Today we’d like to introduce you to Holland Hook.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
During the pandemic, I watched so many people around me have to cancel, postpone, or completely rethink their weddings because large gatherings simply weren’t possible. It made me start reflecting on two very different weddings I had attended for close friends from high school.
One ceremony, although deeply rooted in my friend’s faith, didn’t really feel like it reflected her personality or the relationship she shared with her partner. It felt much more like a church service than a celebration of their marriage. The other wedding was completely different. Their ceremony was centered around who they were, how they had found one another, and the life they were choosing to build together. I still remember a hawk circling overhead while they exchanged their vows. It was one of those beautiful, almost magical moments that stays with you.
That contrast really stuck with me. I started thinking about how every couple deserves a ceremony that actually feels like them, one that honors where they have come from, what they believe, and where they are going together.
So I started researching what it took to become an officiant, how marriage licenses worked, and how couples could legally get married outside of a traditional church or wedding venue. During the pandemic, that meant helping couples create intimate, meaningful ceremonies in state parks, backyards, homes, and other outdoor spaces, sometimes with only a handful of their closest people present.
What began as a way to help people create meaningful weddings during an incredibly strange time eventually grew into something much bigger. I realized how much I loved hearing people’s stories, writing ceremonies around them, and helping couples realize that their wedding doesn’t have to follow somebody else’s formula. It can be deeply personal, unconventional, spiritual, simple, adventurous, or anything else that genuinely reflects who they are.
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?
It definitely hasn’t been a completely smooth road. One of the biggest challenges was simply building a name for myself. It took about five years before I really felt like the ball started rolling and people were consistently finding me through referrals, reviews, and word of mouth. In the beginning, there was a lot of trial and error and a lot of learning how to market myself while also figuring out exactly what I wanted my business to become.
I’ve also had to learn a tremendous amount along the way. Because I work with couples from so many different backgrounds, I’ve spent a lot of time learning about different faith traditions, cultural practices, and ceremony styles. I never want to approach someone’s beliefs as though they are just another wedding trend or something I can copy and paste into a ceremony. I want to understand why a tradition matters and how a couple personally connects with it.
And, honestly, some of the biggest headaches have come from technology. Running a small business today means being an officiant, photographer, marketer, website manager, social media manager, scheduler, editor, and tech support department all at once. I’ve had to teach myself new websites, booking systems, photo galleries, editing software, marketing tools, and countless other programs along the way.
But those struggles have also shaped the business. Every year I understand my couples better, my systems get stronger, and I become more confident in the kind of experience I want to create. It may have taken several years to really gain momentum, but I think growing slowly gave me the opportunity to build something that genuinely reflects what I value.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work centers around creating wedding ceremonies and elopement experiences that actually feel like the people getting married. I’m an interfaith wedding officiant, elopement planner, photographer, and wedding day coordinator, so I often get to support couples through several different parts of their day instead of only showing up for the ceremony itself.
A big part of what I do is meeting couples exactly where they are. I don’t believe weddings have to look a certain way, appeal to a certain age group, or fit one particular aesthetic. Couples of all ages choose to elope for all kinds of reasons, and I love helping them build a day around what they actually enjoy. For one couple, that might mean dressing up and leaning into an old-money courthouse feel. For another, it might mean getting married on a ranch, hiking to an overlook, standing barefoot in a river, or spending part of their wedding day fishing together. We get into all kinds of fun stuff.
I also specialize in highly personalized ceremonies. Some of my couples are religious, some identify as simply spiritual, some are Pagan, some are secular, and many fall somewhere in between. I really enjoy helping people figure out what feels meaningful to them and building a ceremony around their relationship, beliefs, personalities, and story rather than forcing them into a preset script.
I’m probably most known for ceremonies that feel warm, personal, relaxed, and genuinely reflective of the couple. Sometimes that means incorporating handfasting, readings, family traditions, cultural elements, prayers, or small rituals like blending two colors of sand into an hourglass. Other times, it means keeping everything beautifully simple. The important part is that it feels right for the people standing there.
What I’m most proud of is the trust couples give me. A wedding ceremony is incredibly personal, and many people come to me feeling like the traditional wedding industry does not quite reflect who they are or what they want. Being able to listen to them and create something that makes them say, “That actually sounds like us,” is probably the most rewarding part of what I do.
I think what sets me apart is that I’m less interested in telling couples what their wedding should look like and much more interested in discovering what would make the day meaningful to them. To me, the ceremony is the heart of the wedding day, but the entire experience matters. Whether that means a courthouse, a state park, a family property, a ranch, a mountaintop, or somewhere completely unexpected, my goal is to help couples create a wedding that feels intentional, welcoming, memorable, and completely their own.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I wouldn’t say I’ve taken many huge financial risks with my business outside of investing in new equipment, education, and the tools I need to keep growing. In fact, taking bigger risks is something I would actually like to become more comfortable with as the business continues to grow.
For me, the biggest risk has probably been putting myself out there in the first place. There is a certain vulnerability in saying, “Hey, this is what I do, this is what I’m good at, and I think you should trust me with one of the most meaningful days of your life.” Especially in the beginning, before you have years of reviews, referrals, and experience behind you, you really have to believe in what you are building before anyone else has much reason to.
I think risk can look different for different people. Sometimes it is making a large financial investment or completely changing careers, but sometimes it is simply allowing yourself to be seen and risking rejection. Every time I started offering a new service, raised my prices, shared my work publicly, or reached out to a new market, there was some level of uncertainty involved.
As I move forward, I want to take more calculated risks, especially when it comes to expanding the business, traveling farther for elopements, and investing in opportunities that could open new doors. I don’t think risk has to mean being reckless. To me, it means being willing to step outside of what is comfortable when there is a meaningful reason to do it.
Pricing:
- Wedding officiant services typically start around $449, depending on location, ceremony needs, and travel.
- Elopement packages start around $999 and can include planning assistance, a personalized ceremony, officiating, photography, a professionally edited gallery, and celebratory extras.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.summitwed.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/summitwed
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/summitwed
