Selecting the right Funeral Celebrant

The importance of selecting the right Funeral Celebrant for your loved one’s celebration of life cannot be underestimated.

This is the one occasion when their life story is to be told, their memories honoured and their body put to rest. So, how do you go about finding the right Celebrant?

When you approach your Funeral Directors with notification of their death, they will take on board your choice of service, and can assign you a Celebrant from their list of preferred Celebrants. However, the choice is entirely yours and it is your right to select your own Celebrant for your loved ones funeral service should you wish. You can do this by using the Celebrant Directory.

This choice may come down to the beliefs and lifestyle of the deceased. Did they have religious or spiritual beliefs? Were they agnostic? Some Celebrants specialise only in traditional services, which you may prefer, and other Celebrants choose to focus to officiate green funerals, alternative funerals or even themed funerals.

There are also different types of Celebrants themselves. Humanist Celebrants conduct life centred funerals; they do not believe in the afterlife or any religions so aspects such as hymns, bible quotes, the use of amen and crosses are not included in Humanist services. Humanists are qualified by the Humanist Society and will personalise the funeral ceremony to reflect the life of the deceased.

Civil or Independent Celebrants offer freedom of choice and can officiate funeral services with or without religion. They can be personalised to reflect the life of the deceased and include any content you wish.

Each type of Celebrant offers you the chance to honour your loved one’s memory and personal beliefs.  The ceremony itself can be held in a location of your choice. See the ‘where can funeral ceremonies be held’ for ideas.

The Celebrant Directory lists a whole host of Funeral Celebrants. We’d recommend taking time to review their profiles and speak with them, even arrange a time for them to come over and meet with you to talk through what they offer. All Funeral Celebrants are there to support you, be a hand to hold and honour the memory of your loved one. After all, they deserve the best possible celebration of their life that is personalised and beautiful. 

Photographer Credit: Roshini McCartin