Leading a funeral service can be done by anyone. In our experience, there’s value in using an officiant with some experience and blending this with contributions from family and friends. Whether you want a traditional or contemporary experience, here’s our summary of funeral officiants, and what to expect from each type.
Faith leader
For funerals that are faith led, the obvious starting point is someone known to the person who’s died. If there isn’t a familiar connection, we can make introductions to local clergy and faith leaders. They will guide families through the service expectations offering insight into location, timings and other essentials. Fees for faith leaders vary and often donations to a place of worship can be offered in lieu of professional services provided.
Celebrant
A celebrant is someone who conducts a ceremony – naming ceremonies, weddings and funerals. Civil celebrants coordinate non-religious events but can include belief systems. Religious celebrants do blend faith themes and worship into their celebrations.
Celebrants are accustomed to spending time with family and friends to ensure that tributes to a person are as authentic and personal as possible, embracing music and readings into services. Celebrants charge a fee for their time.
Humanist
Humanists follows humanism, a non-religious life stance. This is based on reason, evidence and ethics without religion. With non-belief based ceremonies, there may be music and singing but usually not hymns. Like celebrants, they will invest in establishing what the person who died would have wanted in their celebration of life, and also charge for their professional time.
Family and friends
Those closest to someone who’s died often feel both a desire and a responsibility for taking part in a service. Some feel strong enough to lead on the day, others more comfortable with making a contribution. This can be done through readings, singing, or through tributes. There’s scope to be as formal or informal and may not be limited to the funeral service itself.
Factors influencing the decision around a celebrant might include the size of event, it’s location, past experiences, but most importantly, relevance and fit with the belief and expectations of the person who’s passed.
Families wanting to honouring their loved one may find that delegating responsibility to a professional to coordinate the formal event removes the burden from them on an emotional day. Whatever works for you and your loved ones, we’ll help guide you to make decisions and connect you with local specialists.