What is a Celebrant?
A funeral celebrant is a qualified person who officiates at formal ceremonies, such as weddings, funerals, memorials or baby naming's.
Funeral ceremonies led by a celebrant focus on the wishes, values and beliefs of the person who has died and their families, rather than the beliefs or faith of the person leading the service. As such, these ceremonies tend to be non-religious, although they may have some religious or spiritual elements.
Most funeral celebrants are professionally trained and are members of recognised organisations. Many have had other careers and bring extensive knowledge, life experiences and skills gained elsewhere to their role as a funeral celebrant.
What Does a Funeral Celebrant Do?
Funeral celebrants can help with planning and organising a funeral, memorial service or celebration of life. They can provide guidance and advice around all elements of the ceremony and will officiate, or lead, the service on the day.
Help with creating a meaningful funeral service
A good celebrant will spend time with the family, getting to know a bit about the life and character of the person who has died. They will help to clarify the family’s wishes and will explain all of the possible elements of the service, including costs. The focus will be on creating a service that meets the needs and wishes of the bereaved and that reflects the personality of the deceased.
Emphasis may be on more of a ‘celebration of life’ and generally allows far greater flexibility in style and content than a traditional, religious funeral service.
Crafting a script for the funeral service and a writing the eulogy
As well as producing a script for the service and pulling together all the different elements, the celebrant can, if you wish, write and deliver the eulogy. Many are expert storytellers and writers, who know how to put together a heartfelt tribute and to deliver it sensitively and sincerely.
Each celebrant has their own unique set of skills and strengths, so discuss the extent of their input with them beforehand to make sure that they can deliver a eulogy that feels right for the person you are remembering.
Leading the Service on the Day
A celebrant will lead the service on the day. The extent of the celebrant’s involvement will be up to the person or people organising the funeral. The celebrant will be happy to gently steer proceedings from behind the scenes, or take a more visible role, delivering the eulogy and introducing the different elements of the ceremony.
Why Choose a Funeral Celebrant?
There are a number of reasons why people choose a funeral celebrant to officiate at a service:
- A tailored and unique ceremony – funeral celebrants have the flexibility to create a service that fully reflects the personality and character of the person who has died.
- Embracing beliefs and traditions – most funeral celebrants are not confined to a particular faith and will be happy to integrate various beliefs, traditions or spiritual practices into a civil funeral service.
- Focus on celebration – if the family wishes, a funeral celebrant will steer the focus towards fond memories and positive experiences, celebrating the life as well as mourning the death.
- Greater family involvement – planning a funeral can be overwhelming. Enlisting a funeral celebrant empowers families to take a more hands-on role in shaping their tribute.
