What families say about me…
As a Funeral Celebrant I’ve had the privilege of helping so many lovely family over the years, and most of them contact me after the ceremony to share their thoughts and feeling on how things went. There’s not room to show all their feedback here – after more than 1,500 funerals that’s quite a lot of comments! But here’s a selection… and if you'd like to speak to any of the families, or funeral directors, I’ve worked with please let me know.
“Thank you for the wonderful service you gave for Mum today. I’ve been inundated with positive comments on the service with family watching on the webcast from the UK, America, Ireland and France. We really felt that the the whole day did her proud even in these difficult circumstances. Thank you for understanding what made Mum ‘tick’ and summing it up so well at the end. It brought a lot of positivity into a sad day and I’m very grateful for that.”
“Thank you for the warm and understanding way you conducted our Mum’s service. It was a particularly difficult time because of the Covid-19 restrictions but everyone who was at the service, and those who watched via webcast, all commented on how lovely your tribute to Mum was. Despite us only being able to talk over the phone, you managed to put across how loved and valued Mum was (and still is) and we are so grateful for your part in saying farewell to her.”
“Thank you, more than we can say, for totally capturing Christine in everything that you said yesterday. Your insight, given the short time that we had to speak to you, was beyond amazing. We all feel that you have a rare gift and that gift makes such a huge difference to so many people.”
“I can’t find the words to thank you enough for yesterday. Mum’s service was beautiful. The lovely comments we received from people afterwards say all there is to say about your care, professionalism, passion and warmth. I can only add a heartfelt “thank you” from me and my family. You were born for your profession.”
“It was a really lovely reflection on my mother's life and so good to remember all those decades of vibrant life before the confused old lady of the last few years. You expressed that so well in your words and helped Pam, the person, shine through. You turned a day I was dreading into an uplifting experience. Thank you”
“I am so grateful that you took the time to meet my wife before she died. I know if she had been here she would be very pleased and happy with how the day went. Her funeral was everything she wanted it to be.”
“Everyone there was very impressed how the service really is tailor-made for any individual – that is praise indeed for your leadership. The thought you’d given to Richard’s service ensured it was a memorable one for us. We couldn’t have coped without your support.”
“The whole tone was just right – not too solemn but respectful and delivered with style. It was an elegant and fitting tribute to one who’s time had come.”
“You had such a lovely way of delivering what we wanted to say and captured all the things we loved about Val. Everybody commented on what a lovely tribute it was and we are very thankful for everything you did for us. It wasn't easy trying to please everyone but I think we all came together and gave her a great send off.”
“Thank you for the wonderful way you conducted my Granddaughter’s service. Your approach and presentation was a truly fitting tribute to a wonderful young woman. You helped me get through what was the worst day of my life by presenting the many achievements of her short life in such an uplifting way. We were so proud of her and to have her snatched away in such a cruel way filled me with hurt and anger. I fear that hurt will never go away, but your words helped restore a little peace and comfort back into our lives.”
“Thank you for making a difficult day so perfect with such a beautiful service. Your words had the perfect mix of reverence and humour and you captured Dad’s personality perfectly. I know he would have approved.”
“Your choice of words was much appreciated and the whole event was conducted in exactly the way in which I know my sister wanted. Several friends and family members commented extremely favourably on the proceedings, including some who I know have strong religious beliefs.”
“We all thought it was a dignified occasion, which was perfectly in keeping with the way father lived his life. Even the impromptu, deafening, fly-over by the RAF seemed perfectly timed. I thought you handled this ‘technical hitch’ professionally, but with humour.”
“You have been like a family friend, rather than a paid funeral celebrant.”
“You steadied the ship wonderfully, provided reassurance to all and conducted proceedings beautifully. You’re worth your weight in gold. I might only be 35, but I’d like to think you would be available to give me a similar send off, as and when the time arrive.”
“You were brilliant today. Everybody was in awe of how you conducted the ceremony, and how you captured the essence of Richie. There has been nothing but praise for you today and my dear father has asked if we can book you for his! Everybody felt that you had taken the time to listen to us and we felt uplifted by it. Thank you.”
“Your professional, yet friendly and caring attitude showed itself from our first meeting. The service you delivered exceeded our expectations. Your timing, tone of voice and eye contact with us and the rest of the congregation made that very sad time so much more bearable. All those who attended the service have told us how much they admired your delivery and we feel very thankful that you were recommended to us.”
“You have a unique talent that we were privileged to experience today. Your caring, easy manner was obvious from our initial meeting which gave us a feel-good factor from the outset. Long may you continue to help others as you have helped us today.”
“A heartfelt ‘Thank You’ for the lovely service you did for my husband. I received so much positive feedback afterwards that I’d like to share with you. Everyone enjoyed how the service focused solely on him, how it held everyone’s interest from start to finish, the warmth of your voice, how you spoke as if you knew and cared for my husband, how I was guided through every step, how everything went smoothly and nothing was rushed. I couldn’t have asked for anything better, you gave him such a lovely send off. I think the clapping at the end of the Service spoke volumes.”
“Thank you for the truly wonderful service you carried out for my son. You were amazing to listen to and it just seemed that you knew him personally, which must be difficult to put across. Everyone I have spoken to has said what a beautiful service it was and of course that couldn’t have been done without you taking the time and effort to talk and listen to us in the way you did.”
“Many thanks for your well chosen words. You really caught the essence of Dad and delivered the tribute with a fine balance of compassion and professionalism (and a few laughs which were much appreciated!). Many people afterwards wanted to know who you were and how long had the family known you! I guess that’s a testament to your skills.”
“I wanted to thank you for the fantastic service you did for my husband yesterday. So many people said how wonderful that you managed to capture his life as you did. One couple who attended also went to another, more ‘traditional’ service, straight after – they told me it was quite depressing and that it didn’t compare to yours, which was so uplifting. You really have a gift.”
“This was the first non-Jewish funeral I’ve ever been too and I wanted to tell you I thought it was beautiful. What you said… it made us feel like you were giving us a big hug. You’re amazing at what you do.”
“Thank you very much for the way you managed and conducted my friend’s funeral celebration. You made it easy and struck exactly the right note with as much respect and professionalism as I could wish for.”
“I would like to thank you for taking the service at my dad’s funeral. Everybody at the service commented on how beautiful it was and I think, most of all, my dad would have loved it. Thank you so much for making a very difficult day more bearable.”
“We just wanted to pass on our heartfelt thanks for the lovely service you delivered for Dad on Friday. As a family we felt it was perfectly pitched with meaningful words that were both personal and appropriate for Dad. We had many comments from guests reiterating this. Thank-you once again for your personal and very professional service.”
“I cannot begin to thank you enough for yesterday. Although we spent only a comparatively short time together, you described my husband to a T. You have a very special talent. Many people have said they have never laughed so much at a funeral and others said that it was the best funeral they have ever been to. For me – it was the best send-off possible. He would have been really chuffed to see the huge variety of people and embarrassed but secretly proud to hear what his friends said about him. So thank you so much.”
“Thank you so much for a beautiful service. We were all so pleased with it. If mum was watching she too would have enjoyed it. It’s just the way she would have wanted it to go – no tears, all smiles.”
“The ceremony was just what I had hoped for and I know it would have been the kind of send-off my husband would have appreciated. I must admit, when we first thought of going away from the ‘traditional service’, I was a bit nervous. I had no knowledge of such services – was I doing the right thing? But once I met you and we had a chat over things, I knew all would be well. When speaking to family and friends afterwards, it was clear that they thought it was a lovely ceremony and many said they would want their funerals to be likewise. Even those who had religous beliefs commented on the service in a very positive way. On behalf of my family, thank you so much for making it so special Nicola.”
“It was lovely that you shared a lot of interests with my sister and I think that came through in everything that you said. It could not have gone better.”
“You managed to set the scene and conduct the proceedings for my wife in a really appropriate way. Many of our friends commented upon your warmth and professionalism in what was such an inevitably moving experience.”
“Thank you so much for making today run so smoothly and dignified. Dad would have loved the way you came across during the whole service. I know he was my dad which, obviously, made it special for me, but it was still, by far, the warmest and most touching funeral I’ve ever been to.”
“Your presence and careful attention to detail made such a difference to the occasion. We could not have coordinated proceedings in the way you did. So many people asked us who you were and had we known you long, which is testimony to your empathetic way of listening. I was so happy that what was said was accurate and although you obviously never met my husband, it seemed as though you knew him.”
“You definitely have a gift with words.”
“We all appreciated your care, sensitivity and kindness. I know it is your job but sometimes it is not what people do but how they do it.”
“Having seen you conduct my friend’s funeral, I knew you were the perfect choice when my sister died. Your voice, your caring and loving manner, all endeared you to us. You never met my sister but you would never have known. Everyone commented afterwards that they were amazed you never knew her!”
“When my husband died suddenly and unexpectedly, just before Christmas, you showed great compassion and helped us all through in our hour of need. The service you conducted was almost joyful and made a sad occasion so much more bearable.”
“Thank you for the heartfelt ceremony that you led at Mum’s funeral – I am so glad that Mum made her wishes known to me. I can see that she chose you because of your honest, warm and professional nature. Listening to you made such a difficult day into a positive celebration of Mum’s life. You captured the free-spirited, fun and loving person that mum was. Thank you so much.”
“Thank you for the beautiful way you prepared and conducted the joint funeral service for my parents. I was particularly impressed by the way you gathered information about Mum and Dad from our conversations and used this to create such a personal service, encapsulating both their unique qualities and their life as a couple. It's hard to put into words just how much how I appreciate not only what you did but also your calm, compassionate manner and the way you took account of my thoughts while giving guidance from your own experience. You are clearly very talented in what you do and I couldn't have wished for a better celebrant - it's no mean feat to make a service so special in such difficult circumstances.”
“Thank you so much for the lovely ceremony you gave Steve yesterday. COVID made a difficult time harder to deal with, so we can’t thank you enough for all your help and support. The webcast was a big success. I’ve had so many messages all saying, “beautiful, lovely, just right, spirit of Steve’s life…” and so on. Steve’s Dad thought it was so lovely he has asked that you do his ceremony when the time comes. Your name is to be added to his list of wishes! Thank you again from all the family.”
“Nicola – you were out of this world. We could not have asked for anyone better.”
“I have been to many funerals where the person delivering the tribute obviously had no idea what the relative was like. But you had taken what we’d said to heart and this was evident to everyone there. I have no idea how you manage to do such a difficult job – but I’m sure glad you do.”
“Our friends and family thought it was the most moving, sincere service they had ever attended, and that is all down to you.”
“The send off you gave our darling Dad was as wonderful as the ceremony you did for Mum three year’s earlier. You’ve played an incredibly special and memorable part in our family and for that we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
“Every one I spoke to who attended the ceremony said it was one of the best they have been to, and that was down to your delivery. I know most people taking these services have never met the deceased and, like you, are relaying information given by the family. In most cases it shows. But you were exceptional and made it all so very personal. For that I thank you...”
“Dad would have been extremely impressed by the service today and thank you so much for having the foresight to add the short reading. As a group of people saying goodbye to a loved one, it was made considerably easier and so much more enjoyable by the service you performed.”
“The atmosphere you created was completey fitting to the essence of mums characater. It provided the space for her family, friends and neighbours to feel that they could connect with her in order to be able to offer their personal farewells. Its more than simply the words you chose – there was a feeling of integrity and presence. I am left with a warm and tender memory of the service for which I’m very grateful.”
“Our sincere thanks and gratitude for your beautiful celebration and remembrance of our Mothers life. You guided all present through her life, and helped us all to remember all the nuances and foibles that made Dorothy unique and strong. Thank you for your time, your beautiful words, and your understanding when we were at our most vulnerable.”
“Thank you so much for the beautiful, perfect celebration of Steve’s life. Without you it would not have been anywhere near what I hoped for. I’ll never forget your part in his story.”
“I will be forever grateful for the kindness and consideration you showed us and the delivery of such a wonderful tribute. We have already received cards congratulating you on such a fond and moving service.”
“Thank you so much for all that you put into Maddy’s day to make it the celebration our daughter deserved. It was a day of joy and sadness and your words and their delivery really captured the essence of the special and unique person she was. I thought you gave a really beautiful and very moving tribute to our lovely girl – you got Maddy’s character to a tee. So thank you for putting so much into getting this right, and into your sensitive delivery of the words on the day. It really was very ‘Maddy’.”
“Thank you for the wonderful way you conducted my daughter’s funeral service. It was such a fantastic send off – better than we could have hoped for. Your compassion, respect and professionalism really shone through.”
“Everybody thought it was a wonderful ceremony – even our highly religious aunt! And afterwards people kept asking me how long you had known mum…”
“The whole service was a masterpiece of planning, timing and, above all, feeling. Our friends and family felt so much part of it. And our son would have loved it. You did him proud.”
“Thank you for all your help preparing and giving such a lovely service for our little girl. The whole family thought the service was wonderful and for that we will be forever grateful. I can’t tell you how much it meant to us.”
A real heartfelt thank you for the wonderful service you conducted on our behalf for my mother yesterday. The wording and the manner in which you delivered her tribute was exceptional. Moreover it was incredibly fitting and appropriate for mum. Everyone we spoke to reinforced that, and many to the point where they were insisting when their time comes, they must have you to conduct their service. This made me smile and just highlights even more what a lovely job you had done for us.
“Everyone said how lovely and wonderful you were and want you to do their funerals too. So you’re going to have to live on forever now!”
“Thank you so much for doing such a beautiful service, I will never forget the way you managed to piece together mums life story in such a touching way. People came up to me afterwards and said “that’s what I want when I go” and that’s all down to you. You were an important piece in the puzzle that was mum’s story and I will be forever grateful to you for that.”
“You led a service for my friend yesterday and I wanted to say thank you. It was very moving, You were just perfect and understood everything about him, his family and all that knew him. You had the perfect voice, tone and manner for his service. I’m so grateful.”
“I would like to say how truly happy we all were with the service you conducted for my uncle yesterday. Even better than I had hoped, a really wonderful send-off . One of his oldest friends said that “it was the best funeral service he’d ever been to.” The way you seem able to understand our wishes when we only met for a relatively short space of time is truly impressive. You have certainly helped me come to terms with his death and I now feel completely at ease to be able to cherish his memory in the years to come. That is something you have given me which I will never forget.”
“I wanted to thank you so much,for the wonderful service you did for my friend on Monday. It meant a great deal to all of us. Your care and attention to us, and to bringing out all the aspects of her personality that we love, was remarkable, and a tremendous comfort to us at a difficult time. It very much felt like a celebration of how lucky we were to have her in our lives, and I sense she would be proud of us all, including you. I also want to thank you for the things you said about friendship. It’s greatly helped to ‘re-frame’ things for me: what I thought would be painful, as I see reminders of her, has helped me see it’s a blessing: a lovely reminder of our dear friend’s presence with us now. So I’ll carry that with me, and I’m grateful. Please be proud of the important work you do. It makes all the difference.”
“I wanted to write to you to express my sincere thanks for the way you assisted my family when you led the funeral ceremony for my father. When I met with you, you listened attentively and made me feel that everything would be organised in a dignified and respectful manner; you delivered to that first impression. Nicola you used your knowledge, communication skills and experience to ensure that the ceremony celebrated my father’s life and the events that shaped it. I was particularly impressed with your professional approach to the day and the words you found that added meaning and colour to the occasion. The ceremony was administered exactly as we discussed with no surprises or concerns.”
“We are so pleased we had you to conduct our Mum’s service and you did an excellent job. You were the right person to help us say goodbye to Mum – I’m sure had she met you, you would have got on really well! My brother, sister and I are so glad we were able to read our tributes and are very happy with every aspect of Mum’s send off. So thank you.”
“Thank you so much Nicola. Unfortunately the Monday before Mum’s funeral I attended my Uncle’s funeral and, in odd moments, kept thinking “this is not what Mum would want”, so my sincere thanks in making the service and tribute so personal to Mum, in what are, at most times impersonal, surroundings. There’s a fine line between a personal service and what can be very raw – you helped us all strike that balance.”
“Although you hadn’t met my husband we all felt as if you were talking about someone that you knew really well. Thank you for your kindness both at the funeral and when you came to visit us.”
“After leaving the crematorium, we all had a jolly good chat over a cup of tea and every single person remarked with genuine enjoyment on the ceremony. It is a memory I shall hold for a long time.”
“I know it’s your job but you really are an amazing person, and to say “Thank You” doesn’t seem enough. Every one enthused about the type of ceremony that you offer. My Daughter, a devout Christian, was very impressed and my youngest son was “blown away.” He wants to know if you will still be around to do the honours for him!”
“You struck the right note between being respectful but caring. Nothing was too much trouble and you kept us informed of any changes. We’re so grateful to you.”
“You maintained a careful level of dignity and respect, yet made us smile with stories from my mother’s life. You are blessed with a natural empathy and a generosity of spirit. Thank you.”
“You were a centre of calm during the ceremony and produced a beautifully worded and balanced service for us. Your sensitive, supportive and understanding manner has helped our family come to terms with its grief.”
“It is wonderful how you carefully brought together, through your words, all the love and warmth that was felt for Dad by all his family and friends. It was an upbeat ceremony, and, if dad was looking down, he would have loved it.”
“I can’t think that anyone could have conducted my dear wife’s funeral in a more caring and loving way than you did. I will always be grateful for all you did for us.”
“The ceremony was absolutely perfect. We keep comparing it with other funerals we have been to over the years and, for us, Dad’s was so much nicer in style, words and approach. It focused on him, and the people he treasured throughout his life. It is the type of service we all want for ourselves.”
“A huge thank you for all you did in helping us organise the wonderful celebration of Aunty Edna. It was a very moving service and you lead it beautifully. Everything went smoothly. I loved the order of service and really enjoyed the visual tribute and the music. Thank you for your suggestions. I know it’s a job for you but you do it very, very well and make everyone relaxed and feel included. It was a testament to the way you are that there were many smiles to be seen and not too many heavy hearts.”
“All family and friends said how lovely the ceremony was, befitting of my dear husband. I felt so calm and strong with you there for us. Our goodbye to him was indeed a celebration of his long and happy life. You made it special. ”
“A heartfelt thank you for delivering such a beautiful service for my Mum. You captured the warmth and love we all had for her, and the love she had for others. It was such a fitting send off. And everyone else who was there said the same. So a massive thank you.”
“Your words were absolutely beautiful and you managed to turn a very difficult day into a happy, memorable celebration of my Mum’s life. Words can’t thank you enough.”