Officiating since 2009 · By Signed Waiver
Officiant for Impossible Ceremonies
A registered marriage practice for couples whose vows require a location conventionally regarded as unsuitable. Submerged, aerial, volcanic, polar, mechanical, and subterranean.
I — The Practice
The practice was established in 2009 following a private commission to officiate a vow exchange inside an active geyser field. The geyser was patient. The commission was successful. The practice has since expanded into seven adjacent disciplines.
Marci Wake is fully ordained in seven jurisdictions and provisionally recognised in three more, plus, as of 2025, the Lunar Marriage Registry. All ceremonies carry full legal weight, subject to local registry and any applicable hazard insurance.
Until 2025 the practice did not officiate on the moon. The establishment of a provisional Lunar Marriage Registry has, regrettably, removed that objection. Sauropod-adjacent ceremonies remain declined.
The practice operates alongside, but distinct from, the atelier at goose.marciwake.com. Both endeavours are conducted from the Cotswolds studio.
II — Ceremonies
Each commission is bespoke. Quoted figures reflect the rarity of the venue, the duration of access, and the practitioner's necessary preparations. Hazard insurance is the responsibility of the parties.
N° 01
Vows exchanged at depth, on a waterproof slate, before a witness diver. PADI Rescue qualification a prerequisite for all parties. Marci is certified to 40 metres and equipped for cold-water variants.
Tier · Submerged · from £75,000 · plus equipment hire
N° 02
Vows recited at the lip of an active caldera. Protective ceremonial robes lined with reflective fabric are provided. Access is arranged through local geological authorities; eruption-class forecasts are reviewed three months in advance.
Tier · Volcanic · from £95,000 · plus separately negotiated hazard insurance
N° 03
Ceremonies conducted at 3,500 metres, in a Cameron Z-90 basket with bespoke wooden interior. Vows are timed to coincide with the cessation of burner noise. Sunrise variant available at supplementary cost.
Tier · Aerial · from £42,000 · sunrise +£8,500
N° 04
Vows exchanged within the working interiors of clock towers, windmills, organ chambers, and other mechanical architecture. Marci adjusts her cadence to the prevailing periodicity of the machinery. Recently performed: a ceremony inside the gear room of De Gooyer windmill, Amsterdam.
Tier · Mechanical · from £38,000
N° 05
Ceremonies within ice caves and crevasses of established stability. Fur-lined ceremonial parkas are provided. The blue-light cathedral quality of the venue is, in the practitioner's experience, unmatched.
Tier · Polar · from £68,000 · helicopter ingress included
N° 06
Wave-cut sea caves at low tide. Acoustic properties are surveyed in advance for ceremonial suitability. Tide-tables are calculated to allow a two-hour ceremonial window with a ten-minute egress reserve.
Tier · Tidal · from £32,000
N° 07
Following the establishment in 2025 of a provisional Lunar Marriage Registry, the practice now accepts commissions for ceremonies conducted on the regolith. Bespoke ivory ceremonial spacesuits, with clear (not mirrored) visors, are provided. Transit logistics negotiated separately.
Tier · Off-World · from £4,200,000 · hazard insurance by separate underwriting
N° 08
Ceremonies conducted in motion during the encierro of the San Fermín festival, between the corral and the bullring. The practice has not lost a couple, an officiant, or a ring. The bulls have priority of way at all times.
Tier · Iberian · from £58,000 · municipal licensing included · mid-July only
N° 09
Ceremonies conducted in the proximate vicinity of a recently de-extincted or otherwise-released dinosaur. The practice maintains working relationships with three private cloning facilities and one zoological preserve. Theropod-class engagements only — ceremonies in the presence of sauropods are conducted by a different officiant.
Tier · Cretaceous · from £180,000 · includes one (1) on-site palaeontologist
N° 10
Vows exchanged in active or recently active combat zones. The practice has officiated in seventeen ongoing conflicts since 2011. Ceremonial flak vests are provided; their tactical aesthetic is exempted from white-attire tradition by a special dispensation from the Anglican primate.
Tier · Conflict · price on application · quoted per geopolitical situation · press embargo required
III — Counsel
Names withheld at the request of the parties. Two of the four sentiments below remain partially classified by the relevant national authority.
"Marci officiated our vows at the lip of Stromboli. Three guests wept. Two of them from the heat."
"We exchanged rings 80 metres below the surface of the Adriatic. Marci's homily, transmitted via dive-comms, was perfectly weighted."
"Our ceremony took place inside the working gear-room of a Dutch windmill. Marci adjusted her cadence to the sails. The miller wept, then resumed work."
"I cannot in good conscience reveal where Marci married us. I can say only that there were no witnesses, and I have never felt more married."
IV — Press
V — Enquiry
The practice operates a four-month minimum lead time. All commissions begin with a survey of the proposed location and a parties' interview. Hazard insurance must be evidenced before the ceremony date is confirmed.
[ written enquiry ]
weddings@marciwake.com
Reply within ten days. Survey appointments within six weeks.
[ studio ]
The Cotswolds studio is open by appointment only.
Maps to the studio are provided after retainer.
[ correspondence ]
The Practice of Marci Wake
Weddings & Vows Division
London W1
The practice respectfully declines: sauropod-adjacent ceremonies · vows on private property without owner consent · & ceremonies intended as performance art.