Calm.
Compassionate.
Understanding.
Capturing the essence of the life lived. Getting the ceremony right.
“Death is not the opposite of life but an innate part of it.”
– HARUKI MURAKAMI
When someone we love dies, we honour them, we hold a ceremony to mark the life they lived. We come together with friends and families to share their stories, the way the person was and our feelings that they are gone.
What makes a good funeral ceremony is how you do this, what stories you tell and how you reflect on the life that has been lived.
A humanist funeral is an open book – there are many ways to say goodbye to the person who has died. Grandchildren throwing sweets onto the coffin, reading out the thank you notes written by the guests for the life of a woman who was a great listener, and a moment of silence to listen to birdsong for a nature lover.
“Kate is a lovely celebrant – I cannot recommend her highly enough. We engaged her for my grandmother’s funeral and she was a great help for our family in planning the ceremony at such a difficult time. She helped us to set the right tone, to structure the event, and to know what to say. These things are really hard to do alone, when you are going through such emotions.”
The Role of a Celebrant
Grief is complex and planning a funeral while experiencing intense emotions can be overwhelming. I will be there to take responsibility for the ceremony from our first meeting, to understand the person who has died and how you want to mark their life. I bring the structure of the ceremony together. One that feels completely right for you, your family and for the person whose life is being celebrated.
I help you to create the funeral or memorial ceremony you want, to tell the story of the person who has died. I will be by your side to take you through to the day itself where I lead the ceremony.
You may want to me to write the whole ceremony, and suggest appropriate poems, texts or music. Or you may need me to create the structure around your ideas. You may want to involve others to speak, you may not. Whatever your approach, I bring it all together, while considering all the elements. In short, I will take the weight off your shoulders so that you don’t have to worry about how everything will come together.
“Thank you for leading the service for Chris with such care. I have had a lot of comments about what a lovely celebrant you were. It was a hard day, but also a good day, and your involvement in the service added to the good element.”
About Me
I am a celebrant who includes everyone, judges no one and has a positive outlook on life and death.
In 2016, I went to a humanist celebration of life of a 26-year-old. It was very powerful. I was in awe of how the celebrant talked about her life and her death and held the space, so that the family and friends could express their thoughts in full. There was tremendous sadness and moments of joy. There was a sense that her life, though short, was a complete one and full of good things. The young woman’s life was completely honoured.
I was asked to do a funeral of a partner of a friend which made me realise I was ready to lead a funeral ceremony and so I took the decision to train as a funeral celebrant with Humanists UK.
I am a celebrant who listens to you and gets to the essence of the person and writes their life story. I hold the space, I lead the ceremony and I am there for you and your family.
About – Fees
Crematorium ceremony
£350
Woodland or outdoor ceremony
£350
Burial
An additional £100 to the above prices
Memorial Service
£400
Travel
Travel costs are free for local ceremonies (10 miles from Derby) – I am very happy to travel further afield, too, and we can discuss this.
About – What happens
We will meet in person, or online to see if I am the right celebrant for you. This is followed by a longer meeting, in person, where I help you to think through how you want to mark this life and make sure everyone feels included.
Based on a good conversation, I listen and ask questions. You tell me about the life of the person who has died, what you want the ceremony to feel like and what you want communicated. I then write a draft, which you edit to make sure it feels right and any others, who want to contribute, can do so.
If you want some help with music and poems, I can make suggestions and recommend musicians and singers, if you are looking for live music. If you want a moment for reflection or other ways of marking the life, I will have ideas.
I write a draft script, which you can add to or take away, until it feels right. We keep in touch right up to the ceremony and I can include last minute changes. I work with the funeral directors and the place of burial or cremation to make sure we are all on the same page. I will arrive an hour early and make sure everything is in place including the technical set-up. I can lead the procession or be present in the space to greet you and your family. I lead the ceremony making sure that things run smoothly from start to finish.
If you want an informal chat to answer any queries, or to talk through anything, please get in touch, using the contact form below.
Contact
I aim to reply within 48 hrs.