As an Independent Celebrant, I honour and follow all beliefs be they religious, non-religious, spiritual, Humanist, agnostic or atheist.
I will help and assist with any readings or poems that are chosen for the ceremony. These pieces however do not need to be added to the ceremony if preferred.
I personally, like to wear an outfit that is fitting for the ceremony. If the person had a favourite colour, I will wear it! If the dress code is a football shirt, I am happy to follow this request no problem!
I respect all preferences and always follow traditional funeral etiquette and grace in coherence with the Funeral Director.
We as a family would like to personally thank. Louisa for her kind words she wrote for my Dad’s service last Friday. He was a larger than life character and she captured him as if she had known him for years. The amount of comments we had after the funeral were amazing. People had even said it was the best service they had been too which meant a lot to us as it was a day to talk about Dad and she certainly did that. From meeting her at home to talk about Dad we knew she would do him proud.
Thank you Louisa from the Thompson family xx
A Celebration of Life!
Celebrating the life of a loved one needs to be unique. Losing somebody is not at all easy and often ceremonies that focus and talk about the loss and the death of a loved one can make matters all the more difficult.
Let’s talk about the person! Let’s celebrate their life, their character, their personality!
Tell me things that you may not have thought talking about in the ceremony! Sometimes, even the little things that may seem small are the most memorable parts of a person’s character.
• Were they obsessed with a particular singer or band?
• What would they order every time at a restaurant?
• Did they have a famous catchphrase?
• What was their character like?
• Were they a funny or serious person?
• What will they be remembered for?
• How would they have liked their funeral ceremony to be?
Situations and circumstances can certainly not be easy but we must remember that everybody is unique!
I believe that funeral ceremonies should not be rushed as celebrating the life of somebody needs time and respect. There are alternative venues that can be used before a cremation or interment. This allows tributes are not to be rushed and videos/slideshows can be played fully.
“Louisa was the celebrant at my Mum’s funeral and she put together an amazing ceremony! She came and met with myself and my family one evening and we told Louisa all about Mum’s life in a couple of hours. When Louisa stood up and spoke about Mum, you would think she had known her personally, she was fantastic! I was so pleased with how Louisa pulled it all together and conducted the service, it really was a tribute to my Mum’s life. My mum was a Rolling Stones fan and Louisa told the story of mums life in the way of a Rolling Stones Album it was so clever and unique!
If anyone is looking for someone to conduct a Memorial Service for your loved on then I would highly recommend Louisa she was great!”
Kathryn McKenzie
Funeral Music
I believe that music is a fundamental part of a funeral ceremony. It can indeed lift the emotions yet can be used to celebrate a life massively. Music can be played even during or at the non-traditional times in a funeral such as when the hearse arrives.
Did the person we are remembering always sing in the shower?
Was there a musician they loved or a sports anthem they always sang?
Was there a dance they were famous for doing?
As a singer, I love blending music elements into ceremonies as it can be so uplifting.