If you have arrived at this page looking for a funeral celebrant, you may well be feeling like you’re in an emotional whirlwind. Planning the farewell of a significant person in your life isn’t likely to be easy, but I’m here to help in any way I can.
All humans are individual; we are all different, and yet we are all the same. Each of us has a unique life story. It is my role to take their story, incorporate their passions, their impact on those around them and to celebrate the life they lived. We can take their music; we can take their habits; we can take their times with other people and the special things they said – and didn’t say – and weave them all in to a story individual to them. This can all be aided through poems and readings, given either by me, you or anyone else at the ceremony.
There will be times for poignancy, for contemplation and remembering. There will also be times to smile, to remember the silly things, to remember the crazy things, to remember the odd things.
I am able to assist and write ceremonies for all the following occasions. This guidance hopefully helps you understand what it is you would like me to plan. Every ceremony is unique, and may actually incorporate elements of all you read below. When you contact me, we will be able to define your requirements clearly and make sure the ceremony is exactly what the deceased would have liked it to be.
Funerals tend to have a coffin, or casket, present at the ceremony. The coffin may be marched into and out of the venue, or it could be in place before the mourners arrive. The coffin will normally form the centre of the ceremony and be clearly in the eyeline of those attending. Predominantly, the ceremony itself will be inside a venue, such as a crematorium. Part of the ceremony may also be outdoors, such as a burial at a cemetery.
A note on grief
Grief is a perfectly normal natural process. There is evidence across the animal kingdom of many species experiencing grief. There are many great books and other types of material showing the process of grief, but in my experience, the important part about grief is not to try to avoid it. I believe you should immerse yourself in the memories of your loved one. The good ones. The silly ones. The poignant ones. Grief isn’t something to be rushed, and nor is there a timescale. We don’t recover from grief, we just learn to live with the pain. This is the basis of humanist funerals, to celebrate the life lived and the memories experienced.
