WASHINGTON 鈥� When Laurie Potter and her fianc茅, Mike, started planning their 2013 wedding, they had every intention of tying the knot the traditional way 鈥� but that quickly changed. Potter says all of the planning got too chaotic and too stressful, 鈥渁nd it wasn鈥檛 what we wanted anyway,鈥� she says.
Instead, the Albany, New York, couple opted for a pop-up wedding on top of the Empire State Building, and they asked , a New York comedian, to become ordained and officiate the affair.
鈥淭his couple wrote to me telling me they wanted to get married and they wanted a comedian to do it,鈥� Bloom says. 鈥淚鈥檇 obviously never done this before, but 鈥� I figured, 鈥榃hy not? I鈥檒l give it a shot. I鈥檓 an adventurous guy.鈥欌��
For Potter, asking a comedian to oversee her marriage just seemed natural.
鈥淚t just seemed more us. We鈥檙e not really serious people to begin with, so it just seemed more appropriate 鈥� and not us, all of the sudden, trying to be serious people,鈥� she says.
That鈥檚 not to say Laurie and Mike’s wedding turned into a stand-up routine. Potter says Bloom kept the ceremony 鈥渙n the lighter side,鈥� but personal 鈥� peppering in a few laughs when appropriate.
鈥淚t was just a really happy occasion for us,鈥� she says.
Since then, Bloom’s professional life has changed in a way he never could have predicted. He鈥檚 seeing more demand from couples eager for a laugh during one of life鈥檚 more serious moments. For the upcoming year, he鈥檚 already booked 40 weddings.
鈥淲hile now I’m the stand-up comic who also does weddings, soon I will be the wedding officiant who also does stand-up,鈥� Bloom says.
What, exactly, can one expect from a ceremony that鈥檚 orchestrated by a comedian? Bloom says it鈥檚 nothing like a comedy club.
鈥淚鈥檓 not looking to get a laugh a minute; it鈥檚 still going to be poignant and meaningful. But, I do specialize in doing weddings with certainly more humor than people are used to,鈥� says Bloom, who adds that he鈥檚 extra careful to keep jokes tasteful, so as not to offend grandma.
Like most officiants, Bloom meets with couples before the big day to get to know them better and to figure out what they want from their ceremony. After the meeting, he says, he鈥檚 able to pinpoint their sense of humor and even find humor in their relationship.
And while pleasing the bride and groom is a highlight for Bloom, he says it鈥檚 great to see the reaction from guests, too, since they never expect the jokes.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not like I鈥檓 dressed like a comedian or anything like that. I鈥檓 dressed in my suit and tie,鈥� Bloom says. 鈥淚鈥檝e had a lot of ceremonies that almost feel, and they become, almost like a stand-up show, because the crowd is really into it, and obviously, the couple is into it because they wanted me in the first place. It really adds something. To me, it just makes it more memorable than just a regular ceremony.鈥�
For comedians, the wedding industry isn鈥檛 limited to overseeing vows. Northern Virginia comedian Geoff Woliner helps make sure the wedding party delivers engaging speeches.
Woliner, who has worked in comedy since 1999, first saw the opportunity to break into the wedding industry when he attended his best friend鈥檚 wedding a few years ago. After delivering his best-man speech, another friend grabbed the microphone and took the audience on 鈥渁 white-knuckle adventure.鈥�
鈥淗e called the bride stuck-up, he called the groom a jerk, and those are some of the nicer things he said over the course of those five minutes,鈥� says Woliner, who is the founder and CEO of .
鈥淚t was that time when it dawned on me that what I鈥檝e been doing as a stand-up comedian could really apply to this specific industry. Nobody had been doing it, and so why not take the experience that I have and the skills that I have, apply it to this, and help other people be funny?鈥�
When interested clients reach out to Woliner, he meets with them to learn about their relationships to the bride and groom, then helps them structure a speech. And, of course, he helps them write a few jokes for the big toast 鈥� and figure out what subjects should not be joked about.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 going to get you kicked out of the family? Let鈥檚 avoid that,鈥� Woliner says.
Like Bloom, Woliner says he鈥檚 really seen business pick up over the past few years 鈥� this year, he says, it鈥檚 鈥済one through the roof.鈥� He鈥檚 hoping to help with more than 100 weddings in 2015.
鈥淲e鈥檝e really just seen this explode. And the beauty of it is, people have a different feeling once they get through that speech 鈥� everyone鈥檚 excited, there鈥檚 a juice to it, and people are still talking about it,鈥� he says. 鈥淚f the speeches are killer, it鈥檚 going to be the wedding of a lifetime.鈥�
Bloom says that as word spreads about his services, he doesn鈥檛 see any reason why business would slow. After all, he has something unique he can offer to couples.
鈥淣ot to knock myself too much, but as a comedian, I鈥檓, like, one in 1,000 here in New York City. There are tons of funny comedians. I mean, I鈥檓 funny, but I鈥檓 not anything special, quite frankly. But as an officiant, I really do think that I offer something different.鈥�
