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 Frequently Asked Questions

What do you call the ceremonies you conduct?
What is a Certified Funeral Celebrant?
Who hires you?
Will you keep my family's information confidential?
What are your religious beliefs?
What does the fee include?

 What do you call the ceremonies you conduct?
There are many appropriate names to use for the main ceremony: Funeral, Memorial Service, Celebration of Life, Affirmation of Life, Ceremony of Goodbye. This includes Alternative Goodbyes and Belated Goodbyes. Associated ceremonies can take place at the graveside or crematory. (See Terminology for more info.) I call them all Remembrance Ceremonies, because that is the core of what I do — bring together people to remember and honor your loved one and share those memories with one another. BACK TO TOP

 What is a Certified Funeral Celebrant?
Certified Funeral Celebrants (CFCs) have been trained by noted bereavement author Doug Manning and instructor Glenda Stansbury, and certified by In-Sight Institute to create and conduct meaningful ceremonies that reflect the life and personality of the deceased.

Celebrants may also refer to themselves as Funeral Celebrants (contrasted with Wedding Celebrants) or, simply, Celebrants. The term Certified indicates that an organization stands behind the knowledge and abilities of that Celebrant.

In-Sight Institute was the first organization in North America to recognize the importance of the services offered by Civil Funeral Celebrants in Australia and New Zealand, and to create a training program here. The first group of In-Sight Celebrants was certified in 1999. BACK TO TOP

 Who hires you?
People who:

 ...want the ceremony to focus on the person and the life lived 

 ...would like a very creative or freeform ceremony

 ...don't have a connection to a religious organization

 ...don't want a sermon at the ceremony

 ...have had bad experiences with traditional services

 ...want multiple religions represented at the ceremony and need a neutral Officiant to weave it together

 ...want a non-religious ceremony (even if that includes religious readings or song)

 ...have in mind a ceremony that mainstream clergy members or chaplains would be uncomfortable performing, such as a Humanist, Earth-based, or Pagan ceremony

 ...want to include a clergy member that mainstream clergy are uncomfortable working with, such as a Wiccan Priestess or Priest

 ...need something included in the ceremony that is unfamiliar to clergy/chaplains, such as the Rosicrucian Great Invocation or a Buddhist reading

...want to be sure that the worldviews of all attendees are respected

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 Will you keep my family's information confidential?
Absolutely. Personal information is always held in the strictest confidence. My years as a hospice volunteer and employee reinforced my personal belief that privacy and confidentiality must be respected at all times. BACK TO TOP

 What are your religious beliefs?
As a Celebrant, my focus is on the family of the deceased. I respect the wisdom in all religions, spiritual paths, and worldviews — including agnosticism and atheism. My personal beliefs do not enter into any part of the process. BACK TO TOP

 What does the fee include?
Creating one-of-a-kind ceremony is my passion and my livelihood, based on years of experience and a true compassion for those in grief.

I typically spend a minimum of 10 to 12 hours on the main ceremony:

1. Phone call from the Funeral Director

2. Phone call(s) with the family to set up the Family Meeting

3. Family Meeting — at your home or at the Funeral Home — collecting memories and considering various elements of the ceremony (driving time plus one to two hours with the family)

4. Additional research: phone calls and emails with others who knew the deceased to collect memories or confirm dates, places, etc. (one to many hours)

5. Transcribe notes

6. Write the tribute (transcribing, writing, revising, fact-checking, and editing usually take about 6 hours)

7. Create the ceremony structure

8. Communicate with the family: getting approvals, reminding of "To do" items for the ceremony

9. Coordinate logistics with the Funeral Director (folder, music, etc.)

10. Time and practice my spoken parts

11. Drive to and from ceremony location

12. Arrive before the ceremony: set up; coordinate with funeral home staff, musicians, Honor Guard; and greet the family

13. Conduct the ceremony

14. Be available for attendees at end of ceremony

15. Attend social time if requested/invited

And, like any business, my work requires behind-the-scenes time that is not billed to any one client, plus overhead expenses.

Any associated ceremony — for instance, a graveside or crematory ceremony after the main ceremony — will, of course, require additional work at the Family Meeting as well as writing, practicing, coordinating, driving, and conducting the ceremony.

So, there's a look into how a Certified Funeral Celebrant does her job. As you can see, this work adds up to a comprehensive package which includes the ceremony itself plus a certain amount of "event planning" and coordination.

All of my clients have been pleased with the value they received. In fact, some have "tipped" me up to several hundred dollars over my fee.

 A Remembrance Ceremony is a priceless gift that you — the family — give to yourselves, to your children, and to all who knew your loved one. BACK TO TOP

You can contact me directly or ask your Funeral Director to call me. If you have additional questions, please call or email. I am happy to talk with you without obligation.

Feel free to check out the rest of my website — you'll find more information on most of these topics. And see About Marcella, which highlights the experiences and training that brought me to my Ceremony Officiant practice.