As a civil celebrant, I am not attached to any church, faith or belief system. The ceremonies I create and deliver are guided by the family I am working with and can be non-religious or semi-religious. Upon request, I am more than happy to include moments for prayer, hymns, or other faith-led elements. I am also happy to create and lead ceremonies that do not include any religious content. This sets me apart from humanist celebrants, who do not include any religious content in their ceremonies, regardless of the family’s or the deceased’s beliefs. Those who follow a particular faith and wish to have a funeral ceremony in line with their own religion are advised to work with a member of the clergy/their place of worship.

Funeral celebrants and funeral directors work collaboratively to create and deliver a funeral ceremony. While funeral directors oversee the organisation of the funeral and take care of the logistics behind-the-scenes and on the day (including booking the funeral itself, liaising with the venue and suppliers, transporting the body to/from the ceremony and leading the procession), the funeral celebrant focuses on creating and delivering the ceremony content itself, including the spoken words and any other elements the family would like included.

Contacting a reputable funeral director in your area is step one. During the early stages of funeral planning process, your funeral director will recommend and contact a celebrant on your behalf (should you want one). If the celebrant is available, they will contact you to arrange a meeting at a convenient time to discuss the ceremony details. If you have a particular celebrant in mind, please tell your funeral director, who will reach out to them on your behalf. Alternatively, you can also contact a celebrant directly.

I offer a range of services, including traditional cremations (held in crematoriums) and traditional burials (held at cemeteries). I also work with families who are planning a natural woodland burial for their loved one. You can find more information about my services here.

We will meet to talk about your loved one’s life and character, as well as the type of service you envision. You will be encouraged to recall all that you know and love about them, sharing facts, memories and stories to help me craft a fitting eulogy. If you like, I can send you some questions in advance, which will make our time together even more effective. We'll also discuss your preferences regarding music, readings, prayers and other meaningful elements, as well as who might have an active role in the ceremony. These relaxed and informal meetings can take place in the comfort of your own home or at your chosen funeral director’s and typically last 1-2 hours.

Having undergone rigorous, yet incredibly rewarding, training with Civil Ceremonies Ltd, I now hold the NOCN Level 3 Diploma in Funeral Celebrancy (RQF). This is the highest possible qualification in Funeral Celebrancy in the UK to date. My training has gifted me with the skills needed to create and deliver funeral ceremonies with confidence and professionalism.

In most cases, a celebrant’s fee is included in the overall cost of a funeral, given to a family by a funeral director. This fee will be itemised as an expense. For funeral ceremonies held in my catchment area, I charge a fixed fee of £250*. This fee includes an in-person meeting with the family to discuss their loved one and the details of their chosen ceremony, writing and drafting their loved one’s eulogy and, finally, delivering the funeral service. In some instances, I may agree to travel further afield and, in this case, additional mileage would need to be considered and my fee would be discussed with the family and their funeral director. I charge a fixed fee of £200 for eulogy writing, which includes a virtual meeting with one family member and writing their loved one’s tribute. Fees for conducting memorial services, scattering of ashes ceremonies and celebration of life ceremonies depend on many factors. If this is something you require, please reach out to me directly so we can discuss a cost based on your specific requirements.

*Funeral ceremonies held Monday-Friday. Additional costs for services held at weekends/out of hours apply.