Shine a light on their life, love and legacy

A Celebrant led funeral ceremony is conducted by a funeral celebrant rather than a religious leader. Working with the loved ones of the deceased to learn of their life story, the celebrant writes a bespoke ceremony.

The focus is often on honouring the deceased’s life in a personalised way, ensuring that the ceremony reflects the beliefs, values and wishes of the deceased and their loved ones. The ceremony is not specifically tied to any specific religious doctrine but celebrants can weave in religious or cultural content and wording if that is what is wanted.

Yes, the ceremony can be completely non-religious and the content of the ceremony can be chosen and personalised by the loved ones with the help of the celebrant.

Absolutely. Celebrants have no restrictions on the content they can include within a ceremony. This means if the deceased or their loved ones have a faith and would like any religious, spiritual or cultural content included in your ceremony then we absolutely can.

If this is you, let’s chat about this more to include the bits that are important to you and your loved one in the ceremony.

Yes – you may find that a memorial service is more fitting for the deceased. Both funerals and memorial services have the purpose of honouring the deceased and their life but there are key differences between the two ceremonies in regards to timing, format, and whether the body of the deceased is present.

At a memorial service, the body of the deceased is often not present and this means that the ceremony can be any time after the death. Sometimes, weeks or months after. Funerals, however, are often shortly after the death and are timed to coincide with the burial or cremation.

As a memorial is held sometime after the death, it can often allow for more flexibility in the plans for the ceremony, with a wider range of choice for venues and styles. The tone of a memorial can often be less formal, with more of a focus on celebrating the life of the deceased rather than committing the body to its final resting place.

Yes, you can, this is the beauty of a celebrant led ceremony. It can involve whatever is important to you, traditions, rituals, stories, songs, and readings. We will build the ceremony from scratch so that it reflects the deceased and their loved ones.

I offer ceremonies for cremations, burials, memorials and celebration of life ceremonies. I also offer ceremonies for the scattering of ashes and the internment of ashes.

I will first meet with you and anyone else you feel should be heard to learn your loved one's values, stories, quirks and what made them 'them'. I will gather all of this information and will then begin to structure the ceremony and write the script. The ceremony is written word for word by me for you - with the true essence of your loved one throughout.

I will share with you a first draft which you can amend, remove or add wording. There are no limits to the number of drafts we make, but I often find we get it right in the first couple of amends.

I am based in Yorkshire and cover the North of England and beyond. I am happy to travel, so please do get in touch if you’re the ‘beyond’.

If you know you want to book me but are trying to work out how to make everything work within your budget, please don’t hesitate to reach out. There may be options for pricing plans or finding a way to make it work so please ask.

Yes, all of these elements are a lovely way to personalise the ceremony to the deceased and honour their life. If you know you’d like these elements but would need inspiration or suggestions, I have plenty and we can find something that fits.

Yes, some people find that this is an important way for them to honour their loved one. For some, it can be a key part of their grieving process. Having said this, there should never be any pressure for family members or friends to speak at the funeral.

Yes, I am able to deliver ceremonies at different venues, including non-traditional locations. The location can be a wonderful way to honour the deceased and make the ceremony truly personalised.

If the deceased’s body is to be present at the ceremony, it is important to check if there is permission for this at the location in question.

This differs and is largely dependent on the venue. If the funeral is at a crematorium, there are strict time limits which the ceremony must fit within. These differ between crematoriums but tend to be between 20 and 45 minutes. You are able to book a double slot at a crematorium if are worried about the time slot being too short.

Other venues may have less strict time restraints but it is important to check this with the venue. If there are time restrictions or you have a specific length in mind, we can absolutely work to this when crafting the ceremony.

Aside from restrictions from the venue, we can tailor the length of the ceremony to suit you. If it’s very simple and intimate it may be on the shorter side. Whereas if you know you want to incorporate readings, songs, rituals, stories and other elements, it may be a little longer.

Yes, I work closely with the funeral directors to ensure we are working collaboratively and ensure that everything runs smoothly.

I understand that things can change right up to the day. I always do everything within my control to make changes to the ceremony script, though some things are out of my control. We will be in regular contact, so I am always on hand to chat through any changes and do my best to make these possible.

Absolutely. I can work with you to create an intimate ceremony for a smaller, more private funeral.

Hidden costs are never fun and I aim to be very transparent about my pricing. If you have any questions, please don’t shy away from asking. Travel is included within a 40-mile radius of LS29 postcode and additional mileage is charged at 45 pence per mile. This is applied to any meetings, rehearsals and the ceremony itself though there is no obligation for face-to-face meetings and always the option for us to meet in the middle if this suits you best.

Any additional costs will be discussed before you commit to booking so there are no nasty surprises.