Hannah grew up in South Dakota just a few blocks from the world’s only Corn Palace. (Which, yes, is exactly as interesting as it sounds.) In 2018, she traded corn fields for the streets of New York, where she got her MFA in creative writing from NYU. There, she studied with writers like Joyce Carol Oates, Jonathan Foer, and Zadie Smith, who taught her how to read and write better and only made her cry once.

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Now that she’s graduated, Hannah works at a startup in Manhattan on its operations team. In her free time, she works (slowly, painstakingly) on her first novel and freelance writes resumes and cover letters for other women. She has also discovered a love of yoga and plant-based eating since quarantine and will sing the praises of cauliflower BBQ wings all day long.

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When her friends put out a call for a wedding officiant late last year, Hannah jokingly volunteered. The joke was on her, apparently, because they agreed. Turns out, officiating combines all the things she loves the most—writing, public speaking, and leaning in over a beer (or a Zoom call) to get every. single. detail. of a love story—and she’s so excited to get started with you and the team at Liz Rae!

Liz founded Liz Rae & Co in 2015 during her best friend Maranda’s engagement. Her friend, Timmie, at the time also struggled with finding an LGBTQ-friendly officiant who custom-wrote ceremonies. Liz believes the ceremony is the best part of the wedding day and wanted to change the industry by emphasizing not only the importance of marriage ceremonies but inclusivity as well.

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When she isn’t writing ceremonies, she’s working on editing her first novel and second fictional novels. She’s been writing her whole life, but gained her storytelling knowledge through Faber Academy’s novel program and UCLA’s TV and Film Writing degree. You can read some of her writing on her website, Liz Rae and more notably, on Thought Catalog.  She also writes terrible Instagram poetry at @iamlizrae, but wouldn’t recommend reading it.

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She speaks Spanish, some French, and some Italian, and she’s lived in France, Italy, Spain, Peru, the United Kingdom. She’s traveled to every continent except Antarctica.

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She loves writing weddings of all kinds — her favorite part about the job is figuring out how to tell each and every story! She can’t wait to get to know you and be part of your wedding.