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Rites of Way
reviews (2) - leave a review
Available for
Countries Covered
IÂ travel Nationally & Internationally
Specialisms
I specialise in Living funerals and pet funerals
Affiliations
Academy of Modern Celebrancy
Languages
Italian and French
Hi, I'm Carolyn
I believe that every celebration should be unique and personal to you. I will work with you to create a ceremony that reflects your values, beliefs, and love.
Whether you’re planning a wedding, naming ceremony, or celebration of life for beloved humans or pets, I am here to make it truly special, to make sure everything is tailored to your needs and wishes. I would be honoured to create a ceremony that is just right for you, your family and friends.
I am a person who loves life and enjoys making others happy. Music and storytelling are my passion. I use them to create unique events where people can celebrate their bonds and share their joy.
My friends and family tell me that I am also kind and empathetic, ready to listen and understand others. I would like to be with you on your life journey at your special occasion, be it happy, sad or both.
What's my ceremony style?
My role is to celebrate a loved one (human or pet) and narrate their story, honour their life and memory, and help families and friends experience a particular moment of light in their lives. I draw on my life and work experience in my work and approach.
My work and personal experience include being a social worker for all ages and abilities, a teacher, trainer, organiser of events and conferences, a manager in the NHS and social care, and a carer and patient. I enjoy music, reading, singing, animals, travelling, writing, photography, learning languages, being in my garden and having fun with my family, pets, and friends in the local community. I enjoy talking to others and getting to know and understand them and their life history.
Prices From
240
Highlight
10% off naming, wedding, and renewal of vows ceremonies Mondays - Thursdays
As a special offer, I am giving you 10% off any wedding, naming or renewal of vows ceremony on Mondays to Thursdays.
So save some money and enjoy a less crowded venue on your magical day!
I also have a lovely environmentally friendly gift for you: a tree planted in your name in Tiverton, Devon. Talk soon x
Why choose Carolyn?
I trained as a celebrant for funerals because I wished for a role that empowers me to help people at a vital time in their lives.
I understand that your ceremony is a deeply personal and meaningful moment in your life.
I provide an independent personal celebrant service dedicated to creating beautiful and touching ceremonies that reflect your unique story. I focus on making you feel comfortable and true to yourself so you can fully embrace and be in the moment.
If you are interested in booking a ceremony with me, please get in touch soon. I look forward to hearing from you and creating a magical day for you.
What do I offer?
Weddings
Hi there! I’m looking for a couple who share my passion for nature, pets, and beauty. A couple who want to celebrate their love with their family, friends, and furry companions. A couple who know how to have fun and laugh, but also appreciate the serious moments.
It’s great how couples are choosing to tie the knot in barns and outdoors. I also adore historic buildings that have a story to tell. But I don’t mind a simple wedding in the garden or in your local community hall. I’m half Italian, so I understand how romantic it would be to have a ceremony in Italy.
My ideal ceremony is one that makes you smile, cry, and feel the love. One that has music and readings that reflect who you are. One that creates memories that last a lifetime for you and your guests.
My wedding celebrant service includes: • All consultations, both in person and online, to get to know you and your story • Regular communication throughout the planning process • Assistance with writing your wedding vows or choosing existing ones that resonate with you • Attendance at a rehearsal before the ceremony to ensure everything runs smoothly • A symbolic element of your choosing, such as a handfasting, a sand ceremony, or a ring warming • A personalised ceremony based on the information that you give me, following your vision and preferences • A certificate of commitment, as a keepsake of your ceremony • A free tree planted in Tiverton Devon in your and your spouse’s names, as a symbol of your growing love • Support with choosing music and readings that suit your theme and style • Support on the day of the ceremony, to make sure everything goes as planned • Any other way I can help!
Prices From
550
Why choose Carolyn for your wedding?
I’m a storyteller, a music lover, and a word crafter. I enjoy being part of a unique and wonderful event I have helped create with you.
I hope you choose me as your celebrant if you feel a connection with me that will make your wedding ceremony easier and more enjoyable. I’m easy going, flexible, honest, and authentic.
I will work hard to create the ceremony of your dreams and be honoured to share your special day. I’m a good listener and empathetic, and I will do my best for you and work with you to create the ceremony you want.
Naming Ceremonies
I’m fascinated by the idea of a naming ceremony, and how names have meanings and stories behind them. I love celebrating life and its potential for the future. Naming ceremonies are a beautiful tradition that has been done in many cultures for centuries. They are a special way to honour a baby, a child, or an adult and their unique identity.
I’m passionate about working with families who have adopted children or who have blended from different backgrounds. I also love to work with families who have young people with additional needs. I’m interested in working with families and people who have gone through changes and who see their naming ceremony as a milestone in their lives.
I have done a lot of research on my own family history and I understand how important it is to honour your ancestors and heritage in your ceremony. If you would like to work with me I would be honoured be there you.
I offer families the opportunity to tell their stories by involving their loved ones how they wish to. I will send families an initial questionnaire, then meet online or face to face to talk about their wishes for the naming ceremony, and what special aspects they want to include.
Prices From
350
Why choose Carolyn for your naming ceremony?
At Rites of Way, I believe that every ceremony is a special moment that deserves to be celebrated in a unique and meaningful way.
I am passionate about creating personalised ceremonies that truly reflect who you are and what you value. My approach is all about getting to know you and your story, so we can create a ceremony together that feels authentic and touching.
I want to ensure you feel comfortable and as confident as possible every step of the way. am dedicated to making your ceremony unforgettable, no matter what type of ceremony you’re planning. I’m here to make sure everything runs smoothly and stress-free for you
Renewal of Vows
My ideal couple is a couple who want to create memories, and human connection and celebrate their love for a celebration, perhaps a wedding anniversary or because they feel now is the right time. Perhaps one or both of the couple are unwell or getting older.
My favourite ceremony is one where there is a mixture of styles, perhaps religious, or secular, involving different cultural and family traditions, music (live/recorded) poetry, drama, family, friends and pets.
My package is £550 for the creation and delivery of the renewal of vows ceremony, with communication with you as a couple throughout our time together from planning to delivery of your desired ceremony.
Prices From
400
Why choose Carolyn for your renewal of vows?
Choose me if you feel I can help you. Please get in contact and have a chat about your ideas and we can see how we go from there.
Funerals
I like to work with families and friends who want an authentic celebration and memorial of life for their beloved human or pet. I like to help people with something they want to do that is unique and particular to the person/animal who has died and that they would approve of if they were there! I am happy to include religious or non-religious content and provide your chosen ceremony.
I am interested in working with those who know they are at the end of their lives and would like to discuss what service they would like before or after they have died.
In addition, I am here to help those whose loved ones have chosen a direct cremation, and now the family and friends would like to have a separate celebration of life. It could be days., months or years afterwards. Please contact me if you want me to craft the ceremony of your choice.
My packages are £240 for a funeral/celebration of life/living funeral. This includes a free tree planted in Devon with a certificate. If you prefer not to have the tree, then the fee is £230.
I also offer pet celebrations of life and memorials from £150.
Prices From
240
Why choose Carolyn for your funeral?
I consider myself an empathetic individual who will do my best to create something that you want and help you to make it happen. I love music and reading, so I am happy to help create the whole service with you. If you want to have a laugh at your funeral/ celebration of life, you have come to the right place; although we will always be respectful.
My mum, Sheila, died in January 2023, and her funeral was an inspiration for me to become a celebrant. Please contact me if you feel I could help you.
Reviews for Rites of Way
Total Reviews: 2
Average Rating: 5
reviews (2)
Memories of our Wonderful Dad, Husband and Grandad
With the extremely sad passing of my father, you can imagine, at such a devastating time, we were apprehensive with regards to arranging the funeral, as it is something we have been lucky enough to not have to do before. However, during our initial meeting with Carolyn (Cas) Holmes, for which she kindly came to visit our home, she immediately put us all at ease. The memories that we discussed about our lovely dad, husband and grandad were made to feel like celebrations of his wonderful life, rather than sad recollections. Cas guided us through the Eulogy, giving suggestions with compassion and empathy.
She was patient and happy to make any further amendments of things we wanted to add and responded to our emails immediately. In addition, Cas liaised with all the necessary organisations.
We are very grateful for the time Cas spent to make the funeral one in which we celebrated the life of our wonderful dad, husband and grandad and he would have been the first to have said what an amazing job she did!
Cas, was able to completely understand our relationship with dad and the Eulogy she finally put together felt as though she had known him personally.
We are very grateful to Cas for making a difficult time very much easier.
Personal and Professional
We are so thankful we found Caroline as our celebrant for our grandad’s funeral service. She made the whole process and the funeral service itself feel so personal. We had just a couple of weeks to arrange the funeral and Caroline went above and beyond to add all our wishes and last minute anecdotes into the service. She was empathetic and personable as well as professional throughout – a hard balance which was perfect in our time of grief. When we met with Caroline to talk about our grandad’s life, we were all slightly apprehensive that this would be difficult and upsetting but Caroline made us feel at ease and we were surprised to find it a happy experience reflecting joyfully on memories. This was reflected in the service and the eulogy which she put together so perfectly that it felt like she know him personally. Thank you Caroline for celebrating the life of our much loved grandad and creating the perfect service.
