Uplifting Funeral and Memorial Ceremonies
For the less conventional…
“A colourful character deserves an uplifting and colourful send off”.
There are few limits to how and when you say goodbye…You can have your uplifting funeral and memorial ceremonies at any location you choose, with whatever special touches you may wish to add in.
It’s not about being classed as ‘alternative’ but it is about being true to your or their beliefs.
Did you know that you do not have to book funeral and memorial ceremonies or services direct with a Funeral director?
You can speak directly to the officiant you want to use yourself and then tell your Funeral director of your choices.
There should be no time limits.
A send off can be as *long as you’d like, and doesn’t have to be held in a crematorium or a religious building if you don’t want it to be, because It is after all about celebrating a life lived, and honouring their loves and passions in a way that reflects the way they lived.
*In a crem you will have restrictive time slots so if you want a longer ceremony you’ll have to make sure to book multiple slots to ensure you will not be rushed into saying your goodbyes.You can book direct, get your FD or celebrant to assist with this.
You can have religious content (or not), the choice is yours
With an Independent Celebrant you can have religious content if you so choose, and it can be any single, multiple religion(s) or none.
You can organise your own goodbye too if you want.
Do you want to take away the stress from your family and friends and organise your own send off? I can help you do that too, let’s talk and see how I can help you to arrange the send off you want.
“A colourful character deserves an uplifting and colourful send off”.
Funeral Planning (Planning Ahead)
Do you want to have a say in your funeral, wake, or memorial?
If the answer is yes, now is the time to start making some plans, we can ensure that it is a truly uplifting event at an inevitable time of sadness.
Like most families we have had our fair share of goodbyes over recent years, and one thing that has been very noticeable is that none of my family members had left any instructions for how they would like to be sent on their final journey earthside.
Don’t leave it to chance!
The hardest thing to do for those left behind is to decide what their family member or friend would have approved of as a fitting send off. Just like every other ceremony I conduct, you don’t have to stick to the rules.
- A funeral can be held at any location, at any time of the day and anything*, or anybody* can be included.
- From the words spoken to the tributes included…
- Do you want to be toasted with a drink?
- Give everyone a keepsake?
- Have a particular musical / lyrical interlude?
- Ensure a particular dress code?
- Take the pressure off and let’s have that conversation.
- We’ll sit down over a cuppa and plan the minute details of your send off.
- We don’t need to have everything in place, but let’s make sure that your choices are available to your loved ones.
We will go through a list of questions and at the end of our chat I will provide you with…
- A gorgeous concertina folder to keep all of your paperwork in.
- A copy of everything we discussed (printed or digital for you to print) for you to keep with your folder.
- A template for a letter to your executor or next of kin.
I will retain a copy of your instructions too (GDPR compliant and secure) as a backup.
I won’t take part in a balloon, lantern, or butterfly release as they are not environmentally friendly, but other than that…anything really can be considered as long as it’s legal and ethical!
Here’s a link for some alternative suggestions from the RSPCA balloon-and-sky-lantern-alternatives
Prices: £100 (planning service only)
Funeral ceremony – from £260
Why Language Matters.
There is a seismic shift occurring right now on the type of language we use to say goodbye, check out this blog to find out how and why we are evolving the way we speak and this simple language guide.
Memorial Ceremony
If you know someone who has lived outside of the proverbial box during their life, you may wish to honour them in death with a memorial ceremony.
An unconventional send off for an unconventional soul starts with a direct cremation.
A direct cremation is a modern alternative to a traditional cremation funeral. The cremation takes place completely separately to the personal farewell. Perfect for people who don’t like funerals.
This leaves you free to organise a memorial ceremony, with or without a scattering of ashes. There are no restrictions on time or location. You can hold a ceremony anywhere you (or the person who has died) wishes.
From a back garden to a favourite holiday destination.
It is your opportunity to really celebrate a life lived at your own pace.
How Does it Work?
Direct booking with me, rather than through the Funeral Director (FD)
Face to face or Zoom meetings.
From all the answers you provide, I will build your ceremony and you will have an opportunity for edits .
I deliver a ceremony that is respectful, full of love, * and in the case of a memorial ceremony, plenty of opportunities for anyone and everyone to speak and reflect on what the person who has died meant to you *.
You have the choice of either a digital or printed keepsake version of the script I deliver.
Price: from £260
Affirmation
My great uncle was a very simplistic man.
He wanted a direct cremation when he died. He then wanted his ashes to then be sprinkled underneath the oak trees he loved so much in his garden.
After seeing that you had won the regional celebrant award, I contacted you not knowing where to start. I cannot thank you enough for the time and advice you gave to me and am so pleased that you said yes to doing the reading despite only ever having done weddings! The family wanted to celebrate the life of my late great uncle, and you managed to do this perfectly!!
Being the difficult person that he was and with the very limited information I was able to provide, this was not an easy task for you, but somehow you were able to bring his true character to life and convey this in such a way that it brought levity and comfort to family and friends on what was an emotional day for all.
You have a special gift Michelle and your intuitive nature enabled you to create and deliver a reading that captured my late great uncles personality to a tee.
I would highly recommend you to anyone not wanting a funeral in the traditional sense. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
To find out more about how my Funeral and Memorial ceremonies might work for you, get in touch below.
