Frequent Asked Questions

A funeral celebrant is someone qualified to host and officiate funeral services. As well as conducting the funeral itself (non –religious and semi religious), celebrants are involved in creating and delivering the eulogy for the service (if desired), planning the order of service, planning the music, and generally putting together the most meaningful service possible for the person who has died. This is done based on the wishes of the deceased (if known), and their family, friends, acquaintances and loved ones.

A celebrant is not obliged to have to have any formal qualifications. However, most do. This is because getting the service right on the day is a considerable undertaking and really necessitates competency in listening to the wishes of the bereaved, in putting together services that capture the essence of the deceased and in public speaking. It is also important for celebrants to have a sound knowledge of best practice, of how a service is composed, and of the audiovisual systems used at funerals. Yew Tree Celebrancy's Luke Waterson was trained by one of the best celebrancy academies in the business - the Academy of Professional Celebrants (APC). Luke also brings two decades of experience as a professional listener and writer to his celebrancy work. To tell the best story, you have to be the best listener. At Yew Tree Celebrancy, the special services that we create to celebrate a life lived are rooted most of all in our ability to listen and come to understand the uniqueness of that life.

When it comes to having a funeral service, there are several choices you can make about who you want to lead the service. You can choose a typical church funeral, but many people feel that these do not offer much personalisation, emotional depth or a true, vivid reflection of the life of the deceased. Or you can choose a celebrant. Today, 80% of funerals are celebrant-led. One of the biggest benefits of a celebrant-led funeral is their openness and inclusivity. They allow you to create a ceremony that is a true reflection of the deceased, based on the stories you want told about them and the elements you want to have included. A good funeral celebrant will try to bring a sense of light to the ceremony, reminding the mourners that while there is grief at the deceased's passing, there is also cause to celebrate the many positives they brought to this world, and that they lived a beautiful, unique, meaningful life. Choosing a celebrant to lead a service celebrating the life of the person you have lost also importantly gives the flexibility to factor in different wishes and beliefs, without being tied to a specific structure.