What is a humanist funeral?
A humanist funeral is a non-religious funeral. They are not exclusively for humanists, but are for anyone who is not religious. The service focuses on celebrating the life of the individual, with no reference to faith. There may still be music, readings and a eulogy.
Humanist funerals are usually led by a celebrant. They will focus the service on the life the person has led, rather than the faith they may have followed.
Funeral services are available from Willow Lake for the standard price of £1995, whether they are humanist or religious. Our price of £1995 includes all third party costs and there are no upfront payments or hidden fees.
What happens during a humanist funeral service?
Humanist funerals follow a similar structure to religious funerals, they just omit any mention of faith or religious traditions.
First of all, the celebrant will greet your family and your guests, and then they can lead the service.
A humanist funeral often includes pieces of music chosen by the deceased’s family, as well as readings or poetry. The service will also include a tribute section, the main focus of the funeral.
The tribute will typically last around 15 minutes and can be written by the celebrant. The tribute will often include a variety of stories and memories submitted by friends and family.
Following the tribute you may wish to include time for silent reflection, which may be accompanied by a piece of music, or carried out in silence. Then the funeral usually ends with the committal, whereby the curtains are closed and the ceremony concludes with words of thanks.
What is the role of the celebrant?
Since humanist funerals are not religious, there are no Vicars, Priests, or any other religious figureheads to lead the service. Instead, humanist funerals use a celebrant. Celebrants are trained to create unique services that reflects the life of your loved one and on the day they will lead the service, unless you would prefer to do this yourself.
We work with a small selection of local celebrants that you can choose from, and is included within our standard price of £1995. The celebrant can lead the entire service, or as much or as little as you would like. The celebrant will also help you and your family to plan the service, and can help to guide you through this incredibly difficult time.
What is humanist cremation?
Humanist cremation does not differ from any other cremation, as the process itself is the same. It is only the service aspect of the funeral which is different.
How much does a humanist funeral cost?
Funeral services at Willow Lake all cost a standard price of £1995, and this is the same for humanist funerals. The price of £1995 includes everything, from the help of the celebrant, their involvement on the day, any liaisons between our team and the doctor or coroner (as well as taking care of any legal paperwork involved), the collection and care of your loved one, the funeral itself, and finally, the delivery of the ashes.
If you have any questions or would like to arrange a funeral with Willow Lake, call a member of our experienced team on 0800 464 7277. Alternatively, send us an email at [email protected]