Celebrations of Life

A celebration of a person's life is an alternative to a funeral service, in some ways. It's a way of focussing on the positives of having known your loved one and the contribution they made to your life. It's a ceremony of remembrance, of celebration and love. You can hold a celebration of life at home, at a hall or park, a beach or at a funeral chapel, or wherever you want. There's no time limit unless you want one. You can have a formal part of the ceremony, followed by a celebration with music and food, and cultural customs if appropriate. 

• meeting with you to discuss ceremony options
• writing a ceremony for you that includes your ideas and requests
• support with ideas for your ceremony
• travel and attendance on the day
• a PA system if needed
• a table if needed to display items such as photos and other ceremony items

Dear Marlee, the memorial ceremony you created for my Dad was so special, it  moved everyone there and we finally could celebrate his life with joy and beauty, there on the beach that he loved so much.

Sarah

We did not like the word funeral so we set about organising a 'birth day celebration' for our daughter. We were fortunate to be given the name of a celebrant, Marlee Bruinsma, who had also lost a baby to still birth. She knew all of the questions to ask and made everything more special as she knew exactly what we were going through. Mia's day was perfect, there were no clouds in the sky. We even had a jumping castle for the kids. We did not want it to be a grief stricken day as we knew that there would be many tears to follow. We have a photo album for Mia with memories of her day, photos of her with all her family.

Vana

We don't want to hold the service at a funeral home. But we still want to have a slide show of photos. What can we do?

If you want a slide show then your best option is a venue that is used to hosting events, as they will often have the AV facilities you need. Or you can go low tech and have story boards of photos around, with a couple of larger photos that can be seen throughout the service.

How much do you charge?

My fee is generally equivalent to that you'll pay for a celebrant contracted by a funeral director, with extra if there is significant travel involved.