When I lead a ceremony as a celebrant, the most important thing for you to know is that it is completely individual to the person we are remembering.  Every one is therefore different.

I will have written a script that captures their personality and you will have seen the core of this.  We’ll have talked through any music and perhaps readings you want to include and even how you wish me to deliver it.  Perhaps we’ll have also agreed on a dress code, many ceremonies these days are colourful.

I normally arrive an hour before the service to check final things for the service and when the coffin arrives in the hearse, I will normally lead the coffin to your chosen music into the chapel.  I will then speak from the lectern and deliver the tribute to your loved one on your behalf.

In the North East, where I carry out my celebrant work, the chapels at Stockton, Darlington and Wear Valley give you time for a 30 minute service, whereas Durham, Teesside, Sunderland and Darlington have 15 minute services.  The amount of time we have therefore has a big impact of how we put the service together.  I will always work with the family and the Funeral Director to ensure time limits are adhered too.

I also do a number of burial services, either held totally at the graveside or in the chapel first then at the graveside.  A burial service typically has no strict time limit but is outdoors.

Memorial services, also known as a Celebration of Life, are often held after a direct cremation, or where a service has been held elsewhere.  They can be done in gardens, pubs/halls, indeed anywhere where there is space and time for a get together.  The structure is similar, but there is no time limit, often many guests will have a few words to say and a toast replaces the committal.

07753 822393  jwellsguroo@gmail.com