Cherry Blossom (C) London based funeral celebrant Rosalie Kuyvenhoven
Non-religious coming-of-age ceremony

From child to t(w)een: a non-religious coming-of-age ceremony

The transition from childhood to adulthood, the ‘coming of age’ of children to become young men and women, is a significant stepping stone in everyone’s life. Many traditions around the world have rituals and ceremonies to mark and remember this pivotal moment in someone’s life. They are often linked to religion, such as Bar and[…]

Free download: a Guide to Dementia Friendly Funerals

A Guide to Dementia Friendly Funerals. Written by Rosalie Kuyvenhoven in association with Dementia Friendly Haringey and The London Cremation Company and sponsored by the National Association of Funeral Directors. Including people with dementia, where possible, in funeral arrangements and on the day of the funeral helps them express their emotions and say their farewells[…]

Celebrant-led wedding ceremony
Sand ceremony, London wedding. Photo credits (c) Daniel Morrell.

Real wedding: Aika and DongYoung’s small and intimate wedding ceremony

Weddings come in all shapes and sizes. Big, tiny, lavish, luxury, simple, creative, serious, hilarious, traditional, unconventional, loud and still. In the ‘real weddings’ blog posts I describe how I work with couples to create and conduct bespoke wedding ceremonies to celebrate this special moment in their lives. The below is an impression of the[…]

Beautiful ways to honour a loved one at your wedding ceremony

Meghan Markle’s wedding bouquet included forget-me-nots, Diana, Princess of Wales’, favourite flowers. Prince Harry had handpicked them. I was quite moved by this detail. A subtle, gentle, heartfelt and truly personal way for Harry and Meghan to honour Harry’s mother. How to honour a loved one at your wedding When you are getting married you[…]

Spotlight interview with award-winning blog Engaged and Ready

  A precious moment at S&R’s wedding. Photo by Paul Wilkinson Photography It has been a great honour (and lots of fun!) to be interviewed by award-winning wedding blog ‘Engaged and Ready.’ If you don’t know this blog yet, check it out. It’s filled with advice and inspiration for wedding ceremony guiding and planning, life-living,[…]

The future of funerals: what the UK funeral industry can learn from the Dutch

A few weeks ago, I went on a funeral field trip to The Netherlands. I was curious to learn more about the funeral practices in my home country. The Dutch are well known for the relaxed, personal and innovative way of dealing with their dead. What can de UK funeral world learn from their neighbours?[…]

How Rituals Will Save the World

The world is in despair. But there’s a cure: rituals. Find out how four ritual super powers will save the world. Community Ritual North London, June 2016   2016 has been a turbulent year and many people are concerned about what will happen in 2017. The world is shivering. Brexit and Trump have been no[…]

Start 2017 Positively With This Year-End Ritual

We are approaching the end of 2016. It has been a turbulent year. How do you look back on 2016? What are the things you would like to leave behind? What would you like to take with you in the year to come? These questions came to my mind when I was browsing through the pictures[…]

Seven Blessings: a modern interpretation of a beautiful Jewish ritual

One of the most precious things of being a celebrant is learning a lot about the richness of rituals and ceremonies from all over the world. As an independent celebrant, I deliver ceremonies for people from all kinds of backgrounds: secular, religious and interfaith. My starting point is always with the people I meet and[…]

I do! How a celebrant can help you realise the day of your dreams

Preparing your wedding can be an extremely stressful experience. For almost one in four men (23%), it’s the most stressful thing they have ever done, compared to one in six women (16%). There is a whole list of things to decide on. What venue? Who to invite? How to make sure that everybody is going[…]