One of the key decisions families make when arranging a funeral is who to conduct the service itself. People who would like a religious element to the service may ask their local minister or they might approach us for a suggestion of somebody we know. Alternatively, there are celebrants locally (civil and humanist) who are used to leading a variety of services – from weddings to funerals.
That said and it’s not necessarily widely known – anyone can conduct a funeral service. As ever, the choice is down to the family and whatever suits their loved one.
It might be that you feel you can conduct the service yourself or you have a friend or family member who can do it. The key thing to remember is that, on the day, you might feel more overwhelmed than you imagined you might and, while saying a few words might be okay, conducting the entire service might feel too much.
However, if there is someone you know who feels comfortable speaking in front of a crowd, then it might well make the whole service much more personal. Alternatively, you could split the role of celebrant between several family members – but this could take a fair amount of organisation.