu meeting up with a few "additional info" emails as well as a call to the wedding venue to ensure certain things were looked into and addressed for our wedding. Fast-forward to the rehearsal... Joe spent an hour with us and our families and wedding parties the night before the wedding rehearsing every aspect of the wedding until my wife and I were completely satisfied. Not only did he advise on how he felt things should flow (which we greatly appreciated), but he also was very intent on allowing us to influence the flow and flavor of the ceremony to our liking. We never felt rushed, and Joe did not want to leave the rehearsal until we (actually EVERYONE) were completely satisfied. Later that evening and the next morning, Joe sent me a few emails reminding me to bring things like the marriage certificate (and tissues in case emotions overflowed) - this was Joe's once again going the extra mile to extend a helping and caring hand to ensure the everything went as planned without issues. Fast forward to the ceremony... Joe spent the 45 mins before the ceremony with myself, my best man, my two ushers, and my father. He helped us with our boutonnières and answered our last minute questions -- he was amazingly effective at calming your nerves and reassuring everyone that things would be absolutely beautiful and "perfect". The ceremony - IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! Although I had read the ceremony numerous times before our wedding day, it was so much more powerful and meaningful hearing it be recited by Joe. It was moving, to say the least. Fast-forward to after the ceremony... My wife and I had countless wedding participants (families and friends) comment on how "good" and "nice" the Officiant was and how "beautiful" the ceremony was........ All in all, we can't say enough about Joe. We would never recommend any other Officiant but Reverend Orlando to any of our friends or families! Thanks again (and again and AGAIN) Joe!