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Seasoned Professional
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Since 2010, I’ve brought my heart and creative writing talent into designing wedding ceremonies as an ordained non-denominational multicultural officiant based in Santa Cruz, California. I bring honey into the heart when I perform ceremonies with warmth, joy, and a sprinkling of humor. Your love is unique because the two of you are. I love this about couples! They come together as two separate individuals who find each other, fall delightedly in love, and decide to step into this deeper commitment. In doing this, they are open to all the possibilities that lay ahead of them being united in their strengths that they contribute to one another with a love that continues to deepen. I believe on the day that you join together more love is brought into the world. I’d be honored to help you, the two of you!

Many couples have expressed appreciation for my calm presence, flexibility, and knowledge, which I can share from my vast experience performing ceremonies that have incorporated differing cultural influences and components that make their ceremonies more meaningful than the typical ones that they’ve attended in the past.

Services Offered: You have a choice of wedding ceremonies, ranging from civil union, interfaith, non-religious, and modern spirituality. Couples from all beliefs, cultural/ethnic backgrounds, and LGBTQIA+ are embraced.

Here's a description:

  • Keep it Simple, Please - You want an easy, simple, and sweet ceremony. We talk about your beliefs, and I perform a beautifully crafted pre-written ceremony that comes from my heart! You can bring your own vows to read to each other or choose from samples that I provide.
  • Sweet and Easy - Your desire is to have a ceremony that’s filled with an honest simplicity that allows you to be fully present in the moment. You can choose from a variety of pre-written ceremonies that give you the perfect words to convey your love. I have several ideas for additional components that you can add, such as hand-fasting, using an Oathing Stone for your vows, and a Wine Ceremony. Samples are also provided for your vows, or you can write your own, and I’ll make keepsake vow booklets for you to read from. Want to edit the wording – no problem!
  • Bespoke - Your unique love story will be woven into your ceremony to make it even more personal. The offerings in the Sweet and Easy Ceremony are included. I’m open to including additional elements that you’d like to include or having edits that you may want to make.
  • We Want the Whole Package – Perfect for an Elopement with 20 or fewer in Attendance
  • This package includes the Keep It Simple Please Ceremony, plus a professional photographer. You can upgrade to the Sweet and Easy ceremony for an additional fee. The photographer is there for one hour, starting with your ceremony and staying afterward to capture more beautiful memories. You receive the photos in a downloadable format - you own them!
  • There are many beautiful and romantic spots that I know of in the Redwood Forest, or you can say, “I do,” while overlooking the beach at sunset. I also offer an exclusive elopement package in collaboration with Roaring Camp Railroads in Felton at their beautiful private setting at the Big Trees Grove.

Donna is available via phone, text, email, or Zoom to chat in more detail. Let's chat soon!

Wishing you Honey in the Heart - Donna Rose Gardner (she/her)

What You'll Love About Donna Rose Gardner - Honey In The Heart Ceremonies

Donna's words strike a chord with everyone who hears them, beautifully celebrating the couple before her. Throughout the planning process, she takes the time to get to know each partner and guide them through with care. Read through the reviews, and you will see the impact she has on people's special days.

Pricing

$400 starting price
$600 average price
Keep It Simple Please
$400 / starting price
Perfect for Elopement with up to 10 guests
Guidance with your Marriage License
Pre-Written ceremony reflecting your love/beliefs
Samples for "I do's", ring exchange and vows
Suggestions for intimate and romantic Sites

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Wedding couple

FAQ

What is the starting price for ceremony rehearsals?

$150

What types of weddings and events do you provide services for?

Non-religious
Interfaith
Ceremony Rehearsal
Vow Renewal
Civil Union

What religious affiliations do you serve?

Agnostic
Buddhist
Earth-Based
No Denomination
Pagan
Unitarian

On average, how long are wedding ceremonies you officiate?

Less than 30 mins.

In which states are you licensed?

CA
WA

What languages do you speak?

English

Still have questions?

Reach out about anything you didn't see answered here—no question is too small!

Wedding couple

Reviews of Donna Rose Gardner - Honey In The Heart Ceremonies

This AI-generated summary gives you a snapshot of the overall ratings and feedback from the reviews this vendor has received.

Review summary

Powered by AI

Donna Rose Gardner, an officiant highly praised by multiple couples, facilitated beautiful and personalized wedding ceremonies. Clients appreciated her warmth, attention to detail, and ability to tailor ceremonies to individual preferences, incorporating love stories, traditions, and different ceremony options. Donna provided guidance, questionnaire-based personalizations, and various ideas for unique touches like Oathing Stones or handfasting ceremonies, making the wedding planning process smooth and heartfelt. With clear communication, genuine care, and a talent for storytelling, Donna created memorable experiences for couples, leaving them with cherished mementos and heartfelt ceremonies. Highly recommended for couples seeking a personalized and meaningful wedding ceremony.

Review summary

Powered by AI
This AI-generated summary gives you a snapshot of the overall ratings and feedback from the reviews this vendor has received.

Donna Rose Gardner, an officiant highly praised by multiple couples, facilitated beautiful and personalized wedding ceremonies. Clients appreciated her warmth, attention to detail, and ability to tailor ceremonies to individual preferences, incorporating love stories, traditions, and different ceremony options. Donna provided guidance, questionnaire-based personalizations, and various ideas for unique touches like Oathing Stones or handfasting ceremonies, making the wedding planning process smooth and heartfelt. With clear communication, genuine care, and a talent for storytelling, Donna created memorable experiences for couples, leaving them with cherished mementos and heartfelt ceremonies. Highly recommended for couples seeking a personalized and meaningful wedding ceremony.

Jessica
Jessica Sent on 10/06/2020
5 out of 5 rating

Like our very own Fairy Godmother!

Donna officiated our very small ceremony a couple of weeks ago, and the experience was wonderful. Donna is so sweet, honest, and easy to talk to. You can tell she dearly loves her work, and absolutely had our best interests at heart! As we prepared for the ceremony, she provided us structure along with plenty of options, and gave us the space we needed to figure out our vows, while also always being available when we had questions. On the big day right before festivities began, Donna checked in with both of us separately right before - it was great to get a little pep talk amidst all the nerves, and to touch base with her in person after the emails and phone and Zoom calls (pandemic times!). The ceremony turned out beautifully thanks to Donna's earnestness and support. Several guests told us afterwards to pass along how much they enjoyed Donna's beautiful, emotional words. As we were able to review the ceremony she'd put together beforehand (minus our vows, which we were keeping secret until the big day), we could to stay in the moment during the ceremony and really take things in, and we are so happy to be able to have the ceremony binder and vow booklets as keepsakes to remember this day going forward. The whole thing was such a surreal experience, we couldn't help but think our brief yet wonderful time with Donna was like having our own caring Fairy Godmother for a little while! Thank you, Donna! We can hardly express our gratitude for all that you did to make us feel comfortable, supported, and to create such a meaningful experience for both us and our guests!
Liz
Liz Sent on 04/12/2025
5 out of 5 rating

A perfect wedding

We hired Honey In The Heart team for our private elopement/wedding. Donna Rose Gardner was our officiant, and Rebecca Stark was our photographer. Donna was amazing and took care of all the arrangements with Rebecca, so we didn't have to worry about coordinating, it was all handled for us. She checked out various sites until she found the perfect one that was exactly what we had wanted. She made sure we knew the process of getting a license ahead of time, organized the timing of arrival, ceremony, etc. She even dealt with rescheduling us twice due to rain, always with a smile and reassurance for us. Donna also provided many pre-written ceremonies and vows for us to choose from and let us modify them to make them our own. She even made gorgeous little vow booklets with our vows, for us to keep as mementos. Rebecca took stunning photographs, before, during, and after the ceremony. She made sure to get many different poses, candid and staged, and included the ocean view and cliffs that we had requested. We ended up with around 150 high quality photos, and she provided them in a gallery we could share with people, and also downloadable in hi-res for printing and sharing online. Donna and Rebecca helped us achieve exactly the wedding we had hoped for, and left us with keepsakes and photos to look back on forever; I highly recommend them!
Nate
Nate Sent on 11/05/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Heartfelt ceremony

We had the privilege of having Donna Rose Gardner as the officiant at our outdoor wedding which took place in the serenely beautiful backdrop of the Redwoods at the Waterfall Lodge this past October. She spent a good amount of time getting to know us, which was beautifully reflected in the words she chose for our ceremony. On the day of the wedding, Donna spoke with an elegance and clarity that resonated with our hearts, and the personal anecdotes she included made the ceremony feel incredibly intimate and special.
We couldn’t have asked for a better person to officiate our marriage, Donna made sure our love story was told in a manner as beautiful and unique as the setting we were in. We highly recommend Donna for anyone looking to have a heartfelt and personalized wedding ceremony.
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

Awards

100
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2022 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2021 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2020 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2019 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2017 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2016 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2015 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2014 Winner
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Are you interested?

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Professional Network & Endorsements

Sweeley's Design Shop Sweeley's Design Shop Wedding Florists

I have known Donna Rose Gardner from many, many years back during her start as a wedding coordinator for distinguished establishments in the Santa Cruz area. It is of no surprise she chose to be a wedding celebrant. Donna has a unique gift of connecting to her clients and being a part of their special day. Always a joy to see her.

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Donna's wedding ceremonies she creates with her couples are some of my favorite! They are a joy to experience as she engages not only the couple but the guests as well.

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We really enjoy working with Donna. She does a great job of personalizing every ceremony she does. This isn't easy but she somehow makes it happen! :)

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