Janice Smith
Funeral Celebrant
.A Civil Funeral ceremony is, above all, a ceremony that reflects the wishes of the family and is focused on celebrating and / or reflecting the lfe of the person. It is both a dignified tribute and highly personal memoir, created by me, in consultation with the family.
A Civil Funeral can be held anywhere you wish. The ceremony is appropriate for either a cremation or a burial. Every family is different. A Civil Funeral Ceremony can therefore provide an opportunity to create, with the help of a professional Celebrant such as myself, the most appropriate ceremony for this final act of love and respect.
The choice between burial and cremation may have been decided in advance. If the deceased has left no specific instructions your choice for them may be intuitive or you may feel that one is more acceptable or less frightening than the other. The decision may be based on family or religious traditions.
Music can play an evocative part in a funeral ceremony. Your choice can be as eclectic as the person you are remembering. At a recent funeral we had a piece from Handel's Messiah at the beginning and finished with The Goons Ying Tong Song! These 2 pieces of music exactly represented D.
Live music is also a possibilty, at a recent funeral a local group, Light & Shade, sang I will never leave You. It is safe to say there wasn't a dry eye in the chapel.
The decison to have flowers is also personal. Perhaps the person had a favourite charity and would wish for donations to be made in their name; some people have family flowers only, with charitable donations made by others. Wild or garden flowers can be used. Most florists will be willing to help you have something individual rather chosen from a catalogue - just ask!
A Civil Funeral Ceremony
