What happens at a celebrant funeral?

As with celebrant weddings, a celebrant funeral is created bespoke to each person and family. Celebrants work closely and sensitively in collaboration with the family in order to create a fitting service and honour the wishes of the person who has passed away. Funerals can be completely secular, or can include spiritual elements such as prayers, hymns or cultural customs.

In the UK, a traditional funeral involves a ceremony at a crematorium or in a religious building, followed by a burial or cremation. A funeral held in a crematorium is likely to be subject to time constraints, but a celebrant will work closely with you to make sure you say all the things you want to within the time available. Another option is natural burial, which a growing number of people are now choosing. This is a much more environmentally friendly form of burial where the committal and the ceremony can be held at the same time, usually with fewer time constraints.

However, as an alternative many people now choose to make the committal and the ceremony two separate occasions, allowing them to hold a more customised celebration of life service at any time and in any place. These ceremonies can be even more special as families and friends have more time and space to honour the person’s life and say goodbye. A celebrant can work with you to plan and conduct any of these occasions.