Simply Ceremonies UK - Independent Celebrants

17/06/2024

It’s a very long time since I worked at this charming Kent venue and I’m so pleased that Boutique weddings Kent have included it in their Wedding venue portfolio.

Chalk walls, Grass roof. Stunning gardens. One of Kent’s first ever sustainable and eco-friendly venues.

Enjoy the guided tour.

Boutique Weddings & Events, Kent. The Pines Calyx & Gardens, St Margarets Bay. May 2024FPV Drone Tour.

10/06/2024

A dreamy wedding by the seaside for a fabulous couple.
A dream team pulling it all together for them.
What could be better?

What a crew on todays wedding! Couldn't help but stop and take a group selfie! Fantastic day, starting off with a brilliant ceremony with Karina O'Donnell of Simply Ceremonies UK - Independent Celebrants and it was definatly a ceremony the couple will never forget, then Andy Gooding and Jo Gooding from Sugar Promotions getting the evening booming!
It's always better when you have such a great team of professionals comming together with one aim on a wedding day. The aim to make our couples days seamlessly perfect in every way we can. The day couldn't be complete without Georgia and her brilliant team at Hythe Imperial Hotel (sorry Georgia I couldn't tag you personally) you guys were all so amazing we couldn't be more proud to be part of such a good crew. Love you all!
Simon and Jodie x x

06/06/2024

What an incredible 10 years it has been.

Thank you to all our wonderful couples who trusted us with their Weddings, Handfastings and naming ceremonies.

Thank you to all those amazing venues who champion Celebrant-led ceremonies and who have embraced us with your hospitality and support.

Thank you to all those incredible wedding suppliers who share our details, recommending us to their clients…and even booking us for their own wedding ceremonies.

Without you, we wouldn’t be celebrating 300+ ceremonies with you all today.

So the Oscars for performance go to my fabulous team, Robin, Katherine and Yvonne…but the Champagne goes to …..

Gillian Pollard and Emma Machin. ( I can only add one video to this post 🙄)

24/05/2024

On Thursday 6th June, Simply Ceremonies will be celebrating 10 years in business.

Who would’ve guessed that my new career, re-training at 49, would lead to hundreds of fabulous Weddings, Handfastings, Renewal of vows and Baby and Adult naming ceremonies and not forgetting over 50 Celebrations of Life.

Celebrating with the most amazing couples and families has been an absolute joy and since my business was started, so much has happened. I’ve won numerous Celebrant and Business awards. Discussions on changing the Marriage Laws have commenced. My team of Associate Celebrants has grown and I now mentor new celebrants across the country to help grow their businesses too.

I would love to share some sparkly fizz with you in celebration of the last 10 years, so if you have loved your ceremonies as much as we enjoyed creating them, please let me know in the comments below, feel free to add a photo.

On Thursday the 6th June, I will randomly pick a couple of you to receive a celebratory bottle of Champagne. I know the 10 year wedding anniversary gift should be Tin, but I do believe a Bottle of Fizz beats a can 😉

I wouldn’t have this wonderful business without all of you….so Thank you all

Karina xx

16/05/2024

How lovely to be awarded a Preferred supplier badge from the fabulous Sevenoaks based wedding venue West Heath.

Claire and her team work so hard to ensure the couple are treated like royalty and it was a privilege to work there recently on a gorgeous English/Chinese fusion ceremony.

I’m back there later this month to host my busy Wedding networking event, The Kent Wedding Circle.

21/04/2024

My office today.

12-3pm. Free entry.

Lympne castle wedding fair

See you there

Karina x

13/04/2024

See the complete Chic set up with Robin there to answer your questions

11/04/2024

Robin and Karina are at two different wedding fairs this weekend, so plenty of opportunity for you to pop by for a chat about celebrant-led wedding ceremonies.

Robin will be near Dartford at Rowhill Grange near Dartford between 11-3pm

Karina will be at The Burlington hotel Folkestone between 12-4pm

See you there x

01/04/2024

We often get asked questions by couples we meet at wedding fairs and we thought we would share this one with you, as we are often asked.

Question - Can you give us an idea where we can hold our celebrant-led ceremony which isn’t considered a traditional wedding venue.

Answer - Yes we can….here are 10 alternatives

⭐️ Restaurants. Often all-inclusive options with great menu choices. Perfect for an intimate wedding.
⭐️ Back gardens. Host an informal ceremony and wedding party at home…don’t forget to order porta-loos and someone to coordinate the day.
⭐️ Campsites and Glamping sites. Make your vows by a lake or bonfire and have your post-festivities under the stars.
⭐️ Beer garden or Brewery. If you are beer snobs, consider Oktoberfest and a few jugs of your favourite whilst dancing to an Oompah band.
⭐️ Public park. Public-owned parks and gardens often come with a cheaper price-tag as you’re supporting the community. Check with your local council for permissions and limitations
⭐️ Schools. Schools are usually closed at weekends and you may be able to rent some space in the grounds for a prom-style event
⭐️ Historic site. These have impeccable architecture, but may come with strict rules. Consider historic boats moored up on the river too.
⭐️ Art gallery. For an ultra-cool vibe check out your local galleries to see if they rent their spaces out for private parties. Just check the exhibits match your taste.
⭐️Rooftops. Do you know someone who lives high-up with a spectacular view. Maybe you could have a cocktail-style reception looking out over the city.
⭐️ Music venues and theatres. These venues are already set-up for a great party. You may need to provide street food trucks outside to feed your guests though.

The great thing about celebrant-led ceremonies is that they can be held absolutely anywhere and at any time of day. For more information, please get in touch with us.

08/03/2024

Here’s a little post on International Women’s Day to celebrate all the entourages we have worked with..Bridesmaids, Groom’s maids and Best women.

06/03/2024

We love working at “Chic-floralled” weddings. ( new word created there 😂😂)

Such stunning flowers in your ceremony area not only look incredible in your photos, but the scent of flowers is so uplifting when you walk into the room too.

06/03/2024

Over the last few years I have been contributing some blogs to an “Ask the expert” section in a wedding directory. Access to these blogs has now been added to our Pinterest page so why don’t you pop over and have a read.

Topics include:

⭐️ Writing your Vows
⭐️ Top tips for a stunning signing table
⭐️ Under-rated romantic words which can be included in your ceremony words or vows
⭐️ Small is beautiful
⭐️ Are you thinking of having a Spring wedding?
⭐️ Creating unforgettable moments
⭐️ Embracing sustainability within your ceremony

Here’s the link to our Pinterest page

https://pin.it/5FDNQWKhn

20/02/2024

We have an incredibly busy Sunday this weekend, attending 4 different wedding fairs across the county.

We believe that you should always meet potential suppliers before you book them and what better way than face to face…and wedding fairs give you this opportunity.

We look forward to answering any questions you may have about your wedding ceremony.

Karina will be at Eastwell manor, Ashford.
Robin will be at the Bromley Court hotel, Bromley
Katherine will be at the Hythe Imperial hotel, Hythe

And our lovely friend Debbie will be representing us at Solton manor, East Langdon, Dover.

14/02/2024

Communication is key.

Letting your venue know that you’re bringing penguins and reindeer to your wedding is key….especially if it’s not a “pet friendly” venue 😬 ( story found in the Shropshire Star)

Letting your celebrant know so we can enjoy the moment too with your little friends….would be amaaaazing… we love penguins…and reindeer and any breed of animal…donkeys especially 😉

Just let us know 🥰🥰

30/01/2024

Sometimes we get to create magical ceremonies with many different elements such as this ceremony, created for Shannen and Yev last year.

It involved elements to represent Yev’s Armenian culture aswell as spiritual elements too and Wise Wedding Venue was the perfect backdrop for Trisha to deliver this spectacular ceremony. All beautifully captured by Pinky Promise Photography

27/01/2024

Looking forward to attending The Kent Wedding Show at Detling tomorrow.

Yvonne will be flying in from Spain to join Robin and myself, so if you are looking for a celebrant-led ceremony on the Costa Blanca or you need a few Spanish words in your ceremony then come and speak to her.

Stand 29

See you there

Karina x

19/01/2024

A fantastic photoshoot we were involved with last summer.

To end the week I’m over the moon to be sharing this beautiful styled photoshoot with you. Dotted with gorgeous yellow tones and fabulous flowers and foliage, it’s chic and a little bit different from the norm.

19/01/2024

Two wedding fairs over 3 days for you to enjoy.

Robin will be at Bluewater on both Saturday and Sunday and Katherine will be at the Mercure in Maidstone on Sunday.

Both look forward to chatting with you about Celebrant-led ceremonies. See you there x

03/01/2024

Who’s getting married this year?

Please feel free to share with us below xx

31/12/2023

When you work with an Independent celebrant, not only is the celebrant creating a personal wedding ceremony for you, but they also take the time to meet you beforehand. They get to know you. Your likes and dislikes. They take your ideas for your ceremony and create something beautiful just for you.

They not only get to know you…but you get to know them too. You get to choose who is going to write and present your ceremony. It’s all about what you want and who you want involved. It doesn’t matter where you live, or where you’re holding your ceremony, we will chat. We may meet face to face or it may be online if you live abroad…but we will chat.

We are lucky as a team of professional independent celebrants. We are all trained. We have been nominated for and won awards over the years. We all create wedding ceremonies with you at the heart of it and we all love what we do.

But most importantly, because you have selected which one of us you want to work with, you know that no stranger will be turning up at your wedding. Nobody will be standing at the front with you who hasn’t been asked for and approved by you…and for that, we know we are truly honoured and blessed to be working with you.

Want to know more? Please get in touch.

24/12/2023

22/12/2023

So with 2023 finishing soon, we would like to thank all of our couples and families for trusting us with your beautiful ceremony.

We have created Weddings, Vow renewals and Handfasting ceremonies alongside Naming ceremonies for some of the cutest children.

We have an incredible number of ceremonies booked already for 2024 and we are really looking forward to working with you all in the New Year, but for now, we are closing for a few days to enjoy the Christmas holidays with our own families and friends.

Please have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy a few photos below of some of our amazing 2023 couples.

Congratulations to you all and enjoy your first Christmas as Happily marrieds ❤️❤️

Best wishes from Karina, Robin, Katherine, Trisha and Yvonne x

19/12/2023

A little throwback to November’s wedding at Crown Lodge on the Wye Downs.

Thank you to Chris Bell for the professional photos showing the fabulous Handtying ceremony which was incorporated into the wedding along with the couple’s beautiful and personal vows.

Congratulations to Charlotte and Jayden and we wish you and all of our 2023 couples a very Merry 1st married Christmas and a Happy New year xx

Photos curtesy of www.christopherbellphotography.co.uk