Our Wedding Officiants
Jeff
Jeff Copeland and his wife, Claire, are the owners and founders of Simple Weddings. They started Simple Weddings as an offshoot of Claire's photography business, Simple Treasures, in 2007. Jeff handles the sales and marketing for Simple Weddings and is also an experienced wedding officiant. He has officiated hundreds of weddings for couples from all over the world and brings a professional, yet relaxed demeanor to his wedding ceremonies.
Jeff holds a master's degree in public administration and was an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard. He has also works as an Emergency Management consultant. Click "play" below to see a short clip of Jeff performing a wedding ceremony:
Trent
Trent Manke is an experienced wedding officiant who brings a lighthearted and jovial attitude to his weddings. He is married to Kelly (our Sales Assistant!) and has two beautiful children.
Trent is originally from Michigan (and remains a loyal Michigan State fan), but has lived in Florida for almost 20 years. He also works as a Respiratory Therapist in the Tampa Bay area. Click "play" below to see a short clip of Trent performing a wedding ceremony:
Calvin
Calvin McIlroy is a retired pastor with over 30 years of experience ministering to congregations of many faiths. Calvin has an open mind and an open heart when it comes to religious denominations. He is fond of saying that his goal as a minister is "to bridge the barrier between different denominations, minister to the people, and let God handle the rest".
As such, he has led congregations in the Assembly of God, Baptist, and Methodist faiths, and led sermons as a guest pastor for Catholic, Episcopal, and Lutheran churches. Calvin retired from the Church of the Nazarene in 2006 but continues to minister to couples as a wedding officiant. Click "play" below to see a short clip of Calvin performing a wedding ceremony:
Ron
Ron Thompson is practically one of the founders of Simple Weddings and has been officiating weddings since we started. He brings a laid back style to his weddings and is known for going the extra mile to make his weddings a success.
Ron grew up in St Petersburg and is a long-time resident of St Pete Beach, where he works as a real estate agent for Resort Realty. He is married and has two children.
Margo
Margo Johnson is originally from Newfoundland, Canada, but relocated to Florida in 1986. She has been married for over 20 years and has four beautiful children. She initially became a wedding officiant to perform her sister's wedding and enjoyed it so much she kept doing it. She loves to add a personal touch to her wedding ceremonies.
Margo also works as a nurse, and designs custom jewelry through her own company called Inspired Design. She has worked with several brides to create custom jewelry for bridal parties, and her Barefoot Sandals are one of her most popular products for beach weddings!