Helping you say goodbye

A civil funeral service is, generally speaking, a non-religious funeral service, and civil funeral celebrants tend not to talk about God or religion during a funeral ceremony. This means that the ceremony is solely focussed on the person who has died, and you can include anything in the ceremony that makes it unique and personal. Despite being non-religious, some people do want to include a prayer and / or a hymn if that’s what their loved one would have liked. Some civil celebrants prefer not to do this, but I am very happy to lead a prayer and join in singing a hymn if that’s what you’d like.

There is nothing that you ‘have to’ include in a civil funeral service and the ceremony is created using whatever feels right for you. This might include a tribute, music, readings, poems and other symbolic acts of remembrance.

Civil funerals can include almost anything you like. Some people plan big events that focus on the interests and passions of the person who has died. Others prefer a simple service with a few readings and a bit of music.

You can have a civil funeral ceremony for either a cremation or a burial.

If you choose a civil funeral, you can rest assured that the ceremony will focus entirely on the person who has died, and that the tone and content of the ceremony will reflect their personality and the life they lived.

As a civil celebrant, I will help you to make decisions and I will offer advice, but I will not have fixed ideas about the way the ceremony should be.

If you’re planning a civil funeral with me, I’ll meet with you before the service to talk with you about the person who has died. I will share ideas and give you guidance, but I won’t try to impose anything on you. You will be in charge of the structure and content of the ceremony.

If you’re planning a civil funeral, think about what the person who has died would have liked. You might want to ask yourself:

• would they have preferred a big, celebratory event or something quieter?

• did they have favourite pieces of music or favourite pieces of writing?

• do you want to reflect the person’s unique sense of humour throughout the ceremony?

• are there people who would like to speak or write something to be spoken on their behalf?

• could you theme the ceremony around something they were passionate about or a hobby they had?

• could you hold the service in one of their favourite places?

• is there something special you could do at the service that could serve as an act of remembrance?