How to grieve someone you had a complicated relationship with

Grief is often seen as something that is intrinsically connected with love. However, to some people, grief does not equal love. How do you grieve someone you didn’t like? In the below I’ll share some thoughts on how this may affect your grief and what to say or do at a funeral for someone you[…]

woman writing

How to write a eulogy – five prompts to tell a life story in a compelling way

Writing a eulogy for a funeral service can be a daunting task. It’s quite a responsibility to capture the life of your special person in a few minutes. A common approach is to describe someone’s story in a chronological way and this may work very well. However, if you are looking for alternative options that[…]

St Marylebone Crematorium in North London

Direct Cremation: how to make an informed choice

Direct Cremation is becoming an increasingly popular choice for people arranging a funeral. It’s been promoted as an affordable, simple and no fuss option. Sounds good, right? However, not everyone realises what a Direct Cremation involves and it might not be the right choice after all! In this blogpost I discuss pros and cons of[…]

Landrover Hearse (c) Sacred Stones Ltd

How to save on funeral costs

Funerals are expensive, and with the current cost of living crisis you may be curious to learn how to save on funeral costs while still having a meaningful send-off. According to Sunlife, the average costs for a basic funeral in the UK in 2021 was £4,056. This does not include costs for limousines, order of[…]

Baby funeral by London based funeral celebrant Rosalie Kuyvenhoven, Rituals Today
Online funeral service led by Rosalie Kuyvenhoven, London based celebrant

Virtual funerals: honouring a life in times of COVID-19

A virtual funeral offers a meaningful alternative when a physical get-together is not possible. Rosalie Kuyvenhoven, London based celebrant, explains how a Zoom funeral works.

Cherry Blossom (C) London based funeral celebrant Rosalie Kuyvenhoven
Hampstead Heath. Photo credits (c) Rosalie Kuyvenhoven, Rituals Today

Beautiful poems and readings for an autumn funeral

Every season has its own special beauty. Autumn has many attributes that relate to the cycle of life and death. Watching nature transform its colours from green to a palette of golden yellow, bright red and warm brown is a delight. Yet, there is also a sadness in all this beauty as it is also[…]

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[…]

Supporting people with dementia: how to have a dementia-friendly funeral?

How to have a dementia-friendly funeral? In this blog, I take you on my own journey in finding out who to support bereaved people with dementia. Learn why this is important, what it involves and how you can make a positive difference. Check also my online training on this subject: It started with awareness …[…]

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[…]

Holding hands

Dementia and grief: how to support people with dementia in funeral arrangements

Quite a few funerals I conduct are related to dementia. Either the person who has died or a living family member has been diagnosed with the disease. This raises specific questions and thoughts around funeral arrangements, such as: “Should we take mum to the funeral? She will not remember anything of it” “We don’t need[…]

Unique tribute ceremony for an iconic community building

Cheers for Hornsey Town Hall, an iconic community building in the heart of Crouch End that is closing its doors for redevelopment. Screenshot from video by Sugarsweet Productions The vast majority of the ceremonies I lead are for people: babies who are given a warm welcome into the world; couples who commit their love to[…]