All About
Simply Ceremonies Team

Karina

I am Karina O’Donnell, owner of Simply Ceremonies. I’m an experienced, multi-award winning, friendly and creative celebrant living and commuting between my home county of Kent and Powys on the Welsh/Shropshire borders.

I have been married to an incredible man since 1989 and we have 3 adult children and 2 cats. I enjoy good food, cocktails, books and am a lover of the outdoors, especially enjoying woodland walks or those along riverbanks and I’m really lucky to work at some wonderful venues with stunning grounds which my couples can choose for their ceremony area.

I write personal ceremonies and work hard for my couples and families. Every wedding or naming ceremony is as important to me as it is to them. I want you all to start your wedded life with a fabulous and memorable event, matching your style and personality and giving your guests something they will enjoy and talk about in the future.

I love working within the wedding industry and spend my spare time running bi-monthly wedding supplier networking events. I also mentor other celebrants in business and have recently ( in lockdown 2020) set up an online jewellery retail business www.arianharejewellery.co.uk which sells affordable, contemporary and bridal jewellery.

Robin

Robin trained with FOIC in 2019 and has spent his first two years specialising in funeral and memorial services. He has created over 500 celebrations of life and works across Kent, Sussex, London and Surrey and was recipient of the FOIC winners award for “New business” in 2021.

Robin is an ordained Interfaith minister and started his wedding journey with Simply Ceremonies in Sept 21 by officiating at a number of outdoor, glamping/festival style weddings across Kent.

Robin is married to Louise, has two young sons and wants to offer his couples a wedding ceremony as joyful and as memorable as his own. He loves working outdoors but would be equally as comfortable in the Painted Hall at Greenwich.

He currently lives in Bexleyheath and willingly commutes into London for ceremonies. He is happy to create weddings at short notice if you are thinking of “eloping” from around the world and want a quintessentially English ceremony.

Robin is an avid football fan supporting his local team, Arsenal. He also enjoys baking and sailing and was the youngest sailing instructor in the U.K. at the age of 16. Although he nearly drowned in the river Thames when he fell in at the age of 12, it didn’t put him off and he has raced around Cowes and will sail almost anything.

Robin enjoys travelling and will conduct ceremonies in the U.K. and further afield.

Katherine

Katherine originally trained and worked as a Registrar with Kent County Council. In 2019, wanting to offer a more personal service, she became an Independent celebrant.

Katherine joined Simply Ceremonies in October 2022 and offers Wedding ceremonies, Hand-fasting and Naming ceremonies. She also writes and leads funeral and memorial services.

Katherine loves to meet new people and starts her preparation for every event by finding out about the people involved – their personalities, cultural backgrounds, interests, and beliefs – and then takes inspiration from their chosen venue and the time of year to create a beautiful, meaningful and memorable ceremony.

Katherine worked in education for fifteen years; teaching English and drama, coaching public speaking and directing school productions.

She married her childhood sweetheart seventeen years ago and they live in Ashford with their two school-age children.

Her favourite thing to do is to curl up on the sofa with a large mug of tea and a good book.  She also loves pottering around the garden and taking her Cockerpoo, Nora, for long walks in the woods.

Yvonne

Yvonne trained with the UKSoc in 2015 and creates both weddings and funerals. Having lived in Kent for most of her life, Yvonne has moved to the Costa Brava in Spain and offers wedding ceremonies both home and away.

Yvonne’s passion is working with couples who want to celebrate their relationship, helping them to express their promises and vows to each other and telling a story that people will talk about for years to come.

Yvonne is mother to two wonderful sons and a loving grandma too.

She has recently moved to Spain to achieve her life long dream of living there permanently, but she still travels back to the U.K. to visit family and take wedding ceremonies. She also officiates at funeral and memorial services when she is in the Uk, working mainly with Funeral Directors in the Medway area.

Yvonne has a wide range of interests and hobbies including an interest in meditation, psychology and alternative healing modalities. She loves attending live music events and you may find her dancing on a chair or the dance floor late into the night.

Yvonne has worked with Simply Ceremonies on a number of Handfasting and wedding ceremonies prior to joining the team in August 2021.

What People Say About Simply Ceremonies

Thank you Karina for your fabulous work as our vow renewal celebrant. You are very professional and friendly. We loved how you were able to take parts of our original Australian ceremony and change it to fit our English vow renewal, the words were so lovely and will be treasured. Whilst looking for a celebrant we contacted several celebrants, our choice was made very easily as Karina went that extra mile to help us, we felt very comfortable and at ease. She was prompt in replying to my numerous emails and nothing was ever a problem.
Keely and Ben
Keely and Ben
Thank you soooo much for our beautiful and perfect bespoke naming ceremony for our daughter Esmee! I cant praise you enough it was fabulous and everyone said how lovely it was! Cant wait for u to marry me and the love of my life some day! Highly recommended!!
Rachel Waters
Rachel Waters
The ceremony was beautiful, was just as we wanted it. The readings were just perfect and the poem read by our bridesmaids was just lovely. The part where the girls lit the candles was just the icing on the cake. All in all we couldn't fault it, thank you so much for making our special day just wonderful
Laura-Jane and Steve
Laura-Jane and Steve
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