I will meet you where you are – literally, in yours or your person’s home and wherever you are in your planning and thought process – to make sure I meet your needs.
There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ when it comes to funerals – just like every person is one of a kind. But, the right kind of funeral ceremony can bring people together and carefully create time and space to celebrate the person in a creative and warming way.
That might mean a full-on celebration with music, contributions and modern rituals that just won’t fit into a standard time slot at the crematorium. In that case, you might want to throw the outdated rulebook for funerals out the window. Because, really, there are no rules when it comes to funerals.
You are free to have a funeral, celebration of life or memorial (the name doesn’t really matter) for your person wherever you like, for how long as you like and incorporating any elements you like. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. And, you can have the person that died present in their coffin.
“Gitte wonderfully coordinated a wide diversity of inputs in the life celebration of my friend… A ceremony planned with many viewpoints, organised by friends, inclusive of family wishes.. and a Zimbabwean perspective too. It was a wonderful service and fitting tribute, much appreciated by the 100 attendees. It would have been challenging, to say the least, to coordinate this without the guidance of a professional. I would wholeharteadly recommend Gitte’s services, to bring together a fitting event, in my case, at a challenging time. Thank you Gitte!”
I work with families and friends to create funerals, memorials and celebrations of life that are fitting for the person and that feels right for those saying farewell.
You don’t have to know exactly what you want for the service. I will help you find out what feels right and what would work best. I have made it my mission to embrace and offer all that is possible for a non-religious funeral ceremony. I can give you as much support and guidance as you feel you need – from a gentle nudge in the right direction to a full or extended ceremony service.
With my experience in creating deeply personalised end of life ceremonies – from creative cremation services to non-traditional natural burials and ceremonies in alternative venues – I can help you plan an original and fitting send-off.
I can even help you plan most of the other elements of the funeral too, in my capacity as independent funeral planner/arranger.
I am a Humanist UK trained and accredited funeral celebrant as well as mentor to trainee celebrants. With my further training as a Celebrant Plus celebrant and Coffin Club Brighton founder, you are in very safe hands.
What does a funeral celebrant do and say?
No matter what kind of funeral you choose, a celebrant can help you plan a funeral ceremony or celebration of life that includes all the right elements for a proper send-off. They can:
Meet with you and anyone else important in your person’s home (if is right and possible) to get a better understanding of the person
Talk with you to collect stories, contributions and other words to describe, celebrate or honour your person
Write a ceremony script, including all the words shared. E.g. a tribute/eulogy and other elements that describes how your person lived, what they believed in and who and what they loved – and what others loved about them. The script is usually shared with you, so you can check and update any details, and also help you feel prepared for the day of the funeral.
Help find the any music, readings and symbolic rituals (e.g. laying of items, lighting of candle or something completely personal) to include in the ceremony. Often this is just to inspire, as you should never choose songs or poems just for the sake of it: be brave in your authentic choices.
Lead the ceremony to help bring your person’s life to mind vividly and authentically, using the agreed script.
Facilitate contributors – both in the planning and support of contributions and on the day.
How do you say goodbye in the most authentic way?
“You must take from it the hope, love and courage that other people give you in what they thought about your loved one.”
— Michael Rosen, On the importance of a good funeral
A community garden ceremony with singing, hot drinks and tributes, followed by unattended (direct) cremation.
I wholeheartedly agree with Michael Rosen (above) and believe that a good funeral is both emotional and meaningful, but that doesn’t mean that it has to be sombre and sad. I focus on making the ceremony uplifting, by including humour (when and if appropriate), wonderful or wicked memories, reflection time as well as respect and consideration for everyone involved.
If you do not want to follow the conventional structure of a funeral service, you are free to personalise it in any way you choose. There is no template for how a ceremony in a chapel should go, and you don’t have to have the actual funeral in a chapel either.
You can have a funeral or memorial anywhere you like – if you separate the ceremony from the cremation or burial – and then be free from restrictions on time, location or content and style of the ceremony.
An extended service held at Stamner House, Brighton, following a private burial.
A natural burial followed by a picnic and ceremony in the same location.
If you think a crematorium chapel slot of 20-40 minutes won’t do your person justice, then don’t do it. Have the ceremony / celebration in another venue (with the person inside the coffin present, if you like!) and take the person for a cremation or burial afterwards (either unattended or with a close crowd present).
You can have a celebration of life in an alternative venue, such as the person’s favourite pub, club or outdoor space – with the coffin present.
No matter what kind of funeral you choose, I make sure to get the tone, facts and story right for the service by working really closely with you, as a family, and with any other people that would like to be involved. I do not limit my time to one meeting or person and will take the time needed.
I will meet with you as soon as possible as we make contact to make sure there is time to get everything right. You will receive a draft copy of the script in good time, and I will work on it until you are comfortable with everything in the service. I will continue to be available for questions and updates before the service. On the day of the service, I will be there for you to welcome you and other people, I will deliver the ceremony with warmth and clarity and I will support you as you say goodbye.
My journey as a Humanist celebrant started when I was lucky to attend a heartfelt and utterly personal humanist funeral. I was so impressed with how authentic it was, compared to church funerals. Their story was told honestly and warmly, recognising the other lives that our friend had touched in their life. This is when I realised that I wanted to be part of helping others give their loved one a truly personal send-off by bringing in all my skills and experience from teaching, mentoring and presenting.
If you’d like to know a bit more about me, check out my About Gitte page.
Your options
Most funeral services are cremations in a chapel, but there are many other options and you have a lot of flexibility for how you want to organise a funeral.
You can have a natural burial, where the body is lowered into the ground – the ceremony can take place in a chapel first, or partly in chapel and by the burial ground, or have the complete ceremony in the natural surroundings of the burial place.
If you’d rather not have a service, or have the service later at a different venue, you could have a direct cremation. This means that no one will attend and the body of the deceased is cremated by crematorium staff. You will still be able to collect the ashes to keep, scatter or have with you at a later remembrance service as a celebration of life.
A funeral or remembrance service can take place anywhere. You are even allowed to organise and facilitate the whole process yourself. There are few legal requirements for this (which I am happy to talk through with you).
If you would rather have a more supported service, where I lead according to your input, you could follow a more familiar structure:
Introductory music
Words of welcome
Thoughts on life and loss
Personal tributes from family and friends
The tribute – a beautiful story of the life and personality of the person who has died
Readings of poetry and prose
Reflection – either in silence or accompanied by music
The committal – when the curtains are closed or the coffin is lowered
Closing words – including thanks on your behalf
Final music
“From the moment I met Gitte I knew she was going to be a wonderful celebrant to conduct my brother’s ceremony. She was kind, warm, compassionate and supportive throughout the whole process and there was excellent communication and quick responses to any queries or concerns I had. On the day, she conducted the ceremony with warmth, compassion, some gentle humour which helped everyone relax as we said our farewells to my dear brother Julian. She made the day go as well as it could and I will be forever grateful to her. Thank you Gitte”— Linda
Our meeting
My most important focus for the funeral is to acknowledge and celebrate the person that died with a true and thoughtful tribute. To be able to do this, I will meet with you to learn about them, often in their or your home, if possible. I will be asking about details such as:
Date and place of birth, family tree, how they grew up, school, work, hobbies and where they’ve lived and if there are any stories from those times.
Character traits: Loves, hates/dislikes, struggles, passions, what made them laugh/happy, relationships, style, music, film and literature choices etc.
If anyone would like to contribute with reading, music or personal words.
How would other people describe them? How would they like to be remembered?
It is always a good idea to think about these things, or even discuss them with other family members or friends, before our meeting.
My fees
A single-slot crematorium funeral or burial chapel service from £350.
A double-slot crematorium funeral or burial chapel service from £450.
(There is an additional charge of £50 for a burial taking place in addition to a chapel service.)
Alternative venue celebration-of-life from £500.
All fees are for greater Brighton & Hove area, and a small travel fee added for ceremonies further afield.
What is a humanist funeral?
Have a look here to find out more about humanist funerals, eco-friendly options, stories from others and more.
Get in touch if you would like to know more about the different options available and how they work, enquiry for availability or to book me:
I am based in Brighton & Hove and conduct funeral and wedding ceremonies in the South East of England, but I am also happy to travel further. I am also happy to discuss travelling abroad.
A natural burial followed by a picnic and ceremony in the same location.
An extended service held at Stamner House, Brighton, following a private burial.
Who we are
HUMANIST CEREMONIES™ is a network of humanist celebrants trained and accredited by Humanists UK. We offer humanist naming, wedding or partnership, and funeral and memorial ceremonies for non-religious people. Each ceremony is unique, appropriate, and personal. Our skilled celebrants come from all walks of life and have great integrity, sensitivity and experience. Their ceremonies reflect these personal qualities and the excellence of our training.
Feedback
Feedback forms show that 97% of clients rate our celebrants' performance as 5/5 or 'excellent'. To leave feedback after a ceremony, click here.
Where are we?
Humanist Ceremonies™ offers non-religious ceremonies throughout England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands. In Scotland, these ceremonies are offered by Humanist Society Scotland.
Humanist Ceremonies™ is part of Humanists UK | 39 Moreland Street, London, EC1V 8BB | Login
