Funerals
Loving celebrations of life and death
Losing a loved one is hard enough, the need to plan a funeral should never be a burden.
Planning a funeral
As a celebrant I work with you to ensure the funeral is a loving celebration, whether that means live music or recordings, jokes or eulogies, prayers or poetry, and I always include contributions from family members and friends if desired. This makes the ceremony inclusive, personal and a fitting acknowledgement of the life of the departed.
There are no rules, and every celebration of life should be unique, and significant to you and the person that you are grieving.
I meet you at your home or another place you choose, and we talk about your loved one, their life and their wider family and friends: their passions, idiosyncrasies, beliefs - everything that made them who they were. I take that information and use it to write the words for your ceremony. I send the script for your approval and make any adjustments you feel necessary. Creating the framework for the ceremony, working through ideas with you and choosing music, readings and personal touches is my responsibility. You can relax, knowing that however simple or lavish the ceremony, I will help you every step of the way.
All this allows you to concentrate on saying goodbye as you wish, remembering and celebrating the life of someone important to you. My role is to hold the space so that you can define the ceremony that will suit you best. I work in partnership with you, family members and the funeral directors to create a service that respects choices and offers a caring acknowledgement of the life, personality and experiences of your loved one.
The Process
BURIAL
CREMATORIUM
ASHES SCATTERING
I can conduct a service at a crematorium or natural burial site, Brighton Unitarian Church a burial ground as well as at another location your choice.
The scattering of ashes can take place soon after cremation or at a later time and place of your choosing.
MEMORIALS
Sometimes we can’t attend the funeral of a someone we love, or learn about the event after the funeral has taken place.
On other occasions we may feel that the funeral service was not enough to mark the passing of someone important to us.
A memorial service can help us to remember them and to acknowledge their role in our lives.
Memorials can be an opportunity for celebration which take place any setting you wish. A memorial service may allow many people to participate or can be a small and intimate occasion.
LIVING FUNERALS
Today, many of us know when we are nearing our death. This can be a wonderful opportunity to rejoice in someones life and be surrounded by loved ones
This rite of passage can help people meet death with certainty of the love that surrounds them and create a beautify goodbye celebaryoin
And can be as small as a tea party or elaborate as a wedding reception.
Weddings
Committing to share your life with somebody is an exciting and significant event. It can also reveal differences in how a couple approach the idea of partnership! As a celebrant, I help you work out what’s significant to you both, and how to express your love and commitment to each other with the support of your families, friends and community.
A traditional wedding ceremony is an event that has passed the test of time, but it doesn’t work for everyone - as a wedding celebrant I work closely with you to craft a celebration that is as unique as you are. If you’d like to explore how I can help you define a wedding ceremony, civil partnership or blessing, please get in touch..
BESPOKE CEREMONIES
Wedding blessings can take place anywhere: a special place in nature, a favourite pub or even in your back garden.
My role is to guide and support you through creating a ceremony that reflects you both - this can include traditional wording as well as writing your own vows.
Bespoke wedding ceremonies are often combined with register office marriages.
CHURCH
As a member of the Brighton Unitarian Church I can create a unique, legal wedding or blessing for heterosexual same sex or trans couples in this beautiful and centrally located sacred space in Brighton.
VOW RENEWALS
Whether it’s one year or several decades that you’re celebrating - a vow renewal service helps you reaffirm your love and commitment, and commemorate your journey as a couple. For some people this will be a big, lively event full of family and friends, for others it may be an intensely personal ceremony with only the couple present.
Life Events
NEW LIFE
Families come in many shapes and sizes.
Traditional birthing , to ivf surrogacy adoption and fostering as well as the joining of step children . Whether you are celebrating the brith of a new born or the birth of a new family unit this is an opportunity to have an inclusive celebratory ceremony.
RITES OF PASSAGE
From an intimate ritual marking the end of a marriage, career changes,
entering adulthood, gender transitioning, retirement
or croning These events are markers in the sand of our passages through life
I can help you to honour these times with individualised ceremonies.
BLESSINGS
A blessing is a wonderful way to make a moment special.
Whether you want to bless a new art studio, say farewell to an old home or celebrate a new one a personalised blessing gives value to those really significant moments.
It may be that we didn’t
recognise the importance of a life event until it was over, but it’s never too late to hold a blessing to mark that moment’s meaning and memory.