A celebrant led funeral can often be seen as a celebration of life. 

You are not limited to where to hold a funeral. They can be at a crematorium, graveside, or a woodland burial 

Planning a funeral can be daunting, but I am here to help you and make it easier for you. They can often be painful, a difficult time for those arranging it and some of your decisions can be hard to make.

Although it may not feel like it at the time the funeral can be a celebration of life and a positive experience. It can be a time to say goodbye, and remember all the good things and great outcomes and accomplishments that have happened from their life. It is a chance to share happy memories and feelings and a time to honour and remember their life in a personal and special way. 

How my services work 

After our initial phone call I would suggest a face to face meeting with you, however I am also able to schedule a video call with you if you would prefer. During this time I will ask questions and offer advise if needed. I want to be able to paint a picture of the person I am writing the eulogy for, finding out about their interests, personality, what made them unique, and any achievements they had. I will then write a eulogy that fits with the personality of your loved one. 

I am able to offer you advice on readings, poems and music if you are unsure on what to chose, however I welcome using anything you want and I can incorporate your ideas if you already have chosen pieces in mind. 

After our initial meeting, I will spend time putting all of the words together to write a beautiful and fitting eulogy. I will write a piece that fits with their personality; whether that be light-hearted, more formal or with any humour, I will be guided by you to ensure this fits with what would of been their wishes and yours.

I will be on hand should you need to speak to me at any point or if you remember something important that was not mentioned at the time. 

I will share a copy of the script before prior to the date to ensure you are happy with the wording and that everything is correct. 

I will also liaise with your funeral director throughout this process to ensure that the service runs smoothly and is the wonderful tribute you wish for. 

On the day of the service we will meet you and your chosen funeral directors at the venue, I will ensure that it flows smoothly and that everything goes as planned. I am able to help incorporate family or friends who may wish to do a reading of their own, or may want to read a poem. Equally if someone is planning on a reading and can't do this on the day for any reason I am able to fill in for them. 

You may be wondering where to hold the funeral. You can chose to hold this at a crematorium, at a graveside, a woodland burial, a different community venue or your home. You do not have to hold the service on the day of the burial if you would rather be held another time. 

The service can be a humanist ceremony, can have spiritual beliefs and references and can include some religious elements and gestures. This is dependent on what you want the service to reflect. I am here for advice on all of this and can offer suggestions if you are unsure what would be best.

Memorial Services/ Celebration of life 

If you are holding a memorial service or celebration of life as opposed to a funeral you will have more freedom with your service as you wont be working with tight time frames that a crematorium or burial site may have. 

You can make this a more joyous occasion and include singers, a choir, a jazz band or another type of live music if this is fitting with your service. You could have a more relaxed atmosphere and keep the ceremony simple. It all depends on who the ceremony is for and what they would of wanted. 

Other options to make the service unique and special is to let balloons, doves or lanterns into the air. Other very unique options would be to go out with a bang, and let off fireworks (venue permitting), planting a tree in memory of the deceased, holding a memorial at sea and scattering ashes into the ocean. You could also scatter ashes at your chosen memorial site as long as it is permitted to do so. 

You could to wear bright colours or wear the favourite colour of who the memorial service is for. 

Similar to the funeral itself I would meet you to discuss your loved one who the ceremony is being held for, write a Eulogy and give advise on poems, readings and music. 

If you lost a loved one during the pandemic perhaps holding a memorial service for them will be a way to celebrate their life with family and friends who could not make the initial funeral.