Why plan your funeral in advance?

We are all different and it wouldn’t occur to some of us to plan what will happen after we die. But for others putting plans in place, because we know what we’d like, to reassure those we will leave behind of our wishes, or for any other reason, gives peace of mind.

Some people make plans for their funeral ceremony when they know they are likely to die soon whereas others have no idea when that will be but would like to have things organised. Whatever your reason for wishing to plan your funeral ceremony I’m happy to discuss your ideas with you. I can’t help you plan the funeral itself and that is usually done by family and friends with the help of a Funeral Director.

 

How much of your ceremony would you like to plan?

I can offer everything from an initial chat through to writing the draft ceremony with a view to delivering it for you.

Enquiry. If you’d just like to talk through the planning process and considerations for a funeral ceremony then I am happy to talk through the options with you on the phone and there is no charge for this.

Consultation. If after speaking to me on the phone you’d like to take things further I’d suggest we have a meeting, either face to face or virtually, to discuss your plans and to consider in more detail what you would like your ceremony to include. Meetings can last up to 2 hours during which I’ll take notes and afterwards I’ll create a simple outline plan of your wishes for your ceremony. You can keep this information in a safe place ready for your next of kin or you can choose to move to the next stage and have the ceremony written into a script.

Preparation of a draft ceremony.  This involves creating the script of your ceremony. Your story hasn’t ended so it may be there will be more to add and I can leave space for this, but as far as possible I’ll write the complete script. A copy of the draft can be held in the Humanist UK repository for safe keeping until needed.

Delivery of the ceremony. When the time comes I will retrieve the script from the depository and review it in agreement with your wishes, making any updates needed. If for any reason I am not able to deliver the ceremony Humanists UK can put you in touch with their other accredited celebrants nearby.

 

Charges

If you know you are nearing the end of your life and would like me to prepare the ceremony and deliver it my usual fee of £195 applies

If you are planning ahead:

Consultation and a simple outline plan £50 (deducted from the draft preparation fee if you go to the next stage)

Preparation of draft of ceremony with the option of storage in the Humanist UK repository £140

Delivery of the ceremony with minor amendments £60 if I deliver it. If a different celebrant is used they may charge a different rate but note the Humanist UK celebrants are committed to charging fairly.

Please feel free to get in contact with me if you have any questions.