Celebrancy ...
After numerous friends saying "Gaye, you’d be a wonderful celebrant, you’d bring warmth and life to any ceremony", that is what I endeavour to do. I have chosen only to do Memorial Services. This affords the family time to gather their emotions and thoughts and for me to share enough conversations to co-create a ceremony that is a relaxed and meaningful celebration of their loved one’s life.
I began my working life as a General and Psychiatric Nurse and during this era I sat at many peoples' bedsides, as both an NHS and a Marie Curie nurse. This privileged time of being alongside a patient and their family, as another precious life came to an end, spurned an interest in all things relating to end of life, especially those loved ones left behind.
I feel as a Celebrant, I can utilise these former experiences, namely: my curiosity and compassion for people at all stages of life, my talent as a writer to capture the uniqueness of each life and my acting skills to deliver these very special human stories. I am described as: genuine, warm, master of the glad game, hungry for life, kind, poetic, imaginative, professional, the possessor of an infectious laugh.
If you wish to have someone who can empathically attune to your needs, I would be delighted to have a conversation with you. Then, we can see if I am the right fit for you to form a relationship with, to guide you through your very important celebration of life.
Please click here for my contact details.
"Gaye recently led the funeral service for my grandad, and she was nothing short of wonderful. She brought my grandad to life through her incredible words and took the time to ensure she knew everything about him before she delivered the service. She was kind and supportive to us all as a family and no request was too much. Planning funerals is an incredibly daunting job but with Gaye it felt like a trip down memory lane and an opportunity to relive my Grandads best moments. From the bottom of my heart and my family's, I want to say thank you and to also say to anyone considering Gaye, she is the perfect Celebrant for any occasion you may have."
How can I help you?
I aim to create services that are as accurate a reflection of the deceased, or a married couple’s love, as if I knew them familiarly. And to deliver the service genuinely, as if I too knew these loved individuals.
​
I have a particular interest in grief and end of life and find preparing memorial ceremonies particularly rewarding, when the essence of a life and personality is truly captured. Thus, the words can touch hearts, as well as create knowing smiles and sometimes laughter.
For me this is not a ‘business’, as I wish to perform only occasional ceremonies, just to remain involved with other’s stories. I am newly qualified, having achieved a UK Society of Celebrants diploma in Family and Funeral Celebrancy at the end of 2020. Thus, if you engage me, I will bring a fresh approach and the luxury of time to create what you have in mind. And I will also suggest ideas to add to yours, that are a little bit different but would resonate with the people you wish to celebrate.
"When I decided I would love to do a celebration of my dear husband Ian’s life I had no idea how I would go about it. I was so pleased to find Gaye as immediately I knew she was the person I wanted to help me make Ian’s day very special. With her guidance and ideas, it turned out to be the most wonderful day I had hoped for. Gaye’s kindness and friendliness really made such a sad day bearable. It felt like Gaye was part of our family and she really took the time to know who my husband was, which was amazing."
The video below is an example of a Celebrant led wedding ceremony.
To find out more about the Celebrancy services I can provide, please click here ...