Ceremonies…

THE FUNERAL CEREMONY

Finding yourself in the sad position of having to organise a funeral, a funeral for someone of any age and who may have died as a result of one of numerous possible causes of death can be so daunting. Whatever the circumstance, those closest to the person who has died or whoever is organising the funeral, will want to feel that they can give that person a fitting and heartfelt farewell; one that will sit comfortably with them and will remain as a treasured memory.

If the person who died held strong religious or cultural beliefs then the structure and content of the funeral is often clear-cut and you know how you want it to go and who you wish to officiate. If not then you will be respectfully and expertly guided by a Funeral Director or Funeral Arranger who, with their wealth of knowledge and experience, will assist you in finding an appropriate venue and religious officiant.

What happens though, if you know that your loved one had no connections with religion or would definitely not have wanted a final farewell linked to religion?

So many families feel the need to do something different to say goodbye to a loved one; they want to be able to honour a life in a bespoke way, acknowledging the unique life story of the person with love, dignity, sincerity and respect, giving them the attention they deserve.  As an independent celebrant and using an individual approach, I can help you to do this. I will spend time with you finding out all about the life story of the person whose funeral it is in order to create a beautiful, heartfelt ceremony.  I will listen carefully to your thoughts, ideas, memories and all the information you wish to share about your loved one;  I will ensure that the ceremony we create together, is meaningful and memorable and that we encompass their beliefs and values within it. The more personal the funeral the more meaningful it is, the more cathartic it is, the more you own it, the more you feel you’ve done something that is heartfelt, the more you feel that you have honoured the deceased and that you have done what will sit well with those left behind. Getting the final goodbye right and being given the option to choose how you wish this to be done can be an important part of the grieving process.

Occasionally, life circumstances may result in strained family relationships and the absence of close friends, resulting in few or no people to attend a funeral.  Despite this sad situation I am able to create a ceremony which is respectful of the person who has died and which will be sensitive in its content.

It is important to me to do what is right for the people or person I am working with and for the person who has died. Each person is different and therefore each funeral will be different; a unique ceremony for a unique individual no matter what the circumstances of death are or the relationship the deceased person had with family , friends or carers.

SCATTERING OF ASHES CEREMONY

You may have the ashes of someone who has died that you wish to scatter and would like a short ceremony to help make this occasion more special and memorable.  Feel free to contact me to chat about this.

POST LOCKDOWN CELEBRATION OF LIFE CEREMONY

If you have experienced the death of someone close to you during lockdown either from Covid or another cause, you almost certainly won’t have been able to have the farewell ceremony you would have hoped for. I know that some people have really appreciated the intimacy that this has resulted in but I also know that others have found it incredibly difficult not to be able to include all the people who, in normal circumstances, would have been there.

I can offer an informal ceremony to help those people who would like to celebrate and honour the life of someone whose funeral wasn’t what they’d hoped for. This celebration can be at a venue of your choice (even your own home) and can include tributes, open space where anyone can say something, readings, poems, music, food, activities loved by the person who has died, video tributes etc. and could also be a prelude to a party or further celebrations . The content is up to you but I am happy to guide you through it and conduct the ceremony on the day if you wish. Together we can make it as personal and bespoke as you wish!

MEMORIAL SERVICE

Very similar to the Celebration of Life Ceremony but less informal. We can follow more of a structure similar to that of the funeral service especially if the ashes of the person who has died are present. Once again, we can work together to create a ceremony which honours the life of the person who has died, in a personal way.

You can book me independently or you can tell your Funeral Director/Arranger that you would like to use me.