If you’ve just started planning a wedding and you’re feeling overwhelmed by the list of Things You Apparently Should Already Know, let me take one off your plate. The difference between a registrar and a humanist celebrant? It’s a biggie - and it’s not just about who gets to sign the paperwork. Let’s break it down. The Legal Bit Registrars are employed by the local council. They’re the official record-keepers, the government representatives, the ones with the power to make yo

A reflection inspired by Andrea Gibson’s “Love Letter from the Afterlife” I recently came across a poem that stopped me in my tracks: Love Letter from the Afterlife by Andrea Gibson. If you’ve never read it, go gently. It’s the kind of poem that rearranges your insides in the best possible way. At its heart, it turns our usual thinking on its head. We so often speak about people "leaving us” when they die, as if they’ve vanished to some unreachable place. But this poem sugge

This is what depth looks like: real joy, real people, right at the heart of it all. I’ve heard it more than once—mostly (but not always) politely, often with a slightly furrowed brow and a concerned tone: “Don’t you think a non-religious ceremony can feel a bit… you know… shallow?” And I get it. Especially if you’ve only ever experienced ceremonies that follow a set religious structure, with age-old words and a firm sense of who’s in charge (usually someone in robes with a mi

One of the most rewarding things about conducting a funeral ceremony is finding the words that make people say, “Yes! That’s her. That’s exactly her.” Now, I won’t pretend that’s always easy. There are all sorts of challenges that can get in the way of At a crematorium, time can be tight. And even when there’s no clock glaring at you, it’s hard for families to pin down the right words. You’re exhausted, blindsided by grief, and the doorbell keeps going with well-meaning visi

When I first started working as a funeral celebrant, I honestly thought my role would be pretty straightforward. I imagined delivering...

Someone shared this quote with me recently, and it’s been quietly sitting with me ever since: "I don't think people understand how much...

This morning I woke up with a sharp, breath-catching pain under my ribcage. The kind that makes you pause mid-inhalation and wonder what...