In addition to wedding ceremonies, I also offer other customized ceremonies and rites of passage. Whether it’s celebrating a special anniversary with the renewal of vows, welcoming a new child into the family, or saying goodbye to a loved one, I will help design a bespoke ceremony to meet your needs.
If you and your spouse are marking a significant anniversary, it’s a wonderful occasion to celebrate and renew your commitment to one another. If other life circumstances have impacted your relationship such as a health diagnosis, children leaving home, or working through a “rocky period”, a vow renewal can also be meaningful. Whatever the reason, I can help you create a ceremony that reaffirms your commitment to one another.
A naming ceremony is an event at which an infant, a youth, or an adult is given a name or names. The timing is flexible and can be held days or months after birth.
The purpose of a humanist naming ceremony is to announce and welcome a baby to the family, extended family, friends, and the community. It provides an opportunity for those closest to you to come together to acknowledge the new addition to the family and to celebrate the important role others will have as caregivers and role models, such as grandparents and mentors.
There are no specific requirements for naming ceremonies, so I’ll help you to create a ceremony that’s right for your family. There are a variety of creative elements that can be incorporated to name and welcome your new loved one.
I truly believe that every life deserves to be honoured. Whether simple or elaborate, a ceremony marking a death offers us a chance to pause, reflect, and remember. No love, no friendship ever touches our lives without leaving a lasting imprint.
Even when loved ones have requested “no service”, there are still meaningful ways to honour their memory—quietly or with celebration. These moments provide family and friends an opportunity to grieve, to remember, and to begin healing.
As a Humanist officiant, my role is to help you acknowledge the death and express your love and memories in a way that feels most natural and fitting to you. Just as no two people are alike, no two ceremonies should be either. Humanist memorials are thoughtfully designed to reflect the unique personality, values, and story of the individual.
Many people now choose to pre-plan their own ceremony—ensuring their wishes are known and easing the decision-making for loved ones. If that’s something you’d like to explore, I’d be honoured to help guide the process.
A living funeral honours someone while they are still alive, often in the context of a terminal diagnosis. It offers the rare gift of saying goodbye with intention, expressing love and gratitude, and sharing memories together. As many say, “If only he or she had been here today to hear this”?”—a living funeral makes that possible.
Blending a family is a meaningful transition. A ceremony can help foster connection, belonging, and shared identity. Whether part of a wedding or a stand-alone event, it offers children and adults alike an opportunity to affirm their new family ties.
The end of a relationship can be just as important to acknowledge as its beginning. A ceremony marking this change can help bring closure, express appreciation, thank friends and family for their support and invite a healthy next chapter—whether private or shared with your community.
Sometimes, life brings moments that are hard to express in words. In those times, a custom ritual—large or small—can help us process, honour, or celebrate what we’re feeling. If you’d like to explore a ritual idea, I’d be happy to talk it through with you. Contact me.