Today we’d like to introduce you to Nico Raineau.
Nico, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
As every one of my colleagues will echo, becoming a professional wedding officiant was not my Plan A. The truth is that I’ve spent my life pursuing a career in meaningful entertainment. There’s this evasive sweet spot in the execution of any art form where just having fun intersects with creating something profound. Entertainment, when done with intention, can leave a lasting impression. It’s why movies sometimes become so meaningful and can feel so personal, because a good story well told can create a core memory for people. I realized at a young age that I wanted to bring people that depth of joy.
At the time, I thought that could only be done through cinema. First, I studied acting before realizing that the filmmaker crafts the entire story and emotional journey. So, I went to film school and, for the past 15 years, have worked in the movie business. I’ve worked as a celebrity assistant, in creative development, I’ve been a director for hire, and then finally co-wrote and directed my own feature film. The film was a love story, as most all my films are. I’ve been building a career in the romantic comedy genre, telling loves stories with heart and humor. After toiling for years, I was excited to have made something that audiences could engage with, but – as fate would have it – the movie was released the very same weekend that the Covid pandemic shutdown theaters nationwide. This was followed by various studio mergers, union strikes and the introduction of AI video generation, all of which has upended the industry as we know it.
During that time, my son was born and with him came a monumental shift in my perspective. (Not to mention a serious need for supplemental income!) I realized that, while I will always be passionate about cinema, it’s not the only medium through which to tell meaningful stories.
Shortly before the pandemic, close friends of mine asked me to officiate their wedding. Sharing their love story through the lens of a Hollywood rom-com brought me considerable joy, and apparently, I wasn’t the only one because they started encouraging me to consider officiating professionally. I didn’t take it seriously at first, but being a screenwriter and entertainer is a specialized skillset that isn’t widely applicable elsewhere! I realized that wedding officiating is a niche that suits my talents rather uniquely. I also realized that I’d built a career telling fabricated love stories for strangers and here was the opportunity to tell real-life love stories for a receptive audience. I could translate my craft of heart and humor from movie scripts to ceremony scripts. And best of all, I didn’t need to spend years writing, pitching and compromising throughout the process. Instead, it takes me a few days to prepare a ceremony and a few weeks later I’m performing it in front of a live audience, experiencing joy with them in real time and sharing in the creation of a lasting memory. It’s quite literally everything that has motived me as a filmmaker. So, in 2022, I launched my company as a professional wedding officiant: RomCom Weddings. Since then, I have been re-writing the rule book on how much fun a wedding ceremony can be.
And yes, I still make movies. I’m currently writing another new rom-com with my wife and am also producing a documentary about – you guessed it – the best professional wedding officiants from around the world!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of the primary reasons why I pivoted from the film industry was because of how the business fails to value originality. This is a generalization, but studios tend not to take risks anymore; they repeat proven concepts at a detriment to both audiences and up-and-coming talent. It’s why we’re all stuck with the same rote franchises, unwanted reboots, and tired Marvel monochrome. I often feel that the stories I am passionate about telling don’t fit the “current mandates,” nor am I valued by a business that is primarily concerned with checking predetermined boxes. So, I shifted my talents to a different industry… only to discover a very similar problem!
Wedding ceremonies are, by nature, a traditional rite. There is a form and fashion to them that we are accustomed to, and that familiarity is part of what makes the experience a desirable milestone. We look forward to our turn of walking down the aisle, to the moment in which we finally get to say, “I do.” Wedding customs are repeatable by design, not unlike a Hollywood reboot; every ceremony is a little different but ultimately, we all know what to expect. As a new officiant with a fresh perspective on how to personalize the experience, this becomes an inherent obstacle.
Just like in Hollywood, I’ve had to figure out how to convey my value. To communicate originality. To convince couples to take a chance on a different way of doing things. Especially when a couple can ask literally anyone they know to officiate for free! Why spend money on me when your funny Uncle Bob will do it for kicks? It’s a serious and sizable hurdle that all professional officiants face in what is becoming a burgeoning industry. But how are professionals meant to thrive in a marketplace that pits them against amateurs that inadvertently devalue the very work that we do? How do we communicate to couples that there is an alternative well worth the investment?
The answer is quite simple: be authentic. At the end of the day, every officiant serves the same fundamental purpose of getting two people legally married, but the uniqueness of the ceremony is reflected in the officiant’s individuality. Every professional brings their own perceptive to the proceedings, so if a couple hires me to solemnize their vows it’s because my style conveys a vibe that they want incorporated into their wedding. Ultimately, they are hiring me for my personality. So, whether it’s through social media or how I craft every ceremony that I’m invited to perform, I try to show up authentically.
I stumbled into officiating thirsting for creative fulfillment and the opportunity to explore my multitudes, and now I get to tell the kinds of love stories that inspired me to pursue meaningful entertainment in the first place. I am so deeply grateful to the couples who value what I do, who invite me to celebrate with them, and who trust me to share their stories.
As you know, we’re big fans of RomCom Weddings. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Through RomCom Weddings, I get to know so many people and it’s a thrill to see first hand how everyone has a different philosophy on love, relationships and marriage. It’s a joy to talk to all different kinds of couples and to learn from them. Honestly, they inspire me to be more accountable in my own marriage! But the most common review I receive from couples is how much time I take to truly get to know them. It’s important to me that, come wedding day, I don’t feel like a stranger to them up there. My first ceremony was for my best friends, but even I didn’t know all the details of their love story, so asking specific questions and really mining for great anecdotes is how I get the good stuff! It’s how I’m able to fill ceremonies with inside jokes that feel true to the couple. I also like to interview each person individually, that way I can compare their different perspectives and create comedy (and warmth) from what each of them shares separately – that’s where the real “romantic comedy” stylings are crafted. It’s an investment of efforts from me and the couple, but treating the ceremony as a priority and not an afterthought is what will make the experience special for everyone. After all, the ceremony IS the actual wedding, it’s why people have traveled to celebrate with you; the party is how you thank people for coming but the reason they came is to see you get married.
To any prospective engaged couples out there, if you have a friend or family member who will make your wedding ceremony really special then by all means ask them to officiate for you. My wife and I had our sister’s co-officiate our ceremony and I got my start as a friend officiant, so no shade! However, if you want to really engage your guests and to give them a memorable experience, if you want the moment when you and your partner get married to be a core memory, and if you do NOT want another boring snooze-fest of a ceremony, than consider hiring a professional. Just keep in mind that not all professional officiants are made equal, but if you look around on social media or do some research you will find that there are some remarkably talented trailblazers out there who are revolutionizing the way we get wed. It’s a whole new frontier and, as I’ve heard people say after experiencing a RomCom ceremony, “I didn’t know ceremonies could be that good!”
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
According to surveys, what couples care most about when planning their weddings are (1) Personalization and (2) Guest Experience. They want to create unforgettable, entertaining and intimate experiences that reflect who they are uniquely as a couple. They think that asking a friend or close family member to officiate for them will create this special experience, but a growing trend is that amateur officiants are turning to Chat GPT or other AI resources to write the ceremony for them. This creates the antithesis of the couple’s desired outcome. The truth is that it takes time to craft a moving ceremony script tailored to the couple’s personalities. Its no surprise than that truly talented and dedicated professional officiants are popular on social media and very highly sought after.
Professional officiants are a growing trend, and as wedding ceremonies continue to skew statistically more secular, I expect that general awareness about the work they do will continue to rise. It’s poignant to remember that marriage itself has a sordid historical past and that divorce rates have been on the decline for decades. Due to strives in marriage rights and overall societal progress, for the first time in human history, people can truly marry for love. It’s a truth that is changing how people choose to celebrate their partnerships through wedding ceremonies, and it’s exciting to see how trends reflect what is most important to couples in deciding how best to symbolize their love.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.romcomweddings.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/romcomweddings/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/romcom-weddings-los-angeles
Image Credits
(1) RCW_Jocelyn&Russell_FataMorgana –> Photography by Fata Morgana Pacific, https://www.fmpacificphoto.com/
(2) RCW_Emily&Matt_Shore&Wave –> Photography by Kaiel Jackson of Shore & Wave, https://www.shoreandwave.com/
(3) RCW_Paulina&Ken_Shore&Wave –> Photo by Kaiel Jackson of Shore & Wave, https://www.shoreandwave.com/
(4) RCW_Nikki&Sakib_TeresaMarie –> Photography by Teresa Marie, https://teresamariephotos.com/
(5) RCW_Christian&Blair –> Photo courtesy of RomCom Weddings
