“End of Life Ceremony” is a newer term for a funeral service, totally free of a set format, where “celebrating” is the active intent.This celebration is still deeply meaningful for the friends and family as it truly reflects the personal wishes of the loved one.Celebrating a loved ones life and death can be the most daunting task when we feel pressure to quickly arrange the ceremony. There is no law that says you must rush this process.

In Australia you can in fact conduct a funeral at any location even though the tendency is to adopt the idea that it must be performed at a Chapel or Memorial Park.

There are as many ways to celebrate a life as there are to live one. If you are planning the funeral or memorial service for a recently deceased loved one, rest assured, first and foremost, that it can be creative, it can be a true reflection of that person and you will have support and guidance with my help though in the end the decisions are all up to you. By thoroughly planning your event beforehand, you can be satisfied that it will best reflect your wishes, and those of the deceased. So it is good to take more than a few days to create the ceremony.

The Process: In most situations I will meet with the entire family and /or friendship group to listen to what they envision for the ceremony. There are ‘no rules’, we just need to be open to what we know about the deceased and their wishes. This may take up to 3 hours initially as I learn as much as I can about the person and their life. I then work with key people to establish the structure and text for the ceremony. Rituals will be suggested if we believe they would benefit the mourners and include other speakers. Quite often those close to the deceased already know what he or she wanted therefore the celebrant may only play a minor role in delivering the ceremony on the day.

I work towards capturing the essence of the person and invite  family and friends to express their own thoughts and encourage participation other than just myself. My aim is to make this experience as easy as possible given the loss you are experiencing.