Testimonials
Wedding Ceremonies
"We can’t tell you enough how much we adored our ceremony and how many compliments we’ve received regarding our rabbi. Everything was so personal, special, and just lovely. People left with such high spirits, including us, and we couldn’t have asked for more. After spending time getting to know Rabbi M., having you up there with us was such a source of comfort and I literally couldn’t have dreamt of a better, more “us” ceremony. WOW!"
-Kaylee and Ira
"Our wedding weekend in Sundance, Utah was absolutely amazing and our families and friends are still talking about the beautiful ceremony and how much they truly enjoyed Rabbi Marshall. We are grateful for everything she did to make our wedding magical!
We cannot even begin to express the happiness and joy that she brought to our wedding day or most importantly, our relationship.
From day one, she made us feel completely comfortable and helped guide us through the process of becoming husband and wife that went above and beyond just the details of one day. She helped us navigate the complexities of embracing new traditions while establishing what felt good to us and the blending of many families. We have, and will continue to, build upon the great foundation that she helped us lovingly set.
We thoroughly enjoyed all of our time with her, discovering new things about each other, about our relationship (present and future), about our beliefs, passions and dreams. It was refreshing to meet someone with a similar zest for life who reminded us to stay present and stay focused on what is most important. We looked forward to each meeting with her and always left reflective of the lessons and discussions explored.
We cannot thank her enough for providing us with all of these things, and then on top of it all, officiating the most beautiful and heartfelt ceremony. She really took the time to get to know each of us individually and as a couple and that was evident throughout the day and more than we could have hoped for. The day was absolutely magical and she was a huge part of that. We thank her for all of her support, guidance, advice, encouragement and dedication."
-Carly and Kevin
“We felt incredibly fortunate to have Rabbi Jessica Kessler Marshall involved in our wedding day. It was with joy that we attended our counseling sessions in the months beforehand, which helped us escape the pressures of wedding planning and spend the time we needed to reconnect with one another. The questions that Rabbi Marshall asked drew out the feelings that we have always had for one another, but may not always express in our daily lives. She did all of this in an environment that was loving and accepting of everything we shared.
“During the ceremony itself, Rabbi Marshall was outstanding. She was impeccably composed in front of 180 guests and maintained her poise despite a wide range of distractions (horses neighing, people crashing in late, the groom trying to drink the wine too early, etc.). Further, because of the time she spent getting to know us as a couple, she crafted a program that was perfectly suited to the spirit of the evening, combining reverence, love, and plenty of laughter. Rabbi Marshall is undoubtedly one of the reasons we will forever look back on our wedding as one of the happiest times in our lives.”
— Shams Orr-Hruska & Pamela Schwendeman
“We feel so fortunate and grateful that Rabbi Marshall officiated our wedding. The ceremony was beautiful and her words and voice elevated the day beyond our expectations. As an interfaith couple, we felt she went above and beyond to help us understand Jewish wedding customs and traditions, as well as integrate interfaith pieces into our ceremony to make it inclusive and welcoming.
In the months leading up to our wedding, Rabbi Marshall took the time to get to know us and our relationship. In these meetings we learned so much about ourselves, our family values, and Judaism. Rabbi Marshall beautifully incorporated these details into our ceremony which made our wedding feel wonderfully personal, spiritual, and full of love. It was a pleasure working with her, and we could not have been happier!”
–Ely & Kaytlyn
“Rabbi Marshall performed a most moving and beautiful ceremony for us. We appreciated the time she spent before the wedding getting to know us and educating us regarding Jewish laws and customs. We are extremely grateful that she could share with us the joy and happiness of this most special day. Her service was so very special and personal. Her beautiful smile and loving spirit transformed us to a bride and groom who felt the love and presence of a higher spiritual concern”.
— Emily & Rob
We could not be more grateful to have found Rabbi Jessica Marshall to officiate our wedding. Rabbi Marshall is so spiritually in tune, graceful, authentic and kind that the entire process of working with her from start to finish was a pleasure. As an interfaith couple, it was amazing to have Rabbi Marshall as a resource to teach about Jewish traditions and find a respectful balance between our different backgrounds. Our ceremony was our absolute favorite part about our wedding day; it was so personal and special for us, our families and our guests-this is a rarity to be able to achieve such a feat! We look forward to our continuing friendship with Rabbi Marshall and are so happy she could share our special day with us. It was unforgettable in so many wonderful ways.
-Lauren & Jason
“Rabbi Marshall’s ceremony was beautiful and very moving. It really meant a lot to us that she took the time to get to know us before the wedding, and the ceremony was better than we ever imagined. We are especially grateful that she made the trip up to Vancouver just for the wedding”.
— Leah & Jen
“We were very happy with our experience with Rabbi Marshall. My husband is Jewish (though not connected to a synagogue) and I am not. I wasn’t sure what to expect and was not exactly the most willing to explore this option. But after meeting with her, I was totally put at ease.
I really appreciated her young, feminine energy. And we actually enjoyed the counseling sessions leading up to our wedding. They gave us a set time for a bit of reflection during a stressful period and confirmed that we were making the right choice It also gave her a chance to get to know us, which made her remarks more personalized.
I also was grateful that the ceremony and its components were not set in stone in her mind. We were able to pick and choose what we wanted to do and say and we actually ended up with a pretty traditional ceremony in the end (which was a bit surprising to the both of us)! She even let us pick how she said certain words and phrases, which I appreciated very much.
I think all in all, our ceremony was 30 minutes, but it didn’t feel boring or drawn out. There are so many beautiful ceremonial things that happen and I’m glad we included them! We had many guests say they really loved the ceremony and we don’t come from very religious backgrounds so that was cool to hear. I’d definitely recommend the ketubah signing – I’d say that was the highlight for me. Having your family around you and them passing it over to you and your husband is pretty special!”
-Leslie & Adam
Spiritual Coaching
"I absolutely LOVE working with Jessica! Every time I come away from our time together I feel more love and compassion towards myself and others, a deeper sense of faith and trust in myself and the process and empowered in my gifts and abilities. As a coach myself, I have often shared her wisdom with my own clients and have such a deep respect for her, for the magical soul that she is and for the deep love she brings to everyone she works with." -Allison
Baby Namings
"Rabbi Marshall has been such an incredible gift to me and my family over the last two years. We met her at a friend's wedding and just fell in love with her warmth, cheer and ability to make spiritually and Jewish traditions accessible and full of joy. We knew she was who we needed to have in our corner as our guiding light as we navigated the adventure of welcoming our first baby. We had a number of individual sessions where we spent time exploring our values and hopes for our baby and family and she helped us intentionally and spiritually make our way through big moments like returning to work after baby and creating and implementing rituals that allowed us to get the most out of those precious first months. She also lead our beautiful baby naming ceremony and a lovely and empowering pre-returning-to-work mikvah. Rabbi Marshall has brought us depth, connection and appreciation in a time that would have otherwise gone by in a blink and we are just ultimately so lucky to have her in our lives!" -Emily and Jared
“Rabbi Marshall provided a unique, fun, and well-thought-out service that was custom tailored for our daughter Lucy’s naming ceremony. My wife and I were continuously impressed by her prompt responses to our e-mails, her perpetually happy attitude, and her eagerness to accommodate our requests. She really got to know us during the planning process, and personalized the ceremony to fit our personalities and views of Judaism. She explained all the rituals inherent in the ceremony, and walked us through everything step-by-step. After the ceremony many of our guests complemented us on how beautiful the service was. We feel like we have gained a good friend in the process and would definitely recommend her to anyone needing a Rabbi. Thank you again Jessica for helping plan such a wonderful life cycle event for Lucy!" -Jessica and Will Burgamy
"Rabbi Marshall put together such a beautiful service for our first daughter, so when our second daughter was born four years later we knew exactly who to reach out to for her Brit Bat. She helped us select passages that were meaningful to us as well as selecting the perfect readings for our participating family members. With our mixed religion household, Rabbi Marshall did a great job of respecting our family traditions and our unique relationship to Judaism. The service itself was so warm and welcoming, it really drew everyone together into a sacred space where our whole community joined together to welcome our baby. The text of the service is now a keepsake we will treasure forever. We can’t sing her praises loudly enough!"
–Jessica and Matt Wasse
Retreats
"Jessica Marshall's Summer 2018 Women's Retreat provided a truly unique and rewarding weekend full of productive introspection and respite in a nurturing environment. She was very thoughtful in the selection of luxurious accommodations in Colorado's picturesque high-country enriching all of the senses! The weekend's activities and exercises could not have been curated any better. I greatly benefited from learning about my fellow retreaters' inner strengths and vulnerabilities as we shared our personal stories. We all thoroughly enjoyed each other's company with great conversation, delicious cuisine and lots of laughter! New friendships blossomed and spiritual insight flourished. I cannot wait for Jessica's next retreat opportunity!" -Andrea
"I so needed this. I registered amidst a lot of transitioning my life. I looked forward to getting away for a long weekend where it was easy, not work/effort. The women all came together, supported, and loved on one another. We build deep bonds, saw each other fully, and held each other in a tender heart-space. Alongside Jessica's compassionate facilitation, this provided a beautiful opening for my own soul wisdom to come through. I feel capable and supported in moving forward on my next chapter with ease." - Jill
"Perfect blend of pragmatism, mysticism, and spunk." -Jill
"This weekend was the most amazing, impactful, self-loving weekend I have ever had." -Andrea
Jessica is literally my personal ambassador of magic...I don't even have the right words yet. I am overflowing with so much gratitude and excitement!!!! Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU." - Stacy