Danna is a gifted and inspiring writer, storyteller and ritual artist. She collaborates with you to create personally meaningful, innovative rituals that speak deeply to your soul. She approaches her work with caring and passion, and a sincere desire to listen and give voice to whatever unique stories of the people she is honoring, remembering, and celebrating.
I highly recommend her.”
Deb 

 

Thank you so much for assisting me and my family at the time of my daughter’s death. The sensitivity and compassion you showed to our family and friends shall never be forgotten. We received so many compliments regarding the service. Your kindness, integrity, calm demeanor, thoughtfulness and easy manner were a relief to us all and helped make her Celebration of Life peaceful and smooth. Weaving the bird theme throughout the ceremony in honor of her nickname was beautiful and inspiring, as was your suggestion to hand out birdseed packets for people to scatter after the service or treasure as commemorative keepsakes. It’s apparent that this profession is not simply a job for you but a calling.”
Jody 

 

Danna crafted a ceremony to mark the opening of my art studio and classroom. Creating a ceremony to “officially” open the space was important to me. Danna interviewed me to help me get clear about my intention for the event ~ I was impressed from the start. Without her astute questions and gentle nudging I don’t believe it would have been so powerful for me and for everyone who attended.  She asked me to collect some items from nature that were on my property and then created a beautiful “nesting” ritual that everyone participated in. Danna composed the perfect blessing to read ~ written just for me. I loved her desire to collaborate and to make sure that what we did fit with who I am: I would never have come up with all the personalized elements on my own.  We co-created something magical and my art space now feels open and welcoming.”
Carol

 

WOW! I am so grateful, Danna. This is really beautiful work. You get IT. You get Us!”
Ann

 

When your life brings you to a moment that you hope to “trap in amber” as Vonnegut says, something so precious that you want it to hold still in your mind so you can see it again, feel it again, sense it from years’ distance, you will want someone with Danna Schmidt’s gifts and talents to help you create that moment. I was the celebrated one at an event for which she was celebrant: the marking of the completion of my first novel. She titled the event a “Book Mitzvah” and followed the theme along, honoring and validating paths and streams in including food, music, poetry, performance, deep connection and celebration. Simply as a crafter of capsules of words to hold the power of the moment, Danna’s gifts can carry any day into the extraordinary, but she never, ever stops there—she attends to all the senses and engages complex emotions. A client of Waypoint will be amply and deeply guided to a moment to hold on to and learn from for a lifetime.”
Emily

 

 The ceremonies you have crafted for me/us have brought such richness to our lives and created wonderful memories for us. I greatly appreciate the symbols as they daily remind me of our rites, and continue to create sacred space within our home. The house blessing skeleton key hangs on a beautiful ribbon on the inside of our front door and I smile every time I open and close the door remembering the monumental and cumulative life event my move to Seattle was, and how you wove “my story” so eloquently into my ceremony with your great wordsmithing talent. Waking up in my house the next day, I had a feeling that it truly was my house. I was starting fresh and all who lived in the house before blessed me and wished me well. And the special ritual you crafted for our first anniversary recommitment is one we intend to repeat every year on our anniversary! The items we shared with each other will be on our altar and the readings you selected were perfect – we plan to frame one of them for our home. Thank you so much, Danna. We are so grateful and can’t wait to see what you create for our office blessing.”
Michele and Denny

 

Danna – when I asked you to design a life-transitional ritual for me, I wasn’t fully aware what I was asking of you. What emerged was genius. Your ability to sense exactly what I was wanting and then to craft such a meaningful experience for me, continues to take my breath away. From beginning to end, every detail was carried out flawlessly. Thank you for creating one of the most remarkable, transformative moments of my life.”
Darrell

 

Danna went above and beyond her job description and was exceptionally creative, understanding, and patient, and crafted our ceremony to be so perfectly representative of who we are. She was open to collaborating with me and incorporating my suggestions, since I admittedly have a hard time fully letting go of control. I can’t thank her enough for everything. She is such a good and kind person, an extremely talented wordsmith, and so thoughtful. She made our wedding ceremony and our tree planting ritual so special with her beautiful talent for storytelling. I honestly can’t express how grateful I am for everything that Danna did for us. I highly recommend Danna/Waypoint Ceremonies to anyone and everyone needing a celebrant. During the process of writing our ceremony, Danna was professional but did not treat us like customers in her business, she treated us like close friends. I know that we will be in touch with Danna with updates on our family, and seek out her celebrant services again when it comes time to renew our vows, and to plant trees for our kids when they join our family.”
Jessica

 

A Big thank you for all that you’ve done. The ceremony, in its entirety was VERY, VERY, VERY well received. Nobuko and I were so surprised when Alfred acted out the mime. We loved it, and the audience loved it, too. People said it’s not like any other ceremony they’ve seen. And on top of that, they said it’s the best ceremony they’ve seen. Thanks again for everything. A wedding ceremony that nobody will forget is exactly what we wanted.”
Michael

 

With the sudden loss of my brother, our family was faced with finding the right person to lead us through the best memorial for him. We were lucky enough to connect with Danna. This process is never easy and most people, I believe, are not sure where to start and what to do. All we had were the ideas of what we knew would be important to our family, but not sure how to make them all happen cohesively. Danna spent several evenings with us, guiding us through the process and offering an outline of what the service could look like. She also took a genuine interest in who he was during his time on earth and what his energy was about. This was extremely important to our family. The memorial service itself was exactly what we had hoped. Our beliefs were respected, last minute requests were honored and welcomed, down to Danna even supplying a vessel for the sage we cleansed with. We were provided with a very well organized copy of the service, that we were able to reference when needed during eulogies. They also served as cherished keepsakes. She honored my brother and his life beautifully. We were very thankful for her kindness, compassion, and professionalism during this painful time.”
Christina

 

Danna provided an amazing celebration of my mom’s life as a celebrant. She was very responsive to me and our family regarding getting the service just right. She captured my mom’s essence as completely as possible without knowing her. It made a difficult time a bit easier and definitely left me with fond memories of taking my mom “home”. I would absolutely recommend her for any occasion as she was excellent and professional to work with.”
Cindi

 

Danna is always thorough throughout the planning process. She is never “cookie-cutter” but instead wants to discover who your loved one was and how your loved one impacted you and your family. My memorial was for my mother – a year after her death. Whether you are fortunate enough to have the foresight to engage Danna for your loved one’s interment (funeral) services or would like to commemorate your loved one at a later date (ours was in Costa Rica), you should do your due diligence and seek out Danna’s services. I will never be able to say “good-bye” to my mother, but I was able to celebrate her with my family in a way befitting the person who impacted me most in my life.”
Monica

 

When we moved back into our home, Danna did a house blessing with our family. She did a detailed discovery of our goals and the home, and provided us a lovely ceremony outline as well as a detailed list of items we needed for the ceremony. The ceremony was tailored, lovely and inclusive of our daughters and pets. Each family member was part of the ceremony and it really helped clear the old energy and help us settle in.”
Michele

 

 Thank you so much for the beautiful work and attention you’ve paid to our ceremony! You are amazing! And thank you for cueing us with next steps in so much detail without diminishing focus and quality on your work. You are a godsend to us!” 
AnVi & Loc

 

Reading our ceremony draft for the first time was amazing…thanks so much for making our stories come to life! You absolutely nailed the vibe we were looking for with our ceremony. Lighthearted and sweet! You are truly talented!” (Daniela) “I was simply blown away. I admit I wasn’t totally motivated to fill out the questionnaire with all the other things I had going on. You managed to turn nothing ~ from the short answers I had given you ~ into something! You’re an amazing writer.” (Ryan)
Daniela & Ryan

 

Danna was fabulous in helping us prepare our ceremony. She takes a unique and deliberate style and works with couples to create a celebration that fits with the couple. I highly recommend her.”
Rhett

 

I want to express how deeply felt and meaningful the healing ceremony was that you custom-crafted for me. It was unbelievably cathartic. From putting together my altar, to your beautiful words, to the amazing poetry and music, to the rituals of release, the whole experience felt magical and like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. It may be one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever received. You are a gifted healer and I hope many, many others can experience your offerings. Thank you!”
Tina

 

I am still smiling – sending out radiant energy in awe of the self-transformation that took place with the Healing and Release ceremony. Danna was instrumental in helping me to create. She acted as both Facilitator/Officiant/Celebrant as well as Production Manager for this long-distance ritual. I created an altar for myself with symbols that held great meaning associated with this most powerful ceremony.  On the other end, Danna also constructed an altar on my behalf. She provided music, poetry and other elements having to do with self-love and forgiveness. She held “sacred space” for me, ensuring that I felt safe and comfortable in showing my vulnerability with such rawness in the powerful work we did together. Her calming presence was so soothing. I felt gently guided through what I would describe as a “metamorphosis”. I feel like a new woman – light and free! There is a richer and deeper tone to my laughter now.”
Genevieve

 

Danna helped us to create a ceremony that was so uniquely us we are speechless. After the ceremony, countless guests came us to us to tell us that they had never seen such a beautiful ceremony and it was the best wedding ceremony that they had ever been to. We couldn’t agree more. From our first encounter with Danna she promised that she would be the celebrant to truly create a ceremony that reflected us uniquely. This was the case in so many little details in the ceremony but was also true through the planning process wherein Danna created multiple opportunities for us to set aside time to really think about our love for one another, what marriage means, what we hope for the future and those goofy things that just make you laugh (or cringe) about one another. She also encouraged us throughout the full process to create rituals that we could carry with us throughout our marriage. It really felt like Danna was setting the stage for our marriage as opposed to simply facilitating the ceremony. We had a family member film the ceremony and will treasure it forever! We cannot recommend Danna more highly for all those looking to create a ceremony that truly reflects the individuals getting married. She is so open to incorporating elements into the ceremony that really define who we are as individuals and as a couple.”
Lauren & Spencer

 

Oh my goodness…where do I even begin. Danna somehow took my and my husband’s questionnaires about our life and how we met and brought our story to life. She was able to take all of the little details about how we met, where we met, how we felt and take everyone at our ceremony (including Ryan and I!) back in time to that place and those feelings we felt. You can tell so much time, thought, effort and love really went into what Danna built for us. Danna also was able to take what we said we loved about each other, what marriage meant to us and helped us craft the most perfect vows. My husband and I were really apprehensive at reading them out loud but as soon as we read what she had built based on our questionnaires we knew that we HAD to read them out loud to each other to aloud for all our friends and family to hear. It was truly magical. I had SEVERAL of our guests come up and ask us if Danna was a long time family friend because she came across as knowing us for as long as we had known each other. People were asking for her name and business card hoping to get to work with her for their own future weddings!! All in all, wonderful experience from start to finish. I cannot recommend her more to couples looking for a ceremony that is truly unique to their love story!! Thank you SO much Danna for making our ceremony one that we (and our guests!) will remember always.”
Dani

 

I didn’t know what to expect with a “Celebrant” in the beginning. If it were up to me, I would have had my marriage at the county court house with a witness or two… This is before I knew what Danna Schmidt was capable of. One of the things she tasked me with was a questionnaire that seemed to go forever and ask some mushy love stuff that I wasn’t too motivated to answer. At the time I didn’t see the importance. After I finally answered many of the questions (not all of them), she crafted our love story and vows. I felt like she took nothing and turned it into something made for a movie. It was all our words, but with added flare and depth. Many people assumed Danna was a long time family friend because she crafted such an in-depth story that was the essence of “us”! She turned the ceremony, which most of the time is what people can’t wait to get through, into something that moved people into tears and laughter. So many people throughout the reception came to me and told me how good our ceremony was. Especially coming from people I did not expect to care about the ceremony. There’s a big difference between an officiant and a celebrant. This being my second marriage (and final), I can tell you from experience. You cannot go wrong with Danna.”
Ryan

 

After travelling the world with my beloved rescue cat, Lola, for seventeen years, she passed away last summer whilst I was thousands of miles away on holiday. Of course my heart broke. My wonderful friends and vet were there in her last moments, and her body was frozen so that I could say goodbye to her on my return. Having a ceremony of release was very important to me, to address my guilt and feelings of abandonment, and Danna understood this perfectly. The process of sharing Lola’s amazing life, her funny habits, and stories from all the people around the world who loved her warmed my heart and made it possible for me to have some release. Having rituals in place to follow and items to make on that one last night with her was cathartic and healing – I was able to stroke her silky fur and prepare her body. That was so difficult yet peaceful and knowing that we had both chosen our own times and ways to say goodbye, I felt calm and ready. I went with friends to the desert beach at sunset to leave her body, surrounded by all her favorite things. We cried a lot, but also laughed as we enacted the ceremony which Danna had so lovingly put together for her. I will move countries again this summer and after this I will not be able to visit where Lola was buried, and so I thank Danna a million times each day for her thoughtfulness and care because she understood perfectly what I needed and helped create a beautiful, peaceful memory for me to take with me.”
Vanessa

 

Danna crafted a most soothing ceremony to mark the passing of my dear friend Briar, who died far too young. I met Danna in a death doula workshop a few years back and was taken by her spiritual acumen and ability to call up just the right words at just the right moments. She is a fierce, beautiful human with an incredible talent for holding ceremony and honoring the most important moments. In a culture that often lacks the tools to fully honor our rites of passage, Danna’s creativity and sensitivity are like a welcome breath of fresh air. Danna has developed a robust process for organizing the elements of an effective ceremony. For Briar’s memorial, Danna sent a questionnaire that allowed us to think through and share Briar’s story. After several iterations and phone conversations, a unique custom ceremony program emerged that felt like a warm hug for all that attended. In an unexpected twist, Danna fell very ill the day before the actual ceremony, and she could not attend. Because it was such a collaborative process to develop the program together, she was able to make very quick edits that empowered me to conduct the ceremony on my own. I followed her program line-by-line. We shared the readings she provided. We gathered natural objects from around the property and created a mandala together throughout the event. We lit candles and shared stories. Even without her being in attendance, we had the ceremony we wanted and needed. Danna’s skills apply to so many moments…. weddings, memorials, any occasion that would benefit from the holding of space. I look forward to working with Danna to plan a much happier occasion someday soon!”
Katrina

 

Danna goes above and beyond what a celebrant entails. We would recommend a celebrant and Danna specifically if you’re getting married or needing any ceremony. Whether the endless hours she surely spent composing our ceremony, pre-planning with our DJ, photographer and venue to ensure we experienced a flawless ceremony or the rehearsal with everyone involved the evening before: her attention to detail is immaculate. When we first heard of celebrants and Danna, we were both a little apprehensive. That quickly faded once we both talked at length about what we envisioned. While we had some ideas, she came back to us some rituals and nuances that she picked up on with us both. When we both finished our interviews and questionnaires, the uniqueness really began to shine. We both wrote our own vows and she helped us both with some personal details that we had overlooked that made it that much more intimate and completely personal. Our ceremony was honestly perfect. It was personal and involved everyone in attendance. As we greeted our guests during the reception, the first comments were how much they loved the ceremony and being involved in our day and not just as an audience member. She prompted us on small details that we wouldn’t have thought of until day of, preventing stress before it even occurred. We were both completely present and able to focus on each other while enjoying the ceremony Danna had crafted. We are both so grateful. She was truly the conductor of our “wedding orchestra”. If you’re on the fence about using a celebrant, get off, make your ceremony effortless (except for the homework she gives you) and hire Danna!”
Alex & Jay

 

Danna saved the day for our wedding ceremony. Just days before our wedding, our officiant informed us that she had a medical issue and could not perform the ceremony. She referred us to Danna, which was a blessing. Not only did Danna arrange her schedule to accommodate us, but she took the ceremony to the next level, providing organization, themes, and extra rituals that made the day truly memorable.”
Janetta

 

Danna’s work is outstanding! We are not the romantic kind of couple, and we just wanted a simple and fast ceremony, which she did amazingly. In about 15 minutes, she was able to make our small celebration with a couple of friends heartwarming and perfectly tailored to us with a creative and sweet “recap” of our relationship that surprised even ourselves when we realized how much we had faced together.”
Marcelo

 

Danna created a powerfully inspirational ritual to close our year of Conversations About Race. People who had been exploring the nature of racism and their own biases all year arrived to a beautiful table designed to celebrate them and the courage of their journey. Danna’s readings balanced the love and the rage that drive us to do this racial justice work, and we reviewed some of the topics and insights of the year. Most important, participants worked in pairs to evoke the things they most deeply now say “no” to – the injustices, the blindness, and the impacts of these on the lives of people of color. They then affirmed the values they say “yes” to, and finally, with the help of their partners, reflection culminated in what actions they now plan to take. Danna set up a Scales of Justice ritual with stones where each person declared these three things to the larger group, and the “yes” stones outweighed the “no” stones reminding us of the power we have to make change. Our commitments to action were made public, and we closed with a reading that brought clearly before us the hurt in our world that calls for our attention, and the importance of our “yes” to racial justice. Danna reads people and their significant events deeply and reaches for the most authentic meanings in her ritual development. Her work is never frothy or superficial. Her rituals are truly transformative.”
Louise

 

Danna went above and beyond as my daughter and son-in-law’s wedding celebrant. Several of our guests commented that this was the best wedding they had ever been to and much of the reason was because they felt as if they were a valued part of the experience. It was very important to my daughter that her guests felt comfortable, happy and involved. Danna made that a reality. Thank you, Danna ~ you’re the best!!!!!”
Karen

 

Danna was just amazing. We got in touch with her just a couple of weeks before the wedding and she made room for us in her schedule, answering all our questions. At first, we wanted something very simple, but she convinced us that a more personalized ceremony is a more beautiful one and she was absolutely right. A lot of our guests said they were very impressed with the tailored ceremony. She’s also a true professional, very organized, coming in a bit earlier to check the place out and take care of some of the little details that you may not realize. After the ceremony, she sent the documents in a timely manner and also gave us a beautiful keepsake copy of the ceremony and vows. We’re very thankful for having her as a master of ceremony on our special day.”
Mihai

 

My fiancé and I were looking for someone genuine, personable, and professional to officiate our intimate wedding ceremony. Danna completely exceeded the bill, going well above and beyond the typical officiant duties. We could not be happier with our decision to work with Danna and would highly recommend her to anyone. Because Danna is a Celebrant, she has the extensive experience and expertise to design a truly unique and meaningful ceremony for any occasion — going as elaborate or as simple as a couple feels comfortable with. For us, our ceremony was very small and simple (6 guests, approx. 15 min) and Danna was able to craft a beautifully written ceremony for us that felt really true to ourselves and our story. She also did a great job acknowledging our guests and making them feel very comfortable. Working with her was a very enjoyable experience as she is extremely responsive and professional which was so much appreciated. She is very detailed, organized and knowledgeable so it was great to know we had someone we could count on help make our ceremony run smoothly and perfectly. Her approach is very consultative & collaborative where she worked closely with us from beginning to end to make sure she got to know us and what we were looking for. She always offered advice, examples, and tips throughout the process, as well as many different creative ideas and reading options to incorporate into our special day. Because she is a great writer, she knows how to convey the message/story you are trying to tell. She also looked over our vows and was readily available to answer questions or help us out whenever we needed it. Another thing we were truly thankful for is how she thinks about all the little details that you may not even realize are important to a ceremony! On the actual day, she arrived early with everything we needed, including a side table and adorable letter pen set that made our photos look that much better. We did not have a wedding coordinator, but just having Danna there put us at ease because we knew she would help ensure our ceremony ran smoothly. And it absolutely did!”
Chasen

 

When my sister’s ex-husband died suddenly in March, I recommended Danna’s services to my nieces who were planning their Dad’s memorial service. I’d met Danna years prior through personal development programs, have been following her social media posts, and was appreciative of the energy she brings to prepare for the rituals and ceremonies she performs. My nieces hired her and scheduled the service for Memorial weekend. Danna conducted a few in-depth interviews with family members to learn about my sister’s ex-husband. She suggested ways to celebrate the things important to him such as habits and hobbies that were so much of his life, and she guided my nieces through all the planning steps of honoring their Dad in a service of remembrance that was deeply meaningful and healing without being religious, which was their request. Our family gathered at my niece’s house the evening before the service to help with preparations. She made her Dad’s favorite appetizers and a couple of us folded the programs. My crafty nieces and sisters rubber-stamped the image of tomato or California poppy onto small envelopes. My brother and I tucked a few seeds inside them according to the labels printed with Dale’s name, dates, and the invitation to plant these seeds with love and think of Dale when they grow. Sharing our memories as we worked on these commemorative projects together was an opportunity to express our grief within the comfort of the immediate family. During the backyard service the next afternoon, Danna’s reflection of the man we knew rang true and resonated with each of us. Her embrace of his strengths, talents and idiosyncrasies, and his irreverent sense of humor enabled us to remember and honor his unique contribution with loving tears and more than a few smiles, chuckles and laughter. As we mingled afterwards and shared our impressions and memories, I heard many favorable and surprised comments that Danna had clearly taken the time to know his essence and what he’d meant to us. When Danna posted a few pictures with a brief summary of the memorial on Facebook a few days later, I was touched by her grace in sharing the essence of what was deeply personal without betraying the privacy of the family in any way.”
Carol

 

Danna was lovely to work with for our father’s memorial service. It was an incredibly difficult time in our lives, having lost our Dad unexpectedly. We knew we wanted to have a celebration of his life but had no idea how to even begin to plan the service. Through many hours of phone conversations, Danna asked questions about his life and let us tell stories that gave her a sense of what kind of person he was and what he meant to our family. This helped her craft a ceremony that was very personal for him and included many elements that we had never heard or thought of to remember him. Today would have been his 73rd birthday and I am remembering him today and thinking of all the special touches we had at his memorial. They fit his life perfectly and help me think about all the good days. I will always remember my Dad, and Danna crafted a celebration that was just right for him and our family and I will be eternally grateful for her help during this time in our lives.”
Jessica

 

In June of 2019, my wife and I hired Danna to help us honor the stillborn birth of our son. We knew we made the right choice the moment we met her. She took the time to learn about our family, hear our story, and to understand what our loss meant. Danna presented a wealth of different rituals, poetry, and program ideas, but was not married to any of them – she was completely comfortable with us picking what we liked, leaving what we didn’t like, and including some ideas of our own as well. Once these were settled, Danna brought them together and wrote a beautiful service that had us and our families and guests feeling at peace and ready to take steps towards moving on. Danna’s thoroughness, experience, patience, and compassion were instrumental in building our son’s ceremony, and we recommend her 100%.
Justin

 

Danna was WONDERFUL and definitely delivered above and beyond for my Mother-in-Law’s Celebration of Life Memorial. She was a good listener to our needs and always responsive when we needed her. She provided lots of suggestions yet always respected our wishes. She cared and gave 100%. Her fee was a bit higher than most but more than worth it. We could not have picked a better person for the job. Would Highly Recommend her to All.”
Branka

 

Danna did a wonderful job of honoring the passing of my father-in-law this past summer with a beautifully put together ceremony. Not only did she capture the essence of the man he was, but she did it in a timely manner since, as can be imagined with a funeral, time was of the essence. From us conversing with her on who he was and what was important to him in his life, she made it seem as if she knew him, even though they had never met. I would recommend Danna highly for any event she officiates as she really cares about the people she is honoring.”
Annie

 

We’re so glad we chose Danna to officiate our wedding. We loved our ceremony and couldn’t have created without Danna. She guides you through every step of the way and is bursting with creative ideas. You’ll no doubt be able to create a one of kind ceremony with Waypoint Ceremonies.”
Anna

 

Danna has been an amazing Celebrant, guide, leader and speaker for our 14-year-old daughter’s Coming of Age ceremony. We contacted her about coordinating a Protestant Christian Coming of Age that would include our daughter’s family, friends and community of woman and men. Danna guided us through the basics of the ceremony, but she did not stop there. She took us further into helping our daughter through a solo night/24 hour outside, discovering her passions and goals, journaling and moving through young adulthood. Danna respected our religious beliefs, while suggesting rituals from other groups which could be used to express Coming of Age. Danna created a beautiful and meaningful ceremony that included a story of life of our daughter, reflecting our daughter’s unique passions and strengths. Our daughter was changed and empowered through the process and ceremony, resulting in a girl excited about young adulthood. Those who attended came away with the message that young adulthood is a time to remember with love. The entire process was a joy as Danna answered each question, suggested new ideas, formed a unique ceremony, and lead this special day for our daughter.”
Karen

 

Danna has been a joy to work with for 16-year-old son’s Coming of Age Ceremony. We contacted her about coordinating a Protestant Christian Coming of Age that would include our son’s family, friends and community of woman and men. We joined with her to create a Coming of Age for our daughter a few months prior and were excited to work with her again. Once again, she guided us through the basics of the ceremony, but she did not stop there. Danna recognized that our son was radically different from our daughter and approached the ceremony as a unique representation of him with different rituals and themes. She encouraged us to take our son through a solo night/24 hour outside during which he created a labyrinth and had time of reflection, discovering his passions and goals, journaling and moving through young adulthood. Danna listened to the unique needs of our son and his strong male family member’s, helping me to create an amazing Male Only ceremony that was the precursor to the Coming of Age ceremony that was led by her. Danna created a beautiful and meaningful Coming of Age ceremony that included a story of life of our son, reflecting our son’s unique passions and strengths; concluding the Male Only ceremony with each man/boy speaking about our son; and leading in a “Car blessing/Key blessing”. Each aspect of the Ceremony was carefully and lovingly created. Our son has felt blessed by his family, friends and community and is excited about young adulthood. We would work with Danna again!”
Karen

 

Danna was everything I was dreaming of for a wedding officiant. She was so warm and special, and she treated us like we were the only wedding she has ever done. Her ideas are so original and unique – it really made our wedding special and “ours.” She delivered and went above and beyond for us with everything she offered via phone calls, FaceTime, and the actual writing of our ceremony (including many details and ritual details that made it special to us). It was important to me to have a ceremony that our guests were involved in and felt special being a part of. That truly was my goal with this whole ceremony. I wanted it about us, obviously, but our guests were just as important. She totally understood this and even complimented me on desiring this outcome. I didn’t want them to feel like they were just people sitting in the crowd staring blankly then zoning out after 20 minutes. Nope, not with Danna. She kept them involved and alert the whole time. The guests were a part of the process which I felt was so important. She was truly amazing and was also like a wedding mother to me in the way she spoke of what to expect and she practiced with us until we felt comfortable. We talked about emotions that might come up and how to manage them in the moment. She worked closely with the venue coordinator and our DJ. We got way more then we ever could have expected with her supporting us that day. And that’s exactly what she did. She was the rock that supported our entire experience and she was flawless. Just say yes to Danna!”
Heather

 

Divorce and moving often come together and I found myself here last fall. Stuck and on the brink of the unknown. Enter Danna Schmidt, Life Cycle Celebrant® extraordinaire. Danna understands change, that liminal place between what was and what will be. Her Master Celebrant training has given her skills in acknowledging and honoring threshold space in the art of creating powerful catalysts for moving forward. Together we discussed the realities of where I was, what was keeping me frozen and what I needed to let go of. Then she created a unique and powerful Farewell and Despacho Release Gathering, the culmination of the preparation I completed under the guidance of Danna’s inspirational hand. Danna’s use of various modalities helped me navigate through some difficult self-reflection and processing of emotion. Her gathering outline was written clearly with cues and poetry that I could share with my children and grandchildren. She made it simple, yet powerful, considering the various ages of my family, allowing for personal expressions and wishes for my journey. Danna is a gifted spiritual diviner of wisdom, who brought me out of my “stuck funk” and through the threshold that was before me. I will be forever grateful for her support and encouragement during this difficult time in my life.”
Pamela

 

Danna crafted a beautiful service for our family after our Mother’s passing. We had no idea where to start but she led us through the difficult process and really took the time to get to know our Mother through our stories. I was amazed that without ever meeting her, she was able to capture my Mother’s story and her spirit. Danna was a wonderful resource for us in finding readings and music as well as offering thoughts on crafting the entire ceremony. She gently guided us through the entire process and the ceremony was a beautiful tribute honoring our Mother.”
Rhonda

 

My experience with Danna Schmidt as the officiant for my husband’s graveside ceremony was nothing less than exceptional. If you are looking for someone to work with you and capture the perfect tone for a tribute to your loved one, I highly recommend Danna and her business, Waypoint Ceremonies. Danna and I worked together through email, phone calls and one Zoom meeting. It was my very first Zoom meeting ever but as with everything else involved with our planning, Danna seamlessly guided me and other family members through very emotional and unfamiliar territory. Because of the 2020 Covid-19 global pandemic, we never even met in person until the day of the ceremony, but that did not detract from her dedication and unwavering determination to make everything perfect for all of our family on a very sad occasion. Danna was patient and kind but very professional and creative.  She is a very talented and knowledgeable writer and together we created a beautiful ceremony. She gently kept me on track when I frequently wandered a long way down memory lane, as I was writing my contribution to the ceremony. Danna made the whole process as painless as possible under very stressful and emotional circumstances. A cold search on the internet for something as personal as a memorial service officiant can be very daunting but you will not be disappointed with Danna!”
Eyla

 

 

Right before the pandemic shut the world down, my best friend lost her mother to cancer. When the fog cleared and we were able to plan a small ceremony, I knew that Danna was the person to help us navigate that process. My mother-in-law is a Celebrant and I have seen her do many meaningful and beautiful ceremonies over the years. The work of a celebrant is much more personal than that of an officiant or master of ceremony. It’s unique and handcrafted, with a creativity that is extremely difficult to replicate. When I reached out to Danna, she immediately poured out warmth and compassion for my friend’s situation. The relationship between my friend and her mother was complicated and towards the end, even strained. Danna represented their relationship with sensitivity and tenderness. She created rituals that were beyond anything that you would see at a traditional memorial. She interviewed my friend and her family and really listening to the story of her mother’s life. She connected simple details that turned the ritual into something more meaningful and personal than we even imagined it would be. The day of the memorial, Danna was prepared, professional, and most of all, caring. She allowed for hiccups in the day and brought a sense of ease and humor to what would otherwise be a stressful and emotional day. And as if that wasn’t enough, when I reached out to her well after the event, she still knew who we were and was able to help answer some of the questions we had about the day. Seeing what she provided for our memorial, I wouldn’t hesitate to collaborate with her in any other life event.”
Lillie

 

Danna was truly a gift in making our wedding ceremony meaningful and memorable. We specifically did not want a stodgy officiant or religious ceremony, which led us to discover the wonderful world of celebrants. With Danna as a celebrant, we got so much more value in our experience from our first coffee meeting to our marriage certificate signing. The process to create our ceremony was in depth and personal. Every word and gesture were chosen for its contribution to what meant most to us. Together, we created rituals full of symbolism and meaning, including ring warming, handfasting, and a unique unity ritual where we created a family shield using symbols chosen by us and my husband’s children. Danna is a true wordsmith, armed with a deep and rich knowledge of historical rituals and practices, she is full of ideas. She beautifully crafted our love story, pulled from questionnaires as well as emails and phone calls. Our guests absolutely loved the ceremony, with many tearfully saying that they had never attended a wedding with a more meaningful ceremony. This is exactly what we had hoped for in working with Danna and she delivered on every penny we spent. Far more important than wedding favors or frozen cake, we have many valued keepsakes from our ceremony and gifted by Danna that will eternally bring us back to that forest sanctuary, surrounded by our favorite people, declaring our love and commitment to each other. We highly recommend working with a celebrant for any important life event. If you choose the celebrant path, your life will only be made richer by partnering with Danna.”
Ann

 

Danna, thank you for making my Mom’s service so exactly perfect. You helped us honor and say goodbye with a beautiful tribute to her life.”
Renée

 

You did an outstanding job putting our random thoughts together into a testimonial that was my Mom. Thank you so much for everything. You made a difficult and emotional time seem much more manageable.”
LeeAnn

 

The ceremony you crafted was fantastic and it’s amazing how accurately you captured so many details and Mom’s essence. Thank you again for the beautiful service and for the entire experience leading up to it.”
Robert

 

Thank you again for such a wonderful service and for helping to tell his story so well and including so many elements. You put together a beautiful ceremony that was so well received. Everyone thought it was exceptional! You have put in a lot of time and thoughtfulness in putting his life into perspective and it means a lot to us. You received nothing but compliments. Thank you again for being so kind and more than that, honoring his life with so much care!”
Ingrid and Sharifah

 

We had at least 15 people tell us it was the best ceremony they’ve ever witnessed, and many told us the bar “was set high” now. People couldn’t believe that we didn’t know you prior to the wedding process, and they were giving you compliments left and right. You did such a fantastic job, and Eric and I are so pleased to have worked with you. Thank you for making our ceremony spectacular and magical!”
Barrett

The ceremony you helped curate for our couple was one of the most unique and beautiful I have captured. You are a gem and bring something extra to the table for everyone who is lucky enough to work with you!”
Valerie

 

What a spectacular ceremony! Not a dry eye in the place. Many guests said it was the most touching ceremony they had ever attended. Thank you so much for putting it all together.”
Rachel

 

I was a friend officiant for a wedding for some dear friends this past weekend. Danna’s words, tips and organization made me feel secure performing the wedding! It was my very first experience and I could NOT have done it without her. We had so much good feedback about the ceremony and the words that were spoken, and the personalized rituals that were chosen. Thank you, Danna!”
Sandi

 

Danna has been just wonderful to work with on my mother’s Celebration of Life ceremony. Her sensitive and thoughtful touches and insight helped to create a lasting memorial for my family and friends. We will keep the words, music and images tucked away in our hearts forever. Thank you for the extra time afforded to my ‘teary’ breakdowns during this process. Your grace and kindness helped me get through the tough parts.”
Christina S.

 

Talk about tears!! Danna, you are absolutely fabulous and your gorgeous ability to wordsmith our love story was the most wonderful thing I could have ever imagined. As a Pagan, it’s worth noting that from the moment I read your website, I felt in my soul that you were the celebrant we needed and every time we talk, those feelings well up inside me. I am truly grateful for you and am so very blessed to have had you as our celebrant!”
Brandi

 

I don’t have words to express my appreciation for how much healing the Celebration of Life brought to our family and friends. Our beloved J’s energy was with us during every moment and Danna was there to guide us with poems, and words of wisdom to connect with him in magical ways that will last forever.”
Pedro

 

Wow! You did such a phenomenal job of telling J’s story. Words cannot express how thankful I am to you for the beautiful celebration of life ceremony YOU made possible. We would have been lost without your guidance. Your thoughtfulness, organization, attention to detail, and deep compassion and understanding amazed me. I don’t think we could have hired anyone to do a better job than you. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I know my brother would have approved and that means everything to me. You are a true gift to the world.”
Gena

 

We are SO HAPPY we hired Danna to officiate our wedding!! Her process is very detailed, meaningful, and unique. Even though her service is more expensive than other officiants or celebrants, she is worth every penny. The amount of time and effort she put into our ceremony and all of the unique ideas she came up with more than made up for the price. Countless wedding guests commented on how much they loved the ceremony Danna put together and how much they really like her way of telling our story and leading the ceremony. Her demeanor, humor, and storytelling abilities were in another league compared to anything I’ve ever seen at another wedding ceremony. If you get the chance to work with Danna, do it!”
Barrett

 

The ceremony you helped curate for our couple was one of the most unique and beautiful I have captured. You
are a gem and bring something extra to the table for everyone who is lucky enough to work with you!”
Valerie, Valerie Blake Photography

 

We are so glad we chose Danna to officiate our intimate wedding ceremony! From the beginning, Danna was extremely thorough in explaining the entire process and provided us with many different tips and insights for our ceremony. We are thankful to have found someone who worked collaboratively with us on crafting our ceremony to reflect us as a couple. We valued her thoughtfulness, creativity, and attention to detail. She created a cue sheet to give to our musician, which made the ceremony go by seamlessly, and our photographer even commented on how great Danna was as well. Truly a wonderful experience!”
Jessica

 

We loved our experience working with Danna and our ceremony was more meaningful and memorable than we could have ever imagined it could be. We highly recommend working with a Celebrant to craft and perform your ceremony, their work is truly an art. We were fortunate in finding Danna, as she was recommended to us by a family member. Just hearing how our family member spoke of Danna’s talent and work, we knew we wanted her to officiate our wedding. Danna’s methods involved getting to know us, helping us to get to know each other better, and creating a ceremony that incorporated our thoughts, feelings, and voices. We heard nothing but compliments from our guests about how beautiful, unique, and specific-to-us our ceremony was. The cost may be higher than comparing with other officiant options, but to get a personalized ceremony and to work closely with Danna was worth every penny for us.”
Katelynn

 

Danna was wonderful to work with, she really captured the unique, ethereal, magical vibe we were dreamed of for our wedding. We had multiple weddings guests express that it was the most beautiful ceremony they had ever seen. Danna crafted a tailored ceremony that focused on our love story including special rituals that we chose together. We highly recommend Danna!”
Else

 

Best Ceremony Ever! That’s what we heard over and over from friends and family during and after our wedding. Danna crafted a ceremony around our love story, reflected our culture, and included rituals which involved not only closest friends and family, but everyone in attendance! Danna pays attention to every detail, coordinating with other vendors: flowers, music, and venue. It was the most beautiful day of our lives!”
Ana

 

I wanted to make sure that you knew how grateful I was for the obvious care you took to get to know Dan and to design and run a service that would have delighted him. You have an incredible gift. Thank you for sharing it with us.”
Keisha

 

I just wanted to thank you, again, for such a lovely service. You really helped make it a perfect tribute to him. I know you worked closely with all of us to prepare and I was very impressed with how well you were able to capture him. It seems clear that like our friend, you found your calling and really have a gift for it.”
HW

 

I heard from several attendees that the memorial was the best they have ever attended. I was truly moved by the speakers and how eloquently you shared memories of his life. Thank you for all your work and preparation. It was an emotional day and helped bring closure for me.”
Brian

 

I want to say that this was the most beautiful memorial I have ever been to. Your words were so true and honored his life in a way that was all encompassing, authentic, thoughtful, raw, and polished. You captured more than just his walk through life but his essence of being. It felt like you were channeling his spirit and brought him close to me in that time. Thank you so much for this.”
Meg

 

You were the perfect partner in our time of need. We’re so grateful for everything you did to help us honor our friend while keeping us grounded and sane as we grieved along the way. Forever grateful that you connected with this important calling and shared it with us.” 
Will

 

Thank you, Danna for all that you did and for leading a beautiful memorial service! We keep hearing such amazing feedback about your role/words!”
Sarah

 

The ceremony is perfect. I’m so very pleased, Danna. You are a true wordsmith. I appreciate all you have done for this. Your work is beautiful.”
Karen

 

I’m still very touched with the ceremony you put together. It was so touching and thoughtful. You really captured Dad’s soul!!”
Tina

 

Thank you again for the wonderful ceremony. Many folks said how great it was.”
Jeff

 

I’m so grateful to have had your support in walking through one of the hardest times in my life. Thank you for all your care, grace, and attention to detail in making it a special event. I’ve received so many positive messages about the service.”
CP

 

Danna, I can’t thank you enough for making my mom’s celebration so beautiful and healing, and for helping us get it all together…we made Mom proud!!”
Mandy

 

Thank you for all you did for my dad and our family. You were invaluable in my dad’s life and his end of life. Words (not even my dad’s vocabulary) could capture the quality of life, the celebration of life, and the blessedness of life and family that you elucidated and illuminated for all of us, during my dad’s time on hospice but especially during my dad’s transition from his life with us. You were pivotal in painting a picture, and allowing us to see the picture, of the celebration of a life well lived, rather than suffering the loss of a father. You have my greatest respect and profound appreciation. I hope you are empowered by my dad’s death to continue to help others the way you helped us. You bring comfort into the lives of those you meet. Thank you very much for your work, your kindness, your humanity.”
Todd

 

Danna was a true gift to our family following the unexpected death of my brother. She took the guesswork out of “where do we even begin,” and got right to work getting to know my brother and our family. Danna helped us weave our faith into the service without making it “too churchy,” and provided both biblical scripture and secular readings she selected to accomplish the tone we wanted for the memorial. But she also openly welcomed any suggestions we brought to the table, understanding they were significant to us. Danna drafted a truly beautiful and honoring life tribute for our brother and provided guidance and feedback in the crafting of our own eulogies to our brother. As Danna spoke of my brother in the service, the significant time and effort she put into getting to know who he was during his life was evident. Her words throughout the ceremony were heartfelt. Following the service, friends and family members were surprised to learn Danna had not known my brother while he was alive, as she communicated who he was so thoroughly. My family and I will forever be grateful to Danna for walking with us in our grief following the unexpected loss of my brother and helping us create and execute a memorial service/celebration of life that honored him so well.”
Molleigh

 

Thank you so much for helping us through this difficult time. You were such a blessing, making sure we had everything under control. It was a beautiful ceremony and I received a lot of compliments thanks to you. You are very professional at what you do and I’m sure you will continue helping families dealing with losing family members. I believe my son was smiling and singing with our Lord and that helps me to continue his work.”
Darryl

 

Thank you again for everything! I truly appreciate your support, professionalism and ability to organize the service.”
David

 

Danna was incredibly helpful in planning and executing my husband’s memorial. I was so lost on what to do and say and I cannot express what a relief it was to have her on my side. She was so professional, she knew what needed to get done (things I hadn’t even thought of!), she had lots of suggested readings and rituals, and she talked to all the family members and really got to know who my husband was so she could tell his story. She also talked to all of the eulogists and coordinated with the DJ, venue, musicians, audio/visual, etc. Most importantly, she listened to me and advocated for me all along the way. This was the hardest day of my life and I don’t know what I would have done without Danna by my side. I absolutely recommend her to anyone who finds themselves in my position. And while I hope I never need her services again, if I do, she’ll be the first person I call.”
Taylor

 

Thank you for capturing our mom’s essence so wonderfully, Danna. How beautiful, special, and on-point your words were – incredible! We are so appreciative and grateful for you. You are amazing and did such a beautiful job!”
Sophia

 

I cannot thank you enough for all the support and guidance you gave me these past several weeks. I could not have done this celebration of our mom without your steadfast advice.”
Liz

 

“Stunning! You captured my mama beautifully. And the eulogies were all wonderful. All in all, it was an incredible record of the life of an incredible woman. Thank you from the deepest part of me, Danna.”
Kate