For as long as there have been humans, there have been ceremonies to honour the memory of departed loved ones and to say goodbye so life can move on. Non-religious ceremonies are even more special. They don’t have to happen at a crematorium or cemetery, or even with the deceased in attendance!

You can include music, readings, singing, eulogies, slide shows, flash mobs, laying of flowers, sprinkling of herbs – but you don’t have to. It’s whatever you feel will properly reflect the person you are celebrating and help you to bid them farewell. There are many options to personalise your tribute, making each ceremony unique.

Following a memorial at Worcester Cricket Ground

As celebrant, I would help you negotiate these sometimes bewildering choices to create the perfect send-off. It is always an honour to be part of this important ceremony for other human beings. Tell me everything about your loved one. Tell me your ideas. Tell me what they would have wanted. I’ll listen keenly and then write you a script packed with as much of their personality as possible. You’ll be able to see it beforehand, to make any changes that might occur to you. I can source or order music for you, and arrange how and when to play it. I can advise you on the ceremony structure and find out what is possible. I work hard and often go beyond the call of duty for clients, as if I am providing the service for my own family. On the day, you can relax safe in the knowledge that the ceremony will be conducted by a true professional, whose experience of funerals will ensure that things run as smoothly as possible, with as much sincerity, celebration and love as you require.

A funeral without religion is even more personal.

Leaving out the religious text provides plenty more time to fill with details about the deceased. A humanist ceremony is entirely focused on the person for whom it is designed. From beginning to end, it overflows with who they were and what they liked. With so many aspects of them being shared and celebrated, you can almost feel them with you as you say goodbye.

“We are such stuff as dreams are made on; and our little life is rounded with a sleep.“

– William Shakespeare

Humanists generally believe that we cannot know for sure what happens after we die, and so death is the end of life. With this in mind, grief and mourning can be a very tough call indeed. The pain of loss can feel unbearable. Yet through it all, there is a choice:

“You can shed tears that she is gone
Or you can smile because she has lived“

– David Harkins

You can choose: to mourn your loss, or to be happy that you had someone to lose. Celebrating life rather than lamenting death does not mean you are turning your back on them. Revel in the good times you shared together and all of those glorious memories. If you can do this with a giggle along the way, all the better. Tears mix very well with smiles.

“You’ll see it’s all a show, keep ’em laughing as you go.” – Eric Idle

Thinking outside the box?

There appear to be expectations for what a funeral service “should” be like, but in truth, there are no rules. If you want something a little different, something less conventional but still full of love and sincerity, I’m your gal.

A true professional, with umbrella, ready to lead a ceremony for the interment of ashes

To book me for a funeral, ask your funeral director for me by name, referring them to the details on this website if they don’t already have them. Or contact me first, with no obligation. I have a working knowledge of funeral directors in the area and am able to make recommendations, as well as to give you unbiased suggestions of what your ceremony could include and where it could take place etc.

If you are still unsure, read some of the things clients have said about my work here. 

And please, look after yourself.

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