Hello

A warm welcome to my first blog.

I have to say, when I was told that, if I wanted people to get to know me, I should start to ‘blog’, I did have a mild panic attack.  Isn’t that what kids do these days?

My first thoughts were ‘Where do I start?’, ’What do I write about?’  ‘What will my readers be interested in?’ My second thought was inspired by my husband – he said “I think you are interesting and you have stories to tell, so ‘just do it’.”

So here I am on my first ever blog.  I hope you will enjoy it with me. As you have landed on my website you know that I am a Celebrant specialising in funerals. 

I thought I would tell you a bit about why I decided to become a Celebrant.

Like most of us, when you hit a certain age you will have attended several funerals.  For me, some from people that were close to me such as family and friends, and others where I represented businesses in my HR role.

Let me explain that I was born and raised in the Netherlands and my experience with funerals and ceremonies crosses those borders.  Whilst the ceremonies in the UK were all held at crematoriums and in a fairly standard and traditional format, the ones I experienced in my birthplace were rather different. 

What makes a ceremony special to me.

Those ceremonies had a much more relaxed and creative feel to it.  They were more a celebration of the life of the deceased. Although there was a feeling of sadness, they felt upbeat, with great memories of the times we shared, laughter, and a sense of joy for the life they had lived.

When my dad died in 2017, we had a service like that.  The celebrant came to our home and spoke with me, my mum and other family members.  She allowed us the time to remember all the different things about him. Our memories were put together to tell the story of his life.  We could add our own touches, such as music, eulogies and photo tributes. 

I think it was standing there, in this beautiful venue, in front of 150 people, sharing my tribute to my dad, that my love of celebrant work was born.  This is what I want to give to other families. I want to support you and give you the space, freedom and creativity to share the memories you have, during this final farewell.  I will weave together the story you would like me to tell your friends and family. Together we will make it a day to remember.

My background.

In 2022, I decided to give up my career as an HR professional and become an independent Celebrant. My focus has been totally on funeral ceremonies. During my time with the Academy of Modern Celebrancy I learnt how to create wonderful ceremonies and so much more. Did you know there are several different ways you can hold a funeral? Here in Wiltshire there are many wonderful and varied locations to suite your preference.

Do you know of a local beauty spot where you would hold a ceremony?

I would love to share some of my suggestions with you, but you know what?  I think I will keep that for blog number 2.

Thanks for staying with me.  See you soon.