​KORU (kor-roo) is the Maori word for “loop.” For the indigenous people of New Zealand, the koru spiral represents a fern frond beginning to unfurl. The koru symbol embodies new beginnings and a new phase of life, hope for the future, positive change, personal growth, working in harmony, bringing people together, and being mindful of the good things in life. At Koru Ceremony, we strive to personify these ideals and celebrate new beginnings through ceremony.

"Our wedding was last weekend, and I can't say enough great things about Pat. From our initial consultation through the final ceremony script, Pat was there through the whole process to answer questions, provide guidance and assistance, and create a ceremony that was unique and perfect for our wedding. 
Our parents have different religious beliefs than my husband and me, so I was very worried about how to make them happy with our ceremony while still making it feel personal and genuine for my husband and me. We were able to work with Pat to build a ceremony that was meaningful for us but that our parents also loved. 
Even beyond the ceremony script, Pat helped with music selection, vow writing, and provided instructions on obtaining marriage certificates, changing my name, etc. 
The ceremony was beautiful, and we could not have done it without Pat. I can't recommend her and Koru Ceremony enough."
Erika and Derek were married on April 30, 2022, at the Goodman Center, Madison, WI

"We could not have asked for a better officiant than Rev. Pat Werk. Our ceremony was, by far, the smoothest (and best) part of our wedding - thanks to Pat!

In our initial meeting, she really took the time to get to know us and stood out (by a long shot) compared to other officiants we were "interviewing." Pat's communication was excellent and made everything very easy. She provided many suggestions and informative documents. Some of these documents included song and reading suggestions; the best one was instructions on applying for our marriage license and all the documents we would need!
​
It was like she knew exactly who we were and that we had known each other for years. She kept our whole bridal party on schedule and was able to coordinate everything. I did not have a worry in the world! There were so many personal touches that really reflected who we are as a couple. We received so many compliments, and we will forever have this beautiful memory with Pat. We hope our paths cross again!"

Thank you, Jen, for writing this heartfelt review for me on The Knot. Your kind words of praise meant so much to me.
Jen and Jake were married on March 26, 2022, at the Delafield Hotel, in Delafield, WI.

I LOVE these photos that Anya Kubilus Photography posted from Derek and Erika’s wedding we did together yesterday at the Goodman Center.  What a delight it was to marry these two. Afterwards, Erica told me the ceremony was perfect and I couldn’t agree more. It was an honor to be there to celebrate with them, along with their family and friends.
​
Awesome vendor team:
Photographer: @anyakubilusphoto
coordinator: @olivebrancheventsco
Officiant: @koruceremony
DJ: Mike and Jessica Boggs- Dance Floor Heroes @citizenjess
HMUA: @archapothecary
Dress: @raffinebridal
Suit: @menswearhouse
Ring: @nyfinejewelry

​Super sweet photos of Aimee and Brandon on their wedding day on New Year's Day at the Sixth Floor in Milwaukee. Rev. Sarah Harrison was the officiant for this adorable couple.
Photos by Stephanie Marie Photography and Design

​The beauty of weddings nowadays is that there are no rules. Not every bride wants to wear all white. That's what I love about Koru. We enjoy helping you customize your wedding ceremony to be exactly what you want so that it reflects your personality and relationship.
Take Jazmine, for example, she looks fantastic, and it was fun to figure out a way to incorporate their daughter, Kali, into the handfasting ritual they wanted to include. And then they recessed out to The Addams Family theme song. It was perfect for this couple and all they were hoping for.
Photos by: Kate Bender
DJ: Atom Age Entertainment
Venue: Firemen's Park, Columbus, WI

It doesn't matter what size your wedding is. Even an elopement is still a special and memorable moment for every couple. On a cold February day, I married Danny and Nathalie at the Kettle Moraine State Forest. Before we even started, a dog came bounding up to join us. The dog's owner was surprised when he happened upon a couple getting married during his walk.
Photos by: Mikaila Dusenberry Photography LLC

​It was so much fun to marry Kelsi and Jack The Lageret in Stoughton, WI, last January. I loved how they asked their two stepparents to do a reading called, We Who Love You. Such a sweet way of honoring the relationship they have with all six parents.
​
And it is always a joy to work with these incredible vendors:
Photography: @davestremikisphotography
Wedding Planner: @copper.feather.events
Florist: Floral by Jamae
DJ: @midwestsounddj

How exciting to see Corey and Ross' wedding I officiated at The Tinsmith featured on The Knot.
I adored working with this amazing couple and their incredible vendors:
Venue: The Tinsmith
Photography: Laura Zastrow Photography
Wedding Planner: HUE by Sarah Davidson
Florist: Daffodil Parker
Catering: A Pig in a Fur Coat
Cake: The Baked Lab
​Rentals: Event Essentials
Suits: Men's Warehouse
PR Agency: OFD Consulting
Officiant: Koru Ceremony

​"Ross and Corey tied the knot with a whimsical loft wedding at The Tinsmith in Madison, Wisconsin, anchored by a blue-and-green color palette. Instead of filling the day with flower arrangements, the couple leaned into a greenery-centric look that added vibrancy to the industrial loft venue space. Each detail of the wedding day was not only curated to fit their modern-meets-eclectic vibe, but the wedding style also perfectly reflected the couple, their personalities and their priorities. "We didn't have a specific inspiration for our wedding day, but we wanted to base the colors around some of our favorite colors like deep blue and orange," explains the couple. "We are fairly non-traditional and I wanted something different—a lot of the focus when we were looking at wedding inspiration was around a white color palette, which we were not interested in." 

As part of the wedding ceremony, the couple chose to include a lei exchange wedding tradition as a nod to their engagement locale. "We got engaged in Hawaii love the look of leis as opposed to something like a boutonniere and thought it would be something nice to incorporate to mix up the ceremony," explains the couple. 

At the reception for their microwedding, all the guests sat at one large square table so they could spend the evening together. In keeping with the blue-and-green aesthetic, the tablescape included blue linens and blue glassware. And as a fun decor accent, a custom neon sign hung behind Ross and Corey’s seats at the reception table. Dinner wasn’t the boy highlight of the reception—a dinosaur-themed cake and Polaroid guest book were also enjoyed by all wedding guests. And to further enhance the ambiance of the event, the couple curated the musical selections for the evening. "We created our own playlist for our small gathering based on music that we both like," shares the couple. 

Looking back on their blue-and-green wedding at The Tinsmith in Madison, Wisconsin, the couple encourages current to-be-weds in the throes of wedding planning to "be conscious about your overall budget and come in with realistic expectations. We quickly discovered our expectations did not match what we ultimately wanted. Some expectations were much higher than expected and some much lower (like for example rentals cost much less than we expected). Also, don't underestimate the amount of planning needed—we ended up hiring a full-service wedding planner partway through the process since we couldn't dedicate the time needed to plan. And lastly, pnce the day comes just enjoy and have fun!"

"Pat did a fantastic job with us! We were wanting a quick yet beautiful ceremony that had elements of our faith in a very short time. She had about 3 days to get something together and it was perfect!"
​Thank you Matt and Heather for writing this glowing review on The Knot
Heather and Matt eloped on March 30, 2022, at Korth Park, Lake Mills, WI

The votes are in, and we are excited to announce that Koru Ceremony has been voted as a finalist for the sixth year in a row for the WI Bride magazine’s Best Officiant Award!  The award will be handed out in May, but Peter, Rachel, Sarah, and I want to thank everyone for voting for Koru.  

Whether we win or not, we are humbled by your love, trust, and confidence in us as officiants and are honored for the opportunity to marry so many wonderful couples we have the privilege of working with. 
 
I want to also congratulate my fellow finalists Brad Schnell at I do. and Judge Derek Mosely for their nomination as well.  We are delighted to be in the company of some other exceptional officiants. 
 
Check out the list of finalists here: https://wibride.com/wisconsin-brides-best-2022-finalists

Woo hoo!  Koru Ceremony has been selected for the 9th year in a row as the 2022 winner of The Knot Best of Weddings Award and the winner of the Wedding Wire Couple’s Choice Award.  The awards represent the highest and most-rated wedding professionals as reviewed by real wedding couples.  
 
These two awards give newly engaged couples a guide to the top wedding pros across the country.  Only 5% of hundreds of thousands of local wedding professionals listed on The Knot and Wedding Wire receive this distinguished award.  
 
The vendor must exhibit superior professionalism, responsiveness, service, and quality when interacting with engaged and wedding couples.  To determine the winner, The Knot and Wedding Wire analyzed its millions of user reviews across 20 vendor categories, including officiants, to find the highest-rated vendors of the year.  The winners represent the best of the best among wedding professionals.  
 
We are so grateful for all the fantastic couples we had the honor of working with in 2021 and for the kind words of praise they shared about Koru Ceremony on The Knot and Wedding Wire so new couples might consider Koru as their celebrant on their wedding day.  

I am incredibly appreciative of all the ceremonies that Koru Ceremony performed this year. Despite the pandemic that caused some cancellations and postponements, we still officiated 91 weddings, three baptisms, and one memorial service. The joy of being a part of these important transitional moments in people's lives is always an honor and a privilege. We believe a ceremony performed with intention and great care makes the memories even richer and more significant.
I am exceedingly grateful to the officiants that work with Koru: Reverends Amy Gile, Sarah Harrison, Peter Leidy, and Rachel Tatge. Each of them receives rave reviews from the wedding couples they work with, and I am thankful for having such dedicated and caring officiants.
The attached photos are from many of the wedding couples we worked with, although not all. If I knew who the photographer was, I have given them photo credit. Those photos that don't have a photo credit were taken by an officiant, or I have not been able to figure out who took the image. I would be happy to add the photographer's names if you want to pass them on to me. Or, if I did not include a photo from your wedding, I would be happy to add it.
Thank you for a wonderful year, and Koru looks forward to what 2022 brings. Happy New Year!

I had the joy of marrying Virginia and Chris at the Geneva Inn, in Lake Geneva, on Tuesday, November 16th. I really enjoyed working with this couple, and it was an honor to be at their intimate elopement celebration. I particularly liked that they read a poem to each other during the wedding and ended with dancing to Etta James’ song, “At Last,” which was a perfect way to finish the ceremony. Wishing them all the best in the years to come.

Virginia wrote in a recent email, “Thank you for such a wonderful ceremony and all your help with my dress, earrings, and shoes since my excited bridal fingers weren’t working properly! You made our wedding better than I could have ever imagined!”

Here is the review she wrote on Wedding Wire, The Knot, and Google Business:
“Pat was warm, kind, and knowledgeable about every aspect of our ceremony and the marriage license. My husband and I eloped, and Pat had crafted a beautiful ceremony for us during our initial Zoom meeting. We had a private ceremony, and Pat even helped me with the buttons on my wedding gown! We were so happy with everything Pat did for us!”

Thank you Megan and Scott for writing this wonderful review for Rev. Peter Leidy and Koru on Wedding Wire, The Knot, and Google Business. 

​"They were absolutely perfect. Our officiant, Peter L, was amazing to work with. We wanted an intimate and unique ceremony and he more than delivered. Their packages and customization are so flexible and fairly priced. We even got several guests' compliments about our ceremony and officiant Peter afterward. We cannot say enough positives about Koru or Peter!" 
Megan and Scott were married on October 23, 2021, at Cedar Hill Barn in Markesan, WI 

I love this photo that East Elm Photography captured of Heather and Jeff at their wedding last weekend at Stone Prairie in Brillion, WI. Such a sweet and wonderful couple to work with.

Update: Here is a review that Heather just posted on The Knot, Wedding Wire, and Google Business:
"Reverend Pat was wonderful to work with! She made the process of creating the ceremony very easy and personable. She gave us a lot of suggestions and options for the content and flow of the ceremony. It's easy to tell she has years of experience and expertise. If we had any adjustments we wanted to make she was completely open to them. You can tell she loves what she does and always had a smile on her face! During our meetings with her, we always felt comfortable, as if she was a friend. We highly recommend Reverend Pat and her services!"

Koru Ceremony had the great pleasure of working with Anya Kubilus Photography at a couple of weddings this year.  These fantastic photos from Jinjoo and Edward's wedding at The Tinsmith in Madison really tell a story.
I love what Anya wrote to go with this post on her Facebook page:
"A gorgeous venue, the closest friends and family, plants and karaoke = a perfect day.
Cannot wait to start diving into editing this day. But for now, enjoy these sneak peaks and swipe to see some karaoke."

Wow! These photos by Natural Intuition Photography evokes such a romantic, idyllic setting. But the most amazing thing is that what Justin and Christine captured was real and not just a gorgeous location for a photoshoot.
Joellyn and Erik were married by Rev. Sarah Harrison at Joellyn's parents' home in Spring Green in a meadow of wildflowers on August 1.
Congratulations to this delightful couple on their new life together! May their marriage in the years ahead also be beautiful, romantic, and idyllic.

What an absolutely gorgeous photo by Twig and Olive Photography from Bridget and Adam's wedding this past July. Rev. Sarah Harrison, married this beautiful couple at their gorgeous ceremony on the rooftop of the Monona Terrace Convention Center.
Here is what their awesome wedding planner Katie, owner of Ela Events, share in her post:
"What a beautiful couple, inside and out. Still smiling ear to ear thinking of these two as they start the next chapter as husband and wife!"

What a lovely photo of one of the warmest, kindest, sweetest couples I had the honor of marrying this past summer at Milford Hills Hunt Club! I adored working with Sonya and Klaus.
Image by Silhouette of Madison ​

"Pat was amazing. Her experience and organization & friendly personality made the ceremony so much more stress free and enjoyable then we ever could've hoped for. She was extremely flexible with our schedule and made sure to stay in touch with us throughout the planning process. We would definitely recommend her to anyone, no matter what type of wedding you want to plan!"
​Thank you Sanam and Aaron for writing this really nice review for Koru on Wedding Wire, The Knot, and Google Business.  It was an honor and so much fun to work with you in planning your ceremony at The Edgewater Hotel, Madison, WI.  
Here is what a wrote about their wedding in a previous post: 
"What a fun couple. During their ceremony, they included their older son getting their 1 year down the aisle in a car walker (adorable), a Rumi wedding poem (heartfelt), breaking the glass (joyous) and recessing down the aisle to Marry Me by Bruno Mars while wearing sunglasses (upbeat and celebratory). Congratulations, wishing you continued happiness."

This past weekend was jam-packed with weddings for Koru.  October is a popular time of year to get married, and on October 23rd Koru helped six couples get married as far north as Brillion and Markesan, three weddings were in Madison, and one was in Stoughton. 
This stunning photo is of Sarah and Ryan, who got married last weekend at The Fields Reserve in Stoughton.  Rev. Sarah Harrison was their officiant.  She loved working with them.  At Koru, we wish Sarah and Ryan, and the other couples married on October 23rd, an abundance of love and happiness in the years to come.