Favourite Funeral?!
I’m often asked about memorable ceremonies that I’ve conducted. It’s very difficult to pick one out, because by their nature they are all different. They may stand out for the wrong reasons or for the best, but they are all special. In my early days, at one funeral, the chapel attendant completely forgot to put […]
Memorial Services
I don’t think many people can have been totally satisfied with the way funerals have had to be conducted over the last months. Some, indeed, have understandably been very frustrated. There’s no need to catalogue the causes, but two predominate: 1) the need for social distancing and 2) constrictions on the order of service. What […]
No Escaping COVID-19?
It’s difficult to keep smiling in such times, but it’s certainly better to hang in there, rather than to despair. Despair isn’t going to profit anybody. At least, we must be there for others (as so many of them are there for us). I’m far from unique in that my income has shrivelled and is […]
What’s happening?
More of a newsletter than a blog this week, but I thought I’d update you with what’s happening in the world of life-cycle ceremonies under Coronavirus. It’ll probably all be out of date by next week! Celebratory Very little to report here, I’m afraid. Some people are going for Zoom weddings, or the like. That […]
How do I mark a Death?
You don’t need me to tell you that there are a lot of deaths at the present time, and I’m truly sorry if you are affected. If you are, you are probably aware that your funeral choices are now limited. Direct Cremation Depending on where you go, you may be offered a direct cremation. That […]
Are you saying RIP to your money or to your loved one?
The funeral industry took quite a bashing in Hannah Betts’ article in ‘The Telegraph Magazine’ on 1st February (with statistics provided by Sunlife). It wasn’t all bad news, but much of it was probably quite eye-opening. In England in the last couple of years, there were over 500,000 deaths/year, and this is expected to increase […]
The Funeral Process
What happens when a loved one dies? Many of us will have to face the death of a loved one, which is hard enough to bear emotionally. In addition, though, you may be executor or next-of-kin and have to deal with the funeral process. This means, essentially, obtaining the medical certificate (from the doctor or […]
Perks for a Funeral Celebrant
As a funeral celebrant, there aren’t any “perks” of the job, although I did get to ride in a hearse once, which was rather exciting! I meet some wonderful and interesting people as part of my work, so I’m not complaining too much. The truth is that I love my job and am not bothered, […]
What may put you off about Funerals
As a celebrant, I have worked with families on funeral Orders of Service for quite a long time. In fact, I have performed over 150 funerals to date. So I have reasonable experience of putting bespoke ceremonies together. When it comes to putting a funeral together, each family is likely to have one element (at […]
The Perfect Funeral
I doubt if such a thing exists as a “perfect” funeral. However, I know that Funeral Directors and celebrants like myself normally do their utmost to satisfy needs and desires. I ought to point out that, as a civil celebrant, my comments here refer to secular or part-religious ceremonies only. Problems A difficulty arises if […]