Meet Jimmie Berguin

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jimmie Berguin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jimmie, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

Growing up I always felt like a fish out of water. Growing up BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) in a place like the Pacific Northwest can be an especially harrowing thing. I never sought to stand out, I just didn’t have the privilege to blend in almost ever. My whole life any room I walked into, I was aware of how noticed I was. After spending a good chunk of my youth avoiding the spotlight, there eventually came a time where i just learned that I can’t avoid the attention; I might as well use it. I found that being able to be able to make people laugh, converse in meaningful ways, or just “perform” brought me joy myself. Bringing joy to others always gave me a self-esteem boost, it made me confident. When I learned that being authentically me, flaws and all, it made me feel more comfortable with me. I even gained a new confidence of myself by learning that being vulnerable and honest with myself only leads to me feeling more confident in my spotlight. So whether it’s in a room where there’s only one me or I am about to officiate a wedding in front of a room of hundreds of strangers; I feel confident moving forward always.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

My name is Jimmie, I am a wedding/elopement Officiant, and I am a man motivated by love! I started this job 7 years ago and would never have guessed in any alternate timeline it would lead me here. I have always been a hype-man, friend to those who needed it, someone who makes others feel seen/heard. Little did I know that I was going to find the one career that let me do just that on the best day of peoples lives! I was asked to officiate my first wedding years ago without any thought of previously doing such a thing. Now I officiate weddings with such meticulous detail, I have friends and even family members of my couples asking me how they never met me before. Surely I must have been there the entire time. That’s what I do and specialize in, placing myself into the stories of others, writing a chapter of where their story is going next, then giving the author duties back to the couple themselves. Storytelling is a forgotten art, with how much media consume nowadays or the rate in which we do, it’s time to give the power back to the words. People from all diverse backgrounds, identities, cultures, they have a story to tell. When two people are taking their stories and combining them together, that’s where I really I come in hand. Helping blend two love stories into one in as natural and seamless of a way as possible.

In the next year I plan on launching one on one mentorships/coaching and guides for fellow officiants or those looking to start!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Adaptability
Being able to not only be flexible, but run with whatever little information is given you at the moments notice. Keeping an open mind and knowing that whatever comes? You got it, and you will make it happen no matter what.
2. Performance
In my youth I studied theater, the art of performance, the best piece of advice I was ever given was by my high school theater teacher Mrs. Plumb, “if you’re going to bomb? Make it the biggest spectacle anyone has ever seen. They’ll just think it’s part of the show”. Everything I do is with an audience in mind! Keeping people engaged and entertained is what I do best.
3. Drive
You have to be your own motivation in an industry like Weddings. You have to believe so thoroughly and unabashedly in yourself that people see you believing in them too. Without the power of self-belief, the drive to keep going even if you’re not sure in where that is? You have to keep going, even vibe along the way if the occasion calls for it!

You have to be your own coach, cheerleader, teammates, and announcer. If you can motivate yourself to never give up on you, there’s nothing stopping you from achieving whatever you set out to do.

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?

To steal a quote from one of my biggest inspirations, Bethel Nathan, “I want to work with people I want to give a great big hug to”. That sentiment means the world to me in who I am and what I want to do. I am a big believer in only amplifying the voices to all that I can. Finding ways to help others shine in the ways that they’re meant to. Being an officiant for love stories of all those I believe in. Whether it’s a couple from differing faith upbringings, a couple who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community, or those looking for someone who can see two individuals coming together as a oneness. It’s my job I know and love my people in such a personal way, by near the end of my job when I am meeting my couples the day they are to be married? We instantly want to hug.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/officiantjimmie
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/officiantjimmie

Image Credits

Aralani Photography

Jessi Ellen Photo

Ty Milford

Madeline Rose Photo

Ashley Riley Artistry

Alanna Morgan Creative

Michaela H Photography

Lucy Schultz Photography