Camarillo Wedding Venues: More Choices, Better Weather
Camarillo wedding venues don’t usually make an entrance. This one did. The bride came around the back of the house on a Clydesdale. Not a horse dressed up to look big. An actual Clydesdale. The kind you picture pulling a beer wagon. Easily the largest animal...
Best Santa Barbara Wedding Venues: The Truth After 29 Years
Santa Barbara wedding venues look stunning in photos — but after 29 years and more than a thousand ceremonies across this county, I’ve been inside more of them than almost anyone else you’re going to talk to. And I mean that literally. I’m standing...
Don’t Wing Your Wedding: 7 Critical Reasons to Hire a Professional Wedding Officiant Instead of a Friend or Family Member
Hiring a professional wedding officiant is one of the most important decisions you will make for your wedding day — and it is also one of the most overlooked. After 29 years and over 1,000 ceremonies performed across Ventura County, Santa Barbara, and Malibu, I have...
Beach Wedding Weather California: 5 Shocking Truths Every Couple Needs to Know
Beach wedding weather California couples dream about is not always the reality waiting for them at the coast. After 29 years and over 1,000 ceremonies performed along the coastline from Malibu to Santa Barbara to Ventura and Oxnard, I have watched couple after couple...
Santa Barbara Courthouse Wedding: What Your Officiant Wants You to Know
If you’re planning a Santa Barbara Courthouse wedding, you’re making a great choice. I’ve been officiating ceremonies here for 29 years. I know what getting married at Santa Barbara Courthouse actually looks like — not from a planning checklist, but...
How to Elope in Malibu: A Wedding Officiant’s Complete Guide
Why Couples Elope in Malibu I’ve been officiating elopements in Malibu for 29 years, and I can tell you without hesitation — there’s nowhere else like it. The coastline is breathtaking. The privacy is real. And the memories you create here last a lifetime. When...
How to Write Personal Wedding Vows: 5 Simple Steps That Work
“I’ve been helping couples write personal wedding vows in Southern California for 29 years. I’ve stood three feet away from over 1,000 couples during the most emotional moment of their lives — the moment they share their personal wedding vows....
How to Create a Meaningful Santa Barbara Wedding Ceremony
A Local Wedding Officiant’s Perspective By Dean Merrill | Dean Merrill Weddings | 29 Years, 1,400+ Ceremonies I’ve been working as a Santa Barbara wedding officiant for nearly three decades now. And after more than 1,400 weddings, I can tell you something that might...
Elope at El Matador State Beach: 9 Things to Know First
Hey, I’m Dean — and if you’re thinking about an El Matador State Beach wedding, you’re talking to exactly the right person. I’ve been officiating weddings all over Southern California for 29 years, and I’ve stood on that beach more times...
About Dean
Dean Merrill brings 29 years of experience as a wedding officiant in Southern California. His creative and professional approach to performing weddings comes from a unique blending of talents he utilizes in every ceremony in which he officiates. He is currently the preferred wedding officiant for Southern California’s #1 rated wedding coordinator, Bella Vita Events.