Peace of Mind Ceremonies
A Life Celebration
Today many people are shying away from traditional memorial services and choosing instead to create a memorable, personalised celebration ceremony.
Why Should I Have a Service at All?
It is your choice of course, but services are really about love. You are taking the time and expressing and sharing the love that you felt for that person.
It’s important to celebrate but not at the expense of acknowledging that something important has been lost. The best services combine memories, comfort and encouragement. You need to take this time to share your loss, to laugh and talk and share your thoughts and feelings with each other.
Many people still feel a sense of closure after a service that helps them to move on.
Does It Have To Be A Religious Service?
No, it does not. Mark can prepare a ceremony for you with as little or as much religious content as you want - all the way from a completely Humanist service with no hymns, no prayers, no religious symbolism at all, right the way through to the same as the standard Church Of England service.
What many people want nowadays is somewhere between the two - a mostly non-religious celebration of the deceased's life but with maybe a hymn and the Lord's Prayer. Whatever the style and content of your perfect ceremony, a celebrant is free to provide it for you.
Whom Can I Get to Lead the Service?
Naturally some families today participate in an organised religion or church and in such cases the choice is set for them. But more and more when we ask if someone was particularly religious, we are told "no, not really." They have no family Vicar and would prefer a celebration of the life lived rather than a sermon.
Celebrants are becoming more and more popular. A Funeral Celebrant is a person who seeks to meet the needs of families during their time of loss, creating and presenting a personalised funeral. Mark will honour a family’s wishes and will present either a religious or non-religious gathering. The family is free to participate as much or little as they wish.
How Much Does a Celebrant Cost?
As a Celebrant ceremony is tailored to the individual wishes of those involved, the cost can vary, but to give you a general idea, to officiate at a standard ceremony will usually cost between £170.00 and £200.00.
To have Mark plan and record your ceremony wishes in advance costs from only £120.00. This ensures your family and friends have all the worry removed of trying to decide on what you would have liked and you have the reassurance that the ceremony will be as you wished. Your ceremony plan is presented to you as a printed document and as a computer file to save until needed. It does not mean that you are tied to having Mark officiate at your funeral, you are free to have your wishes passed on to whoever you would like to perform your ceremony.
For Mark to prepare a ceremony for a pet costs from only £55.00. If you would like an accurate and obligation free cost for any of the services mentioned on this site, please contact him to chat through what you are looking for.
What Else Can I Do at the Celebration?
With no religious guidelines or restrictions, you can have the music, speeches and format that is most appropriate.
You could think about a dove release or a butterfly release. Another possibilty is a balloon release where thoughts from those present are tied to the tail of the balloon before setting free.
Memory Cards or a Memory Table are other popular additions. Memory Cards in particular can provide comfort to the immediate family now but also provide a wonderful first-hand picture of the person to grandchildren and great grandchildren in the future.
Memorial services and life celebrations really do not have any rules. It is up to you to decide what will help you and the people who attend to best celebrate the life that is being remembered. Mark can run through these and any other ideas with you to help you decide what you think would be right.
These are some of the common questions asked, but if you have any other queries or would simply like to find out a little more, please do not hesitate to contact Mark using the details or the form on the Contact page..