Tapestry Funerals, a Hertfordshire-based funeral celebrant service 

At Tapestry Funerals, I believe funeral and memorial services should not be endurance tests - my aim is to create experiences that pay respect and offer comfort.  I tailor the ceremony to match your wishes, helping you to weave together memories, readings and music to reflect the life and personality of your loved one - just like a tapestry.  

As an experienced independent funeral celebrant, my services are similar to those offered by humanist celebrants in that I focus on commemorating lives rather than the sharing of religious teaching.  However, in addition to offering secular ceremonies, I am happy to incorporate some religious element, such as a prayer or a hymn, if that feels right for your family.  It is entirely up to you.

I am based in St Albans and work with clients across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hillingdon.  I regularly conduct services in a range of crematoria, cemeteries and natural burial sites across the region, so I can help you to explore the range of funeral choices open to you.  This includes the option of splitting the proceedings into a direct cremation / cremation or burial attended by the immediate family only, and a memorial service for wider family and friends at a venue such as your home, a village hall, your local pub, a golf or cricket club, a hotel, or a country house.  In the UK, there is no legal requirement to hold a funeral or memorial ceremony in a licensed setting so the choice is yours.

• If you select Tapestry Funerals as your funeral celebrant service, or if your funeral arranger suggests that I would be a good fit for your family, I will touch base with you so that we can arrange a meeting which can either in person, via Zoom or over the telephone - whatever is most convenient for you.

• During the first part of the meeting, we will discuss how you would like to structure the ceremony, and any initial ideas you have regarding music and readings.  Some people have a very clear vision of how they want things to be; others are less certain and want guidance.  I am equally comfortable working with both scenarios - either way, my primary aim is for you to feel supported.  For the second part of the meeting, I will ask whether you would mind sharing any memories and details about your loved one’s life, so that I can then ensure any suggestions I make are as fitting as possible.

• Following the meeting, I will send you my understanding of the running order we have agreed upon.  If you have decided to have order of service booklets, this can then form the wording for your order of service booklets.  If you have asked for music or reading suggestions, I will send through a tailored selection to choose from.  If you have specified that you would like to include particular pieces of music, I will go away and research what versions of those tracks are available, and I will then send these through for your approval.

• The next stage is working on the eulogy and script.  I want you to feel comfortable with everything that is going to be said on the day, so I will email you my proposed script (and eulogy if required) before the service takes place, and I will ask you to be honest with your feedback.  If there are parts of the eulogy or script that do not sit comfortably with you, or if I have misunderstood the facts, please do tell me.  I will then make the necessary corrections and edit and redraft until you are happy. 

• On the day of the ceremony, I will arrive ahead of time to liaise with the chapel attendant or help set up the venue.  After the ceremony, I will wait in the background on the flower yard until you are ready to move on to the wake, or, if the ceremony is being held in the same venue as the wake, I will wait until everyone has settled into their refreshments, and then I will quietly say goodbye.

• In the days that follow, I will ensure you have a keepsake copy of the script so that, if the day itself has passed in something of an emotional blur, you will have something to reflect upon later down the line, as and when you are ready to do so.

If this sounds like it will work for you, and you would like me to help you create a celebration of  life for your loved one, please get in touch so that we can have a chat.

I am writing on our collective behalf to say a heartfelt thank you, and to tell you how delighted we were with everything that you did to prepare, communicate and deliver the best send off for our dear father yesterday at Hemel Hempstead Crematorium.  Without exception, everyone commented on how well you greeted, engaged, talked and spoke throughout the day.

It was a beautiful send off.  Everyone said it was the most the most uplifting and enjoyable funeral they had been to. Thank you so much for your support. 

Thank you Clare.  The day went as well as we could hope for for such a sombre occasion, and a large part of that is thanks to the absolutely amazing job you did in both guiding us beforehand, and hosting the ceremony on the day. 

Many, many thanks for walking this difficult road with us.  Your support is, and has been, invaluable.'

Your help was invaluable and was, I am sure, the key ingredient to making the day such a happy one with lots of stories and recollections.