About Donna Rose Gardner - Honey In The Heart Ceremonies
Hello. I'm Donna Rose Gardner with Honey In The Heart Ceremonies. I bring my heart into performing your ceremony with warmth, a sprinkling of humor and honey in the heart that naturally flows with your love. Your ideas are welcomed in addition to what I provide. People from all beliefs, cultural/ethnic backgrounds and LGBTQ are embraced. I want to ensure that your ceremony reflects the unique love that the two of you share. My experience with performing hundreds of ceremonies over the past ten years has lent to my expertise and creative ideas.
Many couples have told me how much they appreciated my flexiblity with creating a ceremony that's unique for the two of them! Ensuring that your expectations are met is something that I take very seriously.Together, we have conversations to make sure that both the ceremony planning process and the day I say the words, “ Family and Friends, I now introduce to you as a married couple” are an incredible, memorable experience.I've also been complimented on the calm demeanor that I bring into this experience. I tell my couples that if they're nervous to look at me, "my roots go deep." I can help to be a source of reassurance and grounding!
“It was really easy to work with Donna from booking our date with her to having our signed marriage license mailed after the ceremony. She walked us through planning our ceremony and it was a beautiful day that ran smoothly. We appreciate all that Donna did for us on our special day.” Matt and Lauren
Services Offered: The ceremonies I perform range from a civil union to interfaith, non-religious and modern spiritual. I also perform partnership and vow renewals. If you want me to be present at your wedding rehearsal-I'll be there. I also bring handkerchiefs for the two of you just in case there's a few tears that come from the wellspring in your hearts.
I offer a selection of pre-written ceremonies. If your desire is to have a ceremony that’s filled with an honest simplicity that allows you to be fully present in the moment, then one of my pre-written ceremonies is the perfect choice. You can choose from a variety of options that are offered. Everytime I perform a pre-written ceremony it truly flows from my heart.This is a perfect ceremony for elopements as well!
Or, we can co-create your ceremony. Many samples from the beginning to the ending words are offered to you. Additional components such as hand fasting, a sand ceremony, or a beer blessing can be included. We spend time talking with one another in depth about your love story. I weave into your ceremony to create one that is unique, personal and truly represents the love that the two of you share!
With either type of ceremony, you can write your own vows or choose from samples that I provide.
Let's chat together soon about the love that the two of you share and talk about what I can do to help you with crossing this threshold into your deepening commitment of marriage. You can call, text, email and/or we can have a SKYPE, ZOOM or Facetime conversation. I truly look forward to hearing from you.
"Donna was a pleasure to work with from beginning to end. When we began to search for an officiant for our Pescadero wedding, we sent out a few inquiries to nearby officiants. Donna stood out right away as she responded quickly and reached out to us by phone. She left a very kind voice message, leaving us with a wonderful impression of her warm nature. As we worked with Donna to create the ceremony, she made the tasks straight forward, organized and even made it a little fun and romantic. The final draft of the ceremony was extraordinarily beautiful and intimate. The wedding ceremony went smooth and without a hitch. A moment we both felt very nervous for turned into a moment in front of our loved ones that felt so relaxed and full of love. She truly made us feel as though we were the only two people in the world at that moment. Our guests have made several comments since the wedding, complimenting the beautiful ceremony, and many stated it was one of the best ceremonies they have ever witnessed. We feel honored to have been married by such a warm and kind person. Thank you so much, Donna!" Ashley and Brandon
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Close to my heart this couple on their wedding day by the beach in santa cruz! Love was so very...Donna Rose Gardner - Honey In The Heart CeremoniesWaitng to beginShe said "I do."Private Home,Fun momentHandfasting in the forestShadowbrook, CapitolaFirst Kiss - Seascape ResortWilder State Park, AptosCeremony, Chateau PartageElopement at San Gregorio BeacElopement ceremony at ventana, big sur overlooking the pacific ocean. Sequoia retreat centerBeautiful ceremony at the shadowbrook restaurant in capitola. This is where i met my husband 30...Boho wedding at roaring camp in the redwoodsBeautiful ceremony with an ocean view at chaminade resort and spaDasha and jake at fall creek in feltonDasha and jake under the forest canopy in the santa cruz mountainsStepping down the stairs to perform a ceremony at chaminade resort and spaAnother fun photo of mike and robyn! What a fun day this was. I loved getting to know them and...David and denise were married at the historic la playa hotel in carmel. Denise promised to always...Close to my heart this couple on their wedding day by the beach in santa cruz! Love was so very...Donna Rose Gardner - Honey In The Heart CeremoniesWaitng to begin
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!
Sent on 10/06/2020
Donna Rose Gardner - Honey In The Heart Ceremonies's reply:
It was an honor joining the two of you together in marriage! There truly was magic on your wedding day that was created with a laughter, honesty in the words spoken, and love as the special ingredient that brought you into deeper commitment with each other. I'm grateful for your kind words and I'm wishing you Honey in the Heart for many years to come.
Ama
· Getting married on 07/18/2021
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Welcoming you into marriage with open loving arms
Donna is simply the best. We are so thankful and grateful to her for her warmth, kindness and loving demeanor. When our wedding was postponed due to COVID she offered us a small elopement ceremony in her beautiful home. It was everything and more than we ever could have dreamed of. She truly encompasses everything you could want or need in a wedding officiant. I would get married 100x over just to have her preside over our love. Thank you Donna!
Sent on 09/14/2020
Donna Rose Gardner - Honey In The Heart Ceremonies's reply:
Thank you Ama! It was such a joy bringing you together in marriage. Love prevails even in this time! It was such a joy to pronounce you as husband and wife.
Brandon Busbee
· Getting married on 05/09/2021
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Spoken from the heart
Donna was fantastic in helping us put together the ceremony we wanted for our wedding day! She made it personable and kept it light hearted when needed.
Sent on 10/04/2019
Donna Rose Gardner - Honey In The Heart Ceremonies's reply:
Brandon, your wedding was so much fun! I loved being able to bring my humor into it as it was such a fun loving gathering. It was also wonderful to have those moments of seriousness too. Thank you for your kind words.
If you book my services for a ceremony to be performed between November 16, through March 31,2020, I will offer my pre-written ceremonies at $300 in the Santa Cruz area; $325 in Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur. This reflects a substanial savings from the normal price of $395.00. Let me know you saw this on Wedding Wire to receive this special pricing offered!
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.
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.
