It gives me great pleasure to introduce Norman Knipe. I have had the fortune of conducting wedding ceremonies with him and I also refer couples to him without hesitation.
Norman is a Celebrant of great experience and wisdom with a sincere love of people. He has the refreshing ability of being able to meet a couple and their families 'where they are at' and to assist in preparing for and conducting their wedding ceremony according to their wishes.
Norman's style is sensitive and caring and thoroughly modern in approach. His warmth and understanding together with his gentle humour and genuine spiritual knowledge brings out the best in couples and families who have the pleasure of working with him.
I trust you will enjoy working with Norman as much as I have.
On the 11th of February, my husband and I, had a small garden wedding here at home and we were lucky enough to have been married by Norman Knipe.
A mutual friend put us in touch with Norman well before Christmas and we both warmed to him immediately. I think what impressed me the most was Norman's thoroughness and willingness to listen to what we wanted.
I had been married before and Thomas and I have a six month old son, whom we wanted Christened at the same ceremony. Norman didn't 'blink an eye' as many other men of God may well have done, he was genuinely happy to be part of our day and he made the ceremony so special with his lovely sense of humour, love and support.
We could not recommend Norman Knipe highly enough, he was wonderful and our family look forward to sharing a long and close friendship with him. We feel privileged to have had Norman as our Celebrant.
The shaping of the wedding ceremony to suit what we wanted was the key to our most successful wedding day. Norman provided us with great advice and helpful guidance as to how we could approach our service, and he was incredibly flexible to fit in with our wishes.
We were most impressed by the professional and personal manner with which Norman conducted our service. Our marriage ceremony was exactly how we wanted it and was what we had always dreamed of. Many guests commented on the excellent and relevant service conducted by Norman.
We would like to thank Norman for everything he did to assist us, personalising our wedding ceremony to be unique and relevant to us. We are most delighted to recommend Norman to any couple about to tie the knot.
I can honestly say it wouldn't have been the same without your understanding and support. Thank you so much for all of your amazing help.
Thank you for making our special day just that - special.
Rev. Norman Knipe has a wealth of experience as a Chaplain, spending many years in the army and has spent some time as a prison chaplain. His relationship with Upper Hutt goes back a long way and he was the chaplain for CIT, an industrial chaplain for businesses in the area, once working as the Upper Hutt City Council Chaplain.
Norman believes it is important to find out a couple’s individual needs and wants for their wedding celebration. “I meet with a couple and we work through what it is they want in their ceremony and my job is to make those wished happen.” Says Norman. “I have officiated many wedding ceremonies which are a bit different, and often have couples coming to me because my background is a little different from some other celebrants, being ordained as well as being a celebrant. I am committed to the enjoyment of the joyous event.
I have experience of celebrating marriages with couples from Wellington to Dannevirke; from Dunedin to Whangarei; from New Zealand to New York. I have conducted marriages in churches, garden parks, in the mountains, at the beach, on an island, in private homes and in a Tavern.”
During his army career, Norman was known as the peppermint padre as he used to put odd-fellow mints in place of bullets in his ammunition pouch.
He also does funerals, naming ceremonies, christenings, baptisms and renewing of marriage vows.
“I can marry a couple as a celebrant or as a minister of religion,” he says. “I am completely comfortable with traditional services or any alternative plans you may have in mind.”
Norman can be contacted on
528-5888, 021-215-1663 or
e-mail Norman.knipe@paradise.net.nz