Organising your own humanist funeral

Planning your own funeral ceremony

Many people want to make advance plans for their own funeral or memorial ceremony. And why not? If you’ve left clear instructions, you can be confident that you will get the funeral you have chosen, and also take a great deal of pressure off friends and family when the time comes.

There’s no set way of arranging your funeral ceremony, but it is important that you write down what you would like to happen, and very important that you give a copy of your plans to a close family member or friend who is likely to take charge of the event. Giving a copy of your plans to your solicitor is unlikely to be of help as your will is unlikely to be read until your funeral is over.

You might like to think about the music you would like played and the poems or texts you would like to be read. And consider writing a short personal history, mentioning the people and events that have been important to you. This can help make the funeral more meaningful for those who attend.

If you want to have a non-religious funeral or memorial ceremony conducted by one of our humanist funeral celebrants, you should specify this in your plan.

An increasing number of people coming towards the end of their life want to work with a celebrant to plan their own funeral. Many of our celebrants can assist with this and will talk through the options that are available.  Our pre-planned funeral ceremony service puts you in touch with a funeral celebrant who can help you plan for your funeral. It is for people seeking to plan their funeral following a life limiting diagnosis, or because they wish to put their affairs in order. Find a pre-planned funeral ceremony celebrant via our interactive map.

Helpful information can be found on the following websites: