Mike Phipps. Funeral Celebrant.
I am a Humanist funeral celebrant specialising in all types of non-religious ceremonies providing support to families across the Beds, Herts and Bucks area as well as North London.
I am professionally qualified, registered and insured through Humanists UK and have completed over 500 ceremonies.
Every family wants something different and special so I work with you to ensure that we find the right words, music, readings, poems and shape these into the perfect ceremony. I always start with your ideas and incorporate other people who want to take an active part.
Together we create the perfect ceremony by meeting, either face to face or virtually, to start the process. I take all the notes and ideas away and then supply a first draft ceremony. You then edit and fine tune it. You always remain in editorial control.
I always ensure that, by the time of the ceremony, you will know every word I am going to say and what will be happening at each stage. There will be no surprises so you can spend the ceremony simply being in the moment.
I welcome informal enquiries. I am well connected across the local funeral business and can, and will, recommend someone else if they fit your needs better.
You can view my audition video here…
Feel free to chat with me on 07880 808 453.
What’s involved?
- We hold an initial family meeting – face to face or virtually.
- You tell me any initial ideas you have and we build from there.
- I ask lots of tactful questions and take lots of notes.
- We discuss music, visual tributes, on-line broadcasting and other elements you might want.
This first family visit is just the start. We don’t need to get everything right first time. Just be as relaxed as you can and tell me what you can. We make decisions later.
- I take all the ideas and notes away from our meeting.
- I create a first draft of the ceremony.
- I send the first draft back to you in the file format you want (Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, PDF, etc).
- You review and edit that first draft and send it back to me.
- I make the final edits for your approval.
- I order the music, visual tributes and other elements through Wesley Media, Obitus or other media platforms.
- I liaise with your funeral arranger, funeral director and the crematorium or cemetery to ensure everything is in place.
- I help organise any order of service booklets you may require.
- I support you on the day by leading the ceremony that we have designed together.
About me.
I have lived in Croxley Green for most of my life. My wife and I have two boys, young men, one of whom is at Manchester Met University and the other has just graduated with a first class honours degree from Newcastle University.
I support Watford Football Club but have been known to wear all manner of club ties and shirts at the request of families who support other teams. I love music and am old enough to have a rather large collection of old vinyl records.
I am also a published author with Capstone in the UK and J.Wiley in New York.
I have previously worked as an international Learning and Development Consultant.
I qualified as a celebrant through Humanists UK in 2018.
I play badminton every week with a team of gentlemen of a certain age. I do almost all of the cooking in our household (while listening to those records that my young men call “dad music”).
My friends say of my work that I “meet wonderful people at, what for them, is the worst possible time” and they are right. But I am here to make the whole process as easy as it can be.
Contact:
imikephipps@gmail.com
07880 808 453
What families say about my work:
“Mike gave the most incredible ceremony. So many people are still messaging me to say how perfect it was, the way he put everything together, the way he included all my family members, the way he played the music by explaining why particular tracks were chosen. An amazing, caring, kind man. Would highly recommend Mike for a humanist ceremony. Everyone loved it. Thank you so much Mike.”
“Exceptional service really felt that he knew the deceased and everyone in attendance both physically and via web link all said how lovely it was. Couldn’t be happier with how things went.”
“Mike excels at interpreting the life of a person he has never met, and produces a truly excellent end result. He made a tender day truly special”.
“Mike was brilliant for my Dad’s funeral. He completely \’got\’ us and our love of music and going to gigs we\’d got from our Dad. The Eulogy was brilliant. Lovely guy. Lots of people commented on how good the service was. Thanks Mike”.
TEXT: Hello, I hope you don’t mind me messaging you but I was an attendee at X’s ceremony today at West Herts Crematorium and just wanted to let you know how impressed my wife and I were with your exceptional service and to say thank you for making his goodbye positively memorable.
“The ceremony was beautiful, emotive, flowed easily, and it represented my feelings completely. Someone in the audience thought he had not seen such a beautiful funeral …and described it as “a poem developing in front of my eyes”…Somebody else, who was crying, said to me that he felt that it was “more a birthday party than a funeral”…Thank you, Mike, for your work and your contribution to a beautiful farewell to my husband .I am at peace. “
“You brought patience, sensitivity and humour to the process of crafting mum’s story. Everyone has walked away from yesterday remembering the very best of her spirit and her deeds. We have had so many comments and you helped us ignite memories which were perhaps filed away. Thank you so much. ”
“We started out struggling to represent Dad’s life in a way that would reach everyone who knew him. Over coffee and conversations Mike gently asked the right questions and guided us. He wrote skilfully to produce a ceremony we felt confident in. We were so relieved. On the day, the way Mike delivered our celebration, felt so natural and unscripted. He represented Dad’s personality in a way that connected with everyone there. People really appreciated the authenticity – there
was a lot of love in the room.”
TEXT: Hi Mike Thank you so so much for the beautiful and sensitive way you told Dad’s story. Everyone has commented on how amazing you were and they said it sounded as if you knew him. I really appreciate the time and effort you spent in getting everything right, and you definitely made it easier for us to get across what we wanted. Dad would have been very impressed, I’m sure. Thank you again Mike. You are a very special person to do the job you do.
“Mike’s patience with us was faultless, his calm, reassuring and professional manner was exceptional. The service itself was perfectly conducted, the way Mike talks and delivers the service comes across so effortless and like he is genuinely taking about a dear friend. One of the guests thought he was indeed a best friend of dads. If anyone is unsure or feeling overwhelmed where to start for a service then call on Mike. You will not sorry. Mike thank you again. You made the day very memorable as the best send off for dad.”
“We were introduced to Mike through Nethercotts in Potters Bar, he came highly recommended. We have been delighted with his care, attention and professionalism throughout. Mike was very sensitive to the nature of our brother’s death and this was reflected in his compassionate composition and delivery of a very well presented service. Thank you Mike.”
“Mike was a complete professional. He was compassionate, understanding and easy to work with. He took the information regarding my wife’s life and created the most wonderful send off anyone could wish for. Everyone was blown away!”
“Mike was very easy to work with. His approach is very much collaborative, listening to the families ideas and helping to refine them in to a service that is personal and respectful. He even wore a rose button hole that we had invited all guests to wear, which was very thoughtful. He was punctual and organised, making us feel confident that the memorial would run smoothly. Many of our guests hadn\’t attended a ceremony like this before and I think Mike showed how well the event could be tailored to the individual and that there are alternative ways to pay tribute to a loved one who has died. We found this experience very positive. Thank you Mike!.”
“I want to join (x) in saying a huge, “Thank you,” from us. How you drew all of the snippets of what we told you into a nice chat about our Mum was absolutely perfect. The whole ceremony both lifted and broke our hearts at the same time. It has helped us say, “Cheerio,” to a real Very Important Person. Everyone agreed that your gentle and personable delivery gave a window on Mum’s life without being too flowery. Even two dyed in the wool Catholics complimented you; praise indeed! Thank you yet again.”
“Mike did a fantastic job making sure I understood exactly what he was going to say (even if it took 5 versions bouncing back & forth). He had to deal with an difficult undertaker & my obscure choice of music but it all came together brilliantly. His delivery was superb showing the whacky side of mums nature whilst keeping it a respectful send off”.
“Mike has supported the funerals of both my parents this year. He was compassionate and truly cared that the celebration of each life was told well. We felt in very safe hands on both occasions and are very grateful to him for his guidance, support and expertise throughout the process and on the day itself”.
“Just to say a huge thank you for doing a superb job on Wednesday for my dear Dad. Everything went smoothly. You guided us through the whole process with kindness and sensitivity. Working on the eulogy with you was a great collaborative experience, and you delivered the words beautifully. You can add this feedback to your website if you like! “
“Mike worked incredibly well with us as a family being sensitive to the logistics and emotion. We felt he spent time to know my father and guided us well. The ceremony was personal and well shaped, which was due to the meaningful preparation and time spent with us. We are aware Mike had a serious personal issue prior to the ceremony and he showed exceptional professionalism. We are delighted with the celebration of our father’s life and can only thank him for his care and professionalism.”
“Right from the first phone call Mike was professional but more importantly he was friendly, approachable and spent ages listening to us talking lots about my lovely Mum. When he spoke it felt like he had known her too!”
“Sincere thanks for the manner in which you conducted our son’s farewell. The way in which you delivered the service with every accent and pause in the right place was first class and anyone would have thought you had known him all his life. We could not have asked for more. There were a great many comments on your delivery, all positive, and also several on the lines of “great choice of music” It was a very fitting send off for a well loved son, brother and friend and we thank you for your valuable input.”
“Just to say a massive thank you for yesterday. Your kind voice and compassion towards us as a family and the congregation was from the heart. You certainly made a very sad day a lot easier for us. So many people complemented on how compassionate the service was. Sorry we had meet in such sad circumstances.”
“From our very first meeting with Mike he made us feel incredibly relaxed, and took the reins from the start. His transparency was brilliant and made us feel at ease. Nothing was rushed, he allowed us to take our time. Mike is a great listener, and made us feel like he genuinely was interested about Dad. Which was so important, as it was such a lovely experience being able to talk about Dad to somebody that didn’t know him. It brought us such comfort. His writing was superb and he read it with such empathy. He included every single thing we talked about. His accuracy was commendable. We only had to amend the eulogy once, and this was only a couple of words. Thank you Mike, we couldn’t of asked for a better celebrant, Dad would of absolutely loved it.”
“Mike was wonderful and gave my Mum the fitting send-off she so deserved. He was always attentive and very sensitive to our family’s emotions and, most importantly, took the time and effort to really understand mum and what made her such a special lady. His input and guidance really did help us to develop a lovely service – and the Brian Cox quote was inspired. He delivered the service perfectly for us. Many family and friends commented on just how good Mike was and some even asked if Mum had known him – perhaps the biggest compliment of all.
Thank you Mike. You were an absolute pleasure to work with and made a difficult occasion as pleasurable as it could be. We are all very proud of the end result, as I think mum would have been. I would recommend Mike without hesitation”.
“Mike was superb, he went over and beyond what we could have expected. He read and listened to lots over information about my brother and so when he spoke it was hard to know they weren’t old friends. At many funerals I have been to in the past it is so obvious when the the celebrant pontificates about someone they so obviously never knew. Mike’s handling of our ceremony couldn’t have been further removed from that. Mike also helped me to put together a well planned and executed ceremony with everything and every contributor falling perfectly into place. We could not have been more satisfied with outcome. Well done Mike we felt very safe in your hands.”
“(My husband’s) service was beautifully tailored, exactly to our requirements. Mike brought just the right amount of gravity and humour to an extremely emotional service. He hit the mark exactly and I have received so many wonderful messages from friends and family who were impressed with how he ran things.”
“Having never been in the position of losing someone so close and having to plan a funeral, I had the most amazing experience with Mike Phipps. The morning after choosing this type of ceremony, Mike contacted me straight away just to reassure me that we were on his radar and to schedule a first call where he could understand more about my Dad. On that call, understanding that this is not something we’d had to do before, he gently led us and started to create an outline of the service. Mike was patient with us, accommodating of all of our requests, continuing to guide us as and when we required him to do so and ended up creating the most perfect Order of Service. On the day, Mike delivered the most perfect of services, feedback that we had both immediately after and since has been simply amazing. Thank you Mike for helping to create and then deliver the most perfect service.”
“Exceeded on all counts. Mike was absolutely fantastic. We warmed to him at our very first meeting and he put together such a fabulous personal service and celebration of our dad. We cannot praise him enough for how much he did and helped us. Thank you!
“Mike Phipps was just what I needed to help coordinate the funeral of my Father. Living two hours away, Mike and I planned the entire proceedings online and through telephone conversations. Mike was always on time, responsive and thoroughly professional throughout. On the actual day, everything went like clockwork. So glad we used Mike’s services.”
“Mike was so easy to work with, kind, thoughtful and engaging. His communication in setting up the initial meeting and continued support during the organisation process was impeccable and extremely welcome. It is rare these days to work with someone who truly does what they say they’re going to do. Mike did this and so much more”.
“Mike delivered the eulogy with confidence, expression and emotion. The guests said that it sounded like he really knew Derek. We were all very impressed.”
“Having given Mike the relevant information with regard to my mother and her life he put everything into such lovely words and captured her exactly. The whole family were very impressed with the whole way he conducted the proceedings and he was a pleasure to deal with.”
“Mike spent time with us, guided us and helped us produce a fitting tribute to our Mother. He was empathetic and just hit the right note for our family. Highly recommended. A nice man.”
“Mike was very collaborative and flexible, He provided advice using the benefit of his experience and guided us sensitively. He struck just the right tone during the service and we were very pleased with the result. We would not hesitate to recommend him to others in similar circumstances”.
“I would like to say a huge thank you for leading our mother’s ceremony yesterday. We all thought everything was perfect and it was a celebration of mum’s interesting life with a deeply personal feel. Thank you for your kind words, help, advice, support and infinite patience. You helped us to get through a most stressful and emotional time.”
“Thanks so much for making the service yesterday go so smoothly, and reading so well. It really helped us all focus on our mother, and we will remember the day positively.”
“Thank you again for all your guidance, sensitivity and just the way you handled all of us who were going/floundering through a very emotional and tricky time. You made a massive difference and pulled together an important moment for so many people in that room. You made an awful experience so much easier to get through.”
“Above all expectations, beyond all expectations. Mike was amazing. He did a fabulous job. He was sincere and well spoken. Many people commented on what an excellent job he did.”
“Mike was excellent. I cannot speak highly enough of him. He listened and appeared as part of the family who knew uncle “H”. He nailed him and made it easy for us to say goodbye with good memories.”
“Mike was excellent from the first time I spoke with him and really bought into my father and his life.”
“Mike was an excellent celebrant. He kept us informed every step of the way. He made a stressful time more bearable. Many thanks.”
“Mike ensured that the whole process was smooth. He took time to take into account our feedback on the funeral script. His delivery on the day was excellent as we had a lot of positive feedback from guests.”
“Mike struck the right note throughout. It was very good service for my father.”
“Can you please thank Mike Phipps on our behalf who conducted the Humanist Celebration. His attention to detail coupled with his kindness & patience was also greatly appreciated at this sad time. He summed up “G’s” life perfectly!!”
“Hi Mike. I would like to say thank you so much from all the family for the lovely service you gave at “K’s” funeral yesterday. It was very sensitive & caring and everyone thought it was the best and most relaxed service they had attended.”
“I want to say a huge thank you for what you did for us today. Hearing the words gave them so much more meaning, and the music was just right. I found it very emotional, as did “R” and the others. It was the perfect farewell to “A”.
“I want to thank you for being an excellent officiant, pulling things together so well, promptly, and delivering well to boot. A lot of people commented on how well it went , and what a good job you had done, with which we all concur. In conclusion, thank you Mike, so glad you have taken up this aspect of your vocational work.”
Contact:
imikephipps@gmail.com
07880 808 453