I offer celebrant and officiant services, including memorials, celebration-of-life services, pet memorials, legal marriages, handfastings, commitment ceremonies (including poly unions), naming ceremonies, divorce rituals, and custom ceremonies to mark important life thresholds. If it’s important to you, I believe that deserves recognition, dignity, respect, and utmost care,

Getting started is simple. Reach out through our contact form or schedule a call—I’ll walk you through the next steps and answer any questions along the way. Reach out directly at melinda@commonlightceremonies.com for the fastest service.

Common Light Ceremonies was founded by a Humanist chaplain and professional meaning-maker. Rather than relying on generic scripts, I work closely with couples, families, and individuals to create ceremonies that reflect their values, relationships, and stories.

My background in chaplaincy, ritual design, and interfaith care allows me to serve people from many backgrounds, including secular, Humanist, interfaith, LGBTQ+, Pagan, spiritual-but-not-religious, and traditionally religious clients.

Whether we're creating a memorial, celebration of life, wedding, handfasting, naming ceremony, or custom ritual, my goal is the same: to help you create an experience that feels authentic, meaningful, and unmistakably your own. Your love, your experiences, the light of those you continue to love beyond their death - I feel those things are important.

You can reach me anytime via our contact page or email. I aim to respond quickly—usually within one business day. My email is melinda@commonlightceremonies.com. Contact me there for the fastest service.

I offer flexible pricing based on project type and complexity. After an initial conversation, I’ll provide a transparent quote with no hidden costs. Please see the Services link for a more general guide. Also, if your loved one passed away and you need a service right away, I will work with your budget. Please contact me for a consultation.

Working with Common Light Ceremonies is collaborative, personal, and relaxed. I'll take the time to get to know you, your story, your values, and what matters most to you. Together, we'll create a ceremony that feels authentic rather than generic.

Clients often tell me they appreciate feeling heard. I ask thoughtful questions, listen carefully, and help translate your ideas, relationships, and experiences into meaningful words and rituals.

Whether you're planning a wedding, memorial, handfasting, naming ceremony, or another life transition, my goal is to create a space where you can show up as yourselves. No pressure to fit someone else's template. No assumptions about your beliefs, family structure, gender, or traditions. Just a ceremony that reflects who you are and what this moment means to you.

Humanism is a philosophy centered on human dignity, compassion, and flourishing. My Humanism is not about reducing life to science alone. It affirms the importance of meaning, relationships, wonder, creativity, and the many ways people seek purpose in their lives.

Humanism holds that people can be loving, generous, ethical, and deeply connected without requiring belief in a deity or the supernatural. It also supports pluralism, respecting the diverse beliefs, traditions, and identities that make up our communities.

As a Humanist celebrant, I work with people from many backgrounds, including secular, spiritual, interfaith, Pagan, and religious communities. My role is not to tell you what to believe, but to help create a meaningful ceremony that reflects your values, your story, and the people you love.