Marissa Solini Photography
About Me
Hey there! I’m Emily. I grew up on 12 magical acres in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, where I developed a deep connection to nature, a voracious appetite for reading, and a love of writing. Studying sociology in college, I discovered a love of listening and digging deep to find patterns and themes in conversations. In my early twenties, I became the friend who always brought people together for celebrations. This was also when I found my storytelling voice, performing onstage with The Moth and Mortified. Though I had no idea that all of these seemingly disparate threads would lead me to my life’s work, I was well on my way.
In 2017, I was burning out at a job in the nonprofit sector and I knew that my life had to change. A friend mentioned becoming a Celebrant, to which I said “HUH?!” (because I heard her say celibate). Turns out that a Celebrant is actually a totally cool, inclusive officiant who helps people celebrate and heal through life’s biggest transitions. I spent eight months studying at the Celebrant Institute to get my wedding certification, quit the non-profit job, and spent two glorious months listening deeply to myself to figure out how I wanted to show up as a wedding Celebrant in this world. From those months of exploration, planning, and meditation, I launched Rooted & Wild.
Since that terrifying and beautiful leap into the unknown, I have been utterly grateful for every client and friend whom I have met along the way. I am humbled by the gift of my client’s trust and vulnerability. Witnessing love stories and empowering couples to authentically navigate their way through their wedding process is something that I am grateful to be a part of each day.
When I’m not writing ceremonies and traveling to epic outdoor locations to marry folks, I can be found meditating, biking, singing my best Celine Dion and Amy Winehouse renditions at karaoke, reading, experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, and playing in imaginary worlds with my nephew.
What Is A Celebrant?
A Life-Cycle Celebrant is a professional ceremony officiant who believes in the power of ritual and ceremony to transform, heal, and honor individuals and communities. Celebrants collaborate with their clients to create and perform personalized ceremonies that reflect the beliefs, personality, and journey of the client, not the Celebrant. A Celebrant does not represent any particular faith tradition.
Celebrants go through rigorous training through the Celebrant Foundation & Institute based in New Jersey. There are hundreds of Celebrants across the world, representing many different cultural, geographical, and faith traditions.
Celebrants officiate at all types of ceremonies and rituals across the life cycle, including adoption and new mother ceremonies, marriages, vow renewals, trauma healing ceremonies, and funerals. Celebrants also create ceremonies to enrich daily life and community connection for families, businesses, and whole communities. Rituals are as varied as the Celebrants themselves, but the common thread is to use ceremony to mark the moments and milestones in the lives of individuals, families, communities, and organizations.