Testimonials

We highly recommend Pastor Mark! I mean, this is the guy!! We chose to do a religious ceremony and what can we say, it was perfect. His words were so thoughtful, meaningful, godly and so sincere. One thing that surprised me was that his specific advice to us matched up to the words of our vows even before we were able to say them! He truly made our ceremony one to remember. My husband and I, along with our family and friends loved his intimate and personable vibe that he gave off. His tone of voice , humor and smile set the mood just right. If you’re looking for an officiant, look no further! Pastor Mark is accommodating, prompt with your questions and concerns, and gives off all-around good vibes that are sure to emanate throughout the ceremony. You won’t regret choosing Pastor Mark to seal the deal!

Thank you so much for everything! You made the day even better, and all of our guests keep commenting to us how great you were! Very meaningful, simple, yet quick! Thank you!

Pastor Mark is that favorite, cool uncle you want to hang out. I invited him to stay for the reception, and was genuinely disappointed that he wasn't able to. Let me add that I never met Pastor Mark prior to the day of our wedding. I planned a Hawaii wedding from California, so I relied solely on word-of-mouth and online reviews for everything. Pastor Mark was recommended to us by the wedding site vendor. The reviews on his website were vast and positive, but also detailed which is a sign to me that they are genuine. I decided to contact him after reading some great reviews and seeing various photos. I hate to sound shallow, but a wedding officiant is going to be in your photos to cherish so it mattered to me that s/he have a warm, friendly smile. We contacted a few different officiants and he was very prompt in his response to us, and very thorough in his communication. It included a questionnaire to ask ourselves what we envisioned for the ceremony, so that he could tailor it to us, as well as helpful information regarding applying for the marriage license and processing the certificate. We chose to have a "religious" service, as opposed to a civil union, and it was in one word: beautiful. I honestly didn't know what to expect, but somehow Pastor Mark made it perfect. God was there, working through Pastor Mark. From the moment I met him (just before the ceremony, one-on-one) and throughout the ceremony, I was very calm and very happy. I say this because I was fighting back tears for a couple of hours because I was afraid of what my mom would do when she realized we were not going to a catholic church for the ceremony. He was a stranger to us all, but managed to create an intimate, meaningful ceremony for us that was filled with sincere warmth, humor, counsel for a successful relationship, all while centered around God and the aloha spirit. I was smiling the entire ceremony. Several guests also mentioned how impressed they were with him, both Christian and agnostic. Brian and I took his words to heart, and have quoted words from the ceremony since then. I highly recommend Pastor Mark, with four thumbs up. My only regret is that we didn't ask him to sing or play music! Lastly, I'd also like to share some little details that I had no idea I would appreciate until after the wedding : one-on-one meeting just before the ceremony was a nice gesture of introduction, the eye contact throughout the ceremony made it very personal - in a good way; photos of our first kiss was just us and the ocean - Pastor Mark had stepped off to the side once he pronounced us husband and wife; and lastly the transcript of the ceremony he offered will allow us to remember and honor our vows since we did not have a videographer present. We hired a stranger to officiate our wedding, but instead a dear friend came to host our special blessing.

The process at the Department of Health can be a little bit confusing, but Pastor Mark helped us step by step from start to finish; he resolved all of our questions. And he had a plus! His lovely wife is part of the team, and she is amazing! We love her! She helped us with almost everything: flowers, decorations, photography, all the details in such a short time. The actual ceremony, and all the things that went with it, was romantic and perfect! We did the sand and lei ceremony and was soo very emotional. In addition, Pastor Mark play the ukulele and sang for us The Hawaiian Wedding Song, it was a unique moment!! Everything was more than we expected because our planning time was only one week!!! Sincerely, don’t waste your time looking for another marriage performer. Mahalo Pastor Mark and Kelli

We still can’t believe how special and personal you made the ceremony, thank you for being part of this moment with us.

I had such an amazing time at my wedding ceremony, and that was due in large part to Pastor Mark! He arrived early and was standing at the altar on time even though I arrived late. He performed a beautiful ceremony and made sure God was apart of it all. He also met with us before the big day and was able to plan our ceremony around our needs. My mom had passed a few years ago and Pastor Mark made sure to include her memory into my special day. If there was a rating, I would definitely give him a 10/10!

Aloha Pastor Mark. We have finally returned from our fabulous wedding and honeymoon in Hawaii and I wanted to send you a email thanking you for our extraordinary and beautiful wedding reception. You made this day so special for us and we both wanted to give you a special thank you we loved every moment of our wedding day. We are forever grateful that you were chosen as our officiant and pastor to bless our marriage. You went above and beyond to make everything perfect for us and we would love to send you a thank you card in person to show our appreciation. We just received the video and pictures and I am still in tears of just how perfect it was and you helped make that day even more special for us if that is even possible. Thank you again for everything that you did for us including all of the advice and making this day not only special but perfect for us and our family. We will cherish this moment and video for the rest of our lives. Thank you again for everything and we look forward to doing this again in 10 years hopefully with you as our pastor for our vow renewals still riding your Harley Davidson (which was “so cool” as my teenager said)

Aloha Pastor Mark!! Let me start by saying thank you from the bottom of my heart for making my wedding day special! John and I got married on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Pastor Mark was picked to officiate our wedding from our wedding planners. We met him for the first time as we arrived to the location. He immediately made us feel comfortable and all my minor stresses went away. I was at ease. He is a professional and a genuine human being. We have never spoke to this man and I felt like he knew us! What he said during the ceremony hit close to home. He have great married advice and incorporated beautiful Hawaiian culture into the ceremony. Even my family and friends commented on the ceremony - they felt like he was really involved and cared about what he did for a living. I love the touch of placing sand from the beach where we were married into our license packet. It's the small things ;) Thank you again Pastor Mark!!!

Pastor Mark, Thank again for attending our rehearsal and doing an amazing job officiating the wedding. We had so many of our guests that were extremely pleased and impressed by your beautiful introduction and dialogue during the wedding. You are amazing at what you do. Brian and I could not have had a better experience working with you for our wedding. From the start, you made us feel comfortable, informed and excited about the ceremony details with your professional expertise and good attitude. It was very nice to get information on how to obtain a wedding license, get ideas for creative expression as well as know the overall flow of the ceremony. You were extremely attentive and responsive to our requests for our ceremony, in which we wanted a mix of non-religious expression, as well as some religious components. During the ceremony you incorporated Hawaiian culture which was very special to us and our guests. You gracefully lead our ceremony, Brian and I knew we were in good hands (which helped with our nerves during the ceremony!) We cannot thank you enough for making such an important and special contribution to our wedding day!! And many thanks for being so prompt with our wedding license! We wish you the best as you continue to do great work as a substance abuse counselor, pastor and wedding officiant! Mahalo.

To Whom It May Concern: This is a letter of recommendation for Rev. Mark Turansky. My name is Sherry Christiansen, owner of A Treasured Moment Weddings of Hawaii on Oahu. I’ve planned beach weddings for over a decade, and worked with many officiants, but Rev. Mark is by far the most professional, caring and competent I’ve ever known. Rev. Mark is always my first pick. In over a year and a half, I’ve received nothing but raving reviews from our couples regarding what a great job he did in officiating their wedding. Not only does he have a caring and professional demeanor, his delivery is outstanding (most likely due to his experience speaking in the public eye). That makes all the difference when it comes to how his service sounds (in real time as well as on video). Any time I need advice on beach or waterfall locations on Oahu, Rev. Mark is more than happy to jump in and help. He always has a positive attitude, and is 100% dependable to show up to the event on time-looking very professional ( with the Hawaiian flair couples want to see) for the photography. He’s one of the few officiant’s I know who contacts the couple in advance to be clear on what type of service is preferred (just another example of his professionalism and attentive attitude). I highly recommend Rev. Mark for the first choice when minister services are needed for any wedding-large or small, on Oahu.

Pastor Mark genuinely loves love. He is kind an supportive and it makes you feel like you have know him for most of your life, even though you have only just met. Our elopement was made magical through his kind words and ukulele playing. He incorporates Hawaiian traditions and sayings that make it a unique and memorable experience. Whether you are planning a big wedding or an elopement like we did, having Pastor Mark as part of your special day will make it feel like everything you've planned has fallen right into place.

To anyone looking for a wedding officiant, look no further you will not be disappointed. I am a planner and started planning my vow renewal 6 months prior. I scoured the Internet to find the right fit. There was something genuine about Pastor Mark that caught my interest. Not only was he helpful and professional but he was truly sincere and really wanted to be there with our family. Thank you for all of your efforts in making our day so memorable.

We had a non-religious ceremony with Pastor Mark. We wanted something simple and with words we can take in our journey together and we were happy to have exactly what we wanted and even more! To begin with he helped us choose a location, was flexible with the day and time and instructed us on how to get our license. From the opening statement to our sand ceremony everything was perfect! Thank you for making out moment special!

We could not find a better Pastor for our sister's wedding. Due to heavy traffic, we all were late and showed up 1.5 hours later. Pastor Mark patiently waited for us in the rain and comforted the bride when got there. It rained pretty hard and Pastor Mark helped us found another location nearby. He helped us move chairs etc. We finally had the ceremony 2.5 hours later than scheduled. Never once, did Pastor Mark get upset and showed nothing but compassion toward all of us. Pastor Mark was patient, kind and graceful. Unlike the events leading up to the wedding, the ceremony was perfect. It was brief but meaningful. It was so amazingly sweet and beautiful. Pastor Mark sang before and after the ceremony. It was perfect. He was perfect. Pastor Mark, It was truly a miracle that we found you. I was praying God would send someone wonderful and He did. I wanted to make sure we have a pastor who believes in the values that we believe in. I went through a lot of websites and you were the first person I contacted. Once I received your response, I felt peace. God led us to you.

Our photographer recommended Pastor Mark as "being down for a hike," as we chose a rather treacherous, albeit beautiful, location for our elopement ceremony. From the very beginning, Pastor Mark was personable, flexible, and responsive. He hiked up a mountain with us, performed an absolutely perfect and authentic ceremony, and we sincerely could not be happier. Mahalo for making our Oahu elopement everything we wished for and more, Pastor Mark!

Mark was very helpful from day one of us reaching out to him. His responses are prompt and loaded with all the information you need to make the licensing process and wedding procedures a breeze! He even helped with suggestions for a location. With all the stress that comes with planning a wedding big or small it’s a guarantee that using Mark will make one step of it easier. I highly recommend him for your special day.

Thank you Pastor Mark for performing the perfect low key ceremony we wanted! Even my mother who is hard to please enjoyed your low key manner and service.

We had Pastor Mark for our wedding in June 2022 and he was wonderful. Leading up to the wedding, he was always super responsive and helpful. We were able to customize our ceremony to fit our style and comfort levels. At our reception and later, we received so many compliments about Mark and how he incorporated Hawaiian styles throughout the ceremony while still keeping it very genuine to us as a couple. My husband and I can't recommend him enough! Thank you again for everything.

Pastor Mark was so easy to work with. He played Somewhere over the Rainbow with his ukulele for the procession per our request. He had some very nice words to say to us during the ceremony and overall did a fantastic job as our officiant! Our guests really appreciated his personalized touch and he is also sending us a transcript of his service which is wonderful because with everything going on, of course we wouldn’t have remembered everything even though at the time it was very touching. Thank you Pastor Mark! We were so glad we chose you as our Officiant!