Pittsburgh Officiants + Premarital Counseling

Art Donsky, D.Div., MSW - Rabbi Without Walls

Pittsburgh and Beyond..destination weddings welcome!

About This Vendor

Art Donsky - fully-inclusive unique weddings...

You want a wedding as individual as you are! A day filled with joy and personal meaning. Look no further. Hi, I’m Art, an award winning "Best of The Knot" clergy who is passionate about helping ALL couples create a unique ceremony for their special day. Providing inclusive and welcoming celebrations especially for couples of diverse faiths and sexual orientation I am ready, willing, and able to help! I have more than 30 years of experience co-creating meaningful wedding celebrations. I joyfully officiate at a variety of services including: interfaith, co-officiation with ministers, priests & others, LGBTQ, non-denominational, secular & Jewish wedding celebrations. I am available for travel & destination weddings. My fee varies based upon the nature of your ceremony - will it be a quick civil-like ceremony for your elopement or co-officiation with a member of the clergy from another faith community with many meetings and counseling or something in-between. Every ceremony is unique. Let's connect and discuss your ceremony; you'll be glad you did. Please know I will never turn away any couple because of financial reasons!!!!! That's a promise! This is a non-judgement zone! Let's talk: call or text: 412-389-6581.

Details

Ceremony Types

Civil Union, Commitment Ceremony, Elopement, Interfaith Ceremony, Non-Religious Ceremony, Religious Ceremony, Second Wedding , Vow Renewal Ceremony

Religious Affiliations

Buddhist, Interfaith, Jewish, Conservative, Reform, Secular, Spiritual, Wiccan

Wedding Activities

After The Wedding, Newlywed Life, Getting Engaged, Premarital Counseling, Wedding, Ceremony

Awards and Affiliations

Art Donsky, D.Div., MSW - Rabbi Without Walls Reviews

Reviewed On 12/16/2022 by Lisa K

Rabbi Art did such a wonderful job with our wedding ceremony. He really tailored it to what we were looking for, which was a mix of traditional Jewish elements with more broader themes of love and connectedness. We also appreciated him explaini...

ng the Jewish elements throughout the ceremony so all our guests understood what we were doing. He took the time to get to know us through premarital sessions over the year or so we worked together, and was super helpful in having us choose readings, our ketubah, etc. He also had us write letters about each other which he read aloud to the other during the ceremony, which allowed us to still say personal things to each other without the stress of doing it ourselves so we really could enjoy the moment. So much positive feedback, and he really emanates kindness and sincerity. Thank you Rabbi Art!!

Reviewed On 11/04/2022 by Emily L

Rabbi Art was amazing at our interfaith wedding! I am Jewish and always wanted a Rabbi to marry me, but my now husband and most of our family are Catholic. Rabbi Art made everyone feel included! He explained each part of the ceremony for the ...

guests, and we were able to include/not include however much Hebrew we wanted. The feedback from our guests was extremely positive, everyone said it was the most unique ceremony they had been to, and loved that Rabbi Art shared for the first time readings we had written to each other about why we wanted to marry the other person. A lot of happy tears were shed during the ceremony, and we can't thank and recommend Rabbi Art enough!

Response from the Vendor on 11/07/2022

Hi Emily, Thank you for you kind words! You looked so beautiful and I am so glad your family and friends felt included; that was our collective goal. Wish you and Zach a wonderful life together, Much love, Art

Reviewed On 10/28/2022 by Mia B

Art made our wedding more special than I could've imagined! His experience and thoughtfulness made the ceremony something that I will hold in my heart for the rest of my life—and I know my husband feels the same. He really took the time to get ...

to know us and helped us craft a ceremony that was reflective of our story and our values. Also—he's just a great overall guy. We loved getting to know him!!! Our meetings were always fun and he helped us keep calm even though weddings are notoriously stressful. His empathy and preparedness put me at ease. I would absolutely recommend him to anyone getting married!!!

Response from the Vendor on 11/07/2022

Thank you, Mia! I was so honored to be chosen as your wedding officiant. I wish you both a joyous and wonderful life. Much love, Art

Reviewed On 10/06/2022 by Cassie T

Rabbi Art did a terrific job with our wedding ceremony! We truly enjoyed every minute of it. Rabbi Art did a great job of mixing traditional Jewish wedding elements into a broader, spiritual message. He also asked us to privately email him i...

n advance explaining why we want to marry each other. We were apprehensive about writing our own vows, so this was a perfect way to incorporate a personal element to our ceremony. Many guests complimented our ceremony and Rabbi Art. Great job indeed!!! I would give 10 stars if I could!

Reviewed On 9/11/2022 by Elizabeth K

Art is great! I knew him from before I knew my husband, but once I was engaged I reached out to say 'Do you still do weddings??' So glad the answer was YES! We didn't want a long, formal ceremony and we wanted the words to be secular, with some...

nods to Jewish tradition. He did a perfect job of keeping our ceremony short and sweet yet still meaningful, exactly like we wanted.

Response from the Vendor on 09/11/2022

Thank you so much for your kind. Wishing you both only best for many, many years of joy and happiness together. Much love, Art

Reviewed On 11/14/2021 by Erinn M

Rabbi Art was great! We had an interfaith ceremony (Jewish-Catholic) using Rabbi Art and a local priest. Rabbi Art helped to make sure it would go exactly how we wanted, including aspects of both religions, and he worked so well with the priest...

. He was easy to work with ahead of time and blew us away during the ceremony. He kept things fun and always made sure to explain each aspect of the ceremony and why it was being included. We got a ton of compliments on our ceremony afterwards and we owe a lot of that to Rabbi Art!

Response from the Vendor on 11/14/2021

Thanks Erinn and Ethan, it was an honor to celebrate with both of you and your families!!! All the best.

Reviewed On 11/01/2021 by Miranda G

Rabbi Art was INCREDIBLE. We wanted to be married in a church but have both the Jewish and catholic sides of the family feel included Not only did both feel included but both sides felt the ceremony was amazing. Rabbi Art has a sincere passion...

for weddings of all kinds and helping interfaith couples like us make an memorable wedding day. Thank You Rabbi!

Response from the Vendor on 11/05/2021

Thank you for your very kind words. I am so glad that everyone felt included - that was my goal - and, of course, helping the two of you begin your married life with a beautiful and meaningful ceremony.

Reviewed On 10/21/2021 by Maria A

Rabbi Art was a pleasure to work with! It was great getting to know him and talk about both our vision for our ceremony and our lives in general. Rabbi Art was invaluable in helping us customize our ceremony, and making sure he incorporated tr...

aditions for us both as a couple being raised with different religious backgrounds. He was very helpful and responsive to any questions we had leading up to our wedding. He also did an amazing job explaining customs and traditions to us privately, and during the ceremony to our guests. We highly recommend Rabbi Art and couldn't have been happier with how our ceremony turned out.

Response from the Vendor on 10/24/2021

Thank you so much! You and Mark are an amazing couple. I wish you only the best. Rabbi Art.

Reviewed On 10/20/2021 by Andrew R

Rabbi Art did a fantastic time creating an inclusive and meaningful ceremony for all in attendance. His expertise in ceremony planning was helpful and we would highly recommend him!

Response from the Vendor on 10/24/2021

Thanks, Andrew. I enjoyed celebrating with you and Mia. All the best, Rabbi Art.

Reviewed On 10/19/2021 by Melissa K

It was my husband who was determined to have his Jewish bride married by a Rabbi because he knew how important it would be to me. When we first talked to Rabbi Art it took us less than 30 seconds to ask him to marry us. He immediately put us ...

at ease and made us feel like our ceremony could be tailored to exactly who we are as a couple. That being said, the ceremony far exceeded our expectations. He came up with an idea to include our family in the ceremony and was so thoughtful, supportive and very funny that everyone enjoyed it. We even had people coming up to us during the reception saying how it was the best ceremony they've ever witnessed. We can't thank him enough for what a wonderful officiant he was!

Response from the Vendor on 10/24/2021

Thanks for the kind words. You and Corey are just so perfect together. The location for the ceremony in your backyard was awesome and the atmosphere was so loving and supportive. All the best, Rabbi Art

Reviewed On 8/23/2021 by Marissa B

Rabbi Art was amazing! I’ve known him for most of my life and it was a no brainer to pick him as our officiant. Everyone at the wedding loved the ceremony and the warmth and love that he brought into it. He was so great and we would recommend h...

im!!

Response from the Vendor on 08/23/2021

Thanks Marissa! You and Dylan are such a wonderful couple. It was so beautiful to celebrate your wedding and see your family and friends. Rabbi Art.

Reviewed On 8/08/2021 by Stephanie P

Rabbi Art was wonderful. He worked on with our pastor to put together a beautiful interfaith ceremony.

Response from the Vendor on 08/08/2021

Thank you, Stephanie. It was truly a blessing to celebrate with you and Lee! All the best.

Reviewed On 6/25/2021 by Caitlyn S

To be completely honest, before our wedding, my husband and I thought that the ceremony would be our least favorite part of the wedding. Having people staring at us, awkwardly staring at each other, etc. Turns out, it was both of our FAVORITE p...

art of the entire day. Art worked with the two of us and has some amazing tricks up his sleeve that made our simple ceremony something that I wish I could repeat every day of my life. Though we wanted short, it felt so special and was completely custom to our personalities. All day people were commenting on how beautiful the ceremony was. I can not wait to get our photos and video back and watch our ceremony again. It was so beautiful. I wish I could give him more business but I don't plan on getting married again. :) -Married 6/12/21-

Response from the Vendor on 08/08/2021

Thank you so much! I can't wait to see the photos. I wish you both a long happy married life together.

Reviewed On 5/19/2021 by Marissa B

Rabbi Art was amazing to us in all stages of planning our interfaith ceremony. We are incredibly lucky and fortune for the time and consideration he put into planning it not only with us but also with our priest. We received many compliments on...

the structure and the ceremony overall, Art truly made it special.

Response from the Vendor on 08/08/2021

Thank you so much, Marissa! It was such a joy to be with you both on your wedding day. All the best. Art

Reviewed On 7/05/2020 by Kelly S

Rabbi Art is the most thorough and wonderful officiant to work with. My husband and I had a mix of Catholic and Jewish wedding traditions. He made sure to explain the history and traditions that were happening so that all attendees could unders...

tand and follow what was going on. He also made sure to make the ceremony personalized and tailored to our desires and made our dream wedding a reality. Thank you Rabbi Art for the amazing experience!

Reviewed On 10/15/2019 by Alison C

Being an interfaith marriage, it was really important to me to find someone who understood a great deal about the Jewish faith but was also open and accepting of interfaith marriages. Rabbi Art could have not been more perfect. We received so m...

any compliments from our guests about how beautiful and personal our ceremony was! Mazel tov!

Reviewed On 8/20/2019 by P H

Rabbi Art was awesome! Very easy to work with and amenable to what we wanted. He did a fantastic job performing the ceremony. Would highly recommend Rabbi Art!!

Reviewed On 8/20/2019 by Leah H

Very relaxed. Willing to work with your needs. Absolutely wonderful!

Reviewed On 8/19/2019 by Lindsay O

It will take a lifetime to express our gratitude to Art for officiating our wedding. Art is easy going, attentive, and made sure everything was as seamless as possible, leading up to and during the wedding. We received numerous compliments from...

guests saying how profoundly moved they were by the ceremony. Thank you again Art, for making it perfect! -Lindsay and David

Reviewed On 6/14/2019 by Cara Z

Art “The Don” Donsky, Where to even begin. This weekend was absolutely the best of both of our lives. We will relive that magical day over and over again throughout the years. Thanks so much for being a stellar part of the ceremony and the da...

y as a whole. You absolutely gave both of us exactly the wedding we were both hoping for. Everything turned out perfectly from start to finish, and we will forever hold a special place in our heart for you being the one to direct it. Do you happen to have a copy of the ceremony and the transcript of everything that was said? The day went so fast (as everyone told us it would) and we would love to have that memoir to relive when we want to take a stroll down memory lane of the BEST. WEEKEND. EVER. Thanks again for being a part of cementing our spiritual journey together. It’s been such a wild ride and we can’t thank you enough for being such an integral part of it. Sincerely, The Keffer's!

Reviewed On 5/28/2019 by Marissa K

I cannot say enough kind words about our experience with Rabbi Art. Our interfaith ceremony honored both of our backgrounds and both of our families were comfortable and beyond happy with how the ceremony was conducted. Rabbi Art was always att...

entive and available to us and we were immediately comfortable during our premarital sessions. I cannot imagine a better experience or officiant!

Reviewed On 1/14/2019 by Abby B

Rabbi Art was so easy to work with. He let us know right off the bat that the ceremony was our's to personalize and it could be as religious or non-religious as we wanted it to be. We incorporated a ring warming into the ceremony and had two ...

literary readings, with no judgement. He was punctual and professional, and filed our marriage license ASAP after the wedding.

Reviewed On 9/28/2018 by Zach B

It is unfathomable that we were able to find a rabbi who so perfectly fit what we needed for our wedding. Rabbi Art provided my wife and I with a deeply meaningful religious experience, while at the same time tolerating the fact that one of my ...

groomsmen was a co-officiant due to a lost bet. Rabbi Art spoke beautifully about the symbolic, spiritual nature of our union. Indeed, he facilitated a traditional Jewish wedding in such a manner that my gentile in-laws (unnerved by the idea of a Jewish wedding ceremony) found the ceremony to be profoundly moving. Rabbi Art is the perfect fit for any contemporary Jewish wedding, and should be a staple for modern Jews who still want a traditional spiritual experience.

Reviewed On 9/16/2018 by Jen N

Rabi Art was amazing. He preformed a ceromony, short and sweet, exactly what we had hoped for. He was very accommodating and easy to communicate with. We highly recommend him!

Reviewed On 9/11/2018 by Philip F

Rabbi Art did an amazing job and could not have made our day any better. He was provided great guidance and was attentive to those items which we wanted to be included in our wedding. We are very happy with our choice.

Reviewed On 9/08/2018 by Anya K

We decided to move our wedding plans up by six months. Why wait?! Rabbi Art was very easy to work with, accommodating us at such short notice. Both personable and professional, all questions for our interfaith wedding were answered fully and ch...

eerfully. Rabbi Art made it simple and easy to skype video conference. On the day of our small wedding, he arrived at the venue ahead of us. The ceremony itself was perfect, everything we wanted and had asked for. I highly recommend Rabbi Art.