Other celebration of life

Memorials

You may wish to hold a memorial for your person some time after they’ve been cremated or buried. There may have been a funeral at the time or there might have been a direct cremation, after which, a memorial can bring comfort and closure.

If the funeral was just for family and close friends, memorial ceremonies allow the opportunity for more people to come and pay tribute. Or they can remain intimate. You have a choice.

Sometimes, families choose to hold them on a day of significance such as an anniversary.

Just as I would with a funeral ceremony, I will guide you through the process of putting the memorial together, writing any required elements and overseeing proceedings on the day. Liaising with the speakers involved and ensuring the ceremony runs smoothly. I am there to step in if emotion runs high.

Living funerals or living wakes

If you’ve been to the funeral of a family member and had the opportunity to catch up with your cousins, aunts and uncles you’ve not seen for a while, you may have found yourself thinking, “It’s a shame that we only get together at funerals.” Perhaps you actually said it out loud to one another. This can often be the way.

Life can be busy and we don’t see those we love as often as we’d like.

A new kind of celebration of life is on the rise. A celebration that allows you to say the unsaid in a meaningful way. A living funeral, sometimes called a living wake, allows everyone to gather - now. No missing out on the best party or biggest celebration ever held in your name. You will be present with all of your dearest people.

Gather loved ones, share memories, express love and gratitude when this can all be heard by the person at the centre. Let them hear about the impact they have had, reminisce together and fill the day with love and words to be remembered with joy.

A ceremony can be held as part of a big birthday celebration or it can be a comforting gathering for someone who has been diagnosed with dementia.

If this sounds like something that would suit you or a loved one, get in touch. I can offer guidance, advice and help you to plan a beautiful ceremony celebrating a life in the most joyous of ways - with everyone there.

Pre-planned funeral ceremonies

One of the biggest gifts you can leave your family is a list of everything you would like your funeral to be. The tone, the setting and the content.

You may have thought about the music you’d like played and, for some families, this may even be a topic discussed around the dinner table. But, perhaps you have never taken it further and written it all down.

It is certainly something to consider. 

You can go further and create an entire pre-planned funeral which lays out your whole ceremony - the welcome, the stories, the tributes - everything. This is different to a pre-paid funeral plan with a funeral director. This is your funeral ceremony, planned out word by word and note by note.