Funerals

Crematorium Funeral Ceremony

More and more people are choosing Civil Celebrants to conduct funerals (or life celebrations), because it opens up the possibilities for including some religious or cultural content, or be a completely non religious ceremony, and best of all, the ceremony is written to truly reflect the unique person whom it’s been written about. Everyone has their own story, so no two ceremonies should ever be the same. Crematorium services are limited by time, and a good celebrant will work to find a way to include all of the desired aspects into the day, and conduct a seamless unhurried ceremony to a high professional standard.

£190
Covering most of Devon and Cornwall.

What is included in this price:

An initial meeting can be up to 2-3 hours long, to get to know you and the deceased, and get a feel for how you’d like the ceremony to go, and gather enough information to be able to start writing the script and eulogy.
I can write the full ceremony including the eulogy and suggest music and poetry as necessary. Ultimately you have to be happy with the script. We’ll go back and forth tweaking anything you wish, until you are completely satisfied with what is going to be said on the day.
Planning the logistics and stage management of the different elements, to ensure an effortless and seamless ceremony.
Conducting the ceremony on the day.
A crafted copy of your script will be posted to you after the ceremony as a commemorative record of the day.

Memorial Ceremony

A memorial ceremony generally happens about 5-8 weeks after the funeral or is held instead of a funeral, and is very much about the reverence and celebration of a great life lived. You might have one for any number of reasons such as, the deceased was a person of some note, or perhaps the funeral was a very small private affair but there are many more people who would like to honour the deceased by sharing in their stories and memories. Perhaps the funeral was poorly attended due to adverse weather conditions on the day, or the deceased might have donated their body to medical science. Whatever the reason, I am able to help plan and co-ordinate a wonderful memorial, whereby those who knew the deceased well contribute their stories.

Guide price £155
Covering most of Devon and Cornwall.

What is included in the price:

A memorial might have been discussed at the initial funeral meeting. If not, then it can be 1-2 hours long, to get to know you and the deceased, and get a feel for how you’d like the ceremony to go, gather enough information to be able to start writing the script and contacting contributors.
I write the full ceremony and can suggest music and poetry as necessary. Ultimately you have to be happy with the script. We’ll go back and forth tweaking anything you wish, until you are completely satisfied with what is going to be said on the day. Memorials are slightly different from funerals in that, by their very nature of colleagues and friends making most of the contributions, you might not get to know exactly everything that will be said, in advance.
Planning the logistics and stage management of the different elements, to ensure an effortless and seamless ceremony.
Contacting and preparing the key contributors, leading up to the day.
Coordinating and conducting the ceremony on the day.
A crafted copy of your script will be posted to you after the ceremony as a commemorative record of the day.

Living Funerals or End of Life Celebration

Growing in popularity, these ceremonies can be really beautiful. If someone knows that their days are more numbered than they’d like, due to a terminal illness for example, then an End of Life Celebration can be a fantastic way for everyone to give thanks, rejoice in having known a special someone, and share stories and memories, with no regrets or missed opportunities for saying the things to each other that really matter. In the same way that I would conduct the creation and delivery of a funeral, I can do the same here, the main difference being that the key player is there on the day. There are also lovely aspects such as a memory box or sand ceremony (a description of a sand ceremony can be found on the couple’s or naming pages) that can be incorporated, meaning that loved ones can have a keepsake of this important day.

£195
Covering most of Devon and Cornwall in the fee.

What does the price include:

An initial meeting can be up to 2-3 hours long, to get to know you and get a feel for how you’d like the ceremony to go, gather enough information to be able to start writing the script.
I can write the full ceremony as required, and suggest music and poetry as necessary. Ultimately you have to be happy with the script. We’ll go back and forth tweaking anything you wish, until you are completely satisfied with what is going to be said on the day.
Planning the logistics and stage management of the different elements, to ensure an effortless and seamless ceremony.
Conducting the ceremony on the day.
A crafted copy of your script will be posted to you after the ceremony as a commemorative record of the day.

If you need to hire large tents ideal for outdoor ceremonies, click on the ‘Other Services’ page.

Woodland or Natural Burial Site Funeral Ceremony

Many people are choosing Civil Celebrants to conduct funerals (or life celebrations), because it opens up the possibilities for including some religious or cultural content or be a completely non religious ceremony, and best of all, the ceremony is written to truly reflect the unique person whom it’s been written about. As more Woodland or Natural Burial Sites spring up, awareness grows and people are going for the ‘greener’ burial option. Two distinct advantages of a Natural or Woodland burial site has over a crematorium, is that the Natural sites are usually set in lovely surroundings, very pleasant to sit and spend time in when you wish to, and there are no time limitations, meaning that a ceremony can be a really personalised and creative affair.

£195
Covering most of Devon and Cornwall.

What is included in the fee:

An initial meeting can be up to 2-3 hours long, to get to know you and the deceased, and get a feel for how you’d like the ceremony to go, and gather enough information to be able to start writing the script and eulogy.
I can write the full ceremony including the eulogy and suggest music and poetry as necessary. Ultimately you have to be happy with the script. We’ll go back and forth tweaking anything you wish, until you are completely satisfied with what is going to be said on the day.
Planning the logistics and stage management of the different elements, to ensure an effortless and seamless ceremony.
Conducting the ceremony on the day.
A crafted copy of your script will be posted to you after the ceremony as a commemorative record of the day.

Scattering of Ashes

People choose to do a scattering of ashes for all sorts of reasons. Some because it really is a last chance to formally say good bye, only this time at a perhaps smaller, certainly more informal kind of ceremony, and one without the time constraints of a crematorium service. If weather is bad in winter and perhaps important members of the family could not make it to the funeral, this is an opportunity for them to pay their last respects.

Free of charge if I have conducted the funeral.

I am more than happy to write/conduct a scattering of ashes ceremony if I have not carried out the funeral. Price on application.

Any Venue Funeral Ceremony

You can have a funeral just about anywhere, within reason, and you are certainly not limited to a crematorium service. You can have a very bespoke send off in a village hall, pub or your own home, the coffin then going to the crematorium with or without family as arranged. This price includes a ceremony held in one location, and covers most of Devon and Cornwall, so if there was to then be a crematorium service that I would also be required for, this would need to be taken into consideration.

£190
Covering most of Devon and Cornwall.

What does the price include:

An initial meeting can be up to 2-3 hours long, to get to know you and the deceased, and get a feel for how you’d like the ceremony to go, gather enough information to be able to start writing the script and eulogy.
I can write the full ceremony including the eulogy and suggest music and poetry as necessary. Ultimately you have to be happy with the script. We’ll go back and forth tweaking it until you are completely satisfied with what is going to be said on the day.
Planning the logistics and stage management of the different elements, to ensure an effortless and seamless ceremony.
Conducting the ceremony on the day.
A crafted copy of your script will be posted to you after the ceremony as a commemorative record of the day.

And if you need to hire large tents ideal for outdoor ceremonies, click on the ‘Other Services’ page.

Pre-need arrangements or Writing Your Own Funeral

You might wish to write your own funeral in advance. More people are doing this now, since the advent of more choice in how a funeral can be delivered and people’s attitudes towards dying are changing. I can’t promise to be the one to deliver it on the day, but I can certainly help you to write a full ceremony, and create copies of the script, that can be lodged with myself, a chosen funeral director and with family or important papers that you might have.

£145
Covering most of Devon and Cornwall.

Eulogy Writing

Perhaps you just need a professional to write (and/or deliver) a eulogy (or tribute) for someone. I can help you with this.

£130
Covering most of Devon and Cornwall.