Weddings by Jeff

Something Old, Something New… And Everything Taken Care of by Weddings By Jeff.
by Bobby Hankinson

There’s a reason why reality TV shows like Bridezillas! on the WE network exist: Planning a wedding is hard work, hard enough to drive anyone a little crazy. But planning a same-sex wedding, and dealing with stereotypes and stigmas from vendors, can prove even harder. That was one of the primary concerns for Devin Mulhern and Glenn Mallinson as they began planning for their wedding in the summer of 2005. Lucky for them, they came across Jeff Freeman, Founder and President of Weddings By Jeff and member of the Central Massachusetts Business Council. “Jeff lead us right through the entire process,” Mulhern said. “I don’t think we would have pulled it off on our own or with any other wedding planner.”

For Freeman, however, working with same-sex and heterosexual couples to make their special day come alive involves a lot more than just booking halls and caterers. For the Mulhern/Mallinson wedding, he not only planned the entire wedding ceremony and reception, but he also wrote the vows, found and booked the location, arranged the flowers, got the invitations, booked the caterer and limo services, planned the music and, as a Justice of the Peace, performed the ceremony. “He was there from the morning of until the after-party afterward,” Mulhern said.

Weddings by Jeff advertises that it can take a wedding from conception to reception and handle everything in between, including travel for the honeymoon and wedding guests. Freeman even offers his own home as a possible venue. The business, which began in 2001, was originally just going to cover the planning stages of weddings; then Freeman became a Justice of the Peace in March of 2005 and began performing the actual ceremonies. “I get wrapped up in the ceremony,” Freeman said. “I’m so in tune with the couples at that point when I’m performing the ceremony, I get teary-eyed as well.”

Besides offering “one-stop shopping” for all your nuptial needs, Weddings By Jeff also strives to offer couples a completely individualized ceremony with the chance to customize any and every aspect. For Mulhern and Mallinson’s wedding, Freeman was able to orchestrate a ceremony based on their requirements (some traditional aspects with no religion) and incorporated a sand ceremony, the kind most recently used by singer Pink and motocross star Carey Hart at their wedding. “He customized an entire ceremony and wedding vows for us that would appeal to us and our guests,” Mulhern said.

The Weddings By Jeff web site (www.weddingsbyjeff.com) showcases the company’s creative ability and promises to deliver on any special request, such as cultural or ethnic customs, even if what’s being requested is something with which Jeff isn’t already familiar. The site encourages couples to think about what formalities suit their needs and to combine traditional and non-traditional aspects.

Freeman said his business is special because there are no pre-made packages; each wedding is designed ~ from start to finish ~ for the individual couple. “When they come to me, they know we’re out-of-the-box thinkers,” he said proudly. “When they want something different, they come to us.”

Some couples have taken this guarantee to the next level. One of Freeman’s more memorable weddings was a Medieval-themed ceremony with every guest dressed in period garb. He’s also worked on a Great Gatsby-themed wedding at a castle in Gloucester. So far, Weddings by Jeff has planned over 125 weddings and performed about 60, and its popularity continues to grow. He is hoping to adopt a new, more all-encompassing name for the business, Signature Created Events, and then branch out to corporate event, travel, and meeting planning.

No matter what event Freeman works on, the clients he’s worked with already have complete faith in him. “[Freeman’s] caring attitude, attention to detail, and ability to envision the wedding of your dreams to make it a reality is truly miraculous,” Mulhern said. And who wouldn’t want to put their wedding in the hands of someone who can make it a miraculous?