Marco Böhlandt

Independent Wedding Celebrant Marco Böhlandt

Why I Do What I Do

Knowing exactly where you belong—that’s what makes love so exciting. Not always knowing where you belong—that’s what makes life exciting.

I’ve never been someone with one obvious talent or one clear calling. Instead, I’ve always been curious enough to explore the world and discover what might happen when different passions, ideas and people come together. So I kept searching.

In the Eifel, where I grew up. In Freiburg, Cologne, Berlin, London, Oslo and finally Munich.
I explored lecture halls too—studying physics, computer science, musicology and history—until someone eventually handed me a PhD and politely suggested it might be time to find a proper job.

Since becoming neither a rock star nor an astronaut quite worked out, I found myself taking a rather unconventional path. I’ve been a university lecturer in the history of science (yes, that’s really a subject), a cultural event organiser, nightclub owner, DJ, copywriter—and now, happily, a wedding celebrant.

I wouldn’t claim any of this followed some perfectly designed master plan.
But it was always driven by one simple fascination:

Discovering how seemingly unrelated things somehow belong together.

How they complement one another. How, together, they create harmony. A few years ago I met Johann-Jakob. It quickly became clear that we were thinking along remarkably similar lines.
He had just begun bringing people together through independent wedding ceremonies. One beer later (give or take), Johann-Jakob and I became the tiny company that would eventually grow into Strauß & Fliege.

And the beginning of many wonderful stories.

Why You’re Here

Most likely, you’ve landed on this page because you love each other.
Secondly, you’re probably looking for a wedding celebrant.
Both are excellent reasons for us to get to know one another.

I know that your ceremony is just one item on an incredibly long wedding checklist. Planning a wedding takes work.
Just like love. Just like partnership. Just like marriage.
And that’s perfectly okay.
The only day it shouldn’t feel like hard work is the day you actually say “I do.”

Because on that day, you’re doing something that deserves to come from a light heart—no matter how fast it’s beating.
You’re not making your promises for a priest. Or a registrar. Or a ship’s captain. Or even for me.

You’re making them in front of the people who matter most. Your family. Your closest friends.
The people who genuinely want you to build a wonderful life together.
That isn’t something ordinary.

To openly celebrate love is, in many ways, a beautiful act of optimism in a world that can sometimes feel cynical.
Love makes sense. Choosing one another makes sense. Giving someone an entire lifetime makes sense.

And that’s exactly why it’s worth taking the time to create words worthy of that promise.

What We’ll Create Together

Before I write your ceremony, we’ll spend time together, because I’d like to know much more than simply how you met. Being a couple never stops you from being two unique individuals—with dreams, memories, strengths, vulnerabilities and experiences that have shaped who you are. Some joyful, some difficult, some shared, some entirely your own.

My role is to discover the strongest lines running through your lives and to find the right colours to paint your story with words. No portrait of another human being can ever be completely finished, and truly understanding someone often takes a lifetime. But I’ll take the time to know you well enough that the people who love you will recognise yourselves in every sentence.

I’m not here simply to agree with everything—that’s your job when you say “I do.” I believe honest stories also include shadows, because beautiful pictures need contrast, without ever turning a wedding ceremony into a eulogy.

Or, put another way: if nobody laughs… it’s simply a bad joke.

Why Words Matter

When words truly matter, we don’t merely say them. We give them. And we keep them. That’s exactly what words and promises have in common. So here’s my promise to you: the words I’m going to write for you don’t exist yet, because your “I do” happens only once. Otherwise we’d call them “yes, yes” vows.

Every ceremony I write begins where your future begins: with a blank sheet of paper waiting for a story worth telling. You won’t receive just any wedding ceremony—you’ll receive your ceremony. One that’s as unique as your promises and everything that follows afterwards, because genuine connection has no copy-and-paste shortcut.

And if you’re still wondering whether words really matter, I’d simply point you towards the wonderful poet and musician Kae Tempest, whose reflections on love have inspired me for years. Perhaps we’ll talk about them when we meet.