“Helping you to Create the Memory of a Lifetime”
La Donna Weddings Officiants & Ceremony Coordinating Services offers you their experience and personal service. Read on to learn more information about the history of our company and our staff:
1986
La Donna Weddings Officiants & Ceremony Coordinating Services was established in 1986 as La Donna Wedding Expressions, when it opened as a unique wedding accessory shop in Warren…one of the first in Macomb County, located in southeastern Michigan. The shop, nestled between a wedding gown boutique and a florist, La Donna Wedding specialized in wedding invitations and accessories and offered a one-stop shopping experience with many other wedding-related services available such as wedding consulting, entertainment, photography, videography, transportation, etc.
Owner/operator, Donna Schonhoff, prior to opening the shop, had obtained experience in floral design and specialized in silk wedding bouquets. It was during this time that she started offering wedding invitations to her clients and is now a specialist in this area. In 1986 Ms. Schonhoff joined the Association of Wedding Consultants, the only international trade organization for wedding professionals, and became Michigan’s first State Coordinator of the organization. She held that position for 13 years before stepping down to devote more time to her business. During that time she greatly enhanced her knowledge of and experience in the wedding industry and related services.
1990
After closing the shop in Warren in 1990, Ms. Schonhoff expanded her operations to include bridal consulting and coordinating. Her offices were moved to Shelby Township, Michigan and then in December of 1996, she established and opened the doors of Loving Hearts Wedding Chapel also located in Shelby Township, which she owned and operated for the next three years.
1998
Ms. Schonhoff’s experience also includes teaching bridal consulting classes through several Macomb County school systems. East Detroit Schools approached her in 1998, to create a career course on bridal consulting that could be taught through their Continuing Education Program. She created the course and then taught it for approximately 4 semesters before moving the class to the Utica Community Schools and Chippewa Valley Schools districts.
On February 13, 1998, Ms. Schonhoff was ordained as a non-denominational minister by the Universal Life Church. The original purpose was to enable her to serve as a backup for ministers scheduled for weddings at the chapel. After the closing of the chapel, she continued to book Ministers and Officiants for offsite weddings. Meeting brides and grooms-to-be along with creating and officiating their wedding ceremonies, has now become the most rewarding part of the wedding for her. “Being part of this special moment and day in their lives is extremely rewarding and truly an honor.”
PRESENT
As time went on, it became apparent that more and more couples were looking for an alternative to the traditional church ceremony. Being of different religions, not having an affiliation with a specific church or desiring a civil non-religious or more personal type of ceremony are some of the reasons couples are seeking non-traditional church settings and ceremonies. At La Donna Weddings Officiants & Ceremony Coordinating Services, as it is now known, traditional and contemporary non-denominational religious ceremonies as well as customized civil and spiritual ceremonies are offered that include the input and personal touches of the couple being married.
La Donna has a staff of ministers and officiants that specializes in customized ceremonies at the location of your choice. If you have not made a decision of where your ceremony will take place, La Donna also offers assistance in helping you to find the perfect setting for your wedding ceremony. Be sure to check out our venues and photos page to see some of the many wonderful venues we are fortunate to have in our area. We are here to help you have the wedding of your dreams!
Meet The Staff!
Deborah Kinsel – Minister
I’ve had the honor of officiating chapel, location and destination marriages for fifteen years and several of those years (since 2012) with La Donna Weddings. I feel privileged to have shared in many a beautiful ceremonies and enjoy the uniqueness and love that each couple brings to their special day.
Veronica Williams-Hernalsteen – Minister
Donna officiated my wedding in 2012. I remember thinking that she had a pretty awesome job to be at the center of love and happiness as two people began their life as a married couple. I approached her in 2015 about working for the company and have enjoyed being an officiant with La Donna Weddings since then. I love the uniqueness of every wedding as each couple makes their ceremony their own. I have officiated weddings at pubs where couples first met, eclectic art galleries, gorgeous chapels, rustic camps, halls, homes, beautiful parks and historical restaurants.
Donna Schonhoff – Minister
As previous owner and main officiant of La Donna Weddings, I had the pleasure of performing 650+ weddings over the past 20+ years in all types of venues and locations throughout Michigan, which included many intimate fireside ceremonies. Fireside and license signing ceremonies are now my main focus. Let me help you make your intimate ceremony both personal and meaningful.
La Donna Wedding Awards
