Savannah Wedding Officiants

Meet the Savannah Custom Weddings & Elopements Team!

Tracy launched Savannah Custom Weddings & Elopements as a solo wedding officiant in August 2014. Based on demand for the experience she offered, she grew the team to include multiple officiants, photographers, and a General Manager who keeps us all in line.

Our Partner Officiant team works exclusively with Savannah Custom Weddings & Elopements, meaning they are not just any officiant for hire. They believe and express our core values of love and inclusivity in their lives. It is our shared pleasure to marry all the people!

Partner Officiants perform ceremonies that Tracy prepares and they’ve married hundreds of happy couples. Tracy and Jennifer, our General Manager, answer all questions about the logistics of your day and your visit to Savannah leading up to delivery of your ceremony. You can learn in depth about our client process and how our team makes sure your day is perfect, too.

Tracy Brisson, Owner & Experience Creator

Tracy grew up in Massachusetts before going to college in Syracuse, NY (go Orange!) and started her adult life in New York City. She moved to Savannah in 2012 when she decided to seek new adventures after 15 years in NYC. She became an officiant in 2014 when she couldn’t find the perfect person to write and perform her own wedding ceremony. After officiating 15 weddings her first year, she grew the company to a full team that marries hundreds of couples each year and shares her values about love.

When she is not officiating, you’ll find Tracy chasing after her son Alex and her dog Forrest, growing zinnias, sunflowers and snapdragons in her garden, catching up on podcasts (Pod Save America and By the Book are some favorites), or falling asleep on the couch while reading comics on Marvel Unlimited. She is also the owner of the Fairhaven Seaside Retreat, an Airbnb in coastal Southeastern Massachusetts.

You can read an extended bio for Tracy here.

Buffy Nelson, Senior Partner Officiant

Testimonial

“Buffy married my husband and I and she did such an amazing job. I was a nervous wreck and she knew exactly what to tell me & got me going. Thank you so much, Buffy, YOU MA’AM, ARE THE BEST!”

– Renee, April 2018

Buffy Nelson wedding officiant

Buffy was one of the first people Tracy met when she moved to Savannah and they became immediate Facebook friends. When Tracy posted that she needed someone to step in for her while she was on maternity leave in 2016, Buffy applied right away and found that she loved being a wedding officiant and still feels that way, hundreds of ceremonies later.

Buffy is from Dalton, GA and came to Savannah to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design. She has worked in real estate and public relations for some of Savannah’s most well-known companies. She lives with her partner of 27 years, Adam, and their golden retriever, Sadie.

April Hayes, Partner Officiant

Testimonial

“The biggest, most amazing surprise of the actual ceremony was our amazing officiant, April! Her sincerity and HEART made her a part of our ceremony that we will not soon forget.”

-Ronald, September 2018

Apil Hayes wedding officiant

April is a veteran stage performer in Savannah as well as nationally. You may have seen her on stage as a member of our local theater group, The Collective Face, and in national performances.

April is also a Reiki Master, Ayurvedic Health Coach yoga teacher, and member of the Sound Healers Association. She works with womxn one-on-one to customize rituals and healing modalities they can easily incorporate into their lives as part of her business, Venus & Opal.

April is from Cincinnati, OH and came to Savannah for her MFA in Performing Arts at the Savannah College of Art and Design. She lives with her partner, Nina, and is a dedicated mom to her son Declan.

Tara Kelly, Senior Partner Officiant

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“Tara was an incredible officiant for us!”

Alex, March 2020

Tara Kelly wedding officiant

A trained costume designer, Tara co-owns a costume and clothing company with her husband Trick. You may have seen their custom-made straight jackets on the TV show Gotham or even in museums. She also co-owns Odd Lot, one of Savannah’s improv troupes. Not only is she funny, but our clients love her warm and kind demeanor.

Tara is originally from New Orleans, LA and made Savannah her home 20 years ago. She is also the proud mom of three young adults, Destiny, Harmony and Skyler.

Dhylles Victoria, Partner Officiant

Testimonial

“Dhylles was great. It was everything I wanted!”

-Rebecca, December 2019

Dhylles Victoria, Partner Officiant

By Savannah standards, Dhylles is a relatively new transplant to our city. Like Tracy, Dhylles also relocated to Savannah from New York City as a step in an adventurous life journey. As part of her own practice, Get Spiritually Activated, Dhylles works with individuals trying to reach their spiritual roots through her work as a mentor and guide.

Tracy met Dhylles when she hired our team to officiate her wedding to her wife, Sabrina, in early 2019.

JinHi Rand, Partner Officiant

Testimonial

“The Simple Signing Service with JinHi was perfect!”

– Adrienne, September 2018

Jinhi Rand, Partner Officiant

JinHi is the former owner of The Muse Arts Warehouse, a destination for Savannah’s performers and artists for many years, and a performer herself.

A Savannah native, JinHi lives with her husband, Mark. As one of our Partner Officiants, JinHi conducts our Simple Signing Services for some of our most vulnerable clients. She is a survivor of a rare cancer and understands how integral love is to our lives.

Alexandra Gonsor, Partner Officiant (Beaufort, Hilton Head Island & Savannah)

Testimonial

“Alex was like a magical fairy God Mother — and she made our wedding ceremony exquisite.”

– Joan, November 2019

Alexandra has been a referral partner for Savannah Custom Weddings & Elopements for many years based on her work as an amazing officiant in the Hilton Head Island & Beaufort County areas. We even collaborated on writing ceremonies together! In 2021, she became a more formal partner of our officiant team, performing the majority of our ceremonies in South Carolina and also working with us in Savannah.

Alexandra is from San Diego, CA and is also a birthing and postpartum doula for moms and families. She lives in Beaufort County with her 5 kids, Calliope, Israel, and Amira, Eden and Gary, and her husband, Adam. Tracy & Ashly were privileged to perform Alexandra & Adam’s four year vow renewal in Forsyth Park in December 2020.

Jennifer Griffin Curts, General Manager

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“Jennifer worked so hard to make sure our wedding went off without a hitch!”

-Kaitlin, October 2019

savannah wedding concierge

Tracy met Jennifer when she hired Tracy to officiate her Forsyth Park wedding in October 2016. Two years later, when Tracy advertised that she needed a new Scheduling Manager & Client Concierge, Jennifer applied and we found that she was the perfect match to assist the team and help clients plan their weddings from afar. In 2021, Jennifer was promoted to General Manager.

A Savannah native, Jennifer loves to kayak, make beaded jewelry, build houses and create families in Sims, and cook with her husband Randy.

Ashly McCoy of Ashly McCoy Wedding Photographer, Lead Photographer

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“Ashly was the perfect fit for our intimate Savannah wedding. She captured the love between my husband and I throughout our entire session.”

– Taylor, April 2019

ashly mccoy wedding photographer

Tracy met Ashly in 2017 when they worked on a Star Wars themed wedding together (thanks Fawn & Matt!). Tracy knew that Ashly would be a great fit for her elopement and intimate wedding couples when she was not shooting large weddings on the weekend as part of her primary business.

Ashly is a native of Savannah and loved photography and the idea of freezing time from a young age. As a mom of five kids- Skylar, Madolyn, Cillian, Lukka, and Atlas- Ashly doesn’t have much spare time. But when she has it, she likes to paint and draw, practice yoga and watch the Atlanta Falcons.

Megan Jones of It’s Megan Jones Photography, Photography Advisor

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“My husband and I are both introverts by nature, so the idea of a photo shoot made us both a bit anxious. Megan picked up on it right away, and put us both at ease. We ended up really enjoying ourselves, and the pictures were stunning!”

-Crista, October 2018

Megan Jones Wedding Photographer

Tracy conceived her first elopement package with Megan back in 2014, a few months after Megan photographed Tracy’s own wedding. They immediately clicked as work wives and history was made!

In 2021, Megan retired from shooting elopements and weddings. She advises for our business as she focuses on her other business. Savannah’s premier glamour and boudoir studio, Savannah Glamour. Megan came to Savannah in 2007 from Chicago, IL to attend the Savannah College of Art & Design. She married her husband, Chris, in front of the Fountain at Forsyth Park in January 2018 and lives with him and her step-daughter, Lillian, and her dog who thinks he is a cat, Ranger.

Tori Bronston of Bronston Photography, Partner Photographer

“Tori was absolutely amazing! She beautifully captured our covid wedding. She was so easy to work with; she was patient, efficient without being pushy, and had a calming presence. Not only was she great to work with, the pictures were incredible!”

-Jackie, October 2020

In 2020, we added Tori from Bronston Photography as one of our main Partner Photographers. In addition to photographing elopement and intimate destination wedding packages, Tori photographs the mini photoshoots that can be combined with our Simple Signing Service.

Tori is an experienced wedding photographer who loves gardening and remodeling her home, as well as traveling and adventure. A former art teacher, she is a native to Savannah and lives with her husband Kurtis and her son, Charlie, an adorable toddler.

While this is the main team, we also work with other partner photographers- Photos by Rich Burkhart and Kenzie Morgan Photography – during peak seasons to make sure we can help every couple who wants to work with us on their elopement or wedding. You’ll see their work on our Instagram, too.

Finally, we’re also supported by Shannon Vaughn who works in the background as our marketing and special projects assistant (downloading tens of thousands of photos every year is no easy task!). She also answers urgent emails as our Weekend Manager.

We can’t wait to welcome you to our family!

savannah wedding officiants