Shundo David Haye, Zen Priest

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Customers rated this pro highly for work quality, punctuality, and professionalism.

Read reviews that mention:

• wedding・7

• ceremony・6

• officiant・5

• officiate・5

• vows・4

• perfect・2

• special・1

• marriage・1

• marry・1

• minister・1

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Keyao S.

May 26, 2019

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Hired on Thumbtack

Hired on Thumbtack

Shundo officiated our small and romantic wedding in May, 2019. We spoke via FaceTime a month prior to the wedding. We discussed the time and location, and shared our stories with him. He then helped us finalize the wedding process including vows and other details such as what he would wear. After the wedding, he kindly took care of everything of the marriage certificate. We appreciate his patience and thoughtfulness very much, and would definitely recommend him as a wedding officiant!

Details: Wedding • Non-religious (no mention of God) • 20 guests or fewer • Help writing vows will not be needed • English • Officiant will not be needed at the rehearsal • Officiant does not need to be present at rehearsal

Wedding Officiant

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Kate G.

Jan 9, 2017

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Hired on Thumbtack

Hired on Thumbtack

Shundo officiated our wedding at City Hall in San Francisco. We spoke with him by phone (we were traveling), and then met with him prior to the day. He helped us think about how to structure our non-traditional wedding, provided helpful resources about vows, and crafted some lovely statements that opened and closed our ceremony. Our guests also commented on what a wonderful presence Shundo provided. His thoughtfulness and calm, kind and encouraging presence helped make our day everything we hoped it could be.

Wedding Officiant

Melanie V.

Jul 20, 2016

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Hired on Thumbtack

Hired on Thumbtack

Matthew and I asked Shundo to officiate our non-religious wedding ceremony which was held this past July 15th at the Rockefeller Lodge in San Pablo and it was a tremendous success! Shundo was extremely accommodating, calm, helpful and generous throughout the whole process. My family is French so he was able to arrange to do part of the ceremony in my native language which was much appreciated. His French speaking skills are excellent! In short, Shundo is a real gem and we highly recommend him to anyone looking for an outstanding officiant! Matt & Mel

Non-Religious Wedding Officiant

Angela P.

Apr 13, 2021

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Hired on Thumbtack

Hired on Thumbtack

Shundo was the perfect minister we were looking for our wedding ceremony. He was always on time replying our mails, messages or calls, he understood the way we wanted just perfectly and helped us to make it true! He is such an amazing person. Gracias Shundo por hacer parte de nuestro día especial, así lo soñamos.

Details: Wedding • Non-religious (no mention of God) • 20 guests or fewer • Help writing vows will not be needed • English • Officiant will be needed at the rehearsal • Date and time has not yet been chosen

Wedding Officiant

Mariliis H.

May 26, 2020

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Hired on Thumbtack

Hired on Thumbtack

I cannot find words how grateful we are to Shundo for conducting our online wedding ceremony over Zoom! Everyone loved (+250 people around the globe) the simple and beautiful buddhist ceremony, many saying that it was one of the most memorable weddings they have ever attended. It was truly amazing to work with Shundo, everything went very smoothly and ended up filling our special day with so much love and joy. Highly recommend!

Details: Elopement • Buddhist • 20 guests or fewer • Help writing vows will be needed • English • Officiant will not be needed at the rehearsal • Officiant does not need to be present at rehearsal

Wedding Officiant

FAQs

• What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?

  From experience on this site, I know that most people underestimate the time commitment for the whole wedding process. Each time someone reaches out to a professional on Thumbtack, the professional pays a fee for the contact, regardless of whether there is any follow-up or whether the professional gets hired, so that cost is a part of the overall estimate for each job. Travel time and expenses are a part of my overall fee; if your ceremony is going to be outside of San Francisco, that will add to the cost. If you check the boxes that you do not need my help writing vows (which to me means helping structure and word the ceremony), and you do not need me to attend the rehearsal, and then later ask me to do both of these things, that will add to the cost.

• What is your typical process for working with a new customer?

  For weddings, meeting the couple ahead of time to get a sense of who they are and how they relate to each other is a valuable step. I am always happy to advise on how a ceremony can unfold, and helping to write vows that resonate for the couple, if that is needed. For meditation, I will ascertain what style the person or group is most interested in, and will shape my instruction accordingly. I can accommodate for whatever setting is available, whether it be chairs around a conference table, traditional cushions, or taking a group outdoors to sit in the open air.

• What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?

  I have fifteen years of residential zen training at San Francisco Zen Center, including five years of intense monastic training at Tassajara, and many silent retreats. Important steps on the path have been ordaining as a priest in 2009, and training as head monk in 2012, marking my transition to becoming a teacher. ----- I have been leading groups and teaching for more than ten years. I co-led Zen Center's Coming of Age program for seventh grade boys; co-founded and led the thriving Young Urban Zen group at Zen Center. I have given talks to groups ranging from four people to more than a hundred, have taught workshops at Zen Center, Green Gulch, Tassajara, Santa Cruz, and in England on regular visits; I have met with many students individually as well as in ongoing groups. ----- More recently I have led regular groups and offering one-off sessions at large corporations, tech companies, start-up spaces, colleges, high schools and middle schools, yoga studios, retreat centers, and the county jail, where I volunteered to teach meditation a couple of times a month.