I come to celebrant work after witnessing weddings and funerals that were not personal, with a yearning to give a deeper meaning to those ceremonies.

As a life-cycle celebrant I have learned to co-create a ceremony through listening deeply to peoples’ stories, desires and thoughts about themselves, those they love and the world around them, and to what is important to them.

For as long as I can remember I have been commemorating the transitions in my own life with writing, music, ritual and observance. I have a calling to put into words the thoughts and feelings that mark the paths taken in our lives, our choices…and to celebrate our passages.

I offer ceremonies for the transitions in our lives.

My experience includes same sex, spiritual and religious weddings, vow renewals, divorce ceremonies, celebrations of life, memorials, pet loss, baby welcoming/new mother and home blessing.

My life cycles include being a daughter, sister, student, travel agent, bartender, teacher, coach, hospice volunteer, wife, mother, facilitator, holistic practitioner, healer, creative writer, instructor, guide, grandmother and celebrant.

I can draw on all of these life paths to connect with those who want to give voice to their own life cycle event and honor their passage from one to the next.

Fun Fact: I lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina for three years as a grade schooler and have lately been thinking back on how much that has influenced my perspective throughout my life. Remembering the people, food, language, customs, landscape and how we as a family navigated and brought those ideas and thoughts back to the U.S. and how they shaped my view of the world.

Ben Martin is a Certified Life-Cycle Celebrant with certifications in both Funerals and in Ceremonies Across the Life Cycle. He is an instructor for the Celebrant Foundation and Institute, helping to train and certify Life-Cycle Celebrants to officiate at celebrations and ceremonies across the life cycle.

Through the years, Ben has shown a talent for crafting inspirational ceremonies and celebrations tailored to the unique needs of his audience. It has been his joy to officiate at such life-changing events as baby namings, house blessings, graduations, weddings and funerals. Ben has been a writer and instructor by vocation and avocation for the last 40 years. He holds a master’s degree in Instructional Technology from the University of Colorado and currently serves as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for a software company.

Ben is author of the recently published book, Prayers on the Road Home. He has served as an ordained minister for an interfaith spiritual community in Denver, Colorado since 1993. With 13 grandchildren of his own, he has had the chance to craft one-of-a-kind ceremonies to welcome in these new family members and celebrate their milestone moments. He would love the opportunity to work with you in co-creating a ceremony that is best tailored to your needs and the needs of your loved one(s).

Teri and Ben formed Essential Ceremonies, LLC. in April 2016 with the sole purpose of bringing nuanced sacredness and significance to special transitions and important milestones in peoples’ lives. With three children and twelve grandchildren, they offer seasoned insights and a unique vision for creating tailored ceremonies for families as well as individuals. While Essential Ceremonies primarily serves Colorado’s Front Range, Ben and Teri are open to travel within Colorado and other destinations as appropriate.