The Marrying Kind: Hunt Country Celebrants Share Their Stories
Written by Bill Kent
David Greenspoon wanted to bring more joy into the world. “I said to myself, what could be more joyous than a wedding?”
A former Naval Reserve chaplain in Leesburg, Greenspoon has been marrying people for 25 years as an officiant. He is among numerous clergies, judges, lawyers, court clerks, and elected officials who have registered at a Virginia county court, sworn an oath to uphold Virginia law, and know how to file the appropriate paperwork.
He is also one of a dozen or so Hunt Country celebrants — those who create unique ceremonies that honor a couple’s religious, cultural, or ethnic background and emphasize the partners’ feelings about each other.
Last year Greenspoon led 30 wedding ceremonies, most of them in and around Hunt Country, ranging from familiar venues like Stone Tower and 48 Fields to deep in the Luray Caverns, with the Stalacpipe Organ playing an infinitely echoing Mendelssohn Wedding March.
For Kristal Garrett Rose, whom Greenspoon wedded to Ricky Rose at Shadow Creek in Purcellville, “using a celebrant made a huge difference to us. We are not religious and we wanted someone that was able to be diverse in personalization and add some light humor and entertainment.” Greenspoon, she says, “involved us in parts of the process, which gave us dedicated opportunities to reflect on how our relationship developed and where we saw it going for the future.”
“Every wedding I’ve done as a celebrant is different, unique to the people involved,” Greenspoon continues. But, he adds, “They were also traditional, because that’s what couples want when they marry in Hunt Country. They want the ceremony to be about them, in a place that reflects the history, natural beauty, and traditions they love. If there is one thing they all have in common, it is that the ceremonies express what the couple really wants.”
That, “and as much love and joy as I can bring.”
Officiant Donna Jean Ruland has yet to ask for I do’s in a hot-air balloon or while parachuting out of an airplane.
Once, however, “there was a small airplane involved, and a special gown for the bride so she could get into the plane easily.” The groom, Ruland confides, was a pilot. The couple had wanted a few takeoffs and landings in the ceremony. Ruland suggested they hold the major part on the ground, for the sake of those attending. She also mentioned that weather may intrude.
“We had the ceremony on a runway at Warrenton airport,” Ruland remembers, “and the weather cooperated.” In the end, the couple took off after the pronouncement and the kiss.
A celebrant based in Marshall, Ruland was working part-time at Chrysalis Vineyards 14 years ago when a customer asked what was needed to get married there.
“I talked to Jennifer [McCloud],” the owner of Chrysalis, “and found out becoming an officiant is a bit more involved than most people think,” she shares. “Not anyone can marry people. You have to learn the law and follow it to the letter. For the sake of everyone involved, you have to make sure everything is done right.”
Though the “speak now or forever hold your peace” outburst often occurs in movies, in the more than 500 Hunt Country weddings Ruland has done over the years, she has never had anyone interrupt the ceremony to object to the marriage. When drafting the ceremony, “most couples want to leave that out,” she says. And, “There are other variations people might want, such as changing the ‘who gives this bride away’ question, because some would rather not see themselves as being given away.”
What is most important are the vows. “The vows are the essence of the commitment that couples are making,” Ruland explains. “They are also a way for couples to show themselves, and those who are celebrating with them, what they want their lives to be. It may require a few meetings with couples before to get the vows right, but we always get them right. The rest flows from that.”
Ruland also assists at the rehearsal, then arrives at the wedding’s appointed time and gently leads the ceremony. Though she has done large weddings at the Middleburg Barn, Goodstone Inn, and Salamander Resort, she has a place in her heart — and on the farm where she lives — for smaller ceremonies. At the beginning of her celebrant career, she did not imagine she would marry couples in her own backyard, but she has, and plans to continue. “Not everyone has the resources, the invitation list, or the time to plan a large wedding. With elopements, a couple may want to get married at the end of a fiscal year, for tax purposes. Or they just want to keep things private and personal.”
Ruland has never refused to marry anyone. “If I’m booked for their day, and they must have that day, I’ll refer them to someone who may be free. Those of us who officiate here know each other and we have nothing but respect for each other.
“But I have never, and would not even think, of not helping two people commit to each other and marry. That moment when the bride — or whoever is at the end of the procession — comes down the aisle still gets to me. It is one of the most beautiful moments in a person’s lifetime, and to be part of that is a great privilege.”
In the weeks before Genevieve and Russell Carl were married at the Oak Barn at Loyalty, David Greenspoon gave them a homework assignment: each was to write a three-paragraph love letter to the other.
“His process was very thoughtful,” Genevieve remembers. “The ‘homework’ helped us center ourselves during the hectic wedding planning process. He made it fun and understood the tone and vibe we wanted. He included a message from our dogs in his speech, which got a laugh out of us and our guests.”
Wedding planner Macy Schilling had recommended Greenspoon to the Carls. She advises anyone looking for an officiant “to make sure you choose someone who works well with your personality and can infuse it into your ceremony. You want your guests to get a sense of you as a couple and of your love, because, at the end of the day, that is truly what marriage is all about.” ML
Featured image: David Greenspoon. Photo courtesy of David Greenspoon.
Published in the February 2026 issue of Middleburg Life.