Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennie Landau.
Hi Jennie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have always been a celebrant, I just didn’t know it at the time. I grew up on Long Island, in a rather conservative religious family, celebrating holidays and important moments in life with ritual and ceremony. And, as a kid of the late 1960’s, I also grew up with a healthy dose of independence and a questioning spirit typical of my generation.
For some, a ceremony is a deeply spiritual occurrence. For some, a ceremony is a logistical and necessary way of getting from point A to point B. For some, it’s both. In every scenario, the ceremony serves an important function.
At FreeBird Ceremonies, I create and perform non-religious ceremonies of all types to honor life events and milestones. I take a thoughtful approach to what is being said at every ceremony to deliver a service that reflects my client’s unique journey with warmth and professionalism. I have been a professional wedding officiant and life-cycle celebrant since 2016.
Every ceremony has its own special tone and vibe. It’s stems from my client has in mind and it’s my job to ensure they have a wedding ceremony, memorial service, or life event ceremony that aligns with their vision. It’s my energy and my joy of representing their wishes that is consistent throughout.
As an adult I didn’t feel as connected to a house of worship as I did to having my own sense of spirituality, my own heart. The ceremonies I crafted came from a strong desire to be in charge of my own experience and at the same time achieve meaning and purpose in the experience of helping others.
I would create ceremonies to honor the events that were happening in life. For my own wedding, it was important for me to include guest participation. My closest friends held a canopy over our heads and a guest recited a brief story. I even created a ritual for our mothers to feel especially honored. I pretty much instructed my rabbi to include my wishes, which may have been unheard of at the time in the early 1990’s, but I felt so strongly about it.
When my children were born, I couldn’t imagine anyone else doing their baby-welcoming ceremonies but me! I had an idea of how I envisioned each ceremony and what was important at that time to capture. My first daughter was born just before Thanksgiving. My second daughter born days after my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. All perfect occasions for gathering. The ceremonies for my children were intimate, family oriented, loving, and framed around our family’s style and culture, honoring everyone who was present. To me, these happenings in life were worthy of an elevated moment. I just did it, not really thinking about it as a career calling or anything beyond what was called for at the moment.
My career path had been solidly in the theatre. Not on stage, but, at first, as a professional stage manager, which open the doors to many theatrical production opportunities. Along the way, I had honed the skills of interviewing, writing narratives, and presentation. I was giving voice to those that needed it. I was representing their wishes, and working to help people navigate what were sometimes quite complex work scenarios.
I never would have imagined that I’d step aside from that career path, but the time came when I needed to realign my advocacy skills to care for my family during a difficult time. It was then that I decided to create a truly unique service of working with people who wanted a personalized ceremony that honored their unique journey, whether a time of happiness or sorrow.
I really had no idea how to do this professionally, There was no AI in 2015, so I just started googling. I came across the Celebrant Foundation and Institute (now called Natural Transitions) and became a certified life cycle celebrant, as well as a certified wedding celebrant.
FreeBird Ceremonies is my response to carving a path that combines the best part of my theatre work and my natural passion of ceremony into a new kind of advocacy. One where I get to help people celebrate all types of life milestones. And, I do lots of weddings!
Below is from my website:
FreeBird Ceremonies is affirmative and inclusive, and officiates ceremonies of all kinds, including multicultural, LGBTQ+, interfaith, blended families, secular, spiritual, and many more.
Some words from my website, FreeBirdCeremonies.com
• Serve you with respect, sensitivity, and professionalism, and to provide all services in a timely manner.
• Ensure that you have complete choice of your ceremony, and that my personal beliefs are immaterial to this process. I encourage you to choose a ceremony that is satisfying to you.
• Provide unlimited consultation to you while creating your ceremony.
• Not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, or sexual orientation.
• Comply with and keep current with all laws regarding the performance of marriage in every country, state, province, or municipality in which FreeBird Ceremonies practices, including obtaining the necessary legal authority to solemnize marriages and appropriately filing your documentation as required by law.
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• Each ceremony is crafted from a foundation of careful listening and attention to the details that matter most to you.
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• Whether your life event is a time of celebration, achievement, or mourning, your ceremony will reflect where you are in your journey and acknowledge the unique story that goes along with it. FreeBird Ceremonies will incorporate meaningful traditions, rituals, and symbols that resonate with you and travel to your destination of choice.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A struggle? While it sounds cliche, it’s more of an opportunity. Everyone I talk to about what I do has some degree of fascination. Some may be very interested right away in discussing a life event of their own, and others tend to think that it’s an important and creative human service.
If I had to use the word struggle, I’d say technology is an ongoing source. Today, it seems that most of us are judged by the quality of our social media content rather that the quality of the actual product. And for a small business owner who handles every aspect, this can get frustrating. Social media management is a full time job of its own!
I also try to educate people on the importance of a professional and qualified celebrant to officiate their events, especially their wedding! From catering to florals to photography to music, professionals are sought. Why would anyone go to the effort and cost of carefully curating professionals for every aspect of their wedding except the ceremony, the very reason that you are gathered, and the part of the day that sets the tone for the entire day ahead. What is said at the ceremony and the feeling it conveys matters. Additionally, a wedding has legal requirements which the officiant must handle with care and knowledge. I am a Notary Public for the state of Florida.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Jennie Landau, founder and owner of FreeBird Ceremonies is a wedding officiant and life-cycle celebrant, providing non-religious and inclusive ceremony for people of all backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures. Engaged couples who find Jennie are interested in a wedding ceremony that focuses on their love and life together, whether secular or spiritual, free from religious doctrine. Jennie is a Florida Notary Public, based in Central Florida, and will travel to your ceremony location.
I believe in balance and bring a smile and sense of warmth and composure to every event. I have been told by so many families and guests that my presence is both uplifting and calming, which can be very important on wedding day. That my voice is has a special and smooth quality, I’m often asked if I do audiobooks or narration work. That’s a combination of my training in the theatre and my love for a mind, body, spirit approach to every day living. I am a lifelong yoga practitionier and a certified yoga instructor, as well as musician.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I have always been a celebrant, I just didn’t know it at the time. I grew up on Long Island, in a rather conservative religious family, celebrating holidays and important moments in life with ritual and ceremony. And, as a kid of the late 1960’s, I also grew up with a healthy dose of independence and a questioning spirit typical of my generation.
FreeBird Ceremonies has also grown up. When I first started, I felt that the business was en extension of who I am, what I stand for, and what I want to achieve with each ceremony. After 8 years, I’ve come to realize that FreeBird Ceremonies is about others, who they are, and what they want to achieve through ceremony. It’s about providing a safe space where people can celebrate who they are with a ceremony that honors their unique journey.
Pricing:
- between $199 and $599
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.freebirdceremonies.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freebirdceremonies/
