Karen Gratwick
Funeral Celebrant

A funeral celebrant is someone trained to plan, write and officiate at funeral services. As well as conducting the funeral itself, celebrants work with families before the funeral to plan the order of service, music and readings, and will write the tribute (if required) and create a meaningful service for the person who has died.

The clue is in the name ‘celebrant’: a celebrant will typically create a ceremony which ‘celebrates’ the life of the deceased, reflecting and honouring their character and life story and reminding the mourners that the individual lived a meaningful life. Their ceremonies, therefore, are generally uplifting and positive. Also, because celebrants have the freedom to tailor their ceremonies according to the wishes of their client, the style, feel and content of a service can be highly personalised. A celebrant is not affiliated to a particular religion so has the freedom to accommodate different beliefs and wishes, without being tied to a specific structure or content. A celebrant will work with you to create a personalised ceremony to appropriately honour your loved one.

A minister is affiliated to a particular religion and will typically conduct a religious funeral in accordance with their religion’s guidelines. This means that their services are sometimes prescribed in structure and content.

You can either contact your preferred celebrant directly or ask your funeral director to contact a celebrant for you. In this instance, you can request a particular celebrant or leave the choice to the funeral director.

The meeting should be attended by anyone who you think might make a significant contribution in helping the celebrant understand the life of your loved one and what made them special. This would normally, but not exclusively, be a few close family members and/or close friends. It is best if there aren’t too many people present. If there are others who you would like to be at the meeting, but who cannot make it, they can write their memories down in advance of the meeting, for you to share with the celebrant.

If you are employing a funeral director, the celebrant’s fee will be included as part of the costs you pay to the funeral director. If you are not using a funeral director (e.g. for a memorial service or ashes interment), then you will pay the celebrant directly, typically before the ceremony takes place. Payment details will be given to you by the celebrant.

Yes, a celebrant can hold a funeral or celebration of life ceremony wherever you wish it to be as long as it is permitted.

The ceremony can be as unique as the person whose life is being celebrated. You may want a religious or non-religious ceremony, containing particular songs, hymns, pieces of music, readings, poems, rituals, memories, photos, etc. The celebrant will help you to compile the contents of the ceremony to create a fitting and uplifting tribute to your loved one.

This is entirely up to you. Many people will leave the bulk of the funeral to the celebrant, which is perfectly normal and understandable given the circumstance. However, should you wish for a family member or friend to speak, deliver a reading or recite a poem, that is perfectly fine and will be discussed as part of the celebrant’s home visit.

Naturally there is an order to the ceremony, however it is completely up to you should you wish to devise a printed Order of Service for guests to follow. The Order of Service is usually printed for you by the funeral director at a cost, but you can create it yourself if you prefer.

Yes, Karen has Public & Products Liability Insurance up to the value of £5,000,000.