Arrange a funeral > Arranging a funeral FAQs

Funerals led by both humanists and civil celebrants have become very popular. The funeral director would usually arrange the person officiating at the service on behalf on the client, and pass on the client’s contact information. This would allow the humanist or celebrant to get in touch and arrange a meeting to discuss the service.

The key difference between the two is the level of religious content in the service. A humanist service is regarded as a non-religious ceremony, as such there is not usually any religious content in the service. While some humanists may permit the singing of a hymn, there would not normally be any prayers or reading of passages from the bible.

A civil celebrant however will completely tailor the service to the client’s wishes allowing as much or as little religious content the client requires. An example of this would be if a client wished to sing two hymns and have the Lord’s prayer said at the service, we would advise the client a civil celebrant would be the best option for the taking the service.

Humanists and civil celebrants charge a fee for providing the service they do. This fee is usually paid by the funeral director and included in the disbursements of the funeral invoice.