Community Highlights: Meet Mark Sevillano Jr. of Mr. Mark the Officiant and Other Services

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Sevillano Jr.

Hi Mark, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Ten years ago I received a phone call from my friend Steven. Steven and I had met a few times in person but mainly talked often on social media. When I answered the phone the first thing Steven told me was, “Hey you’re a pastor right?” I responded in confusion saying, “no, I’m not.” He was like, “Ohh from the things you post on social media, I thought for sure that you were a pastor or some kind of minister or something!” I laughed and said, “no, I’m just myself.” He then proceeded to tell me that the reason why he was calling is because he had just gotten engaged and he wanted ME to officiate his wedding. But it gets better…he said if I agree to do it, he would fly me to Bloomington, Illinois where the wedding would be held. I thought about it for a few seconds and said, “Yes! I’ll do it.” Steven was thrilled and couldn’t wait to share the good news with his fiance Jackie. When we hung up, I immediately Googled “how to become an ordained minister” and on March 13th, 2015, Christian National Church ordained me as an official Ordained Christian Minister.
After officiating my first wedding in 2015 in Bloomington, Illinois, I posted about it on social media and my followers began to take notice. I started receiving a few direct messages here and there asking me if I would officiate their upcoming weddings! I did about 2 or 3 weddings each year for about 5 years, while still working my day job as a teacher. But in 2020 is when my hobby transformed into a business. During the pandemic many couples had to downsize their weddings and do something small in their backyard or at a local park. So the demand for a freelance wedding officiant was high. I went from doing 2 or 3 weddings each year to about 53 weddings each year. I now have 3 other wedding officiants who have joined my team and we have been booking weddings consistently since 2020. Personally, I have married over 200 couples so far. I have also learned how to conduct funeral services, baby dedications and quinceaneras too. I absolutely love my career as an officiant. Speaking in front of people and leading a room comes so natural to me. I am so excited to continue doing what I love to do this year and in the years to come. I thank God that I get to be such an important part of so many people’s most important day!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think the biggest bump in the road was getting a lot of couples who wanted their wedding ceremonies to be held in English AND Spanish. I, myself, do not speak Spanish well enough to sound great during a wedding ceremony so I decided to call my friend Stefan and ask him if he would be interested in joining my team. Stefan knows how to speak Spanish fluently and similar to me, he isn’t shy about speaking in public. I knew he would be a great fit, especially because he and I are alike in many ways. We are similar in the way we look and have similar personalities. Some people have even told us that we could pass as brothers! I wanted to make sure that whoever I would add to my team of officiants would be able to bring the same type of energy that I would normally bring to each wedding or event that I was hired for. Thankfully Stefan agreed to join my team and shortly after his wife Erika joined my team of officiants too! They are amazing at what they do and we all work very well together as a team. Some weddings, I team up with Stefan and other weddings I team up with Erika. Every once in a while couples will ask that the entire ceremony be conducted in Spanish only. During those times, Stefan or Erika will perform each wedding alone. Nonetheless, my team of officiants continues to grow and their are a few unofficial officiants who are currently in the process of joining my team this year. I’m beyond bless to be growing, thriving and proving such great service to those who hire me and my team.

As you know, we’re big fans of Mr. Mark the Officiant and Other Services. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Being a wedding officiant brings me so much joy because I get to play a vital part in one of the most important days in people’s lives. I get to meet their closest friends and family. I get to dress up and speak in front of the best looking crowds at the best looking venues throughout southern California. After every wedding ceremony I hold up my cell phone and record a 10 second video where I say, “Hey everyone! I just married so and so! Congratulations!!” That video has become a signature of mine! Couples have told me that those 10 second videos have become one of their most favorite wedding videos because it captures the immediate joy we all feel after the ceremony! Not only am I known for the “Hey everyone, I just married” videos, I am also known for being easy to work with and very professional and personable. The feedback I typically get is that when couples meet me, they feel like they have known me for years!
I think the thing that sets me apart from other officiants is my enthusiastic personality, my ability to read the room, and my public speaking skills. I was a teacher for 5 years and I would speak in front of kids for a living. Public speaking has become second nature to me. One of my favorite comments on one of my Yelp reviews was when a couple said this: “Mark is the best officiant there is! He is an exceptional person with a huge heart. He is also great with communication, very outgoing, professional, and most of all passionate. His passion for love and weddings, and marriage made our ceremony perfect on our wedding day.” (Ashley & Joey V.)
I am so happy that my passion for weddings comes across in every wedding that I officiate. I always remind myself before each wedding that I am the one who sets the tone for each wedding so I make sure that I always bring good energy.

Unfortunately, in the summer of 2024 I was diagnosed with stage 2 Esophageal Cancer. I had to undergo intense chemotherapy and a major operation in order to remove the cancerous tumor from my esophagus. It was the most challenging time in my life. I had to put all my weddings on hold for about 7 months. Thankfully in January 2025 I was declared cancer free. I am a cancer survivor! March 15th is the date when I will be officially be back to officiating weddings. Last year I almost died and this Spring I am blessed to be able to continue to do what I love to do! This year, I am so excited to celebrate 10 years of being an ordained minister and even more excited to start doing weddings again! My faith, my 2 children, my family and friends have all helped me get through my cancer journey. Now that I am on the other side of this battle, I appreciate my career as a wedding officiant and ordained minister so much more now, than ever before!

I never would have imagined that one phone call from my friend Steven would eventually lead to 200 plus weddings, 2 destination weddings, 3 add on officiants, 4 funerals, 3 quinceaneras, 2 baby dedications and a whole lot of extremely satisfied clients.

I plan on adding more officiants to my team. And I plan on officiating more weddings, funerals, quinceaneras and baby dedications for years to come. After surviving a global pandemic, going through a painful divorce, and beating cancer, I am hopeful that no matter what may come my way, it will only make me stronger and more passionate about what my purpose here on Earth is – which is to love people, serve them, and help make their special days everything they dreamed of and more.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I learned is that when you marry someone, you marry them for life. It is not a partial commitment, or something you try out for a while then give up on when things get hard. It is a lifelong commitment. I value marriage so much. I was once married for 11 years of my life and when I got divorced it shattered my heart. Getting divorced caused me to cherish marriage even more so. It increased my love for officiating weddings too. When I officiate weddings now, I come from a much more solid place. I know what it’s like to be married and what it’s like to lose my marriage. I tell my couples all the time to value their marriage and to never give up.

The second most important lesson I learned is that each day is another chance to start over, and make better choices. The things that happened in the past are over and done with. The things that will happen in the future and still out there in the future so it’s best to just focus on today. If we take one day at a time, we will be a lot happier. Today has enough troubles of its own. I have learned to not worry about the past or stress out about the future but to just enjoy the present day. One of my favorite song lyrics is by a rapper named Common. He says, “Never looking back or too far in front of me. The present is a gift, and I just wanna be.” To me, thats how I want to live…in the present moment. So in short, marriage is forever and live each day in the present moment not worrying about the past or about the future. Just be.

Pricing:

• Services range from $550-&750

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmarktheofficiant/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mrmarktheofficiant2528
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mr-mark-the-officiant-whittier-2