Can A Memorial Ceremony Be Held?
I can help arrange a Memorial Service for a loved one. Funeral Directors may sometimes assist too. Some times circumstances can mean that a funeral ceremony has not been able to take place or only a limited amount of people have been able to attend. If a direct cremation or burial has been arranged, a Memorial Ceremony is often held afterwards. A Memorial Ceremony is a wonderful way of fully remembering and celebration somebody’s life in the company of everybody that knew them. Memorials can be held in any venue and at any time of day. Evenings are often a good time for these ceremonies and depending on the venue chosen, there are usually no time restrictions.They are a wonderfulway to celebrate a life and bring closure to grieve, especially if people couldn’t attend the funeral service.
Planning a Memorial Ceremony – how can I help?
As a celebrant, I can help with planning a Memorial Ceremony for your loved one. I can assist with finding a venue and arranging a time that is suitable for the ceremony. I can provide extra details such as equipment for AV requirements. (Please see FAQs) The timings can be very flexible, and a Memorial Ceremony can be held at any time of the day, evening, week and weekend. The funeral director/undertaker will ensure the ashes of your loved one are cared for and custom-made urns can be arranged also.
DIY Funerals and Memorials
The cost of funerals certainly can have an impact on the options people choose. Alternative venues can often be free of charge or a reasonable rate. They also allow flexibility and often offer the choice of providing your own catering and beverages. Decorating the venue can make the ceremony even more special and the key element of unlimited time ensures your loved one receives a perfect final farewell. I can help with all these arrangements.
(For further information please see FAQs)
Alternative elements can be included to truly celebrate the life of the person. For example, I have conducted ceremonies that have included:
Drinking of shots and downing of beers
Dancing to a favourite song how the person used to dance (I have done the Time Warp and Congo in ceremonies before now!)
Singing and chanting specific songs
Waving of glowsticks/playing of games such as bingo
Many rituals and symbolic ceremonies can be performed to recognise the Rite of Passage in an alternative funeral ceremony.
Alternative rituals can also be included in the ceremony such as:
Tree planting
Lighting of candles (venue approval required)
Memory boards and boxes
Memory Stones
Balloon or Dove release
Tying of messages to the coffin
Writing messages on the coffin
Interactive puzzles and colouring for children
Open mic – this can be arranged to happen after the ceremony so that anybody can be involved
Memory Tables
"I will never be able to put into words how incredible Louisa is! We initially asked Lou to conduct my Mum’s ceremony in 2021 and after delivering the most perfect service we had no hesitation about asking her to conduct my Grandad’s ceremony this year. Two very different ceremonies, one more alternative and one more traditional. She blew us away with both of them. With a unique ability to really capture who they were, it was as if she had known them both for years. Arranging a loved one’s funeral is beyond difficult, with emotions high and lots to think about. Lou really goes the extra mile - making things feel more straight forward and never forgetting the personal touches. My family and I will be forever grateful for everything she has done for us. Could not think of a single person who is more perfect for the job."
Nowadays, there are many options for Green Funerals. Coffins and vehicles can be sourced from sustainable resources and funeral directors can help with the arrangements.
Natural burial grounds may allow the planting of shrubs, and some may permit the planting of trees. Eco-friendly vehicles are also available from funeral directors.
There are many options to support lowering environmental impact.
Full Circle specialise in offering greener, natural and eco-friendly funerals. Please click HERE for further information.
Celebrating the life of a loved one needs to be unique. Even the little things that seem small are often the most memorable parts of a person’s character that can be celebrated.
Traditional religious services held in churches and places of religious worship will be conducted by a religious minister. Celebrants are not members of the clergy but can be flexible with including and honouring religious beliefs. A Humanist Celebrant may not include religious content as Humanists do not believe in religion or afterlife. As an Independent Celebrant, I honour, respect and follow all beliefs be they religious, non-religious, spiritual, Humanist, agnostic or atheist. I will honour and deliver traditions such as prayers, hymns and religious readings in ceremonies if the family/friends request them to honour their own beliefs and those of the person being remembered.
A Celebrant led ceremony can be held in any approved chosen venue. All the official and legal administration will have been arranged by the funeral director and the ceremony can beheld in a place of choice. Crematorium services must adhere to the specific times given and must keep to the length of time allowed. Cemetery services follow this same principle but often provide a lengthier service time depending on the cemetery plus allow time needed for a burial service. Alternative venues can be chosen, and they can be any venue that has agreed to allow a funeral ceremony to be held there. Time allowance is generally more generous and flexible at these venues, but it is best to confirm that the funeral director is content with the arrangement. (See alternative venues)
A Living Funeral is a ceremony for somebody that has a terminal illness and wants to celebrate their life with family and friends before they say farewell. This can be held in any venue on any day and at any time. The person can arrange everything according to suit them so that it reflects their character, personality and life truly and so that they can celebrate the years with those special to them. I am always honoured to help arrange and be part of such a special ceremony.
I believe that music is a fundamental part of a funeral or memorial ceremony. Music can indeed stir many emotions in a ceremony, but it can help celebrate a life and bring a sense of joy to a sad occasion. Due to time restrictions in crematoriums, the number of songs and the length of them will be limited.
Having everybody singalong and join in with a song in a ceremony is truly up lifting! As I love singing as a hobby, I will happily lead a singalong and a dance too!
An Open Mic in a funeral ceremony is a wonderful way of letting people that knew the person share their own memories and tell stories that may be unknown. An open mic can be spoken word or can include musicians playing live music which brings a sense of comfort and celebration to the ceremony. Open mics can take time depending on participants. They are best included in ceremonies in alternative venues where there are no time restrictions. Open mics can be held after the ceremony at the venue where the after-party/wake is held where people may be more relaxed and open to talk and share memories. I have hosted and led many open mics at funerals and memorial ceremonies in the past.
Yes. You can choose the celebrant or officiant that you think is more suitable for the type of ceremony you would like. Funeral Directors will suggest and offer advice on suitable celebrants that they are familiar with, but you can choose which celebrant you would like. You can contact me directly or via the funeral director. I work closely with funeral directors and communicate constantly to ensure all your requirements are followed and respected.
As everybody is different, every single funeral ceremony is different! I will meet with family and friends and spend as much time as we need talking and finding out about the person as much as possible. Meeting people directly is the best way to get to know family and friends and to find out about the person being remembered. If direct meetings cannot be arranged, the marvel of technology means that Zoom/FaceTime/Whats App meetings can be arranged. After the meetings, I will start writing the ceremony. Every ceremony starts from scratch and no templates of copy and paste methods are used. I guarantee 100% that every ceremony is unique, and each ceremony starts and finishes with a unique reference to the person and the whole ceremony is centred on the person being remembered. I will always send a draft of the ceremony to the person that is the main contact so it can be read and checked thoroughly to ensure everything is correct so that they are satisfied with what will be said in the ceremony. To help save the planet and paper, I will usually email a final copy of the ceremony to family/friends to keep. If a printed copy is required, I will happily and easily provide one.
I have received training in bereavement, I do not claim to be a bereavement counsellor. I understand how important it is to connect with people and as I have always had the gift of talking (as my husband will vouch for!) I know that communication is essential. I have always loved finding out about personalities and characters of people and as somebody that loves singing for people to listen to, I know how engaging with people is fundamental with aspects such as trust, compassion and interaction. I have learnt a great deal from being a celebrant which is a ‘people person’ job indeed and this is the main ethos of my practice as a celebrant. People are real hence funeral ceremonies need to be authentic – real ceremonies for real people!
I will always ask if there is a preference of dress code for a funeral service. I personally tend to avoid wearing the tradition of black but will of course do so if it is the requested colour. I always like to find out if there is a preferred colour or theme to the funeral and will try my best to wear clothing in accordance. If there is a theme such as football shirts, leather jackets, fancy dress, hats or anything particularly associated with the person being remembered, I will do my best to find and wear suitable clothing.
Crematoriums usually provide the music for services held in the venue and use a system called Obitus (link) that the funeral director will arrange the music through directly. For ceremonies in alternative venues that do not have sound systems, I can provide a PA system that includes a system for playing music through. I will provide the music source as well as any microphones if they are required. I also can provide AV equipment for visual tributes.
