A dedicated wife. A proud mom. A wedding officiant who becomes your friend.
I am Kait Verkest, owner of SWAK. I began the journey of wedding officiating when a close friend asked me to assist a couple who needed an officiant. Hesitantly, I agreed- but clarified- “just this once”. It only took that one ceremony for me to realize the art of marriage was a magical event to be a part of.
I like to say that I have witnessed magic my entire career, as previously, I was a special education teacher. I have a deep love and passion for children and adults with special needs- they simply make life that much sweeter. It was while teaching that I met my husband and this New England Girl transplanted to Pennsylvania (I promise, during ceremonies, I pronounce my r’s). Although I greatly miss New England, I love my life here in PA with my husband and three kids. They keep us on our toes but our house is filled with plenty of laughter.
If I had to describe myself, I would say I am laid back; my husband says I am ‘Type A’; and my couples say I am right down the middle. I like perfection for my clients but I also want to be an outlet of calmness and reassurance. To give you the perfect example of how this works, I offer you my wedding story. I wanted every single detail to be perfect (of course, right) but that was much too overwhelming to think about. So, I put my mom and maid of honor to work and let them plan the entire event. The only part I chose were my flowers- gerber daisies- the first and last of my decisions because clearly it was too stressful. From that point on, whatever decisions made were fine with me as long as I wasn’t making them. For the record, I wouldn’t have changed a thing!
More than anything though, I want you to know that I am a real person. Anyone can make their story look perfect, but my imperfect story is what adds to my love of marrying people without any judgement. I come from parents who are divorced; I had my first child with my now husband before we were married; my husband and I share different religious/spiritual beliefs. Why is this important to share? Because if two people are in love, that should be celebrated and not judged, no matter what the surrounding circumstances are. Love is love and love is a wonderful thing.
Awards & Recognition
