shawn miller, young hip and married, erica miller, helen siwak, wedding officiant, vancouver, bc, yvr

Shawn Miller: Redefining Modern Wedding Ceremonies Through Young Hip & Married

For more than fourteen years, Shawn Miller has served as a dedicated wedding officiant, performing more than 1,600 ceremonies for couples seeking a meaningful and personal start to their marriage. He founded Young Hip & Married with the intention of helping couples create ceremonies that feel honest, grounded, and reflective of their story. His work has been recognized provincially, earning him the title of Best Wedding Officiant in British Columbia for three consecutive years at the Professional BC Wedding Awards.

Shawn is trained as a coach through the Coaches Training Institute and holds a Master Practitioner certification in NLP. His commitment to communication and presence extends beyond officiating; he is an author, the creator of a popular online vow-writing course, and the host of Friendors, a podcast featuring conversations with leaders across the wedding industry.

Shawn works alongside his partner and wife, Erica Miller, who serves as Co-owner and Head Photographer at Young Hip & Married. Together, they bring a shared dedication to helping couples feel grounded, supported, and truly seen throughout their wedding experience.

Whether guiding couples through the writing of their vows or helping them feel present during the ceremony, Shawn’s approach is centred on clarity, calm, and confidence. As a husband and father of four, he brings a deep appreciation for commitment, family, and connection to every celebration he helps create.

shawn miller, young hip and married, erica miller, helen siwak, wedding officiant, vancouver, bc, yvr

THE BUSINESS.

Young Hip & Married helps couples celebrate their marriage in a way that feels personal, relaxed, and true to who they are. Since 2010, the company has officiated more than 3,500 weddings across Canada and the United States, offering support for everything from intimate elopements to fully customized ceremonies.

The team prioritizes clear communication, thoughtful preparation, and an experience that feels even better than it looks. Couples choose Young Hip & Married because the process is transparent and uncomplicated. The team guides clients through the planning stages, develops personalized ceremony scripts, and manages all legal requirements with care and precision.

Each officiant brings professionalism, personality, and consistency to every celebration. Beyond ceremonies, Young Hip & Married offers additional resources including an online vow-writing course and the podcast Friendors, which showcases the people and ideas shaping today’s wedding industry.

shawn miller, young hip and married, erica miller, helen siwak, wedding officiant, vancouver, bc, yvr

The company continues to grow through referrals, strong reviews, and long-standing relationships with vendors and venues. Its mission remains simple: to help couples begin their marriage with clarity, confidence, and a ceremony they will remember.

IN HIS WORDS:

“When I think about where my entrepreneurial instincts first surfaced, the memories take me back to childhood. I was eight years old when I picked up my first paper route, and almost immediately I began searching for more ways to earn my own money. I mowed lawns, raked leaves, and took on any small job I could. Even then, I recognized something honest and energizing in the process of creating my own income. I liked building small systems, taking responsibility for outcomes, and discovering that I could shape my own path. That early spark never faded. When I joined Canada Post at nineteen, I understood quickly that traditional employment did not align with who I was. I wanted autonomy. I wanted to build. I wanted to grow on my own terms. After completing my coach training in 2008, I resigned from the post office and stepped fully into self-employment. It felt less like a risk and more like a homecoming. That decision set the stage for everything that followed, including the creation of Young Hip & Married.

AN ACCIDENTAL BEGINNING

Young Hip & Married did not begin as a polished business plan. In truth, it unfolded accidentally. Initially, my wife, Erica, and I planned to launch a couples coaching company dedicated to preparing engaged partners for marriage. When we registered for our first wedding show in 2010, our intention was to talk about communication and relationship tools. A friend of ours, who officiated weddings, casually asked if he could join us at the event. We agreed without thinking much of it. He would talk to couples about officiating, and we would introduce them to coaching.

What happened at the show changed the entire trajectory of my life. Couples reacted strongly to the idea of officiating done differently. They wanted ceremonies that felt personal, present, intentional, and delivered with genuine care. They wanted something that honoured their story rather than following a standard script. It became obvious by the end of the day that officiating was the need the industry had overlooked. All the small business lessons I had learned growing up came back instantly: pay attention, respond quickly, and lean into what works. That single show shifted our direction and gave birth to what would become Young Hip & Married.

shawn miller, young hip and married, erica miller, helen siwak, wedding officiant, vancouver, bc, yvr

A SIGN THAT SHIFTED EVERYTHING

One of my earliest and clearest memories from those early days happened at that same wedding show. We had almost no budget, so we made our own sign out of plywood and painted the question: How much are you spending on your wedding, and how much are you spending on your marriage. Couples stopped in their tracks. They approached us out of curiosity, wanting to know why we were asking that question and what we offered.

By the end of the show, we had more leads than we knew how to organize. I remember turning to Erica and saying, I think we just became a wedding company. It was hectic, unplanned, and exhilarating. That moment taught me the power of clarity. When a message connects, it does not whisper. It lands fully, and it changes everything.

THE YEARS OF GRINDING

My entrepreneurial journey evolved out of equal parts inspiration and necessity. When Young Hip & Married was still in its early stages, we had two children under two and the business was not yet bringing in enough income to support our family. The idea of returning to traditional employment felt completely wrong for me, so I found another solution. I took a serving job at The Keg so I could work nights and spend my days building the business.

That rhythm was demanding. Early mornings were devoted to developing systems, meeting couples, crafting ceremonies, and strengthening our foundation. Evenings were spent serving tables with the same mindset I brought to my business: take ownership, serve exceptionally, and treat every interaction with intention. Those years were exhausting but transformative. They taught me to stay committed through fatigue, to hold the vision even when the path felt steep, and to understand that exceptional service always earns trust. Those lessons still shape how I lead today.

ONE PATH FORWARD

In the earliest version of Young Hip & Married, we offered both officiating and couples coaching. Although the two were connected, I eventually realized that splitting my focus was slowing our growth. Coaching required significant time and energy, yet the demand and financial return were far stronger in officiating. After several years, I made the decision to close the coaching division and focus exclusively on ceremonies. The impact was immediate. Once I committed fully to one direction, the business accelerated. Systems grew stronger, our team expanded, and the experience for our couples improved.

Only after Young Hip & Married was stable and thriving did I start pursuing additional projects that complemented the core company. I wrote books, built online courses, and created digital tools that supported couples and officiants. Everything I added aligned naturally with the work I had been doing for years rather than distracting from it.

LEARNING TO SCALE

As the company grew, I reached a point where I understood that instinct alone would not take the business to the next level. Building something is one skill. Scaling it is another. I needed to learn how to lead people, manage operations, and think strategically. Instead of stumbling through gaps in my knowledge, I invested heavily in education. Seminars, masterminds, and business courses shaped my understanding of leadership and structure. Every time I learned something new, the company gained strength. My philosophy was simple. If I improved as a leader, the business would grow with me. That investment became the foundation for sustainable expansion.

SACRIFICE AND PURPOSE

Growing a business while raising a young family meant making sacrifices, and for me, that sacrifice was personal time. Between early mornings building the business and late nights serving tables, there was almost no space for a social life. To protect what mattered most, I made a clear rule. Any free time belonged to my family. Days off were entirely dedicated to them. Looking back, those years were challenging, but they also taught me discipline, resilience, and clarity. I never wanted to build a business that required sacrificing my family. I wanted to build one that supported them.

shawn miller, young hip and married, erica miller, helen siwak, wedding officiant, vancouver, bc, yvr

WHEN I KNEW IT WOULD WORK

There was a defining moment when I realized Young Hip & Married was going to succeed, and it came through recognition I did not expect. Winning the BC Wedding Awards for Best Wedding Officiant was the first award I had ever received in my life. I was not a standout student or an athletic kid collecting trophies. Receiving that honour changed something inside me. When it happened again the next year, and the year after, along with the Industry Achievement Award, the message became impossible to ignore. Our work mattered. Our approach was raising the standard for officiating. It was the affirmation that I needed at exactly the right time.

MENTORSHIP IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Although I never had a traditional mentor, mentorship has shaped me in significant ways through the digital world. Leaders like Tony Robbins and Alex Hormozi have had an enormous impact on how I think about service, leadership, and strategic growth. Their willingness to share frameworks, ideas, and tools created an ongoing education that would have been impossible twenty years ago. I consider myself fortunate to be building a business during a time when learning is so accessible.

BECOMING A LEADER

Leadership did not come naturally to me. In the early years, my instinct to care for people sometimes led me to protect individuals at the expense of the business. The consequences were difficult, but they taught me something I needed to understand. A healthy company supports everyone. Leadership requires balancing compassion with accountability. Today, I lead with clarity and care, but I also protect the long-term well-being of Young Hip & Married. It is a responsibility I take seriously.

THE CORE OF MY WORK

At its core, my work is simple. I help couples get married in a way that feels personal, honest, and meaningful. At Young Hip & Married, we create ceremonies that feel better than they look. We support couples across Canada and the United States with custom officiating, elopements, online resources, vow-writing tools, and digital education. I am now building the Officiant Academy, a global training platform designed to elevate standards for officiants everywhere. I am also integrating AI and custom LLMs to simplify operations and serve couples with greater precision. My goal is to raise the bar for what professional officiating can be.

VISION FOR 2026

Looking toward 2026, my vision is clear. I want Young Hip & Married to be recognized as the company that transformed how the industry views wedding ceremonies. I want the Officiant Academy fully launched and empowering officiants around the world. I want our methods, systems, and values to influence the global standard. Most of all, I want couples to feel supported, officiants to feel proud, and the ceremony to be understood as the emotional centre of the wedding day. Through service, education, and leadership, I hope to create an impact that lasts long after the ceremony ends.”

Follow Shawn and Young Hip & Married on IG: @younghipandmarried

Author Profile

Helen Siwak, Collaborator: This story is created in collaboration between Helen Siwak and the featured subject. As the founder and publisher of Portfolio.YVR Business & Entrepreneurs Magazine, Helen works closely with entrepreneurs to share their paths of innovation, resilience, and growth. Each story in this series is co-developed through interviews and first-person insights, blending authentic voices with Helen’s editorial expertise to highlight the remarkable individuals shaping British Columbia’s business landscape.