Our Team
Beth Carlson-Malena (she/her)
I grew up playing piano at weddings in my church in Saskatoon, watching my Dad officiate beautiful, personalized ceremonies as a pastor. I was drawn to the way story-telling could be interwoven with ritual to create a marker in time.
Fast forward many years… I moved to Vancouver, met Danice, came out as queer, and we decided to get married. Our churches wouldn’t host our wedding, but we worked with our officiant friend Jane to find ways to mark the day with with creativity and intention.
After our wedding, I got my own license to officiate weddings, in hopes of helping out some of my queer friends who had been similarly excluded by churches, or by their family members. What started as a hobby soon blossomed into a career as I realized how rewarding it could be to sit with a couple, listen to their story, build it into a ceremony, and proactively hold space for them to celebrate their love and say their vows, while creating belonging for their loved ones.
Since then, I have officiated over 300 weddings, almost all non-religious (though I’m quite happy to do religious weddings too). I have also enjoyed preparing other kinds of ceremonies to mark significant moments in people’s lives: births, deaths, griefs, milestones, and transitions.
When I’m not working on ceremonies, you’ll likely find me hanging out at Open Way (the little queer church I helped start up in 2017), baking zucchini bread, giving botany tours at Van Dusen gardens, reading/watching science fiction, or organizing for climate justice and a free Palestine.
Danice Carlson-Malena (she/her)
I am proud to be the operational mind behind Pride + Joy. I love using my administrative skills to assist couples with bookings, and to keep Beth’s life organized!
You may also know me by my alter-ego, DJ WhySoSerious. I have over 12 years of experience as a DJ for parties and weddings, most recently through my company Serious Beats, including monthly gigs at Home By Midnight at the Anza Club. I love to play everything from 60s-70s classic funk, disco, and soul, through 90s hip hop and R&B, to the club hits of the 2000s, and any fresh hits that make you want to move.
My favourite party to DJ is: full of queers and queer-adjacents (you know who you are); wherever I can drop an original mashup, or the latest Beyoncé or Janelle Monáe banger; and any wedding where I can work alongside Beth. (If you’re looking for an officiant AND wedding DJ, look for our packages at the bottom of the wedding page!)
When I’m not sending emails to couples or sampling music, you can find me drinking craft beer, rating local tacos, reading queer YA, and following women’s basketball (especially cheering on the Seattle Storm!).
