Rev. Jennifer Kelleher
I love weddings! One of my favorite parts of being a minister is working with couples to create meaningful, one-of-a-kind wedding ceremonies filled with the love that only those two people can create.
I marry couples of diverse faiths (including no faith), cultural backgrounds, gender and sexual identities. I work with a lot of couples who consider themselves "spiritual but not religious". A child of an interfaith marriage, I appreciate the joys and the challenges in bringing families together for a ceremony that respects different heritages and most importantly, is true to the spiritual beliefs of the couple I’m marrying.
I’m an ordained minister in fellowship with the Unitarian Universalist Association. Unitarian Universalism strives to be a welcoming, equitable, justice-seeking faith tradition where we understand every person has their own ideas about G-d, the cosmos and life itself. I completed my ministerial training (seminary, MDiv degree) at Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago, IL.
I’ve served congregations in New Jersey for seven years, ministering to people of all ages in times of joy and sorrow. I’ve also served as a chaplain at a major hospital in Philadelphia and from that experience gained clarity and compassion for this precious gift called life. Our wedding days are very special. This sacred ceremony is when we express our gratitude for finding the person we wish to share our lives and when we make the promises to support each other in whatever it may bring. Finding such a love in this life is magical, worthy of reverence and celebration!
Prior to professional ministry, I held a career in pharmaceutical marketing and also worked for non-profit organizations, in public relations and as a television news reporter. Which all means I understand the planning and production that goes into a wedding day and will work respectfully with your vendors. My combined career experience came in handy when I married my spouse in October 2017. You could say I’ve been on “both sides of the vows” -- as a minister and a bride myself. I want every couple to have as loving and memorable a wedding as we did.
