Celebrating the Life of our loved ones

Bidding farewell in never easy and the last goodbye is always the hardest. Losing a loved one means that you and your family are going through tremendous turmoil and sadness and preparing for a funeral is a deeply emotional journey.

As your Celebrant I will be there to work closely with you, your family and the Funeral Directors to ensure that the ceremony to celebrate the life of your loved one will be one that fully reflects your wishes, values and needs.

As you Celebrant I will meet with you to gain a full understand of your wishes, circumstances and needs.
I will prepare for you a fully bespoke and structured ceremony.
I will prepare and deliver for you an introduction and welcome speech.
I will work closely with you to create a full eulogy that tells the story and pays full tribute to your loved one.
The choice of who will deliver the eulogy rest entirely with you. You may wish to deliver it yourself or choose a friend or family member. If your wish I will deliver the eulogy for you.
I will guide you, if you wish, in choosing music, readings or a poem that you may wish the Celebrant, a member of your family or a friend to deliver during the ceremony.
I will write and deliver the final farewell, for your loved one.
I will offer you the choice of including a symbolic ceremony or act. I have listed some below. These are just a few. Don’t forget together we can create a fully bespoke one that is reflective of your wishes.
I will provide you with the full scripts of the ceremony long in advance to ensure that they are just what you wish for.

Just remember, the structure and phases of a Celebrant-led ceremony are not fixed and the choice of what to include and how to hold the ceremony will be is entirely Yours!

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Symbolic Ceremonies

Beautiful rituals have been part of funerals, end of life celebrations and memorials across the world for centuries and some have evolved and adapted through times and cultures.
You may be familiar with some that form part of your cultural heritage and you may feel it important to include them in your ceremony. Some totally transcend cultures and are simply beautifully representative of love, unity, growth.
I have listed below a few that you may wish to include as part of the ceremony, and in fact, you may know of some that I am not familiar with! Of course do not forget that together we can create one just for you!

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Ashes Scattering or Internment

For those who choose cremation, following the funeral ceremony, the family will receive the ashes of their loved ones.
Perhaps the deceased had shared a specific wish of having the ashes scattered in a place they particularly loved. Perhaps their wish was to intern the ashes in a cemetery, a natural burial ground or their own garden.
Also, very sadly, as a result of the pandemic, many families have not had the ability to honour their loved ones with the ceremony they would have wished for. Being able to hold a special Ashes ceremony is a beautiful way of paying tribute.
As your Celebrant I can support you in officiating an intimate or large Ashes ceremony to mark this poignant and final moment.

Memorials

Due to circumstances, families may not have had the opportunity to fully mourn and bid farewell to their loved one in the way they would have wished to. This sadly has been very true for many during the pandemic.
A Memorial Ceremony is a beautiful way to remember our loved ones and honour them, pay full tribute to them as we we would like. A Memorial Ceremony can be held anywhere you wish. It can include anything you wish, including perhaps the eulogy that was not given, our loved one’s favourite readings, music. The choice is yours. As your celebrant I will work closely with you to create and deliver a Memorial Ceremony that will fully reflect you and your wishes.

Lighting a Unity Candle

This traditional ceremony represents everlasting love. Family and guest will each hold a lit candle. A pillar candle representing the deceased will be lit by a member of the family, or a friend, and in succession each will join the flame of their candle with that of their loved one.

Planting a Tree

Planting a tree in the garden, or in a pot, is beautiful way to remember our loved ones and pay tribute to their life, the memories that they leave us with and the love that will not fade but blossom over the years to come.
The ceremony can also take place during the scattering or interment of the ashes.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why Choose a Celebrant-led Funeral?

A Celebrant-led service will allow you to weave into the ceremony exactly what you wish for. Fully bespoke, it will be a true reflection of the deceased, and the values, wishes and needs you shared.
As your Celebrant I will work with you to bring not only the required individuality to the service but also create with you a true Celebration of the Life of your loved one, weaving serenity into the ceremony and bringing back the beautiful moments and the legacy of the deceased.
Often your loved one will have shared specific wishes for the ceremony, verbally or through their last will and testament. As your Celebrant I will support you to ensure these wishes are weaved into the ceremony. This is a time to remember and pay full tribute to who they were, their values, beliefs and celebrate their life and legacy.

Where can I hold the Ceremony?

Traditionally funerals are held in churches, crematoria or burial sites. However, a Celebrant-led service can be held wherever the deceased might have wished. If you do not wish to have a Church, Crematorium or Cemetery ceremony, you may choose to hold it in a Natural Burial Ground, or a location that meant something special to your loved one such as you home, garden, woodland, or by the sea, provided one has the owner’s permission.

How do you choose your Celebrant?

Having an initial meeting with a Celebrant will be key for you to assess if he/she will one who you will feel able to entrust with the task of creating the perfect ceremony for you.
As your Celebrant I commit to support you fully in creating and delivering a ceremony that fully meets your values, desires and needs.
As your Celebrant I will be there to support you, answer all your questions, meet with you as often as needed and make you feel that you are in safe hands.

How long does a ceremony last?

As your Celebrant I will guide you through the required planning for the ceremony. It is vital that every ceremony has a clear structure and that the right amount of time is allocated. Cemetery, Crematorium and Burial Ground services vary in length as timings are dictated by the location. On average these locations allow for 30 to 40 minutes. Families are however able to book double time if they wish to.

Budgeting

Every ceremony is different. However, aware of how difficult planning an End of Life Ceremony is, I believe it is important to keep these matters simple and transparent. My fees for fully bespoke ceremonies are:

Funerals £365
Ashes Scattering/Interment £250
Memorials £250

Note - Costs related to long distance travel (> 40 miles), required overnight stays etc. will be discussed and agreed separately.

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