Nick & Bridget
On our wedding day, Joyce was a calming and reassuring present during was could have been a more stressful event. She made us laugh and smile over and over. We were fortunate enough to have videography and, within the video, you hear and see Joyce in many memorable bits outside and within the ceremony itself. She tells Nick to “take a deep breath” when he begins getting emotional as I start to walk down the aisle, she has the pair of us giggling when she gestures that we’re not quite standing in the right spot for the ceremony, and then she has the whole audience laughing when she asks if the drumming from the festival outside was for us. I’m so glad to know that we’ll remember her with joy and delight from our wedding day
Looking back, Nick and I could not have possibly picked a better officiant for us — we will forever be grateful and fortunate to have found Joyce! Anyone seeking an officiant should know they’ll be picking a gem in choosing Joyce — she cares so much about the role she performs in the weddings of others, and truly does a wonderful job.
Brennan & Courtenay
I cannot say enough about Joyce and MDDC Weddings. She established a personal connection with my husband and I prior to our big day. She was professional and thorough, always responsive to emails or phone calls. She organized our rehearsal, and she made sure we felt comfortable with the order of the ceremony (even if that meant practicing it 4 times). The day of the wedding could not have been any more perfect. She kept the mood light and humorous throughout our ceremony, and the guests couldn’t stop talking about how wonderful she was. She truly made us feel special, and I couldn’t imagine our wedding day without her
Sarah & Gage
We were lucky enough to have Joyce officiant our wedding in May of 2023, and I can’t express enough how amazing she is. She took the time to get to know us before our wedding, and never pushed anything on us; she gave us great advice and resources on the messaging we could include in the ceremony! Our family and friends RAVED about how awesome she was: caring, funny, witty…I could go on and on. Do not hesitate to book this AMAZING and SWEET lady. Simply the best! We love her!”
Ashley F
Joyce was absolutely amazing to work with for our big day! From the day we met her we knew she was the perfect addition to our wedding day! She was so helpful with the planning of our ceremony and giving helpful advice on what to add to make our day about us. She was so much fun and fit right in with all of our wedding party, friends and family. We are so grateful we got to work with Joyce and would recommend her to anyone in need of an amazing officiant!
Barbara P
We had Joyce officiate our wedding and she was absolutley amazing! She was so helpful and responsive before the ceremony and made us feel comfortable leading up to the event. During the ceremony, she was so funny and charming, and her speech was very meaningful. We had so many guests come up to us saying how fun and well-spoken she was. We even had a guest ask how long we knew her! So very happy we chose Joyce and Joyce agreed! Because of an injury, I was not able to write this review earlier, however, it has been my intention to write this review. Joyce is the best! Thank you so much, Joyce. You made our day very special. We will always remember you during this time of year!
Nga & Long
Long and I wanted to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for performing our ceremony. It was so much fun working with you, and you made us feel at ease. Things were hectic before the ceremony, and we are so grateful you were there to help straighten things out! I think we did pretty well considering there was no rehearsal!
Again, we thank you so much for everything and will definitely know who to recommend if anyone is ever looking for an officiant!
J & G
Joyce married us in an intimate celebration at the Jefferson Memorial this June. As a gay couple living out of town, we wanted a small Christian ceremony that reflected on our love and commitment in Our Nation’s Capital. We also wanted the small group of friends that we invited to feel part of the ceremony — we had one close friend sing a cappella and a couple of others do readings that we chose. Joyce worked with us by providing a template for our ceremony and gave us good ideas to customize it. We wanted the ceremony to be short and sweet. She showed up on time to the ceremony, helped calm our nerves, and was a true delight! The ceremony was a great reflection on our love, our family and friends, God, and freedom. She also helped us order one of the most beautiful June days we could have imagined! Thank you again, Joyce.
Amanda & Sharon
We think it was a perfect day all around and you were a large part of it. So much fun having you stay with us through the lunch and festivities. We certainly made the correct choice of an officiant!
Thanks so much for all you did for us and if we can help you with references, etc. just let us know.
Emily S
Joyce is exactly who you will want to officiate your marriage. She made us WANT to celebrate our marriage. I’m sure that sounds strange, but as we met with her to talk through our journey (which included a Covid-canceled wedding from March 2020 and the addition of a toddler to the mix!), she articulated all the beautiful moments and symbolism that go into a ceremony. It reminded us that the wedding wasn’t just a big planning item to check off on your to-do list (speaking to my fellow Type A Brides out there!), but it’s a true celebration of a meaningful and beautiful life event. Joyce came highly recommended to us from Stone Manor Country Club. We planned our small wedding in just 2 months, and we were fairly clueless about what we wanted. All we knew was that it was important for us to feel at ease with our officiant (we didn’t want to be lectured or made to sit silently while someone rambled off Bible verses to us).
Joyce is SO warm and welcoming, and she has a wicked sense of humor. She comes prepared with helpful materials and to-do lists (which I loved!), and everything can be tailored to your own desires. I distinctly remember leaving our meeting with her and thinking, “Yes! This is EXACTLY who we need.” After meeting her, I felt so excited about our marriage and that we were finally able to celebrate us. She also wore the most amazing, gorgeous shoes to our ceremony :). They look wonderful in our wedding photos!
Jessica K
My spouse and I found Reverend Joyce Hilbery and MDDC Weddings through an online search. We were getting married near Frederick, MD but we’re from the Baltimore area, and neither of us has a particular religious affiliation. We wanted a ceremony that captured our personalities, and she worked with us to create the best experience. We first contacted Joyce through the website and she was very responsive – we set up a video call to talk a little about the date/location and what we were thinking of. We made a plan to have a meeting near Frederick – as she said, it’s important for us to get to know each other a little for her to perform the service on our special day. Joyce was absolutely lovely to work with, very organized, open to ideas, with a great sense of humor, and also sensitivity to family dynamics that related to the ceremony. We got many of the details ironed out there with a plan for following up closer to the wedding.
One of the things I really appreciated working with Joyce was having a sample script available and we could mix-and-match different pieces to make the ceremony exactly what we wanted. We kept the ceremony short and sweet with a knot-tying at the end. The day of the ceremony, she had the groom faced away for a ‘reveal’ moment as I came down the aisle (we didn’t do first looks or see each other at all since the day before the wedding, so this was a really special moment). She came prepared with extra copies of the readings and vows for us, and kept everything moving smoothly. At the very end, she paused and moved out of the way for the first kiss photos – a move our photographer greatly appreciated. Overall, Joyce was a pleasure to work with and I would highly recommend her to other couples. Best wishes!
Chris S
Joyce made our dreams come true. She made it fun and kept me from passing out when I first saw my wife. Joyce was extremely professional, but also had fun with us on our special day. I would highly recommend her to anyone for their special day!
Shirley C
From the moment we first met Joyce, we knew she was the officiant for us. She has this aura that just draws you in and keeps you waiting for her next words – not to mention those deep blue eyes and radiant smile! We were able to personalize all parts of the ceremony script using templates she provided as well as include our own readings. Our guests were moved and simultaneously entertained with Joyce’s sincere voice and charismatic attitude. They shed tears of joy yet also laughed at Joyce’s sprinkles of witty remarks.
One of my favorite things about her which the guests weren’t able to see was her leadership during the rehearsal. She kept everyone focused and highlighted crucial details that made the ceremony that much more special. Without Joyce, the ceremony would have just not been the same, and we highly HIGHLY recommend contacting her if you’re looking for someone to ensure the most important day of your life is perfect. Thank you so much, Joyce!
Chris & Jeff
When my husband (then-fiance) and I decided to hold our wedding in another state, we believed finding a wedding officiant would be our biggest hurdle. The folks at the courthouse were certainly no help, but luckily we found WeddingWire. We didn’t even know the term “wedding officiant” when we started down this path, but then we met Joyce Hilbery and all of our fears were erased!
Joyce responded to an email very quickly, and then we chatted with her on the phone and we were hopeful that this was going to be a good fit. We agreed to meet in person, and we knew right away that Joyce was the one! Joyce answered all of our questions, and then asked us more questions we hadn’t even considered! When we needed ideas, she kindly shared some of the spectacular celebrations others have used in their ceremonies. She even went so far as to ask if we needed help in other areas of the wedding planning (and thank goodness she did, because we were having a hard time with our limited resources in that region)! Joyce not only made suggestions for us, she placed some calls to her colleagues to get the ball rolling.
Joyce was very responsive to every phone call and email from us, and that means a lot when you’re in the planning stage. We quickly learned that not all vendors are created equal! Joyce’s joyous sense of humour was an added blessing and so greatly appreciated.
Joyce’s website has some recommendations for the ceremony, including poems many like. We used those suggestions to write our ceremony just the way we wanted it. We customized it for us. We received many compliments from guests. Even our DJ said it was the most beautiful ceremony he has witnessed – and we know he has attended a lot of weddings – so many thanks to Joyce for making our day all we wanted it to be, and exactly the way we wanted it to be!
Joyce arrived on time and quickly got us organized and calm on the big day. She did an excellent job, and everything went as planned. She was a real trooper for coming out on a 90-degree day to marry us in the blazing hot sun.
If you’re reading this review, I hope you’ll call Joyce and chat with her for a bit. If her beautiful Scottish accent doesn’t win you over, her professionalism will. Give her a ring. You’ll be glad you did.
Ashley M
Joyce was absolutely amazing. I respected her wanting to meet and see if we were a good fit and I appreciated how easy it was to customize our ceremony. Unfortunately covid hit and our wedding was postponed for over a year, but we stayed in touch and she made sure she was still available each time our date got pushed. We didn’t have a rehearsal and she still made sure the day and ceremony ran smoothly. Her accent and humor are also enormous plusses. Seriously, book Joyce. I promise you won’t regret it.
Jessica & Chris
Reverend Hilbery has a wonderful personality and was the perfect fit for our ceremony. We wanted a medieval themed wedding with a handfasting ceremony and several people had already turned us down for numerous reasons. She was as excited as we were about the idea of the handfasting. She was very responsive to all my emails and was very thorough. We were very appreciative that she worked with us in writing our own ceremony as well. She made sure everything was going to run smoothly from beginning to end.
Wedding: 09/14/2014
Erin & Steph
From the first moment that we spoke with Joyce, we were sure that she was the one for our wedding. Joyce has an amazing energy and spirit about her that made us smile quickly and also provided us with full confidence that she would be able to provide the perfect balance of sincerity and spunk for our ceremony. While in the planning stages, Joyce was very responsive, accommodating, informative, and personable. We never felt like “just another couple” to her and that feeling conveyed on the wedding day as well. Our guests raved about her and many said that it seemed as though she had known us for a long time. I cannot recommend this woman enough. Hire her; you will be glad that you did! …Erin
Joyce Hilbery was the perfect officiant for my daughter’s wedding. Her calm nature and professionalism were the perfect combination to calm nerves and keep everyone on the same page. The ceremony was warm, loving and memorable due to Joyce’s choice of format and wording. She added some light hearted moments that kept with the reverence of the occasion while adding smiles on the faces of all who attended. It was perfect! Her lilting Scottish accent makes even the most ordinary words sound enchanting! And then there are her shoes…….an officiant gown is a somber garment yet Joyce added her personality with floral patterned heels. Highly recommend Joyce Hilbery to any couple!!!!
Caroline & Steven
Hi Joyce,
Attached please find a beautiful photo of my daughter, Caroline Wexler, her new husband, Steven Orrence, and yourself at their wedding at ThorpWood on 10/11/2014.
I hope this message finds you well!
Thank you for all of your efforts and guidance you gave to our family on this happy day. We could not have done it without you!
Sincerely,
Catherine Clugston, Caroline Wexler, and Steven Orrence
Gregg & Bill
I hope you made it home ok on Sunday and have now received the pictures through email! I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for presiding at our wedding and can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you did for us. From the moment we chatted on FaceTime to meeting and chatting before the occasion on the boat, I knew we would be a good connection. Your warmth, friendliness, honesty and just fun personality fit in so perfectly to what we wanted. Drama free was our motto and you delivered. What I enjoyed most was that we could make your brief stay with us fun, exciting and memorable, and you having dinner and partying with us was a complete scream that we will never forget.
You seldom meet people so quickly that you just click with and especially in high tension times like marriage, but click is an understatement, you were the perfect choice for us and we are indebted to you for your delivery and execution and just being you! We enjoyed having you and will never forget the time we shared…especially in the cabin…lol! I wouldn’t trade a thing about the entire occasion! You were special! thanks again
Jenna and Jeff
From the moment I called Joyce on the telephone, she and I had an immediate bond and I told my husband I love her, I love her, I love her; lets hire her before someone else gets her. After just one meeting we BOTH knew that Joyce had everything it was going to take to make our special day truly special. When it came time for the writing of our vows Jeff and I had no clue where to start and were scared to death we would mess it up, Joyce once again came to the rescue and helped us choose which vows were good for us and reflected our values and beliefs.
Joyce really helped us get it together and have the BEST DAY OF OUR LIVES. I will never forget the day of our wedding standing up in my parent’s room waiting to walk down the aisle, my mind racing my heart pounding and family chaos everywhere and Joyce coming into the room with a big smile on her face and words of comfort that totally relaxed me and prepared me to do “the walk”. Words cannot express the lasting impression Joyce has made for Jeff and I. If you want someone who will go above and beyond her call of duty then consider yourself lucky to have Joyce, she will not let you down!
Erin and Reno
Joyce Hilbery is an outstanding officiant. She offers incredible insight in terms of wedding vows and pay particular attention to the most important and meaningful details of your wedding ceremony. Her attentiveness, attention to detail and commitment to ensuring that your day is the most memorable and special is parallel to none other – we highly recommend Joyce for any wedding celebration.
Leland and Tim
We consider ourselves lucky to have found Joyce Hilbery. As soon as we met her, we were both so excited and knew she would provide exactly what we had envisioned for our wedding day ceremony. Joyce was very adamant about letting us set the tone for what we wanted and was patient in answering all of our questions. We were able to select all of the readings as well as our vows from a list she provided and she even tweaked the readings to better fit our relationship. Joyce was prompt the morning of the wedding & her bright spirit showed throughout the ceremony. I’ve had many family members and friends tell us how wonderful she was and asking us, “WHERE DID YOU FIND HER!?!”. We are appreciative of all her work and preparation for one of the most important days of our lives. We would recommend Joyce Hilbery to anyone who wanted a genuine officiant who provides excellent service.
