Funerals

I understand that a celebrant funeral may seem a different approach to what you are used to. But chances are, more than probable, you have been to a celebrant funeral before. Usually if the funeral is not being conducted by a religious individual from the deceased’s faith, it is performed by a celebrant.

Celebrants meet (face to face or virtually) with the deceased family and friends to gather lots of information about the deceased before they spend time writing the funeral ceremony completely. That is from the opening words, the eulogy, committal if required, and closing words. It may be that a family member or friend wishes to speak at the funeral and the celebrant would liaise with the individual(s) about content, timing etc. The celebrant would also discuss music choices, poems and any other content the family and friends would like included in the funeral service. Once the complete ceremony is written, including all the beautiful words from loved ones, it is sent to the family for proof reading and approval. Any changes are made before the funeral day. On the day, the celebrant will be there to meet the family at the crematorium before conducting the ceremony as agreed.

Some people may wonder how I am able to switch between celebrating the happy times of weddings and naming ceremonies to the sombre, heart wrenching occasions of funerals but they truth is that I appreciate the ability to celebrate all significant times of a person’s life. Funerals give the opportunity to celebrate a person’s life and attempt to wrap up all their achievements, nuances, life moments, personality and love; sometimes within 20 minutes. Which, in itself, is a challenging task. The idea of becoming a celebrant came to me through experiencing the loss of my own loved ones and being given the privileged chance to speak at their celebrant funerals. My passion and ignition for celebrancy grew from funerals. So I feel I am more than able to tune into families, understand their needs, be compassionate and understanding, regardless of whether or not hours earlier I was celebrating a wedding or a baby’s welcoming.

Celebrants are often put in touch with families by the funeral director however, families are more than able to request a particular celebrant if they feel they align with the families morals and wishes or if the celebrant is known to the families through previous interactions. So if you wish for me to conduct your loved one’s funeral, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me direct or ask the funeral director to do so. As with a wedding, I feel it’s very important to choose a celebrant that you feel comfortable with and will do your loved one proud. There are no second chances with funerals so it is important to get it right first time.