More people are choosing the direct cremation option when they pre-plan their funeral.  This can leave family and friends wondering how to say goodbye; they want to honour their loved-ones wishes but they want to honour them and the life they led, too.  A post-cremation ceremony, often held at the beginning of a farewell gathering, or as part of an ashes scattering or interment, is an ideal way to celebrate the life and character of the deceased.

N.B. it is a sad fact that virtually all land is owned by someone, somewhere, so please do research very carefully before picking your ash scattering location.  If you are local to me, I live near Stony Stratford, and if you would like a very private woodland scattering,  our own ancient woodland is an option.  Find out more here.

Many people choose to mark the anniversary of their loved one’s death with a memorial.  A memorial can also be a fitting solution if the death and funeral took place abroad.

Post-cremation ceremonies and memorials can be held anywhere that is happy to host it.  You might choose to book a private room in a restaurant or pub or host it in your house or garden.  You are allowed to scatter ashes in your garden.

“We couldn’t have asked for more, Debbie is a wonderful celebrant. Kind, compassionate, caring.”

Unlike ceremonies held in a crematorium, there is no time constraint or set structure with this kind of ceremony; it can be as formal or informal as you like.  It can be entirely led by me with, or without, contributions from others or I can simply act as Master of Ceremonies and encourage others to share their stories and memories in an informally structured manner.  Music, readings, photographic slide shows and videos can also be included.

We would meet, beforehand, to plan.  The meeting would, usually, take between one and two hours and can include family members and friends, in person or virtually, or a mix of both.  The aim of this meeting is to organise the structure of the ceremony and give me a picture of the life and personality of the person we are remembering.  I will take note of your wishes and write up the content of the tribute section which I will then e mail to you to check and edit as you see fit.  When you are happy with the tribute, I will create your ceremony script.