Alternative ceremonies

Friendship blessings

Want to gather with your friends on a beach under the full moon and celebrate your chosen family? Contact me to put together something.

Pregnancy and baby shower blessings 

Why wait until a baby is born? Celebrate fertility, pregnancy and pre-natal journeys with me.

Living funerals 

A living funeral is when an individual knows they are dying and would like to take the opportunity to be an active part in the celebration of their own life.  These ceremonies are an opportunity to say goodbye, find peace with imminent loss and can often be a way of preparing individuals, families and communities for grief.  They can also be celebratory, joyous and a reflection of what the person at the centre of the event ACTUALLY wants (because they have co – designed it!) 

Pet funerals

For many of us our pets are our family and their loss can be felt as deeply as any grief.  I have the deepest respect for the bonds between humans and animals and believe that saying goodbye and celebrating the lives of our pets is important.

Memorials 

Over the last decade we have seen the rise of ‘direct cremations’, where people who have died are cared for by crematoriums and/or funeral directors, but there is no traditional funeral service.  Families received the ashes of their loved one, but they do not have a ceremony to celebrate their life. 

As Celebrants we respect all the ways in which people chose to move through important milestones in their own lives, including the choice to keep costs low and plans simple with direct cremations.  However, sometimes for grieving families there is a need to express communal grief, celebrate someone’s life and say goodbye. Memorials can be that opportunity – they can be the scattering of the ashes, or the planting of a tree in your favourite green space.  They can be coming together on a beach, a wildflower meadow or your back garden to honour someone’s life.