Welcome To Sarah Donovan
Humanist Celebrant
Crafting Unique, Non-Religious Humanist Ceremonies with a Personal Touch


About Me

My Services
I specialise in personalised, non-religious ceremonies including Legal Wedding Ceremonies, Naming Ceremonies, Funerals, and Coming of Age Ceremonies.

What is Humanism?
Humanists believe that every human being should live the best and happiest life possible while we are here on earth. Humanism is a philosophy of life and ethics, based on concern for humanity and the natural world. We do not look to any supernatural power for guidance but base our decisions on experience and reason. For a fuller explanation of the principles of Humanism, click here.
We are inclusive, so whether you are a humanist or religious, regardless of your worldview or philosophy, you are welcome at any of our ceremonies.
Celebrants accredited by the Humanist Association of Ireland are the only solemnisers who can offer a secular wedding in Ireland.
Creating Your Ceremony
I feel it is such a great privilege to work with you to mark your most meaningful moments. As a Humanist Celebrant, I specialize in creating personalized, non-religious ceremonies for weddings, naming ceremonies, and funerals, but I am happy to work with you to create any ceremony to mark your special occasion. My role is to guide you toward celebrating your family landmarks in a warm, personal, and meaningful way. These are some of the most important days of your life and require special care.
As we craft your custom ceremony together, I will listen carefully to you and bring your personality to the heart of it. You can choose to include readings, music, and symbols of your choice. You can include your guests to make them feel really part of the ceremony.
Your character will be stamped all over it. I will bring calm, knowledge, and professionalism to your day, and hopefully a large helping of fun too!

Testimonials

Sarah, what can | say. You were absolutely amazing from our first phone call right through to marrying myself and Aoife. Sarah made our wedding so personal and was really so easy to work with. She went above and beyond even sending us a special video from our favourite musician to wish us good luck on our big day. I'd pick Sarah over and over again if | could but would happily not get married again, haha. Thank you so much Sarah. Would recommend Sarah to anyone.

We felt really understood and appreciated. Unforgettable. We both wish you the very best with everything.

Sarah was a fantastic celebrant. We couldn't have asked for a better person to be part of our big day.
She is highly organised and supported us through the preparation and planning stages. She provided recommendations and options to help us incorporate elements to our wedding that truly mattered to us.
She brought a calm warmth to the ceremony which made it a very relaxed and enjoyable part of our day. Many guests commented on how personal and unique our ceremony was.
We couldn’t recommend Sarah more highly to other couples!

Both Teresa and | want to thank you once again. We were both thrilled how the wedding ceremony went and our guests were very impressed with how you conducted the ceremony. Thanks for all the advice and support throughout the year and this help made the ceremony more enjoyable. Finally, Sarah, thankyou for the day!

We were lucky enough to have Sarah as we Heptonies celabion our celebrant for our daughters naming a ceremony recently and honestly we couldn't be happier with the day. Sarah is amazing at what she does and was a dream to work with from the very first contact. We liked Sarah instantly, she is both professional and a really vibrant person. She was quick to respond and worked with us to create the perfect naming ceremony. Even when we made a last minute change Sarah proceeded effortlessly. On the day itself Sarah put everyone at ease and was just so lovely. The ceremony was beautifully crafted and presented with a perfect blend of emotion and fun. Most of our guests had never been to a naming ceremony but Aodhla’s Naming, absolutely loved it! We would definitely recommend Sarah to a friend.

Sarah performed our wedding humanist ceremony this September. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful ceremony. We had worked closely with Sarah in the months before and this was a very easy going and enjoyable process. Sarah ensured that the ceremony was relaxed, enjoyable and very personable. On the day, so many guests remarked on how lovely the ceremony was. We couldn’t recommend Sarah more for a humanist wedding ceremony. Thank you again so much Sarah, we will always remember that special day.

The best celebrant in existence. Sarah adds humour into your ceremony that makes it entertaining for your guests yet always maintaining a professional composure to ensure it all runs smoothly. Thank you again, Sarah

Sarah was the celebrant at my wedding in 2022. My wife and | were really happy with her service and would highly recommend her. Sarah has a good delivery and kept our guests engaged throughout the ceremony. She has a lot of good suggestions for romantic texts and traditional rituals that can be used throughout the proceedings which were really helpful. She was happy to allow us to fully customise the ceremony to what we wanted and we never felt any pressure to do this or that or keep it strictly traditional. We really appreciated her flexibility and her help in making the day just right for us. Thank you Sarah!

Thank you so so much for the wonderful ceremony yesterday! Everyone was blown away by how personal it was & they really enjoyed it. The planting ceremony was such a nice touch too!

What an experience, Sarah was so brilliant on our day. Everyone was at ease. A beautiful celebrant and so easy going.
The ceremony was very inclusive and we couldn't have wished for anyone else to start Us on our journey as man and wife....

Thank you so much for making the ceremony so enjoyable for us and our guests - you got so many compliments on the day! We will be highly recommending you!

From our first meeting with Sarah we knew we had made the right choice of celebrant for our wedding. Sarah helped to demystify the whole process in a friendly and warm manner.
Sarah guided us through some possible and common options for various parts of the ceremony and gave support and guidance throughout the planning phase, while leaving us entirely in control of designing the ceremony that we wanted.
On the day, Sarah was extremely professional and helped to keep us and the guests relaxed and content throughout. Her ceremony was very tasteful, with a perfect balance of warmth, love, sentiment and humour. Many of our guests have and continue to comment on how much they enjoyed the ceremony and specifically describe how much they liked Sarah.
We could not be happier, and Sarah will always represent a very special part of our lives.

We just wanted to thank you for Saturday. While we loved the whole day, the ceremony remains our favourite part, so thank you for that.
We lost count of the number of compliments you got throughout the day. People were so impressed with your style and delivery. If there are any weddings left to come from those that attended, they’ll be getting in touch!

Sarah married my husband and I on the 20th of August 2023 in a ceremony that was nothing short of perfect! From the get-go, Sarah made us both feel like we were in professional, capable and caring hands which put us instantly at ease which was invaluable when planning your wedding ceremony. She made the whole process from start to finish, easy and enjoyable. The ceremony Sarah put together for us was deeply personal and full of so much love. She managed to perfectly represent the two of us and our guests are still talking about how beautiful the ceremony was. From the very start, we were both adamant that we wanted our ceremony to be fun and relaxed, anything but stuffy, and Sarah more than delivered! She was able to incorporate all our wishes seemingly on the day (including our outlandish request to use a ribbon from each guest for the actual tying of the knot part of our handfasting). The ceremony flowed so naturally and was full of smiles, laughs and tears of joy!
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Sarah to any couple planning their wedding. You couldn’t be in better hands. You will feel listened to and supported as you plan your wedding and then on the day itself you will have the most magical ceremony that you will cherish. My husband and I cannot thank Sarah enough for all her work and her role in making our day so wonderful.

Amazing celebrant, Sarah did our wedding and she couldn't have done enough for us. Her patience down to the smallest detail was fantastic and she really made us feel at ease. Anyone looking for a celebrant for their wedding- highly recommended.

Sarah is amazing! We're so glad we found her to officiate as our marriage celebrant. Sarah brings a lot to the table and tops it off with true warmth and caring. She helped us craft the most beautiful ceremony with heart, soul, and a little dash of humor. Even the octagenarian (and quite catholic) aunts and uncles were impressed. Not to mention, she's a true professional - very organized, with great communication. | highly recommend Sarah. She's a gem!

Would highly recommend Sarah for any humanist celebration, we had her for our son's naming ceremony and couldn't have gotten anyone better. From my first meeting with Sarah | knew she was the perfect match. Sarah has a great way with words and brought our story of our little blessing to life. Sarah thinks of the littlest details and makes sure everything is perfect beforehand. | will be using Sarah for future ceremonies.
Thanks again Sarah!

Thank you so much for being our celebrant on Monday.
It was an amazing ceremony and we loved every minute of it.
It felt meaningful and very us.

We want to thank you so so much for Sunday. We couldn't have asked for a better day!
So many people have been complimenting the entire ceremony, from start to finish. Thanks again for being available, and your work with us on the script.

Thank you so much Sarah for creating a heartfelt and personalized wedding ceremony that truly reflected our love and values. Your warm and inclusive approach made our special day even more memorable. In particular, your skillful incorporation of the handfasting ceremony was truly magical.
We really appreciate your dedication to making our union a celebration of love and joy, and an enjoyable day for all. Thank you!

Sarah brought warmth, calmness and beauty to our wedding ceremony. She is a celebrant apt for any humorous moments in your ceremony but also has an easy authority which lends gravitas to your special occasion in a relaxed way. She listened closely to our ideas, constructed a beautiful ceremony around them, and was a warm, respectful and encouraging presence throughout the ceremony itself. To have her leading us and our ceremony made a huge difference to our experience and we are grateful for the care that she showed. Don’t hesitate to have Sarah as celebrant of your wedding!

Just wanted to thank you again for making Sunday such a special day for us.
It was a lovely experience and you were the perfect person to share it with. Wishing you all the happiness and success for the future.

Thank you so much for a beautiful ceremony yesterday. It was truly so special for both of us. You did an amazing job and we couldn't be happier.
We were so delighted to have you as our celebrant. You brought warmth, calmness and positivity to the start of our marriage, we can't thank you enough.
Everyone was commenting on how beautiful the ceremony was, so thank you again.

What a wonderful person. Sarah made our day very special.
She was just so easy to deal jm with and made us very comfortable both before if, and on the day itself.
Sarah didn't mind sharing the stage with the Harley Davidson. Sarah, you were made for this job. Anthony and Irene Thank you so much.

Sarah is the guarantee you need to make sure your ceremony runs the way you need it to.
Sarah performed my ceremony and even without any rehearsal made it seem like me and my husband knew what we were doing (and we didn't). More importantly Sarah made it so personal and prioritised making us feel so special on the day.
You can take my word for it ... I'm expecting my first baby In December and will be getting Sarah for the name day.
Thank you for everything on my special day in April Sarah and see you next year!!

Sarah married my sister and her husband last week. It was such a sensitive and emotional occasion given Michelle's illnes but Sarah was seamless in her delivery of what was the most gorgeous ceremony.

Thank you so much for your help with the service and your compassion. Everybody | spoke with had never encountered a humanist ceremony before and | had people telling me how beautiful and real it was, and others who were given much food for thought.

[We] are so happy. Several people mentioned how much they enjoyed you and your style during the ceremony. More than 1 person said it’s the best wedding they've attended. You have such a calming and relaxing vibe about you and it was perfect.
Thanks again for everything

We can’t thank you enough, Sarah. You were an absolute dream to work with and are a gem of a soul. Thank you for making our Katie and Rory ceremony so special.

Sarah, thank you for everything. It was everything we hoped for and more. Everything you did was wonderful, laid back and relaxed. Everyone loved it. People were saying it was the best wedding they'd ever been to. They loved the whole ethos. It really worked. Thank you very much. It was even more than we hoped for. Cheers!

Sarah guided us through every step of the ceremony process with encouragement and experience, and gave us all the information and inspiration we needed to make the ceremony our own.
On the day itself, she was a reassuring presence beforehand to make sure we knew everything was going to plan and we had nothing to worry about. She delivered our ceremony with a perfect combination of warmth, humour and love.
Every guest commented on how special she made our day. I have already recommended Sarah to many couples looking for a celebrant, and I wouldn't hesitate for a second to recommend her to anyone else.

We are so happy that we chose Sarah as the celebrant for our wedding in West Cork. She is absolutely made for this role, she was such a pleasure to deal with from the very beginning. She made the whole experience so wonderful and fun. Our ceremony was so personal to us. She put so much effort into speaking with us in the build up to our wedding to get to know us as a couple and this really showed in our final ceremony draft. She was so helpful and great at sharing advice, having done weddings previously at our venue. | couldn't recommend Sarah more to anyone looking for a wedding celebrant. Thank you so much again Sarah for being such a big part of our day x

Sarah was our celebrant for our humanist ceremony in August 2022. Sarah was absolutely amazing throughout the entire process of preparing for the wedding day. Sarah gave us some great advice on creating a ceremony that was very personal to us and helped us select poems and songs that made our ceremony so special. | can't recommend Sarah highly enough, she is a true professional and a wonderful celebrant!

We finally returned to Michigan... We can't thank you enough for your guidance and words during our ceremony.
Our whole family was so happy with the day. Hopefully, we run into you in County Cork
sometime down the Road!

We couldn’t have been happier to have Sarah as the celebrant at our wedding. Not only was she open to any ideas we had but she was also a fun, calming presence on the day itself.
Everyone commented how great the ceremony was! Especially, the hand fasting and cocktail ceremonies.

Sarah was amazing. Calm, thorough, warm, droll — we all clicked immediately on zoom, as we were organising our wedding from Australia.
The ceremony itself was fantastic. Sarah crafted it around us and our priorities and families.
All the feedback we got from family and friends too was about how great Sarah was.
Couldn't recommend Sarah more!

Sarah was the celebrant at our wedding recently and | can't praise her enough. The whole ceremony was so personal,so relaxed and our guests are still talking about it. Sarah made us feel completely at ease, and we
enjoyed every minute of our wedding. It was all about us, and we were able to include both our kids, both human and furry! We would 100% recommend Sarah.

Sarah was our celebrant in August 2023 in 10 Bridge Street, a lovely intimate venue in Kilorglin, Co Kerry. From the moment we had our first contact with Sarah, | know she would give a beautiful ceremony, and she did! She pushed us out of our comfort zone by asking some lovely questions about each other which were included in the ceremony and made it very personal to us and all our family. She was there on the day to calm Michael down beforehand, chatted to everyone and made everyone very relaxed...which was the way I'd describe the whole ceremony. Sarah is warm, kind and very genuine person. She honesty made our day and we can’t thank her enough. If she's not booked out you'd be lucky to include her in your big day. Thanks a mil, Sarah

Thank you so much for a beautiful ceremony.
Everybody has said how lovely it and you were. We're forever grateful to

There are not enough words but | will try! Myself and our family were overwhelmed with the beautiful ceremony and celebration of Mary’s life that you created and delivered with such respect, dignity and poignancy to send Mary off on her final day with us.
At such a difficult time for all 8 of us, you listened to our stories of her life and summarised it perfectly. You accommodated the changes requested when emotions were high and seamlessly made it just happen.
When | first met you to discuss Mary’s service, | instinctively knew she had chosen the perfect person to carry this out and that everything would be OK..

You were absolutely brilliant with us, thank you. You have such a natural way about you and we’re so happy to have chosen you for our ceremony. Thank you for giving us the best day of our lives. You gave us a beautiful ceremony and we will never forget it. We would highly recommend you to everyone.

Thank you, Sarah, for working with us to craft such a beautiful ceremony. It met us perfectly where we were in life, our relationship and our family. So many friends stopped us to say how it totally transformed ley their idea of what a wedding could be.

Sarah was simply incredible for the whole process. Super patient, kind, witty and made everything super easy. Couldn't recommend her enough.
For a celebrant that really engages with you, and creates a wonderful experience, book Sarah!

You were amazing and made us so comfortable. Everyone enjoyed the ceremony but especially us. We loved it.
Thank you!

We would definitely recommend a Humanist ceremony and you Sarah as the celebrant to anyone that wishes to mark a special event in their lives; you are thoughtful, respectful and worked so hard to ensure that our ceremony was unique and inclusive to all that attended. We will definitely be passing your name onto all our friends who are looking for a celebrant to help them mark the occasions that life presents!

Sarah is a truly unique and exceptional celebrant! Her warmth, professionalism, and genuine passion for creating personalized ceremonies made her a standout. From the moment we connected, Sarah, we knew she was the celebrant for us. She listened carefully to our story and crafted a ceremony that was uniquely ours—filled with heartfelt moments about our journey as a couple while also imbuing the ceremony with a deep sense of meaning. Her attention to detail and her ability to capture the essence of our love was simply remarkable. Sarah approached our day with sensitivity and grace, taking time to recognise those who were no longer with us. Most importantly for us however, Sarah went out of her way to respect our values and wishes so that the whole occasion felt uniquely "us". She was a large part of what made our day unforgettable and we received so many compliments afterwards about her work from our family and friends. We highly recommend her services and we will be using her again for future milestones!

Sarah was fantastic. She was our celebrant for our son's naming ceremony. | didn't know what to expect or how to navigate the whole event as I'd never been to one myself, but, a few minutes in to our first meeting, | knew she had it all in hand. She gave me plenty of information and examples of what other families had done so | had great tips and inspiration there to guide our plans. Also, Sarah emailed me loads of sample poems and non religious readings or blessings for us to chose from. | generally leave everything go last minute but Sarah was great with the gentle reminders and kept in touch with all the "final drafts"!!! She didn't mind all the chopping and changing we made, so easy going, especially on the day itself....dealing with late comers even though there was an important rugby game later that day! Sarah remained chilled and professional and warm from start to finish. Thank you again Sarah, no doubt we'll see you again.

Thank you very much for giving an amazing ceremony at our wedding. We had an incredibly special day and your ceremony was perfect, just as we imagined it would be.
It was great to get to know you through the process. We really appreciate your support and guidance and we both had a good time writing our stories for the ceremony.
We wish you all the best for the future. Thank you once again.

Thank you so much for everything. We just had such a lovely day. It was so much better than we could have expected. ... The ceremony was so special. There were so many people commenting afterwards and there was so much praise for you ... and the way it was delivered. It was the perfect balance of everything and was So special to all our family and friends. Thank you so much for your guidance and support and for being there on the day... It will be forever in all of our memories. I’m sure our paths will cross again at some stage.

We highly recommend Sarah as a naming ceremony celebrant! All of our family and friends commented on how relaxed, warm and funny the ceremony was, which was all down to Sarah as she worked tirelessly with us in the time leading up to the day to create a really personalised script that was Rowan just perfect for us. Thanks so much Sarah for being a part of Rowan’s big day!

Thank you for your kind words and support on the day and your guidance beforehand! We loved having you as our celebrant and hope our paths cross again in the future. Its clear that you are meant for what you do. Your compassion, genuineness and warmth is something we will always fondly remember from our wedding day.
Thank you so much again. We really felt like we had someone we knew celebrating with us on the day.

We chose Sarah for our daughter's naming day ceremony after seeing the handwritten reviews on her website, no one else’s thank you notes came close.
From the start she was a dream to deal with, so calm and confident that any concerns had easily went. She was funny, and serious and invoked emotions in all the right places.
All of our family and friends agreed it was a beautiful ceremony, and raved about how lovely Sarah was and what a fabulous job she did. could see her body language soften as Sarah spoke, started smiling, laughed on cue and eventually she turned to watch her. She raved about it afterwards and we have only Sarah to thank for that.
Sarah was so lovely to deal with, she made the whole experience so easy for us, guiding us and making suggestions. And she has such patience which really appreciated! She's an absolute star, a treasure, and I'll definitely book her for any other ceremonies we're blessed to have in the years to come.

The best decision we made for our wedding day was booking Sarah to be our celebrant. From the moment we had our first call with Sarah we felt safe in her hands. Sarah is an absolute professional, who made the whole process up to the day as easy as possible for us. And on the day it couldn't have gone better. Sarah crafted a ceremony that was full of joy and love and laughter. What originally seemed like the scariest part of our wedding, ended up being so fun and easy. Sarah made it easy for us. Our family and friends were blown away. | couldn't recommend her more.
Thank you for the warmth and 'brought to our day Sarah! Love Ruth & Shane'

Sarah was the celebrant for our wedding in May 2022. We would, Humanist Celebrant without hesitation, highly recommend Sarah. From the get go she was easy to get along with, very helpful and professional, and patient. Communication was fast and easy. During the planning of the ceremony she had lots of great suggestions, and was very adaptable to ideas we had. During the ceremony, she had a wonderful way of talking that made everyone feel at ease and kept them engaged. Many of our guests commented on how great she was. We had a lovely day and are really happy that we chose Sarah as our celebrant.

Sarah was the celebrant for our daughter's naming ceremony and we had a great experience with her. She advised us in crafting the ceremony and she had some lovely ideas. On the day of the ceremony Sarah was warm and welcoming to our guests. Our ceremony was pretty hectic with lots of toddlers running around but Sarah was well able to go with the flow while still keeping it all on track! We would highly recommend Sarah!

Thank you so much for helping us create an amazing ceremony, it was beautiful and we, as well as everyone else, loved it!
It was great working with you and we wish you all the best.

Sarah is such a fabulous person and made our son's naming ceremony really special for us and our families. Sarah created such a personal, simple and beautiful script with us to officially welcome our little man into the world. Everyone that was important to us and our son was involved and included. And it was fun and stress free too...just how we wanted it! Would highly recommend Sarah as a celebrant for all Séagh’s Naming Ceremony life's occasions.

If vou are looking for a top notch, professional and personable celebrant, look no further. Sarah was absolutely
AMAZING!
From start to finish, Sarah helped us tailor our ceremony into something that truly represented who we are and what we wanted for ourselves, friends and family.
We both felt so relaxed on the the day itself thanks to Sarah's kind and patient energy. It was absolutely magical and we are eternally grateful for all the work and consideration that was put into every detail.
Thank you so much Sarah.

Sarah made our day so special! She did a naming ceremony for our little boy and we couldn't have asked for more. The ceremony was so personal, we laughed and cried! Sarah is such a warm person and all our guests loved her.

Shane & Julie
It was a pleasure to work with Sarah as our Humanist Celebrant for our wedding.
She was so helpful and made the planning of our ceremony so simple and so enjoyable.
So many of our guests complimented Sarah and said they had never experienced such a personal and moving yet such a fun ceremony.

I wanted to thank you so much for doing our ceremony for us. We were blown away. It’s the part you dread standing up there in front of everyone and you made it easy and fun for us. We are laughing or crying in most of the photos!!
You are an absolute professional, everyone was raving about the whole ceremony and how good you were. Thank you again.

Where do we start about Sarah? She was absolutely amazing from the day we met her. Attention to detail, keen to get to know us, obliging, persistent in our laziness to respond, nothing was too much. Her kindness, words and her professional delivery was something you wouldn’t expect. We will forever be indebted to Sarah for making our day so special. The whole day followed on from the unbelievable ceremony. Everyone that attended spoke about how beautifully it was presented.
Thank you Sarah for making our day so special.

Absolutely brilliant.
Made the ceremony relaxed and had people laughing.
Couldn't have asked for more.

Thank you so much. Just so so dignified and serene. Full of respect for a fellow human being, and for us all. Everybody is full of sincere gratitude to you. My first experience and one that Ted would be so happy with too. Now for a time of mourning in quite and love. Thanks again

really can't thank you enough for this-for all of it. You have helped us all along the way, even when you probably didn't realize. | was nervous enough about all of this, so thank you for helping me relax & helping us craft the ceremony that was right for us. Thank you for sharing your amazing talents and gifts as an amazing leader with us.

Our wedding vow renewal was always going to be emotional but Sarah made our day so very special. She conducted our ceremony with such warmth and professionalism. She made our guests really feel part of our family with good humour and well thought through commentary. Sarah reflected our humanist beliefs perfectly. We are forever grateful and feel truly blessed. Thank you, Sarah, thank you.

From both of us, we wanted to say the BIGGEST thank you for holding the most perfect wedding ceremony we could have asked for. It really captured who we are as a couple and we couldn't have asked for a better way to start our married life & to set the tone so perfectly. So many people are still commenting on how much they enjoyed the ceremony & how it was one of the best ceremonies they've ever been to. Lot’s of converts to Humanism-hooray! Thanks, again, Sarah -although thank you doesn't feel quite big enough for how grateful we are.

Sarah's profile was the first I read when googling "celebrants cork" I read a few afterwards but I kept been drawn back to theirs and we were so incredibly fortune that they were free and agreed to officiant our small family wedding! We were very last minute with everything and probably at times lacked urgency but Sarah kept us on the path and moving through the checklist with ease, grace and patience. I can't put into works the positive impact they had on our day. Sarah's energy and approach was so wonderful and they provided a really detailed list of things we could include (do the knot tie, it's amazing!) Brian and I are so grateful to Sarah for officiating our wedding and making everyone feel relaxed as well as helping capture what we wanted from the day! If you can get Sarah you won't regret it!
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