What will I do as your funeral celebrant?

People often ask me what I actually do as a funeral celebrant. 

If you would like me to be your celebrant at a funeral you are arranging I will design a ceremony that will include what you and your loved ones want. My aim is to always create a meaningful ceremony that reflects the person who has just passed away and to give you a chance to celebrate their life.

I will arrange to meet with you and members of the family to discuss the ceremony and will ask you questions about your loved one in order to get a sense of who they were and what they meant to you. This usually takes about one hour and I keep it as 'light' as possible as we go through the details and build the life story so we can properly reflect on the person's life. 

If a family member or friend is planning on giving a eulogy or a reading I can assist with the wording as well, as reading it on their behalf if they want me to. I will discuss with you the songs, readings and other elements that you would like to include, all designed to reflect the person you have just lost.

On the day of the funeral, I will meet you at the venue where the funeral is taking place. I will lead you and the family in and allow time for people to be seated before leading you through the ceremony during which, if you are giving a eulogy or reading, I will invite you to come to the front of the congregation when it is your time and be at your side for support.

 The power of writing

As a funeral celebrant I have carried out quite a few funeral ceremonies now and often think how do the mourners carry on afterwards. How do they actually deal with their loss? 

I have experienced losses myself and when my father passed away I found myself writing to him about my feelings. I found it was a healing process and eventually the entries became fewer for in the end to stop altogether. But, they gave me a chance to open up and say exactly how I felt about him and how the loss of him affected me and people around me. 

I am therefore a big believer in the idea of 'journaling' as this is exactly what I was doing. And, if you take journaling to another level of actually expressing feelings rather than just, 'I did this today…' it really is a powerful tool to get emotions off your chest. 

My advice is therfore to get a book and a pen and just allow the pen to fill the pages with your inner thoughts. You might find it helps. I hope so.