Custom Ceremonies

Say goodbye with a special ceremony

 

Multicultural, Multilingual & Interfaith Funeral, Memorial & Celebration of Life Ceremonies

Custom Funerals and Memorials that Uniquely Celebrate Your Loved One’s Life

Arranging a funeral can be daunting, especially as it has to be organised in a short period of time, whilst each person involved is dealing with their own grief.

And the last thing you want is to celebrate the life of a unique and special person with a standard (and meaningless) ceremony.

Your loved one deserves a ceremony that truly centres on their life and is all about honouring their memory.

Distinctive Ceremonies

Celebrate your loved one’s life with a bespoke ceremony

Let me guide you – and create a memorable and meaningful service for your loved one

The ceremony can be traditional or contemporary, formal or relaxed, semi-religious or non-religious, to reflect your wishes and the wishes of the deceased.

Include all the elements that made them special

Each funeral ceremony is completely customised and focuses on everything that made that person one of a kind.

Bring comfort to the ones left behind

This is a very difficult time for those left behind. Family and friends are encouraged to take part and say goodbye in ways that have meaning for themselves and all those present. This can be through readings, poems, live music, or personal tributes.

Hello

I’m Catherine Kentridge

Funerals and memorial services celebrate the life of your loved one while bringing comfort to you, your family and friends. It’s a very difficult time for those left behind.

I would be honoured to help you by creating and officiating a memorable and meaningful service for your loved one.

Whether you choose a memorial or funeral I offer you my services as a sensitive, empathetic and deeply caring celebrant.

How It Works

Step 1

I Learn About Your Loved One

I spend time with you, your family and close friends so I can listen to stories and learn about your loved one.

Tell me as much as you can about your loved one – and tell me about any words or music you wish to include.

Step 2

Discuss Options for the Celebration

Using these conversations, I can suggest poems, readings, prayers, blessings, music, songs and hymns. We can use those to create a personal and unique service.
Step 3

Remember Them Together

On the day of your choosing, I will deliver as much or a little of the funeral service words myself as you wish, and can write and give the eulogy, based on all that you have told me about your loved one.

Funeral, Memorial and Celebration of Life Ceremony Pricing

My fees for ceremonies depend on the scope and personalisation that you require and the complexity or amount of liaison needed to meet your arrangements, including the elements you’d like to incorporate.

Celebration of Life Ceremony

“Thank you for the eloquent and comforting celebration of life service. You made us feel you’d been a dear friend of our beloved mother.”

Denise

eral Ceremony

“You were absolutely wonderful yesterday. Freya and I have received so many lovely messages about the service and how it was conducted. Your delivery was superb. Mum would also have appreciated the great effort you went to with the smallest details. You really helped make the day so incredibly special and magical for us.  Everyone was very impressed with how you conducted the ceremony and we had so many lovely comments about you. You read everything beautifully and did justice to Mum. “

Tom and Freya

Funeral Ceremony

“Thank you for expressing so beautifully for us our thoughts and feelings about Barbara, and for so faithfully honouring her wishes for her memorial service.”

Alex

Funeral Ceremony

“We just wanted to say a massive thank you. Everyone was very impressed with how you conducted the ceremony and we had so many lovely comments about you. You read everything beautifully and did justice to Mum.

Thank you for making today so special.”

Freya

FAQs

Why choose a Celebrant?

Because a celebrant ceremony does not include legalities, it has no rules or regulations and you can have it anywhere, indoors or outside, any time – dawn, dusk, mid-afternoon.

There is no requirement for a licensed venue.

Beach, lakeside, mountain top, field, on a boat, garden or forest – whatever is your pleasure.

You can include children, pets, friends, family, music, rituals and readings, whoever and whatever is important to you to include in your ceremony.

Does it matter what culture, faith or religion we are?

No. I specialise in creating unique harmonised c and beautiful ceremonies that weave together your respective faiths, heritage and languages. My ceremonies are interfaith, multicultural and multilingual, depending on your requirement.

How long will the ceremony be?

Celebrations of Life can be limited by the Crematorium’s timing schedule. That’s usually around 40 minutes per service. But if you’re having an outdoor memorial of life or holding it somewhere other than a crematorium, the ceremony can be as long as you wish, so that it includes whoever and whatever are important to you, and all the words you want to say.

Where can we hold a funeral or memorial ceremony?

You can have a celebration of life ceremony wherever you wish: crematorium, mausoleum, where the ashes are scattered, at the graveside, or a woodland burial.

How does the process of creating the ceremony work?

1. The ceremony takes shape with exchanges of drafts that are fine-tuned as we go along, to ensure the ceremony reflects your wishes.

2. You send me as many of your firmed-up ideas for the ceremony as possible. I create a draft written ceremony incorporating those ideas for you to review together, and then you send me any revisions.

3. You receive a second draft, containing those revisions.

4. You review the revised draft, make any final changes to it and then send me an email containing your “Approved Ceremony”. That way you and I will know that on the day you will be hearing the words you want to hear at the ceremony you want to have.

How far are you willing to travel?

I’m based in London and Cumbria, and I do ceremonies across the UK and Internationally.

Wherever you need me, I will be there.

Do you charge extra travel and/or accommodation expenses?

Any fees for travel and accommodation are in addition to my ceremony fees. If the time and location of your venue require overnight accommodation and/or travel abroad, then that travel and accommodation will be charged extra, and agreed at the time of contract. If I can easily travel to and from the venue in a day, then the additional fee will simply be the train fare and a taxi to and from the venue.

How can I register the death of my loved one?

Please be aware that in addition to your ceremony, the legal registration of all deaths in England and Wales must also take place at your local registry office. Contact your local registry office for more information https://www.gov.uk/register-offices.

Let's Talk

Ready to create a unique celebration of life ceremony?
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