Meaningful Marriages

My wife and I chose Rev. Larry Goyda as our officiant for our service in 2002, it was one of the best decisions of the wedding planning process. As we were not connected to a specific faith community at that time, we had decided to get married at Betsy Cheeseman's wedding barn at McConnel's Mills State Park. My wife was and is a strong Christian, and I was still in a exploring phase of my faith journey. Rev. Larry's experience was invaluable in planning the service and vows. It was important that we have a spiritual service, that was non-traditional in structure and fit our personalities. Larry knew exactly where we wanted to go and helped lead us to the perfect result. He came to the table with a detailed plan of how the service should go, and we were able to make small additions with specific readings that were meaningful to us. The end result was a solemn, appropriate and extremely meaningful, and fun, experience that matched both our personalities. Few things are as important to us as that day, and not everything else went according to plan, but if you are looking for an officiant, we highly recommend Rev. Larry for anyone in a situation similar to ours. God bless you on your journey together! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

We can not thank Larry enough for his professionalism, talent, and sincerity. Larry came highly recommended by one of our vendors. We had a small elopement-style wedding in Pittsburgh with More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

My husband and I HIGHLY recommend Larry Goyda!! We have worked with him multiple times before and every ceremony has been flawless! He is easy to get ahold of, his prices are in line with other officiates, and he knows how to discreetly pose the couple for photos during the ceremony. Our videos have always turned out so cinematic thanks to him! :D Love, Steady Creek Cinema More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Reverend Larry Goyda did a FANTASTIC job officiating our wedding :) He fit right in with our family and made everyone feel very welcome! He makes sure that your ceremony is very personable and meaningful to you and your spouse! I would definitely recommend him to any couple that is looking for an officiant that will make your ceremony so special :) More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

When we chose to have a wedding outside of the church, finding an officiant that would suite us as a couple and cater to the faith of our families became a significant concern. Two independent sources recommended that we contact Rev. Larry and we are glad that we did. He came with a general ceremony plan and then adjusted it beautifully to include God and our desires as a couple while leaving allowance to exclude pieces that did not suite us. On the wedding day he added small interjections to personalize the ceremony but never went so far to take away from us as a couple and the meaning of the day. I would absolutely recommend Larry to couples looking to keep formality of ceremony without being boxed in and still allowing for that personal touch. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

11 years ago, Larry officiated our wedding. He was compassionate, caring, accommodating, and genuine. During the ceremony, we laughed and cried (happy tears of course) because he made it so personal for us. After the ceremony, many guests told us how unique and wonderful it was. Just yesterday, my husband and I attended a wedding that Larry officiated. Larry hasn't changed. He still is an authentic guy that continues to perform beautiful and meaningful ceremonies. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

We got married in June 2016 and Larry Goyda served as our officiant. He was recommended to us by family members that previous used his service. Larry is a great listener and customized our ceremony to fit our personal and spiritual values. He is professional, caring, and punctual. It was such a joy getting to know him just as much as he got to know us. He is HIGHLY recommended! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

my husband and i worked with larry for our own wedding in 2006 and we enjoyed our experience so much, we recommended him for my husband's brother's wedding in 2015. at both very different venues, he fulfilled the kind of services we wanted to help make our wedding ceremony's so special. we were lucky that he was referred to us back in 2006 when we were looking for the perfect non-denominational officiant. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Larry was great, he's a true pro. He knows how to run a ceremony really well and he puts you in good positions for photographers to get great photos.

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Rev Larry married us in April 2008! He was absolutely amazing and we recommend him to everyone who asks for wedding officiant recommendations! We now have three beautiful children ☺️ More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Larry made our special day even more special. He thoroughly took all of our information about our family and children and briefed us on the ceremony and eloquently customized the ceremony to include everyone and was very professional. I would highly recommend him to make your day special too. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Our ceremony was absolutely beautiful and everything my husband and I wanted. Thank you Larry for a perfect ceremony!

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Larry was great for our wedding at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. He was on time, professional, and patient with us during the rehearsal and ceremony. We ran late on our ceremony by switching the location at the very last minute, due to the weather cooperating, to an outdoor setting, Larry's experience and acumen lead the way allowing us to complete a meaningful ceremony that will be remembered forever. All of our guests commented on how well he spoke and how smooth the ceremony went. We are very happy that Larry was our officiant for our special day. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

My husband and I were married by Rev. Goyda 10 years ago. It was a beautiful ceremony that was more spiritual than religious which is exactly what we were looking for. Rev. Goyda delivered heartfelt vows, engaged our guests during the ceremony and even snuck in a surprise reference to our 4 legged baby which was so funny. We received many compliments about his services from our guests. When I decided to do a vow renewal for our 10th anniversary recently, thankfully Rev. Goyda was still performing ceremonies and was so happy to officiate for us again. It was yet another wonderful ceremony with slightly different vows to acknowledge our current married life and our children. I am so glad we found Rev. Goyda. He is easy going, nice and had great ideas for our special days. I would definitely recommend his services. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

We cannot speak highly enough about Rev. Goyda. About 6 weeks out from our wedding day, we contacted our priest who was supposed to be our officiant only to find out that he was unavailable for our date. We did some searching and luckily Rev. Goyda was the first person we contacted and he responded to us immediately. We set up a meeting the following week and got along so well that we had no choice but to set up a subsequent meeting the week after that to finish all of the planning as we ended up just having a lovely conversation during the first meeting. Rev. Goyda is a genuinely fantastic human and took the task he was entrusted with very seriously. He spoke very beautifully and eloquently during our ceremony and it was very evident to us that was because he was speaking from the heart. We received many compliments from our guests about how touching the ceremony was. There were even several dates-of-guests who felt compelled to tell us that even though they didn’t know those involved in the ceremony very well, they felt strangely close and connected to everything that was happening. That is undoubtedly because it was truly thoughtful and meaningfully executed by Rev. Goyda. He was truly professional from the very beginning and we could not be more appreciative of his services or pleased that we were so fortunate to stumble upon him. We cannot say enough good things about him or his remarkably positive attitude. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Larry was great. His standard ceremony is touching and beautiful, and can be adapted for either a secular or religious ceremony (we requested a totally secular service, and he cheerfully obliged). I love the way he emphasizes the formation of a new family, and the friendship that is the foundation of a good marriage. I'm not a very sentimental person, but the words he said at our wedding meant a lot to me. Many of our guests commented on what a good job he did. He was a very calming presence on our important day. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

My husband and I reached out to Larry after being referred to him by a family member. Neither one of us practice a specific religion - my husband was raised Catholic and my mother was raised Catholic and father raised Jewish, so I grew up learning about both religions and traditions. I was a little nervous about finding an officiant that would allow the customization I wanted in our wedding ceremony without using a Justice of the Peace. Larry was AMAZING! He was so flexible and more than willing to incorporate the special traditions that we wanted to include and he also added some unique things of his own that really made our ceremony special. He was so easy to work with and whenever I had a question, he was very responsive. We initially met with Larry and he reviewed his general ceremony and we discussed the things important to us as well. I spoke to Larry a few more times on the phone just to go over the order of everything when it was coming down to finalizing the details. I would also like to point out that we got married at Heinz Chapel, which has a very strict 60 minute allocation for the ceremony (and/or after ceremony photos) - Larry did an incredible job of keeping our ceremony at an appropriate amount of time - it wasn't too short and wasn't too long and we had plenty of time afterwards to get all of our pictures in as well. Our guests continually tell us how much they loved our ceremony and we felt that the ceremony really made our wedding day special. During our ceremony, our two year old ring bearer got a little anxious and stir-crazy, and Larry did a great job of creating an atmosphere that made the issue a little more bearable for everyone!

I would definitely recommend Larry to anyone looking for a spiritual officiant in the Pittsburgh area - you won't be disappointed!

Thank you so much Larry for making our wedding day so memorable and special! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

A lot of people tend to focus on the reception when planning a wedding but for me, the ceremony was the entire point of the wedding so it was extremely important to me that the ceremony be true to our relationship and be meaningful! Rev Larry is a very warm and friendly man, making him instantly likeable by guests. Our ceremony was able to be tailored to us, for example we are not very religious people so he was able to leave the religious parts out. At a lot of weddings that I've attended the rev/priest/minister tends to talk for what feels like hours about things that are not pertainent to the couple or ceremony... This is not the case with Rev Larry! Rev Larry went over everything with us prior to the ceremony (we did not have a rehearsal dinner), everything that was said was tailored to our wants/needs and it was all very meaningful! After the ceremony I got several compliments including "what a loving ceremony" and "what a beautiful reading" ! If you want a thoughtful/meaninful ceremony we highly recommend Rev. Larry! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Larry was a great officiant for our wedding. He was very helpful with the planning of our ceremony and made everything simple. Our ceremony was beautiful and we received nothing but compliments. I would recommend him to anyone getting married in Pittsburgh. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

My family would like to thank Larry for his services! Larry took our event on short notice and was able to walk us through the process so that my wife and I had one less thing to worry about on our wedding day. He is very personable, as was his ceremony, and we received many compliments from our guests. We highly recommend Rev. Larry Goyda! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

We found Larry through the recommendation of a family friend. Our friend had been to a few weddings that Larry officiated and told us that all of those ceremonies were unique and special to each couple. We decided to book him and I'm very glad that we did because he created a ceremony for us that was absolutely perfect. Since my husband and I have different religions, we wanted to have a more universal ceremony that would bring all of our beliefs together. Larry's ceremony did just that. And after finding out that my husband's family is from Guatemala, he even asked if during the ceremony he could wear a special vest that he owned that was from Guatemala. We loved the idea and I think it helped to make our ceremony extra special!

Since my husband and I live in Philadelphia, we were worried about what officiant we would get and how meaningful we would be able to make it. But after meeting Larry, we really felt at ease with the whole thing. He went through the ceremony with us, explained the meaning of each part, and also asked us about ourselves and our lives together. He used that information to make a beautiful ceremony that was really about us. He even remembered that we had a cat and mentioned her during the ceremony!

We received so many compliments after the ceremony saying how beautiful it was and how perfect it was for us. Even our family members who originally wanted us to get married in a strict Catholic ceremony said that everything Larry said was a wonderful!

I would recommend Larry to any couple who is seeking a wedding ceremony that reflects them as a couple and the life that they will build together!

Thanks, Larry! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

I should start by stating that we did not have a traditional wedding. Even though my wife and I had talked about what we wanted on our wedding day, the actual planning only took about three weeks from the time we booked the location to the actual wedding. By design we wanted a “surprise” wedding. Meaningful Marriages and Larry played such an important role in pulling this off that the day would have only been a fancy backyard picnic without him. Larry helped guide us through and ensure that all the right processes and paper work were done (we live in NY, and got married in PA), so that the wedding day could be memorable for all the right reasons. There were so many little things that because of his experience and knowledge, made planning and coordinating that much easier. Larry’s attitude and demeanor helped alleviate the stresses that can arise on a wedding day. He socialized with the other guests, as to not let them know his role in what was about to happen. The actual ceremony was wonderful. His knowledge and experience ensured that great picture moments during the service were plentiful. Kristina and I were extremely pleased with the ceremony. We had several guests also comment on how lovely they thought the wedding ceremony was. From the great insight and guidance leading up to the ceremony to all the requests that we had; Larry was instrumental in creating the wedding day memories that we will cherish for our lifetime. We would highly recommended Rev. Larry and Meaningful Marriages More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Larry from Meaningful Marriages officiated my wedding and I was very happy. He was easy to work with and very personable. He did mess a few things up during the wedding ceremony (included our pets names, but said they were all dogs when some were cats, mixed up our readings - called the person who was supposed to do the second reading up first, no big deal, and also forgot half of the sand ceremony, etc .) but he made it work. We were very happy with him and received compliments from some of the guests, as well. He was the perfect amount of serious and fun... I felt very relaxed with him! :) More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Rev. Larry Goyda is incredible. He was everything I could have requested; friendly, calming, caring, AND professional. He is a veteran and can literally handle any situation. .. One of my bridesmaids forgot her reading and had to leave the podium and grab it... out of her purse... in the last pew in the church...yes, that actually happened! Larry picked up without a beat and told an endearing wedding joke that saved the day! It was such a memorable and sweet moment! A bunch of guests came up to me throughout the evening to mention how much they liked the ceremony and how great of a job Larry did. He is an amazing officiant. I would recommend him to anyone. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Larry was absolutley amazing! I got so many compliments on him. He made us and everyone else feel so comforatable. He is very genuine and pleasant to be around. Thank you Larry very much for everything!!! You are wonderful!

Anna & Joe Moore More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Rev. Larry Goyda was beyond incredible. We found him online a month before our wedding, after our previous pastor backed out on us. He agreed to perform our wedding for us that very same day. He met with us the following week to go over the service with us. He was friendly, professional, and personable. Our service could not have gone any better. Not only was everything that Rev. Goyda said perfectly picked out and meaningful, but the service was also strewn with personalization fitting for my wife and I. After the ceremony my father came up to both myself, and Rev. Goyda to tell us that it was the nicest, and most meaningful ceremony he had ever attended...and he wasn't the only person to come up to us to say so. At least ten people came up to us to say it was the nicest ceremony they had been to, and about another 30 made a point to mention how nice the ceremony was thanks to Rev. Goyda. I don't think there's a better officiant out there. Rev. Goyda cares about the people he marries, the ceremony he performs, and constructs his ceremonies with love, and personalization. I HIGHLY recommend Rev. Goyda to anyone and everyone that wants the best ceremony possible. THANK YOU REV. GOYDA! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

I had attended several weddings in 2013 conducted by the Rev. Larry Goyda. No matter what the circumstances, a nervous mother of the bride/groom, a 23 degree winter wonderland event, or language barriers between friends and family, he brings all the focus to the bride and groom. Guest don't feel like they are watching an event but participating in the meaning of the day. I call it alchemy.
Meaning ful and memorable. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Rev. Goyda officiated our marriage in October 2005, and I just booked him again to do our 10 year vow renewal ceremony next fall. I could not imagine renewing our vows without Rev. Goyda being there to perform them again. Not only is he one of the nicest people you'll meet, he is very good at what he does. Our ceremony vows were beautiful, and he delivered them perfectly. He engaged the audience, and we had many compliments about him afterwards. He is easy to relate to, funny, and kind. I was very happy with our experience with Rev. Goyda and very much look forward to working with him again. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Rev. Larry Goyda was such a delight to work with! After our first meeting with Goyda, we knew he was what we were looking for. We wanted a more personal ceremony and Goyda delivered that and so much more. He is very easy going and never had a problem with any changes or ideas we wanted. To this day we are still hearing from our guests on how wonderful and so personal our ceremony was. We cannot thank Rev. Goyda enough for making our ceremony so memorable! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Rev. Larry Goyda was a wonderful officiant for my wedding. He took the time to meet with us prior to the wedding day and really spent time going over the ceremony and every detail so that we felt comfortable. Rev. Goyda also braved ten degree temperatures to make my dream of an outdoor winter wedding ceremony a reality. He directed us well throughout the ceremony and kept a smile on his face the whole time which made for great pictures. Highly recommended! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

We can't recommend Larry enough! We were attending a wedding of a family member where Larry was the officiant. Half way through we look at eachother and said "we have to get him! " We talked to Larry after the ceremony and booked him immediately. Larry is a kind, gentle, thoughtful, engaging, and overall a wonderful human being. Our service was so unique, special, and meaninful, there was not a dry eye in the venue. Larry incorporated my son inro the ceremony as well as our dog who was in the wedding. Call Larry immediateley at 412-271-7465, you will not be dissapointed. Happy wedding planning!! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Larry was absolutely amazing. He was professional, friendly, courteous, and considerate of our personal beliefs. My guests commented on how great the ceremony was and how Larry made things flow together and "lightened" the mood. He was flexible with times and very understanding. I would highly recommend him. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Larry did a wonderful job officiating our wedding ceremony at Heinz Chapel. He answered all of our questions and helped ensure everything ran smoothly during our ceremony and that we were at ease. He has a lovely presence and the words he used in our ceremony were so beautiful, my aunt and grandmother said it brought tears to their eyes! He has done so many weddings and it is obvious that he not only knows what he is doing but he is also really passionate about it! Best of all, he included our seven month old son in the ceremony. Thank you Larry for helping to make our wedding day so perfect! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Larry was wonderful. He did a beautiful job at are wedding. So relaxed and calming. Everyone said he did a good job and it was so different. Now my cousin is looking into Larry being her Officiant because she loved him at my wedding! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

If you are looking for a warm, intimate, and very personal wedding ceremony please stop your search. Larry provided a beautiful and truly memorable ceremony. All our guests raved that it was one of the best ceremonies they have ever attended. Larry was very professional and personable and made out day very special. We couldn't have asked for anything more. He walked us through everything and we felt very confident and comfortable with our ceremony. He even mentioned our dogs, who are like our children. Bravo and thanks again!! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

He was exactly the type of person I was looking for! He was punctual, reliable, and took care of everything he said he was going to do. I had no problems with him, in fact he took some worries off my shoulders. I was able to focus on my wedding because I was able to rely on him to do his part. He is definitely a high quality person to deal with. I would definitely recommend him to a friend. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Larry performed our wedding ceremony last week, and we absolutely loved it! He is such a calming presence at the altar, quietly instructed us throughout the ceremony, and was an overall joy to work with! We loved him, his ceremony, and his approach. I'd recommend him to anyone who needs an officiant. You won't regret it. He is just wonderful! Thanks Larry!!! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Larry was very friendly and helpful throughout our planning process and he did a wonderful job at our ceremony!

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Rev. Larry was great!! Very easy to work with and we had a beatiful outdoor wedding ceremony. We also really enjoyed the wording and meaning that he incorporated into his service and felt our vows were meaningful and what marriage is really all about. Overall wonderful experience and would recommend! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

We had a very simple ceromony for our 2nd wedding in September. Larry was awesome!! He made it so personable and suggested and added alot to the ceromony things we didnt even think of. He was also calm and made everyone especially us feel relaxed and comfortable. He made our day special and memorable. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

My husband and I were very pleased with the officiant service provided by Larry Goyda for our March 2013 wedding. Larry is very kind, considerate and a pleasure to work with. I would recommend Larry to a friend planning to get married! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Larry Goyda performed our wedding ceremony in August of 2008. He did a fantastic job and we were so appreciative of the help that he gave us in planning our interfaith ceremony. He was able to give us excellent advice and was also very responsive to our ideas and flexible in seamlessly incorporating them. The ceremony was perfect and we couldn't have asked for anything better. Overall we're very grateful to Rev. Goyda for helping make our wedding so memorable. We'd recommend him to anyone! -Jen and Jeremy More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Rev. Goyda officiated our wedding ceremony. We didn't want a religious affiliation and he was able to create a wedding ceremony that was absolutely beautiful. We were married on top of Mt. Washington, which Rev. Goyda was very helpful in planning. I highly recommend him to anyone that is looking for a beautiful ceremony! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Larry was absolutely wonderful!! We received so many compliments on our ceremony.

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Larry Goyda was a wonderful officiant for our wedding. We only met him once as we didn't have a wedding party. I was worried that I would forget everything on our wedding day; however, he is so calm and professional that everything went very smoothly and gracefully. He really listens to you and the ceremony reflects that. Our guests still talk about how personal and different our wedding ceremony was with Larry officiating. It was a relaxed and joyous affair. I highly recommend Larry Goyda. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire