Welcome to Carol Porter Celebrant
Welcome to my webpage. I hope you find what you are looking for. If you are looking for a professional, trained and certified Funeral Celebrant, I can offer compassionate funeral services to help you honour your loved ones. I am dedicated to providing you with personalised and professional care during this difficult time.
As a professional Celebrant I can also help people to celebrate more joyous occasions in their lives - see my Other Celebrant Services above for more details.
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Welcome to Carol Porter Celebrant
Today's Celebrant Gone are the days you need to follow strict guidelines of how a funeral should, or shouldn't be. The ceremony lies at the core of every funeral and I want to help you to make it a fitting memory.
Funeral services
I am a fully trained, certified professional Funeral Celebrant. I offer a range of funeral services to meet the unique needs of each family I serve. I'm not a Humanist, so can perform services with no religious content at all, or with some religious elements, such as a hymn or a prayer, if required.
I have the honour of meeting with the bereaved family and friends of the departed individual and will work collaboratively to establish a meaningful and personalised tribute.
Through compassionate and thoughtful discussions, an Order of Service is established which includes crafting a heartfelt eulogy or tribute that will be shared during the funeral. I will gracefully lead the service and support the family and friends.
Above all, I'll ensure that the wishes of the departed, as well as their family and friends are respected and carried out with utmost care and sensitivity and the bereaved family are supported every step of the way.
About me
I’ve enjoyed a 40-year career in the financial services industry, reaching Chartered Status and leading teams. I also ran my own recruitment consultancy for the industry, providing career counselling and job placement. My voluntary role as Honorary Careers Officer for the Insurance Institute of Reading included lecturing on how to succeed in the industry. I also visited local schools to introduce young people to a career in insurance.
During the last 20 years I’ve specialised in healthcare benefit consulting, providing services to employers to help their employees and families with their physical and mental health. Along the way I’ve also helped my husband to run a country pub or two, with all that entails, and meeting many customers from all walks of life, some of whom have remained good friends.
I retired early from a successful career following cancer treatment to concentrate on my recovery, but felt compelled to help others with life events in a new profession. I believe I possess a unique set of skills and qualities, including sensitivity and understanding and the ability to connect with people, in addition to providing excellent customer service.
My extensive experience of public speaking, leadership, proactivity and using my initiative helps me to create memorable and personal ceremonies.
This is underpinned by successfully completing a training programme with the Academy of Professional Celebrants, and continue to learn via their ongoing professional development courses.
Why choose me?
Experience
Personalisation
Personalisation
I have successfully completed training from the Academy of Professional Celebrants and been awarded the Certificate of Distinction in Funeral Celebrancy.
This knowledge and expertise provides you with the highest level of service and care. I am also fully insured, for your protection.
Personalisation
Personalisation
Personalisation
I understand that every family is unique, and I can offer a variety of options to help you create a personalised service that reflects the life and personality of your loved one.
From a traditional funeral service to unique celebrations of life, I am here to help you honour your loved one in a meaningful way.
Compassion
Personalisation
Compassion
I am committed to providing compassionate care to every family I serve. I understand that this is a difficult time, and I am here to offer you the support and guidance you need to navigate the funeral service process.
Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them.
George Eliot, Victorian author
Ashes scatterings, memorials and end of life ceremonies
Ashes
Pre-planning service
Memorial service
It may be that there has already been a cremation at an earlier time, and a ceremony for the scattering or burial of ashes is required. This can be a in a special or meaningful place and provides a time of closeness for friends and family members with appropriate words to allow for the healing process to begin.
Memorial service
Pre-planning service
Memorial service
Memorial ceremonies take place separately after a funeral where the individual is remembered, their life celebrated, and their loss acknowledged. These ceremonies are created in the same way, with close liaison with and support of those involved in the planning process.
Pre-planning service
Pre-planning service
Pre-planning service
A pre-planning service to help you make all the necessary arrangements in advance. This can help ease the burden on your loved ones during a difficult time.
I can offer a service of visiting, listening and planning that may be cathartic to both the individual and their family and friends, all knowing that their wishes are heard and can later be carried out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please message me if you cannot find an answer to your question.
At the time of the death of a loved one or family member it can be difficult to think clearly about how you would wish the funeral to be.
It's a sad and stressful time when emotions are heightened due to the loss. It can be helpful to turn to someone who can naturally empathise with you, who has a maturity of understanding and the words to express the feelings of the bereaved family.
Some people wish to make it a celebration of the life that has been, for others their preference and need is a quieter honouring and acknowledgement of their loss.
This is where it may help to have a Celebrant come and sit with you to talk about your wishes and those of the deceased, if they have been discussed previously.
It is then my task as a Celebrant to pull together all the elements and weave them into my ceremony that feels right for all parties, be it a full graveside service and graveside blessing or a shorter crematorium ceremony.
A funeral celebrant can help portray the life and times of an individual within the context of their wishes and the wishes of their family, as well as conduct the most suitable and respectful send off.
One of the biggest benefits is the openness and inclusivity. This allows you to create a ceremony that is a true reflection of the deceased.
Many feel that typical funerals don't offer any kind of emotional weight or psychological transformation, despite this being a huge part of the grieving process.
However, a funeral celebrant will try to bring a sense of light to the ceremony, reminding the mourners that the individual lived a beautiful, meaningful life.
It also gives you the flexibility to factor in different beliefs and wishes, without being tied to a specific structure.
Supporting you from the first meeting to the end of the funeral service, to ensure that the wishes of the family are carried out.
I believe in treating every family with respect, dignity and compassion. I understand that every person is unique and I strive to create personalised services that reflect the life and personality of your loved one:
- Through compassionate and thoughtful discussions, an order of service is established, which includes crafting a heartfelt eulogy or tribute to be shared during the funeral that is a genuine reflection of the departed
- Ensuring that the service is time sensitive and is not rushed
- On the day of the funeral, meet you at your chosen venue at the appointed time
- Gracefully leading the service and supporting the family and friends as you celebrate the life of your loved one
- Guide you through the day of the service, during a difficult and emotional time
As part of my service to you, I will carry out a home visit or meet you at the Funeral Parlour, where I will ask questions to attain all the information, stories and memories that I need to write a meaningful and heartfelt tribute.
It's your choice. Many people will leave most of the funeral to the Celebrant, which is perfectly normal and understandable given the circumstances.
However, should you wish for a family member or friend to speak, carry out a reading or maybe recite a poem, that is perfectly fine and will be discussed as part of my visit and our time working together.
Should you wish for hymns or a prayer to be included in the ceremony, I can easily accommodate this.
Naturally, there is an order to the day, however it is completely up to you should you wish to have a printed Order of Service, but it can help to support the mourners and provide a physical memory of the service.
This will be included as part of the costs you pay to the Funeral Director.
Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm but I'm flexible depending on the needs of the family.
Wiltshire, Hampshire, Dorset and surrounding areas.
Memories of the beloved: A heartfelt gallery
The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.
Marcus Tullius Cicero
Contact me
Carol Porter Celebrant
Wiltshire, Hampshire, Dorset.
Or email: info@carolportercelebrant.co.uk or phone me on 0749 3057548
Normal business hours for a confidential discussion
Mon | 09:00 – 18:00 | |
Tue | 09:00 – 18:00 | |
Wed | 09:00 – 18:00 | |
Thu | 09:00 – 18:00 | |
Fri | 09:00 – 18:00 | |
Sat | 09:00 – 17:00 | |
Sun | Closed |
Carol Porter Celebrant
Wiltshire, Hampshire, Dorset and surrounding areas