White Rose Ceremonies
  • Home
  • About
  • Ceremonies
    • Naming ceremony
    • Wedding ceremony
    • Vow renewal
    • Funeral services
  • FAQs
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Menu Menu

Funerals are Dead Serious – right?

12 December 2014/in Celebrant /by Rebecca Waldron

“You can’t do that at a Funeral” is a phrase I’ve heard too many times. It’s not surprising that people think that way. The common perception of a funeral service is that it is a sombre occasion when people mourn, cry, sing hymns and listen to a Minister read prayers before the coffin disappears into the fire or ground.   But not at a Civil Funeral!

Now, I’m not saying that we dance in the aisles, although I have had Morris Dancers and Line Dancers at my services, but we do smile, laugh, clap and, sometimes, joke. The content of a Civil Funeral really does depend on the character of the person who has died. Of course it is a sad occasion too and people will cry. But, with a loving and relevant service it provides a time to say goodbye that is full of light and shade.

It is all about that person and not about a particular religious institution. You can light candles, have poems, music, readings and family tributes, standard bearers if the person who has died was in the military, flags on the coffins, even a slide show of photographs – whatever content is meaningful to the family. In some crematoria you can also have an audio recording or video recording of the service.

If the person who died had some religious beliefs then a Civil Celebrant can include hymns and prayers at the funeral, but if that person was very religious then, of course, a Minister is the right choice to lead the service.

The final part of a funeral service is known as the ‘Committal’. At a Crematorium you can choose to have the curtains left open or closed. Generally, in the UK, the coffin remains where it is, so there is no opening of doors, squeaking of wheels as the coffin moves and certainly no flames!

Some families choose to leave the curtains open so that they can touch the coffin before they leave or put single stem flowers on it, while other families prefer to have them closed which, in a sense, brings them closure.

It is our privilege to be able to lead these services and we work hard to make sure the service not only reflects the wishes of the person who died, but that it also brings some comfort to their family and friends.

I would like to finish with this blog with a good old-fashioned joke from Tommy Cooper, which was used at one of the funerals I conducted recently:

“I went to the funeral of a tennis player the other day. It was a great service……”

 

 

https://whiteroseceremonies.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Funeral-blog-1.jpg 795 2048 Rebecca Waldron https://whiteroseceremonies.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/wrc-logo.svg Rebecca Waldron2014-12-12 10:06:112020-12-02 12:24:58Funerals are Dead Serious – right?

Recent posts

  • Creating Memories, Your Perfect Wedding Ceremony3 December 2018
  • Beach Ceremony, Rebecca Waldron, White Rose Ceremonies, CelebrantBeach Ceremony, Norfolk21 August 2018
  • Karen & Joe's Wedding, Childerley Wedding Venue, Celebrant, White Rose Ceremonies, Rebecca WaldronA Wonderful Childerley Wedding30 March 2018
  • Simply Perfect Wedding Ceremony14 February 2018
  • Friday 13th Wedding13 October 2017

Archives

  • December 2018
  • August 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • May 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • January 2016
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • February 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • About
  • Ceremonies
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • FAQs

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on Instagram

Follow us on Twitter

Follow us on Pinterest

© All rights reserved 2020Design by Carli Pfurtscheller • Site by sladedesign
Scroll to top